Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Novel technological treatment for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

A research team, led by John Guy, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has pioneered a novel technological treatment for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), an inherited genetic defect that causes rapid, permanent, and bilateral loss of vision in people of all ages, but primarily males ages 20-40.

24 Apr 2012

HDAC6 protein may provide novel target for stress-linked disorders

A cellular protein called HDAC6, newly characterized as a gatekeeper of steroid biology in the brain, may provide a novel target for treating and preventing stress-linked disorders, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

24 Apr 2012

Researchers identify gene that increases risk of MI in newborns with CF

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a gene that modifies the risk of newborns with cystic fibrosis (CF) developing neonatal intestinal obstruction, a potentially lethal complication of CF.

24 Apr 2012

IGF1R-blocking drugs can treat children with Wilms' tumour

An experimental drug that blocks an essential cell protein could be used to treat Wilms' tumour, a childhood cancer that affects the kidneys.

24 Apr 2012

RVX-208 molecule increases apolipoprotein A-I production

Resverlogix Corp. today announces the "Mechanism of Action" (MoA) by which RVX-208 increases apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) production.

23 Apr 2012

NEI awards Scripps Research $10.2M grant to develop new treatments for vision disorders

A team led by a scientist from The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a five-year, $10.2 million grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) to develop a new type of treatment for diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and other common vision disorders.

23 Apr 2012

APS honors MCW professor with Henry Pickering Bowditch Lecture Award

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major problem worldwide, with the latest estimates suggesting that a billion people across the globe may have this condition. Hypertension not only takes an enormous cost on health and wellbeing, but it also exacts an expensive financial toll. Complications from this condition including kidney disease, and its resulting treatments, such as long-term dialysis and kidney transplant, are some of the costliest conditions the American health care system must contend with.

23 Apr 2012

Study shows how cocaine changes the shape and size of neuron rewards in mouse model

New research from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York reveals that repeated exposure to cocaine decreases the activity of a protein necessary for normal functioning of the brain's reward system, thus enhancing the reward for cocaine use, which leads to addiction. Investigators were also able to block the ability of repeated cocaine exposure, to induce addiction.

23 Apr 2012

Study shows how MRSA epidemics may emerge and spread at molecular level

National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and their colleagues in China have described a rapidly emerging Staphylococcus aureus gene, called sasX, which plays a pivotal role in establishing methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) epidemics in most of Asia.

23 Apr 2012

Health Discovery launches MelApp for melanoma risk assessment

Health Discovery Corporation, the molecular diagnostics company that launched MelApp, the first SVM-based image analysis iPhone app for melanoma risk assessment is featured in this month's Men's Health Magazine.

21 Apr 2012

Acetylon receives U.S. patent for ACY-1215 to treat multiple myeloma

Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that it has been granted U.S. Patent 8,148,526 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This patent contains fundamental composition of matter claims covering the Company's selective HDAC6 inhibitor, ACY-1215, which is currently being investigated in human clinical trials for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

21 Apr 2012

Scientists discover tumor-targeting neural stem cells

Could engineered human stem cells hold the key to cancer survival? Scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, have discovered that neural stem cells possess the innate ability to target tumor cells outside the central nervous system. This finding, which was demonstrated successfully on breast cancer cells, was recently published in leading peer reviewed journal, Stem Cells.

21 Apr 2012

Researchers uncover 22 new genes linked with autism, other neurodevelopmental disorders

When chromosomes replicate, sometimes there is an exchange of genetic material within a chromosome or between two or more chromosomes without a significant loss of genetic material. This exchange, known as a balanced chromosomal abnormality (BCA), can cause rearrangements in the genetic code.

21 Apr 2012

March of Dimes selects UTMB scientist to receive Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award

The March of Dimes Foundation has chosen University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston assistant professor Muge Kuyumcu-Martinez to receive a two-year, $150,000 Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award. The grant will support her research on congenital heart defects, the most common type of major birth defect.

21 Apr 2012

Perivascular fat tissue may influence onset of atherosclerosis

Researchers at UC have confirmed that fat surrounding the outside of arteries in humans-particularly the left coronary artery-may influence the onset of coronary artery disease, or atherosclerosis, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S.

21 Apr 2012

Researchers discover novel genetic mechanism of idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a novel genetic mechanism of immune deficiency. Magdalena M. Gorska, MD, PhD, and Rafeul Alam, MD, PhD, identified a mutation in Unc119 that causes immunodeficiency known as idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia.

21 Apr 2012

Positive results from Alnylam’s ALN-PCS Phase I trial on severe hypercholesterolemia

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today positive results from its Phase I clinical trial of ALN-PCS, an RNAi therapeutic targeting PCSK9 for the treatment of severe hypercholesterolemia.

21 Apr 2012

Chinese scientists make significant breakthrough in animal cloning

Chinese scientists from BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, together with the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Shihezi University, Xinjiang province, made a significant breakthrough in animal cloning.

20 Apr 2012

Rare CARD14 gene mutations can lead to plaque psoriasis

Scientists led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the first gene directly linked to the most common form of psoriasis, a chronic skin condition.

20 Apr 2012