Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Inserm prizes for medical research to be awarded on Dec. 3

The 2012 Inserm prizes for medical research will be awarded at a ceremony at the Coll-ge de France on Monday 3 December 2012. This year, the grand prize will be awarded to Philippe Sansonetti in the presence of Marisol Touraine, France's Minister of Social Affairs and Health, Genevi-ve Fioraso, France's Minister of Higher Education and Research, and Professor Andr- Syrota, Chairman and CEO of Inserm.

5 Dec 2012

Highlights for December 2012 issue of GSA’s Genetics journal

Listed below are the selected highlights for the December 2012 issue of the Genetics Society of America's journal, Genetics.

5 Dec 2012

METACARDIS project to develop and implement personalized treatments for patients with CMDs

Thanks to the support of the European Commission, fourteen partners in six European countries will work together over a five-year period to translate the results obtained with novel CMD diagnosis and treatment methods and pave the way for personalised medicine in CMDs. Researchers and clinicians from the Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition (ICAN) will also be involved in the METACARDIS project.

5 Dec 2012

Study: Risk for skin cancer involves numerous genetic factors

It's common knowledge that excessive UV exposure from sunlight raises your chances for skin cancer, but predicting whether someone will actually develop skin cancer remains difficult. In a new research report, scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison show that the risk for skin cancer involves numerous genetic factors including family history, ethnicity, and genetic variations specific to each individual.

5 Dec 2012

Researchers investigate GPER receptor as possible new drug target for breast cancer

Five-year breast cancer survival rates have improved dramatically over the past 50 years, but tumors can recur up to ten or more years after they are detected. When tumors recur, they are even more difficult to treat.

5 Dec 2012

Mutations signaling poor neuroblastoma prognosis identified

Children with neuroblastoma who have mutations in the ARID1A and ARID1B genes in their tumors have a poor prognosis compared with those without these alterations, show study findings.

4 Dec 2012

Adiponectin level may underpin atherogenic haptoglobin phenotype

Researchers have suggested an active role for adiponectin in the pathophysiology of vascular disease in patients with diabetes, that depends on their haptoglobin phenotype.

4 Dec 2012

Data from OncoSec Medical clinical studies to be presented at DNA Vaccines 2012 Conference

OncoSec Medical Inc., a company developing its advanced-stage ImmunoPulse DNA-based immunotherapy and NeoPulse therapy to treat solid tumor cancers, announced it will be presenting at the DNA Vaccines 2012 Conference at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego, California. OncoSec is a Silver Sponsor of the conference.

4 Dec 2012

Hebrew University researchers pave way for development of new approaches to cure malaria

More than a million people die each year of malaria caused by different strains of the Plasmodium parasite transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. The medical world has yet to find an effective vaccine against the deadly parasite, which mainly affects pregnant women and children under the age of five. By figuring out how the most dangerous strain evades the watchful eye of the immune system, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have now paved the way for the development of new approaches to cure this acute infection.

4 Dec 2012

Childhood trauma can leave permanent epigenetic marks on DNA

Abused children are at high risk of anxiety and mood disorders, as traumatic experience induces lasting changes to their gene regulation. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich have now documented for the first time that genetic variants of the FKBP5 gene can influence epigenetic alterations in this gene induced by early trauma.

3 Dec 2012

Vitamin D receptor polymorphism may protect against osteoporosis

A polymorphism in the vitamin D receptor gene significantly influences risk for osteoporosis, suggest results from a meta-analysis of 26 studies.

3 Dec 2012

Innovative stem cell technique for heart tissue revealed

Researchers have found that stem cell cultures infused with growth factors could be used to repair damaged heart tissue without the threat of patient rejection.

3 Dec 2012

Specific transporters could be exploited to deliver toxic substances into cancer cells

Whitehead Institute scientists report that certain molecules present in high concentrations on the surfaces of many cancer cells could be exploited to funnel lethal toxic molecules into the malignant cells. In such an approach, the overexpression of specific transporters could be exploited to deliver toxic substances into cancer cells.

3 Dec 2012

Researchers discover four new gene regions that contribute to low birth weight

An international team of genetics researchers has discovered four new gene regions that contribute to low birth weight. Three of those regions influence adult metabolism, and appear to affect longer-term outcomes such as adult height, risk of type 2 diabetes and adult blood pressure.

3 Dec 2012

Scientists identify 15 new genetic regions associated with coronary artery disease

Fifteen new genetic regions associated with coronary artery disease have been identified by a large, international consortium of scientists - including researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine - taking a significant step forward in understanding the root causes of this deadly disease. The new research brings the total number of validated genetic links with heart disease discovered through genome-wide association studies to 46.

3 Dec 2012

Children with changes in bully genes have poor survival

In a genome sequencing study of 74 neuroblastoma tumors in children, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that patients with changes in two genes, ARID1A and ARID1B, survive only a quarter as long as patients without the changes. The discovery could eventually lead to early identification of patients with aggressive neuroblastomas who may need additional treatments.

3 Dec 2012

Scientists discover how humans and mammals develop intelligence

Scientists have discovered for the first time how humans - and other mammals - have evolved to have intelligence.

3 Dec 2012

TINCR molecule plays a master role in epidermal differentiation

The surface of your skin, called the epidermis, is a complex mixture of many different cell types - each with a very specific job. The production, or differentiation, of such a sophisticated tissue requires an immense amount of coordination at the cellular level, and glitches in the process can have disastrous consequences. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a master regulator of this differentiation process.

2 Dec 2012

New Weill Cornell campaign to improve hypertension prevention, detection and control

The Weill Cornell Physician Organization at Weill Cornell Medical College has joined more than 120 medical groups and health systems nationwide to launch the new health campaign Measure Up, Pressure Down aimed to improve high blood pressure prevention, detection and control.

1 Dec 2012

New genetic study defines biology behind brain developmental disorder in children

This study describes how a combination of sequencing and mouse models were used to identify the gene responsible for a brain developmental disorder seen in four patients.

1 Dec 2012

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Inserm prizes for medical research to be awarded on Dec. 3

Highlights for December 2012 issue of GSA’s Genetics journal

METACARDIS project to develop and implement personalized treatments for patients with CMDs

Study: Risk for skin cancer involves numerous genetic factors

Researchers investigate GPER receptor as possible new drug target for breast cancer

Mutations signaling poor neuroblastoma prognosis identified

Adiponectin level may underpin atherogenic haptoglobin phenotype

Data from OncoSec Medical clinical studies to be presented at DNA Vaccines 2012 Conference

Hebrew University researchers pave way for development of new approaches to cure malaria

Childhood trauma can leave permanent epigenetic marks on DNA

Vitamin D receptor polymorphism may protect against osteoporosis

Innovative stem cell technique for heart tissue revealed

Specific transporters could be exploited to deliver toxic substances into cancer cells

Researchers discover four new gene regions that contribute to low birth weight

Scientists identify 15 new genetic regions associated with coronary artery disease

Children with changes in bully genes have poor survival

Scientists discover how humans and mammals develop intelligence

TINCR molecule plays a master role in epidermal differentiation

New Weill Cornell campaign to improve hypertension prevention, detection and control

New genetic study defines biology behind brain developmental disorder in children

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

Deciphering the Microbiome with The Microsetta Initiative

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices