Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Endocannabinoids may contribute to pregnancy complications

New research indicates marijuana-like compounds called endocannabinoids alter genes and biological signals critical to the formation of a normal placenta during pregnancy and may contribute to pregnancy complications like preeclampsia.

13 Sep 2012

Melbourne researchers develop genetic test to predict risk of autism spectrum disorder

A team of Australian researchers, led by University of Melbourne has developed a genetic test that is able to predict the risk of developing Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD.

13 Sep 2012

BRCA1/2 gene mutations lethal to human embryos

BRCA1/2 gene mutations, widely associated with breast and ovarian cancer risks in women, are, in principle, lethal to human embryos, according to new research conducted by three teams of researchers from the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) in New York City, the Medical University Vienna in Vienna, Austria, and the Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.

13 Sep 2012

Molecular beacons allow scientists to monitor gene expression during stem cell transformation

A novel set of custom-designed "molecular beacons" allows scientists to monitor gene expression in living populations of stem cells as they turn into a specific tissue in real-time. The technology, which Brown University researchers describe in a new study, provides tissue engineers with a potentially powerful tool to discover what it may take to make stem cells transform into desired tissue cells more often and more quickly.

12 Sep 2012

Weill Cornell to establish new child care center

Weill Cornell Medical College announced today that it will create a child care center for up to 60 children of its faculty, students and staff near its campus on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

12 Sep 2012

Gene therapy regimen can safely restore immune systems to children with Bubble Boy disease

UCLA stem cell researchers have found that a gene therapy regimen can safely restore immune systems to children with so-called "Bubble Boy" disease, a life threatening condition that if left untreated can be fatal within one to two years.

12 Sep 2012

APS conference to explore potential mechanisms behind health benefits of exercise

The effects of physical inactivity are, literally, hazardous to your health. Although the detrimental effects of being inactive are generally thought to be associated with childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes, they have a significant impact on other illnesses. Physical inactivity contributed at least 25 percent to the prevalence of hip fractures, osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, and colon cancer according to recent data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

12 Sep 2012

Genes predict the brain's reaction to smoking

Have you ever wondered why some people find it so much easier to stop smoking than others? New research shows that vulnerability to smoking addiction is shaped by our genes. A study from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, McGill University shows that people with genetically fast nicotine metabolism have a significantly greater brain response to smoking cues than those with slow nicotine metabolism.

12 Sep 2012

Berkeley lab researchers link possible new oncogene with resistance to cancer drugs

A gene that may possibly belong to an entire new family of oncogenes has been linked by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) to the resistance of breast cancer to a well-regarded and widely used cancer therapy.

12 Sep 2012

Genetic test predicts risk for Autism

A team of Australian researchers, led by University of Melbourne has developed a genetic test that is able to predict the risk of developing Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD.

11 Sep 2012

Karolinska Institutet professor receives Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize for obesity research

This year's Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize, worth SEK 1 million, goes to Professor Peter Arner from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, who conducts research on fat. His team was the first to show that fat cells are formed throughout one's lifetime, not just in childhood.

11 Sep 2012

Two National University of Singapore scientists win Lasker Awards for medical research

Two scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) - Professor Michael Sheetz, Director of the Mechanobiology Institute of Singapore; and Professor Roy Calne, Visiting Professor with the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine's Department of Surgery - have been conferred the prestigious Lasker Awards for making great advances in medical research.

11 Sep 2012

KRAS gene mutation recruits second player to trigger pancreatic cancer

More than a cancer-causing gene is needed to trigger pancreatic cancer, a study led by Mayo Clinic has found. A second factor creates a "perfect storm" that allows tumors to form, the researchers say. The study, published in the Sept. 10 issue of Cancer Cell, overturns the current belief that a mutation in the KRAS oncogene is enough to initiate pancreatic cancer and unrestrained cell growth.

11 Sep 2012

U of I microbial engineer synthesizes 2-fucosyllactose to protect babies from pathogens

A University of Illinois microbial engineer has synthesized a sugar in human milk that is thought to protect babies from pathogens. That's important because 2FL, the shorthand scientists use to describe this human milk oligosaccharide (HMO), has not been added to infant formula because HMOs are incredibly expensive.

11 Sep 2012

MicroRNA-145 gene therapy can drastically reduce severity and progression of atherosclerosis

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital are one step closer to understanding why plaque bursts in coronary arteries and causes heart attacks.

11 Sep 2012

Study discovers pathways that govern instability of GAA/TTC repeats

A study of more than 6,000 genes in a common species of yeast has identified the pathways that govern the instability of GAA/TTC repeats. In humans, the expansions of these repeats is known to inactivate a gene - FXN - which leads to Friedreich's ataxia, a neurodegenerative disease that is currently incurable. In yeast, long repeats also destabilize the genome, manifested by the breakage of chromosomes.

11 Sep 2012

Researchers gain new insight into regulation of adult nerve cell generation in the hypothalamus

Researchers from the University of Utah have gained new insight into the regulation of adult nerve cell generation in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates many aspects of behavior, mood, and metabolism.

11 Sep 2012

P5091 molecule triggers apoptosis in drug-resistant myeloma cells

A molecule that targets the cell's machinery for breaking down unneeded proteins can kill multiple myeloma cancer cells resistant to the frontline drug Velcade, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have found.

11 Sep 2012

Researchers discover small DNA sequence that drives GATA2 protein

The protein GATA2 is known as a "master regulator" of blood cell development. When a mutation occurs in the gene that makes GATA2, serious blood diseases such as acute myeloid leukemia can result.

11 Sep 2012

Data from Sangamo BioSciences’ SB-728-T Phase 1 clinical programs on HIV/AIDS

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced that data from its Phase 1 clinical programs to develop SB-728-T, a novel therapeutic approach designed to generate a "functional cure" for HIV/AIDS, were presented at the 52nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).

11 Sep 2012

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Endocannabinoids may contribute to pregnancy complications

Melbourne researchers develop genetic test to predict risk of autism spectrum disorder

BRCA1/2 gene mutations lethal to human embryos

Molecular beacons allow scientists to monitor gene expression during stem cell transformation

Weill Cornell to establish new child care center

Gene therapy regimen can safely restore immune systems to children with Bubble Boy disease

APS conference to explore potential mechanisms behind health benefits of exercise

Genes predict the brain's reaction to smoking

Berkeley lab researchers link possible new oncogene with resistance to cancer drugs

Genetic test predicts risk for Autism

Karolinska Institutet professor receives Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize for obesity research

Two National University of Singapore scientists win Lasker Awards for medical research

KRAS gene mutation recruits second player to trigger pancreatic cancer

U of I microbial engineer synthesizes 2-fucosyllactose to protect babies from pathogens

MicroRNA-145 gene therapy can drastically reduce severity and progression of atherosclerosis

Study discovers pathways that govern instability of GAA/TTC repeats

Researchers gain new insight into regulation of adult nerve cell generation in the hypothalamus

P5091 molecule triggers apoptosis in drug-resistant myeloma cells

Researchers discover small DNA sequence that drives GATA2 protein

Data from Sangamo BioSciences’ SB-728-T Phase 1 clinical programs on HIV/AIDS

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

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