Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

UF administers Lumizyme for late-onset Pompe disease

The first commercially available treatment in the United States for patients with late-onset Pompe disease was administered Wednesday, June 16, at the University of Florida.

18 Jun 2010

VCU researchers discover mechanism that regulates gene expression and growth in melanoma cells

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have discovered a mechanism by which an enzyme regulates gene expression and growth in melanoma cells, a finding that could someday lead to more effective drugs to attack cancers and make them more treatable.

18 Jun 2010

Researchers make significant headway in fight against SMA

Researchers at the University of Utah are making strides in understanding and combating a motor neuron disease known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The spinal muscular atrophies are a group of inherited diseases that cause progressive degeneration of motor nerves resulting in muscle weakness. The most common form of the disorder, due to the deletion of a critical gene on chromosome 5, is currently the leading cause of inherited infant and child mortality.

18 Jun 2010

An ubiquitin-specific peptidase that potentially promote cancer cell necrosis

"ubiquitin-specific peptidase 21 (USP21) has been identified as another essential player in regulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation by working on receptor-interacting protein 1(RIP1)."

18 Jun 2010

Researchers sequence genome of Amerindian strain of the gastric bug H. pylori

An international team of researchers led by scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have sequenced the genome of an Amerindian strain of the gastric bug Helicobacter pylori, confirming the out-of-Africa migration of this bacterial stowaway to the New World. Experiments in animals have highlighted how specific genes in the bacterial strain may be crucial to the onset of inflammation and disease.

17 Jun 2010

Research findings could lead to less invasive treatments for ALL

A team of researchers from the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Universit- de Montr-al have defined for the first time the mechanism behind three cancer-causing genes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Published in the journal Genes and Development, the findings offer insight on the complex interaction between the genes and their contributions to leukemia, thereby providing the foundation for the design of targeted therapies.

17 Jun 2010

UF doctors administer newly available therapy for late-onset Pompe disease

The first commercially available treatment in the United States for patients with late-onset Pompe disease was administered today (Wednesday, June 16) at the University of Florida.

17 Jun 2010

AVEO granted patents for tests to identify cancer patients likely to respond to tivozanib

AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing cancer therapeutics, today announced the issuance of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,615,353, which issued in November 2009, and 7,736,861, which issued yesterday.

16 Jun 2010

Identification of key player in signaling pathway offers hope for new targeted melanoma therapies

Identification of a key player in a signaling pathway involved in the development of melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer - may offer hope for new targeted melanoma therapies.

16 Jun 2010

Independent SMB recommends continuance of Allovectin-7 Phase 3 trial for metastatic melanoma

Vical Incorporated today announced that an independent Safety Monitoring Board (SMB) for the company's Phase 3 trial of Allovectin-7® in patients with metastatic melanoma has completed the trial's fourth scheduled safety analysis and recommended that the trial continue per the protocol.

16 Jun 2010

Many Huntington's disease patients suffer from weight loss, sleeping problems

An aggregating protein causes many of the symptoms of Huntington's disease, an incurable and frequently fatal brain disorder. Mosaic winner Ahmad Aziz discovered that the abnormal protein also aggregates in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system.

16 Jun 2010

Study demonstrates mechanism behind hijacking of TNF controlled response to tumours

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered how two genes can 'hijack' control of part of the body's defences against cancer, helping them grow and spread.

16 Jun 2010

Florida State University researcher explores role of key protein in cell division

A Florida State University researcher has identified the important role that a key protein plays in cell division, and that discovery could lead to a greater understanding of stem cells.

16 Jun 2010

ISB, GIND collaborate on whole-genome sequencing to identify drug targets for Huntington's Disease

The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) of Seattle, WA, is collaborating with the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) and its Taube-Koret Center for Huntington's Disease Research to use whole-genome sequencing to identify genes and novel drug targets related to the onset and progression of Huntington's disease (HD). The research team, led by GIND associate director and senior investigator Steven Finkbeiner, MD, PhD, will also use induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from patients with HD to screen for drugs that might delay, prevent, or even reverse this devastating condition.

