Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

CHOP scientist receives 2013 E. Donnall Thomas Prize for scientific, clinical research in hemophilia

Katherine A. High, M.D., of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) was honored for her trailblazing scientific and clinical research in the bleeding disorder hemophilia when she received the 2013 E. Donnall Thomas Prize from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) at its annual meeting on Dec. 9 in New Orleans.

15 Dec 2013

Research reveals that deletion of Epac1 gene protects from fatal rickettsiosis

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have discovered a way to block a disease pathway that could be a breakthrough in defeating some of the world's most devastating human infections.

14 Dec 2013

Scientists reveal how two genes interact to kill broad range of cancer cells

Scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have revealed how two genes interact to kill a wide range of cancer cells. Originally discovered by the study's lead investigator Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., the genes known as mda-7/IL-24 and SARI could potentially be harnessed to treat both primary and metastatic forms of brain, breast, colon, lung, ovary, prostate, skin and other cancers.

14 Dec 2013

CHOP scientist receives 2013 E. Donnall Thomas Prize for research in bleeding disorder hemophilia

Katherine A. High, M.D., of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was honored for her trailblazing scientific and clinical research in the bleeding disorder hemophilia when she received the 2013 E. Donnall Thomas Prize from the American Society of Hematology at its annual meeting on Dec. 9 in New Orleans.

14 Dec 2013

Study shows effectiveness of PAM50-based Prosigna Breast Cancer Prognostic Gene Signature Assay

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a provider of life science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products, today announced new results from a combined analysis of the Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group 8 (ABCSG-8) and Trans-Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination (TransATAC) studies. These results, which evaluated samples from 2,137 patients, suggest that the PAM50-based Prosignaz Breast Cancer Prognostic Gene Signature Assay may help identify women with late distant recurrence after five years of endocrine treatment.

13 Dec 2013

Spaceflights cause cellular-level damage and may lead to long-term vision problems

Those who travel to space are rewarded with a beautiful sight - planet Earth. But the effects of space travel on the human sense of sight aren't so beautiful. More than 30 percent of astronauts who returned from two-week space shuttle missions and 60 percent who spent six months aboard the International Space Station were diagnosed with eye problems. Two recent investigations examined mechanisms that may explain eye changes in spaceflight, help find ways to minimize this health risk to astronauts and eventually prevent and treat eye diseases on Earth.

13 Dec 2013

New mutations in the estrogen receptor drive strong drug resistance exhibited by human breast tumors

Human breast tumors transplanted into mice are excellent models of metastatic cancer and are providing insights into how to attack breast cancers that no longer respond to the drugs used to treat them, according to research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

13 Dec 2013

New test may help decrease risk of suicidality in patients treated with antidepressants

The new test, based on research carried out at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, should help doctors to decrease the risk of suicidality in patients treated with antidepressants who show certain gene markers. Sundance is completing a new round of funding to extend the initial validation results reported by the Institute. The company plans to launch the test immediately as a laboratory developed test. In addition, clinical studies in support of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration submission for market clearance, CE marking and reimbursement will be initiated. Sundance expects to submit its application to the agencies within 18 months.

13 Dec 2013

Researchers uncover second rare genetic mutation linked to higher risk of Alzheimer's disease

A research team from The University of Nottingham has helped uncover a second rare genetic mutation which strongly increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease in later life.

13 Dec 2013

Study: Antisense drugs show activity in wide range of tissues and organs

Antisense therapeutics, a class of drugs comprised of short nucleic acid sequences, can target a dysfunctional gene and silence its activity. A new study has shown that antisense drugs delivered systemically show activity in a wide range of tissues and organs, supporting their broad therapeutic potential in many disease indications, as described in an article in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

13 Dec 2013

Psychiatrists increasingly refuse to accept private insurance as payment

Access to mental health care has become a prominent issue in Congress following mass shootings around the country. But a new study in JAMA Psychiatry, led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, suggests that unless those in need of help have deep pockets, they might have a hard time finding a psychiatrist that will provide the needed services.

