Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists create animal models by altering specific genes associated with a given disease

Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch, who helped transform the study of genetics by creating the first transgenic mouse in 1974, is again revolutionizing how genetically altered animal models are created and perhaps even redefining what species may serve as models.

6 May 2013

Rare mutation confers high risk of osteoporosis and certain cancers

deCODE genetics (an Amgen subsidiary) and Illumina, global leaders in analyzing and understanding the human genome, together with scientists from the National Hospital of Iceland and the University of Iceland reported today in the journal Nature the identification of a rare nonsense mutation that confers high risk of osteoporosis and osteoporosis related traits.

6 May 2013

Experts report new outbreaks and increased spread of Cassava Brown Streak Disease

Cassava experts are reporting new outbreaks and the increased spread of Cassava Brown Streak Disease or CBSD, warning that the rapidly proliferating plant virus could cause a 50 percent drop in production of a crop that provides a significant source of food and income for 300 million Africans.

6 May 2013

High levels of collagen in breasts are associated with breast cancer metastasis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered why breast cancer patients with dense breasts are more likely than others to develop aggressive tumors that spread.

6 May 2013

Researcher looks for markers of sleep loss in humans

For years, Paul Shaw, PhD, a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has used what he learns in fruit flies to look for markers of sleep loss in humans.

4 May 2013

Researchers identify genetic risk factor for persistent pain after traumatic events

A new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers is the first to identify a genetic risk factor for persistent pain after traumatic events such as motor vehicle collision and sexual assault.

3 May 2013

Mesp1 gene plays a key role in the development of heart, blood and skeletal muscle

New research out of the Lillehei Heart Institute at the University of Minnesota shows that by turning on just a single gene, Mesp1, different cell types including the heart, blood and muscle can be created from stem cells.

3 May 2013

Gene mutation associated with rare sleep disorder also contributes to debilitating migraines

A gene mutation associated with a rare sleep disorder surprisingly also contributes to debilitating migraines, a new discovery that could change the treatment of migraines by allowing development of drugs specifically designed to treat the chronic headaches.

3 May 2013

Study: Gene mutations are associated with severe form of nearsightedness

People have long taken for granted that glasses and contact lenses improve vision for nearsightedness, but the genetic factors behind the common condition have remained blurry. Now researchers at Duke Medicine are closer to clearing this up.

3 May 2013

Newly discovered ‘master regulator’ gene may help develop novel treatment for drug-resistant tumors

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a gene that, when repressed in tumor cells, puts a halt to cell growth and a range of processes needed for tumors to enlarge and spread to distant sites. The researchers hope that this so-called "master regulator" gene may be the key to developing a new treatment for tumors resistant to current drugs.

3 May 2013

Study results may help introduce better preoperative treatment for breast cancer

Breast cancers contain many different cell types with different patterns of gene expression, but a new study provides reassurance that this variability should not be a barrier to using gene expression tests to help tailor cancer treatments to individual patients.

3 May 2013

EPAC2 and diabetes: an interview with Dr. Hussain, Johns Hopkins University

EPAC stands for exchange protein activated by cyclic AMP (cAMP). cAMP is an (among many) intracellular messenger molecule. cAMP is generated when certain hormones stimulate a cell by binding to their receptor, which is at the outside surface of the cell.

3 May 2013

New technology to study interactions between metal elements, molecules in living organisms

Metal elements and molecules interact in the body but visualizing them together has always been a challenge. Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies in Japan have developed a new molecular imaging technology that enables them to visualize bio-metals and bio-molecules simultaneously in a live mouse.

3 May 2013

Researchers describe alterations in long noncoding RNA sequences in Rett syndrome

Researchers at the Epigenetics and Cancer Biology Program at IDIBELL led by Manel Esteller, ICREA researcher and professor of genetics at the University of Barcelona, have described alterations in noncoding long chain RNA sequences in Rett syndrome.

3 May 2013

NIH-funded study uncovers novel way that grapes exert beneficial effects in the heart

A study appearing in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry- demonstrates that grapes are able to reduce heart failure associated with chronic high blood pressure (hypertension) by increasing the activity of several genes responsible for antioxidant defense in the heart tissue.

3 May 2013

New approach could democratize viral surveillance, says UCSF scientist

The tick-borne Lone Star virus has been conclusively identified as part of a family of other tick-borne viruses called bunyaviruses, which often cause fever, respiratory problems and bleeding, according to new research led by scientists at UC San Francisco.

3 May 2013

Variations in the sequencing of TERT gene influence risk of breast, ovarian cancers

A major international study involving a Simon Fraser University scientist has found that sequence differences in a gene crucial to the maintenance of our chromosomes' integrity predispose us to certain cancers.

3 May 2013

Measurement variation influences gene expression profiles of breast cancer

An important new study has revealed the clearest picture yet of precisely how much measurement variation influences gene expression profiles of breast cancer.

3 May 2013

CHOP research offers insights into epilepsy, schizophrenia, other neuropsych disorders

Medical researchers have manipulated human stem cells into producing types of brain cells known to play important roles in neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism.

3 May 2013

New findings to benefit women with oestrogen-receptor positive breast cancer

A new analysis has provided a comprehensive comparison of scores designed to predict which women with oestrogen-receptor positive breast cancer are at high risk of recurrence beyond five years after diagnosis, and may benefit from prolonged endocrine treatment.

3 May 2013

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists create animal models by altering specific genes associated with a given disease

Rare mutation confers high risk of osteoporosis and certain cancers

Experts report new outbreaks and increased spread of Cassava Brown Streak Disease

High levels of collagen in breasts are associated with breast cancer metastasis

Researcher looks for markers of sleep loss in humans

Researchers identify genetic risk factor for persistent pain after traumatic events

Mesp1 gene plays a key role in the development of heart, blood and skeletal muscle

Gene mutation associated with rare sleep disorder also contributes to debilitating migraines

Study: Gene mutations are associated with severe form of nearsightedness

Newly discovered ‘master regulator’ gene may help develop novel treatment for drug-resistant tumors

Study results may help introduce better preoperative treatment for breast cancer

EPAC2 and diabetes: an interview with Dr. Hussain, Johns Hopkins University

New technology to study interactions between metal elements, molecules in living organisms

Researchers describe alterations in long noncoding RNA sequences in Rett syndrome

NIH-funded study uncovers novel way that grapes exert beneficial effects in the heart

New approach could democratize viral surveillance, says UCSF scientist

Variations in the sequencing of TERT gene influence risk of breast, ovarian cancers

Measurement variation influences gene expression profiles of breast cancer

CHOP research offers insights into epilepsy, schizophrenia, other neuropsych disorders

New findings to benefit women with oestrogen-receptor positive breast cancer

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

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Deciphering the Microbiome with The Microsetta Initiative

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research