16 Jun 2010

NIH awards Geisinger $1.8M grant for study of nuclear ErbB3 protein

A new five-year, $1.8 million National Institutes of Health grant awarded to staff scientist Nikolaos Tapinos, M.D., Ph.D., of Geisinger's Sigfried and Janet Weis Center for Research will be used to study the role of nuclear ErbB3 protein during development of the nervous system and in response to nerve injury.

16 Jun 2010

High vitamin B levels in blood reduce lung cancer risk: Study

Regular intake of Vitamin B complex can reduce the risk of getting lung cancer, researchers have found. The research paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association however emphasized that quitting smoking was the best method to reduce the risk of lung cancer. It is too early to say that vitamin supplements can actually prevent lung cancer say researchers. Lung cancer kills nearly 1.3 million people globally each year according to the World Health Organization and 10 to 15 percent of smokers develop lung cancer.

15 Jun 2010

Robert Zucker to receive RSA Distinguished Researcher Award

Robert Zucker, Ph.D., director of the University of Michigan Addiction Research Center, and the Substance Abuse Section in the Department of Psychiatry, has been named recipient of the 31st annual Research Society on Alcoholism Distinguished Researcher Award. The award is given to an individual whose research has made significant contributions to the understanding of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, and whose body of work demonstrates leadership in the field.

15 Jun 2010

Alexion's Soliris may benefit patients with thrombotic microangiopathy from uncontrolled complement activation

Researchers reported today that Soliris® (eculizumab), a first-in-class terminal complement inhibitor developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., may provide clinical benefits to patients with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) resulting from uncontrolled complement activation. TMA, the formation of blood clots in capillaries and small arteries, can lead to life-threatening damage in multiple organs including kidney failure, thrombocytopenia (abnormally low platelet count) and anemia.

15 Jun 2010

Researchers study how APOE4 becomes a potent risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

A molecule implicated in Alzheimer's disease interferes with brain cells by making them unable to "recycle" the surface receptors that respond to incoming signals, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

15 Jun 2010

Tel Aviv University research suggests link between IVF treatments and autism

The first "test tube baby" was born in 1978. With advances in reproductive science, an estimated one percent of all American babies are now born each year through in vitro fertilization. But IVF and other assisted fertility treatments may be solving one problem by creating another, suggests new evidence from Tel Aviv University.

15 Jun 2010

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

UF administers Lumizyme for late-onset Pompe disease

VCU researchers discover mechanism that regulates gene expression and growth in melanoma cells

Researchers make significant headway in fight against SMA

An ubiquitin-specific peptidase that potentially promote cancer cell necrosis

Researchers sequence genome of Amerindian strain of the gastric bug H. pylori

Research findings could lead to less invasive treatments for ALL

UF doctors administer newly available therapy for late-onset Pompe disease

AVEO granted patents for tests to identify cancer patients likely to respond to tivozanib

Identification of key player in signaling pathway offers hope for new targeted melanoma therapies

Independent SMB recommends continuance of Allovectin-7 Phase 3 trial for metastatic melanoma

Many Huntington's disease patients suffer from weight loss, sleeping problems

Study demonstrates mechanism behind hijacking of TNF controlled response to tumours

Florida State University researcher explores role of key protein in cell division

ISB, GIND collaborate on whole-genome sequencing to identify drug targets for Huntington's Disease

NIH awards Geisinger $1.8M grant for study of nuclear ErbB3 protein

High vitamin B levels in blood reduce lung cancer risk: Study

Robert Zucker to receive RSA Distinguished Researcher Award

Alexion's Soliris may benefit patients with thrombotic microangiopathy from uncontrolled complement activation

Researchers study how APOE4 becomes a potent risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

Tel Aviv University research suggests link between IVF treatments and autism

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

Exploring the role of confocal-based high-content imaging in advancing core facilities

Transforming Cardiovascular Care: Insights from Mina Makar at AstraZeneca

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS