Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Gene therapy techniques show promise in promoting growth of skin, bone and other tissues

Experimental genetic techniques may one day provide plastic and reconstructive surgeons with an invaluable tool-the ability to promote growth of the patient's own tissues for reconstructive surgery.

30 May 2013

Tafinlar, Mekinist get FDA approval to treat patients with advanced melanoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved two new drugs, Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib), for patients with advanced (metastatic) or unresectable (cannot be removed by surgery) melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

30 May 2013

Viewpoints: 'Good news' on Calif. insurance rates; Battle against dementia needs stronger efforts; Dental care for the disabled

The Affordable Care Act, a k a Obamacare, goes fully into effect at the beginning of next year, and predictions of disaster are being heard far and wide. ... No doubt there will be problems, as there are with any large new government initiative, and in this case, we have the added complication that many Republican governors and legislators are doing all they can to sabotage reform. Yet important new evidence -; especially from California, the law's most important test case -; suggests that the real Obamacare shock will be one of unexpected success (Paul Krugman, 5/26).

29 May 2013

$2 million grant to provide instrumentation, core facilities devoted to synthetic biology

The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust has awarded a $2 million grant to the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Under the leadership of Principal Investigator Dr. Huimin Zhao and co-Principal Investigator Dr. Christopher Rao, the grant will be disbursed over two years to provide instrumentation and core facilities for a new research theme devoted to the new scientific subdiscipline of synthetic biology.

29 May 2013

Scientists identify role of GSK-3 alpha protein in promoting oncogenic KRAS function

While the mutated KRAS oncogene is associated with many cancers, it has not yet been successfully targeted by a therapeutic agent. Scientists are trying to find another way to target the gene by blocking signals from another protein downstream.

29 May 2013

Research discovery may lead to development of new therapies for neurological disorders

For several years, the pharmaceutical industry has tried to develop drugs that target a specific neurotransmitter receptor in the brain, the NMDA receptor. This receptor is present on almost every neuron in the human brain and is involved in learning and memory. NMDA receptors also have been implicated in several neurological and psychiatric conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and depression.

29 May 2013

Harmless genetic variations may team up to increase risk of schizophrenia, find researchers

Using a novel method of analyzing genetic variations in families, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that individually harmless genetic variations affecting related biochemical processes may team up to increase the risk of schizophrenia.

29 May 2013

Chromatrap® ChIP assay kit enriches epigenetic marks from primary human tissue cells

A new application note from Porvair Sciences details a protocol for its Chromatrap® ChIP assay kit that has been developed to enrich epigenetic marks from primary human tissue cells.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 28 May 2013

Mosquito repellent and human odour: an interview with Dr James Logan, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Mosquitoes can carry parasites and other organisms that cause deadly diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. So, protecting yourself against their bites is very important.

28 May 2013

Synthetic compound derived from sea anemone toxin shows potential to treat obesity

Scientists at UC Irvine reported this week that a synthetic compound ShK-186, originally derived from a sea anemone toxin, has been found to enhance metabolic activity and shows potential as a treatment for obesity and insulin resistance.

28 May 2013

GATA-3 protein plays an important role in mammalian immune response

The protein GATA-3 plays an important role in mammalian immune response, but its overall function in cell development and cancer formation is not well understood. In an effort to further define the importance of GATA-3, researchers at the University of North Carolina have traced how the protein performs important functions in CD8+T-cell type of the immune system.

27 May 2013

Researchers identify mutations in new genes that might be associated with ALS disease

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified mutations in several new genes that might be associated with the development of spontaneously occurring cases of the neurodegenerative disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

27 May 2013

Calyx of Held: The largest synapse could shed light on neuropsychiatric disorders

Humans and most mammals can determine the spatial origin of sounds with remarkable acuity. We use this ability all the time -- crossing the street; locating an invisible ringing cell phone in a cluttered bedroom.

27 May 2013

Viewpoints: We need more 'socialism'; The IRS's 'unwelcome role'; 'Fog of Obamacare'

So this is what socialism looks like: Private companies competing for people's business in an open marketplace. Californians got their first glimpse Thursday of what insurers plan to charge for coverage to be offered next year to about 5 million state residents who don't receive health insurance from employers (David Lazarus, 5/23).

27 May 2013

Discovery highlights new method to make HIV vaccine that targets the virus

A new discovery at Oregon Health & Science University highlights an ingenious method to ensure the body effectively reacts when infected with the highly evasive HIV virus that causes AIDS.

26 May 2013

Study suggests possible way to halt cancer development in premalignant cells

Scientists have uncovered a survival mechanism that occurs in breast cells that have just turned premalignant-cells on the cusp between normalcy and cancers-which may lead to new methods of stopping tumors.

24 May 2013

TSRI scientists devise new technique to find therapeutic antibodies

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have devised a powerful new technique for finding antibodies that have a desired biological effect. Antibodies, which can bind to billions of distinct targets, are already used in many of the world's best-selling medicines, diagnostics and laboratory reagents.

24 May 2013

Potential new treatment approaches for liver diseases

By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the liver, UC Irvine endocrinologists have revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver diseases.

24 May 2013

New nano-sized needle can help study the effects of medicines on cells

Nano-sized needles developed by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim can force medicine into cells, even when the cell membranes offer resistance. The needles will make it easier to study the effects of medicines on cells.

24 May 2013

Weekend reading: Mental illness stigma, health insurance mazes and female libido

Linneah sat at a desk at the Center for Sexual Medicine at Sheppard Pratt in the suburbs of Baltimore and filled out a questionnaire. She read briskly, making swift checks beside her selected answers, and when she was finished, she handed the pages across the desk to Martina Miller, who gave her a round of pills.

24 May 2013

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Gene therapy techniques show promise in promoting growth of skin, bone and other tissues

Tafinlar, Mekinist get FDA approval to treat patients with advanced melanoma

Viewpoints: 'Good news' on Calif. insurance rates; Battle against dementia needs stronger efforts; Dental care for the disabled

$2 million grant to provide instrumentation, core facilities devoted to synthetic biology

Scientists identify role of GSK-3 alpha protein in promoting oncogenic KRAS function

Research discovery may lead to development of new therapies for neurological disorders

Harmless genetic variations may team up to increase risk of schizophrenia, find researchers

Chromatrap® ChIP assay kit enriches epigenetic marks from primary human tissue cells

Mosquito repellent and human odour: an interview with Dr James Logan, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Synthetic compound derived from sea anemone toxin shows potential to treat obesity

GATA-3 protein plays an important role in mammalian immune response

Researchers identify mutations in new genes that might be associated with ALS disease

Calyx of Held: The largest synapse could shed light on neuropsychiatric disorders

Viewpoints: We need more 'socialism'; The IRS's 'unwelcome role'; 'Fog of Obamacare'

Discovery highlights new method to make HIV vaccine that targets the virus

Study suggests possible way to halt cancer development in premalignant cells

TSRI scientists devise new technique to find therapeutic antibodies

Potential new treatment approaches for liver diseases

New nano-sized needle can help study the effects of medicines on cells

Weekend reading: Mental illness stigma, health insurance mazes and female libido

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