Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

GABRA2 gene influences brain’s reward responses to alcohol odors: Research

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are DNA sequence variations that occur when a single nucleotide in the genome sequence is altered. Prior research suggested an association between SNPs in a gene that encodes aspects of the brain's gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)-A receptors (the GABRA2 gene) and alcohol dependence. A study of responses to the aromas of alcoholic drinks according to subjects' genotyping at a SNP in GABRA2 has found that this genotype can affect the brain's reward responses to cues such as alcohol odors.

3 Sep 2010

Scientists develop direct method to detect gene doping

Scientists at the universities in Tübingen and Mainz have developed a test that can provide conclusive proof of gene doping. "For the first time, a direct method is now available that uses conventional blood samples to detect doping via gene transfer and is still effective if the actual doping took place up to 56 days before," Professor Perikles Simon, MD, PhD from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany explained on Thursday.

3 Sep 2010

Luminal intermediate cells impact basal-like breast cancer origin: Research

New research uncovers a case of mistaken identity that may have a significant impact on future breast cancer prevention and treatment strategies. The study, published by Cell Press in the September 3rd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, suggests that despite their "stem cell-like" characteristics, most aggressive breast tumors are not derived from normal mammary gland stem cells.

3 Sep 2010

Gene mutations that express LRRK2 linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease: Researchers

A significant number of Parkinson's disease patients have a mutation of the enzyme Leucine-Rich Repeat Protein Kinase 2 (LRRK2, also known as dardarin). However, little is understood about how it is regulated or functions. In a new paper in the Signal Knowledge Environment of the Biochemical Journal, Dario Alessi and colleagues from the University of Dundee demonstrate that a family of proteins, the 14-3-3 proteins, interact with LRRK2.

2 Sep 2010

Sigma-Aldrich Corporation announces global release of engineered mammalian cell lines

Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and research services business of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, today announced the global release of a pioneering range of engineered mammalian cell lines.

2 Sep 2010

Researchers clear hurdle on path toward gene-therapy treatment for disease

One of the most difficult aspects of working at the nanoscale is actually seeing the object being worked on. Biological structures like viruses, which are smaller than the wavelength of light, are invisible to standard optical microscopes and difficult to capture in their native form with other imaging techniques.

2 Sep 2010

Breast cancer classification algorithm to identify 20 gene signature developed using Microsoft Excel

Using readily available computer programs, researchers have developed a system to identify genes that will be useful in the classification of breast cancer. The algorithm, described in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research will enable researchers to quickly generate valuable gene signatures without specialized software or extensive bioinformatics training.

2 Sep 2010

Researcher awarded $1.8M grant to investigate sex differences in anxiety

Anxiety disorders afflict women twice as often as men, but estrogen might not be the reason. Testosterone, though, could be. That is one of the preliminary findings in the lab of Florida State University researcher Mohamed Kabbaj, associate professor in the College of Medicine. He recently was awarded a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to investigate the sex differences in anxiety.

2 Sep 2010

TGen researchers use RNAi-based screening to study Ewing's sarcoma

The first study of Ewing's sarcoma that screened hundreds of genes based on how they affect cell growth has identified two potential anti-cancer drug targets, according to a scientific paper by the Translational Genomics Research Institute published this month in the journal Molecular Cancer.

2 Sep 2010

Study: Preemptive surgery may help prevent cancer for some women

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that women with a gene mutation linked to breast and ovarian cancer face lower risks of developing such cancer after receiving mastectomies or having their ovaries removed, The Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Sep 2010

Promega to provide FuGENE HD Transfection Reagent throughout life science market

Promega Corporation announces it will provide FuGENE HD Transfection Reagent throughout the life science market. The comprehensive, direct use offering from Promega means any life scientist can utilize FuGENE technology with no licensing requirements. FuGENE HD enables the transfection of DNA into many cell types with high efficiency and little-to-no toxicity.

2 Sep 2010

MIRACLE project to develop lab-on-chip system for diagnosing cancer

Today, at the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference in Buenos Aires (Argentina), imec and its project partners announce the launch of the European Seventh Framework Project MIRACLE. The MIRACLE project aims at developing an operational lab-on-chip for the isolation and detection of circulating and disseminated tumor cells in blood.

