Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

GSK, Alnylam collaborate to apply VaxiRNA technology for influenza vaccine production

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today it has formed a collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) focused on Alnylam's VaxiRNATM technology for certain GSK vaccine products, including influenza. VaxiRNA is a new RNAi technology for the enhanced production of viruses used in the manufacture of vaccine products. GSK, a leading vaccine manufacturer, is the first company to form a collaboration accessing this new platform.

2 Nov 2011

Breast cancer not 100% inherited: Study

According to study results released this Monday, women with a close relative with breast cancer may not be at a higher risk of getting breast cancer. The findings may bring comfort to women from high-risk families after a 2007 study suggested that simply having a relative with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation raised their risk of developing breast cancer, even if they had tested negative for the genes.

1 Nov 2011

Scientists identify genetic mutation that causes rare childhood disease

An international collaboration of scientists, including researchers at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the National Institutes of Health, has identified a genetic mutation that causes a rare childhood disease characterized predominantly by inflammation and fat loss.

1 Nov 2011

iBio receives U.S. patent entitled 'System for Expression of Genes in Plants'

iBio, Inc. today announced notice of issuance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for US Patent 8,058,511, entitled "System for Expression of Genes in Plants," that further extends iBio's patent coverage of viral vectors comprising its iBioLaunch platform.

1 Nov 2011

Non-carriers do not have increased risk of breast cancer due to familial mutation

A population-based analysis of more than 3,000 families including women with breast cancer has found that close relatives of women who carry mutations in a BRCA gene - but who themselves do not have such genetic mutations - do not have an increased risk of developing breast cancer compared to relatives of women with breast cancer who do not have such mutations.

1 Nov 2011

Heat, extreme exercise or febrile illness may also trigger MH

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially life-threatening inherited disorder of muscle. Patients who are at risk for MH usually have no outward signs of muscle problems. However, when exposed to certain commonly used general anesthetics they may develop very high body temperature, increased heart rate and muscle breakdown. If not recognized and treated promptly MH may be fatal.

1 Nov 2011

Vampire-like bacteria has potential to serve as living antibiotic

A vampire-like bacteria that leeches onto specific other bacteria - including certain human pathogens - has the potential to serve as a living antibiotic for a range of infectious diseases, a new study indicates.

1 Nov 2011

Fierce Vaccines highlights Inovio's VGX-3100 as one of 10 Promising Therapeutic Vaccines

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which is advancing synthetic vaccines to fight cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that VGX-3100, its investigational SynCon vaccine for treating cervical dysplasia and cancer caused by human papillomavirus, was highlighted by Fierce Vaccines as one of 10 Promising Therapeutic Vaccines.

31 Oct 2011

Mayo Clinic, Oxford BioMedica collaborate to develop gene therapy for glaucoma

Oxford BioMedica plc, the leading gene-based biopharmaceutical company, today announces that it has entered into a research and development collaboration with Mayo Clinic, Rochester (USA) to develop a novel gene therapy for the treatment of chronic glaucoma.

31 Oct 2011

Asuragen introduces ARQ IS Calibrator Panels to improve BCR-ABL1 testing for CML

Asuragen, Inc. announced today that it has commercially launched the ARQ IS Calibrator Panels (RUO), intended to aid laboratories with standardization of BCR-ABL1 quantitative measurements on the International Scale.

31 Oct 2011

Researchers shed light on inner workings of endocycle

An international team of researchers led by investigators in the U.S. and Germany has shed light on the inner workings of the endocycle, a common cell cycle that fuels growth in plants, animals and some human tissues and is responsible for generating up to half of the Earth's biomass.

31 Oct 2011

Scientists discover how toxic form of htt protein causes Huntington's symptoms

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered how a form of the protein linked to Huntington's disease influences the timing and severity of its symptoms, offering new avenues for treating not only this disease, but also a variety of similar conditions.

31 Oct 2011

New top-down method can quickly separate, identify thousands of protein molecules

A team led by Northwestern University chemical biologist Neil Kelleher has developed a new "top-down" method that can separate and identify thousands of protein molecules quickly. Many have been skeptical that such an approach, where each protein is analyzed intact instead of in smaller parts, could be done on such a large scale.

31 Oct 2011

Researchers identify FMRP protein as key player in RNA editing

The most common form of heritable cognitive impairment is Fragile X Syndrome, caused by mutation or malfunction of the FMR1 gene. Loss of FMR1 function is also the most common genetic cause of autism. Understanding how this gene works is vital to finding new treatments to help Fragile X patients and others.

31 Oct 2011

First report on how patterns of 5-hmC's distribution change in mouse brain during development

In 2009, the DNA alphabet expanded. Scientists discovered that an extra letter or "sixth nucleotide" was surprisingly abundant in DNA from stem cells and brain cells.

31 Oct 2011

'Deep sequencing' technology identifies new target area for depression

Scientists at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and Yale University have identified a new target area in the human genome that appears to harbor genes with a major role in the onset of depression.

29 Oct 2011

Study: Many fetal expression changes are reversed immediately after birth

The "switching on" or expression of specific genes in the human genome is what makes each human tissue and each human being unique. A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, and the National Institute of Mental Health found that many gene expression changes that occur during fetal development are reversed immediately after birth.

29 Oct 2011

VUMC doctors to begin statin drug screening for rare genetic variation

Vanderbilt University Medical Center doctors announced today they will begin screening patients who take commonly prescribed statin drugs for a rare genetic variation that can increase risks for side effects from these drugs such as muscle aches, kidney damage and even death.

29 Oct 2011

Researchers uncover biochemical signals that trigger generation of new lung alveoli

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College say they have taken an important step forward in their quest to "turn on" lung regeneration -- an advance that could effectively treat millions of people suffering from respiratory disorders.

29 Oct 2011

Research focuses on JQ1 molecule that tricks NUT midline carcinoma cancer cells

NUT midline carcinoma (NMC) is a cancer without a cure, and one that affects all age groups. NMC is a rapid-growth disease with an average survival time of four and a half months after diagnosis, making the development of clinical trials for potential therapies or cures for this cancer difficult, to say the least.

29 Oct 2011

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

GSK, Alnylam collaborate to apply VaxiRNA technology for influenza vaccine production

Breast cancer not 100% inherited: Study

Scientists identify genetic mutation that causes rare childhood disease

iBio receives U.S. patent entitled 'System for Expression of Genes in Plants'

Non-carriers do not have increased risk of breast cancer due to familial mutation

Heat, extreme exercise or febrile illness may also trigger MH

Vampire-like bacteria has potential to serve as living antibiotic

Fierce Vaccines highlights Inovio's VGX-3100 as one of 10 Promising Therapeutic Vaccines

Mayo Clinic, Oxford BioMedica collaborate to develop gene therapy for glaucoma

Asuragen introduces ARQ IS Calibrator Panels to improve BCR-ABL1 testing for CML

Researchers shed light on inner workings of endocycle

Scientists discover how toxic form of htt protein causes Huntington's symptoms

New top-down method can quickly separate, identify thousands of protein molecules

Researchers identify FMRP protein as key player in RNA editing

First report on how patterns of 5-hmC's distribution change in mouse brain during development

'Deep sequencing' technology identifies new target area for depression

Study: Many fetal expression changes are reversed immediately after birth

VUMC doctors to begin statin drug screening for rare genetic variation

Researchers uncover biochemical signals that trigger generation of new lung alveoli

Research focuses on JQ1 molecule that tricks NUT midline carcinoma cancer cells

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

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