13 Dec 2013

Vaccines for whooping cough contain 3 to 5 protective antigens

Vaccines for whooping cough contain three to five protective antigens, the presence of which are critical to the vaccine's effectiveness. But one of the antigens, pertactin, which had been present in almost all isolates of Bordetella pertussis in the US as late as 2010, is now absent from more than half of them, according to a paper published ahead of print in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology.

13 Dec 2013

Scientists bring stem cell science directly to patients

Scientists from UCLA's Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research are bringing stem cell science funded by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state stem cell agency, directly to patients in two exciting new clinical trials scheduled to begin in early 2014.

13 Dec 2013

Gene Expression Barcode 3.0 tool proves to be a vital resource for cancer research

A newly improved internet research tool is helping cancer researchers and physicians make sense out of a deluge of genetic data from nearly 100,000 patients and more than 50,000 mice.

13 Dec 2013

More outreach needed for family members who carry genetic risks of cancer

A study done by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center shows that many relatives of patients who undergo testing for a gene linked to breast and ovarian cancers misinterpret the results, and less than half of those who could benefit from genetic testing say they plan to get tested themselves-despite the fact that knowing your genetic status may help catch the disease in its earliest stages.

13 Dec 2013

NIH StrokeNet to revolutionize research on stroke

A network of 25 regional stroke centers working with nearby satellite facilities will span the country, have teams of researchers representing every medical specialty needed for stroke care and will address the three prongs of stroke research: prevention, treatment and recovery. The Centers were announced today by the National Institutes of Health.

13 Dec 2013

New treatment needed for women with HER2- and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer with PIK3CA mutation

Women with breast cancer characterized by high levels of the protein HER2 and hormone receptors gained much less benefit from presurgery treatment with chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapies if their cancer had one or more mutations in the PIK3CA gene, according to results presented here at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 10-14.

12 Dec 2013

MIT assistant professor named Pew biomedical researcher of the month

For his creative work in evolutionary systems biology, Jeff Gore, Ph.D., an assistant professor in physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is The Pew Charitable Trusts' biomedical researcher of the month. Gore is studying how game theory can be applied to bacterial evolution, with the goal of understanding how pathogens become resistant to drugs.

12 Dec 2013

Climate differences drive gene changes, find Virginia Bioinformatics Institute researchers

Interplay between genes and the environment has been pondered at least since the phrase "nature versus nurture" was coined in the mid-1800s.

12 Dec 2013

Combination therapy safe and active in follicular lymphoma

One drug attacks tumor cells directly, the other treats the immune system by taking the brakes off T cell response.

12 Dec 2013

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

CHOP scientist receives 2013 E. Donnall Thomas Prize for scientific, clinical research in hemophilia

Research reveals that deletion of Epac1 gene protects from fatal rickettsiosis

Scientists reveal how two genes interact to kill broad range of cancer cells

CHOP scientist receives 2013 E. Donnall Thomas Prize for research in bleeding disorder hemophilia

Study shows effectiveness of PAM50-based Prosigna Breast Cancer Prognostic Gene Signature Assay

Spaceflights cause cellular-level damage and may lead to long-term vision problems

New mutations in the estrogen receptor drive strong drug resistance exhibited by human breast tumors

New test may help decrease risk of suicidality in patients treated with antidepressants

Researchers uncover second rare genetic mutation linked to higher risk of Alzheimer's disease

Study: Antisense drugs show activity in wide range of tissues and organs

Psychiatrists increasingly refuse to accept private insurance as payment

Vaccines for whooping cough contain 3 to 5 protective antigens

Scientists bring stem cell science directly to patients

Gene Expression Barcode 3.0 tool proves to be a vital resource for cancer research

More outreach needed for family members who carry genetic risks of cancer

NIH StrokeNet to revolutionize research on stroke

New treatment needed for women with HER2- and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer with PIK3CA mutation

MIT assistant professor named Pew biomedical researcher of the month

Climate differences drive gene changes, find Virginia Bioinformatics Institute researchers

Combination therapy safe and active in follicular lymphoma

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Decoding Cannabis: Differentiating Hemp and Marijuana

Deciphering the Microbiome with The Microsetta Initiative

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research