2 Sep 2010

Genetic testing, preventive surgeries can save women from ovarian and breast cancers

Women should be aware that options for these preventive surgeries have improved, the authors note. A laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy is a relatively low-risk procedure and can be done in an out-patient setting. And cosmetic options for women getting mastectomies have greatly improved.

2 Sep 2010

Research on fruit flies suggest starvation allows sleep deprivation

As anyone who has ever struggled to keep his or her eyes open after a big meal knows, eating can induce sleepiness. New research in fruit flies suggests that, conversely, being hungry may provide a way to stay awake without feeling groggy or mentally challenged.

2 Sep 2010

First genetically engineered rat derived from rat ES cells developed with StemCells' technology

StemCells, Inc. announced today that its technology was recently used by independent researchers to achieve the first genetically engineered rat derived from rat embryonic stem (ES) cells. This breakthrough, published this month in the international peer-reviewed journal Nature, opens the door to the types of genetic manipulations previously only possible in mice, and paves the way for modeling a broader range of human diseases with the rat.

2 Sep 2010

Abbott RealTime HBV assay receives marketing approval from FDA

Abbott announced today it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market the Abbott RealTime HBV assay for measuring viral load or the amount of hepatitis B virus in a patient's blood. It is the first and only approved test capable of automating HBV viral load testing from sample extraction to final results.

2 Sep 2010

Salpingo-oophorectomy and mastectomy decrease risk of cancer in women with BRCA1/2 gene mutations

Women at increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer because of inherited mutations of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes who had prophylactic mastectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries) had an associated decreased risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer, according to a study in the September 1 issue of JAMA.

2 Sep 2010

'Sprouty' protein linked to regulation of bone mass and body fat

Here's good news for anyone trying to lose weight or has osteoporosis: Scientists from Maine are on the trail of a weight loss drug that may revolutionize how we treat these two conditions. In a new research report published in the September 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal, the researchers describe a newly discovered protein, called "Sprouty," responsible for regulating body fat and bone mass. Then they manipulated how much of this protein was expressed in different groups of mice specially bred to have some human genes.

2 Sep 2010

Researchers find new fusion protein for E.coli bacterium vaccine development

South Dakota State University research is exploring a "fusion strategy" for making improved vaccines to protect pigs and humans against some strains of E. coli.

2 Sep 2010

Research on adult mammary stem cells may help to cure breast cancer

For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have identified and isolated adult mammary stem cells in mice. Long-term implications of this research may include the use of such cells to regenerate breast tissue, provide a better understanding of the role of adult stem cells in breast cancer development, and develop potential new targets for anti-cancer drugs.

2 Sep 2010

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

GABRA2 gene influences brain’s reward responses to alcohol odors: Research

Scientists develop direct method to detect gene doping

Luminal intermediate cells impact basal-like breast cancer origin: Research

Gene mutations that express LRRK2 linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease: Researchers

Sigma-Aldrich Corporation announces global release of engineered mammalian cell lines

Researchers clear hurdle on path toward gene-therapy treatment for disease

Breast cancer classification algorithm to identify 20 gene signature developed using Microsoft Excel

Researcher awarded $1.8M grant to investigate sex differences in anxiety

TGen researchers use RNAi-based screening to study Ewing's sarcoma

Study: Preemptive surgery may help prevent cancer for some women

Promega to provide FuGENE HD Transfection Reagent throughout life science market

MIRACLE project to develop lab-on-chip system for diagnosing cancer

Genetic testing, preventive surgeries can save women from ovarian and breast cancers

Research on fruit flies suggest starvation allows sleep deprivation

First genetically engineered rat derived from rat ES cells developed with StemCells' technology

Abbott RealTime HBV assay receives marketing approval from FDA

Salpingo-oophorectomy and mastectomy decrease risk of cancer in women with BRCA1/2 gene mutations

'Sprouty' protein linked to regulation of bone mass and body fat

Researchers find new fusion protein for E.coli bacterium vaccine development

Research on adult mammary stem cells may help to cure breast cancer

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