Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Cyclin D1 protein controls cell cycle progression, microRNA biogenesis in breast cancer

Cyclin D1, a protein that helps push a replicating cell through the cell cycle also mediates the processing and generation of mature microRNA, according to new research publishing November 29 in Nature Communications. The research suggests that a protein strongly implicated in human cancer also governs the non-protein-coding genome. The non-coding genome, previously referred to as junk DNA, makes up most of the human genome, and unlike the coding genome, varies greatly between species.

29 Nov 2013

Male roundworms shorten the lifespan of females, say Stanford researchers

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that males of the laboratory roundworm secrete signaling molecules that significantly shorten the lifespan of the opposite sex.

29 Nov 2013

Study reveals new mechanism that may block formation of new blood vessels and cancer growth

A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine demonstrates a new mechanism involving a signaling protein and its receptor that may block the formation of new blood vessels and cancer growth. The findings are published in the December issue of Science Signaling.

29 Nov 2013

Researchers identify gene responsible for malfunctions in fear-related memory system

A study published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience points, for the first time, to the gene trkC as a factor in susceptibility to the disease. The researchers define the specific mechanism for the formation of fear memories which will help in the development of new pharmacological and cognitive treatments.

29 Nov 2013

Elevated cholesterol is associated with breast cancer risk

A byproduct of cholesterol functions like the hormone estrogen to fuel the growth and spread of the most common types of breast cancers, researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute report.

29 Nov 2013

Surgeon performs first-ever retrograde gene therapy on human heart

Ernie Lively moved to a scenic home in the mountains of Wasatch County to escape the hectic pace of Hollywood when he retired. But retirement didn't provide Lively with the active lifestyle he craved because of simple reality: His heart was failing.

28 Nov 2013

Enzyme intervenes when cancer-fighting PTEN is bound for cell's protein-destroying machinery

A protector for PTEN, a tumor-thwarting protein often missing in cancer cells, has emerged from research led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center published online at Nature Cell Biology this week.

28 Nov 2013

Screening for genetic mutations may help identify silent carriers of adrenal Cushing's syndrome

Genetic research that will be published tomorrow in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests to Dr. André Lacroix, professor at the University of Montreal, that clinicians' understanding and treatment of a form of Cushing's syndrome affecting both adrenal glands will be fundamentally changed, and that moreover, it might be appropriate to begin screening for the genetic mutations that cause this form of the disease.

28 Nov 2013

Researchers identify protein in malaria that is inhibited by newly discovered anti-malarial compounds

Researchers have identified the protein in malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites that is inhibited by a newly discovered class of anti-malarial compounds known as imidazopyrazines.

28 Nov 2013

Mutation in alpha-synuclein gene causes increased vulnerability to pesticides, leading to Parkinson's

A team of researchers has brought new clarity to the picture of how gene-environmental interactions can kill nerve cells that make dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination.

27 Nov 2013

Findings highlight possible new approach to combat malaria

An international team of scientists, including researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, has identified a key metabolic enzyme that common malaria parasites require for survival at each stage of infection in humans. The findings raise the possibility of a new approach to combating malaria, one of the world's deadliest diseases. The study was published today in the online edition of the journal Nature.

27 Nov 2013

Implantable genetic circuit serves as early warning system for high blood-fat levels

Humankind has a weight problem - and not only in the industrialised nations, either: the growing prosperity in many Asian or Latin American countries goes hand in hand with a way of life that quite literally has hefty consequences.

27 Nov 2013

Genetics and cardiovascular drugs: an interview with Nancy Lurker, CEO of PDI and Paul Kinnon, CEO of Transgenomic, Inc.

People inherit different versions of any particular gene, and some genes affect how patients process and metabolize medicines. This especially holds true for people with cardiovascular (CV) disease. They may be fast, slow or non-metabolizers and might also react badly (with serious adverse events) to certain drug therapies or not at all.

27 Nov 2013

Fluxion Biosciences reports first study results from early stage NSCLC patients

Fluxion Biosciences, Inc. announced the presentation of the first pilot study results aimed at isolating circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients obtained in collaboration with Dr. Max Diehn's lab at Stanford University. CTCs are cells that disseminate from primary tumors and contribute to the spread of the disease to other parts of the body.

From Fluxion Biosciences 27 Nov 2013

EPCs: A promising therapy for type 1 diabetes

Pancreatic islet transplantation is a promising therapy for treating type 1 diabetes, but the majority of transplanted cells die soon after they are transplanted.

27 Nov 2013

Thermo Fisher Scientific gets European Commission approval for Life Technologies deal

Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, today announced that it has received approval from the European Commission for its pending acquisition of Life Technologies Corporation.

27 Nov 2013

Study links genetic predisposition to childhood obesity

Research has suggested that a particular gene in the brain's reward system contributes to overeating and obesity in adults. This same variant has now been linked to childhood obesity and tasty food choices, particularly for girls, according to a new study by Dr. Patricia Silveira and Prof. Michael Meaney of McGill University and Dr. Robert Levitan of the University of Toronto.

27 Nov 2013

African Americans have double the risk of end-stage renal disease compared to white Americans

In the United States, African Americans have approximately twice the risk of end-stage renal disease compared to white Americans, despite a similar prevalence in earlier stages of chronic kidney disease. A large study co-authored by George Washington University researcher Dominic Raj, M.D., identifies factors that mediate differences in the progression of chronic kidney disease between black patients and white patients, as well as among black patients, in order to reduce the excess burden of end-stage renal disease and its complications in black patients.

27 Nov 2013

CSHL identifies specific stretch of DNA that helps cancerous blood cells to proliferate in AML

A team of researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has identified a leukemia-specific stretch of DNA called an enhancer element that enables cancerous blood cells to proliferate in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a devastating cancer that is incurable in 70% of patients.

27 Nov 2013

High-fat food consumption during puberty may increase the risk of breast cancer

New findings show that eating a high-fat diet beginning at puberty speeds up the development of breast cancer and may actually increase the risk of cancer similar to a type often found in younger adult women.

26 Nov 2013

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Cyclin D1 protein controls cell cycle progression, microRNA biogenesis in breast cancer

Male roundworms shorten the lifespan of females, say Stanford researchers

Study reveals new mechanism that may block formation of new blood vessels and cancer growth

Researchers identify gene responsible for malfunctions in fear-related memory system

Elevated cholesterol is associated with breast cancer risk

Surgeon performs first-ever retrograde gene therapy on human heart

Enzyme intervenes when cancer-fighting PTEN is bound for cell's protein-destroying machinery

Screening for genetic mutations may help identify silent carriers of adrenal Cushing's syndrome

Researchers identify protein in malaria that is inhibited by newly discovered anti-malarial compounds

Mutation in alpha-synuclein gene causes increased vulnerability to pesticides, leading to Parkinson's

Findings highlight possible new approach to combat malaria

Implantable genetic circuit serves as early warning system for high blood-fat levels

Genetics and cardiovascular drugs: an interview with Nancy Lurker, CEO of PDI and Paul Kinnon, CEO of Transgenomic, Inc.

Fluxion Biosciences reports first study results from early stage NSCLC patients

EPCs: A promising therapy for type 1 diabetes

Thermo Fisher Scientific gets European Commission approval for Life Technologies deal

Study links genetic predisposition to childhood obesity

African Americans have double the risk of end-stage renal disease compared to white Americans

CSHL identifies specific stretch of DNA that helps cancerous blood cells to proliferate in AML

High-fat food consumption during puberty may increase the risk of breast cancer

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