Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Epigenetic changes to DNA in breast cancers linked with environmental risk factors, tumor size: Study

Researchers from Brown University and the University of California San Francisco have found that epigenetic changes to DNA in breast cancers are related to environmental risk factors and tumor size, providing a window into the severity of the disease. The study is published in today's edition of PLoS Genetics. The researchers found that epigenetic profiles of tumors had a direct association with diet, alcohol, and tumor size.

31 Jul 2010

FDA lifts hold, allows Geron to proceed with Phase I clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in spinal cord injury

Geron Corporation announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company that the clinical hold placed on Geron's Investigational New Drug (IND) application has been lifted and the company's Phase I clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury may proceed.

30 Jul 2010

Resveratrol suppresses inflammation and free radicals: Study

Resveratrol, a popular plant extract shown to prolong life in yeast and lower animals due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, appears also to suppress inflammation in humans, based on results from the first prospective human trial of the extract conducted by University at Buffalo endocrinologists.

30 Jul 2010

Helicos' single-molecule sequencing technology for detection, quantification of novel small RNA

Helicos BioSciences Corporation today announced a publication demonstrating the detection and quantification of novel small RNA molecules using Helicos' single-molecule sequencing technology. These data confirm a long-held, unproven hypothesis that mammalian cells are capable of synthesizing RNA by copying RNA molecules directly.

30 Jul 2010

Researchers discover tumor suppressor lincRNAs

The recent discovery of more than a thousand genes known as large intergenic non-coding RNAs (or "lincRNAs") opened up a new approach to understanding the function and organization of the genome. That surprising breakthrough is now made even more compelling with the finding that dozens of these lincRNAs are induced by p53 (the most commonly mutated gene in cancer), suggesting that this class of genes plays a critical role in cell development and regulation. Furthermore, the researchers identify one lincRNA in particular (lincRNA-p21), and demonstrate its critical role in suppressing the reading of many genes across the genome following p53 activation.

30 Jul 2010

Bio-Path commences dosing in Liposomal Grb-2 Phase I cancer study

Bio-Path Holdings, Inc.,, a biotechnology company with drug development operations in Houston, Texas, announced today that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase I study of its cancer drug candidate, Liposomal Grb-2 (L-Grb-2 or BP-100-1.01), in patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) or Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS).

30 Jul 2010

Study on link between SNP and concentrations of serum creatinine

Scientists at deCODE genetics and colleagues at Radboud University in the Netherlands today describe how the impact of a single letter variation in the sequence of the human genome conferring risk of kidney disease varies with age and with the onset of other diseases. The study provides independent confirmation of the association made in an earlier study between a version of the the SNP, located on chromosome 16p12, and risk of chronic kidney disease. It also confirmed the link between the SNP and concentrations of serum creatinine, a key indicator of kidney function.

30 Jul 2010

Researchers discover three disease-causing genes in Salmonella

Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism in Salmonella that affects its virulence and its susceptibility to antibiotics by changing its production of proteins in a previously unheard of manner. This allows Salmonella to selectively change its levels of certain proteins to respond to inhospitable conditions.

30 Jul 2010

Researchers identify genetic mutation for Uner Tan Syndrome

A team of researchers from leading universities in Turkey and the United States have reported that they have identified the genetic mutation responsible for the Uner Tan Syndrome (UTS) using advanced genetic capture and sequencing technologies from Roche. The combined genomic technologies enabled the team of scientists to identify the causative mutation of this debilitating disease after years of mystery.

30 Jul 2010

Life Technologies second-quarter Non-GAAP revenue increases 8% to $906 million

Life Technologies Corporation today announced results for its second quarter ending June 30, 2010. Non-GAAP revenue for the second quarter was $906 million, an increase of 8 percent over the $839 million reported for the second quarter of 2009. Excluding the impact of currency and prior acquisitions and divestitures, organic revenue for the quarter grew 6 percent over the same period in the previous year.

30 Jul 2010

Prostate basal cell can spawn tumors in prostate gland: Research

A type of prostate cell that has been largely ignored by cancer researchers can, in fact, trigger malignant prostate cancer, according to new studies by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists and their colleagues.

30 Jul 2010

Exact Sciences to demonstrate methylation specific technology at AACC annual meeting

Exact Sciences Corp. today announced that data being presented this afternoon at the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry demonstrates that its methylation specific technology, using a combination of DNA methylation markers, detected 100 percent of colorectal cancers and precancers at a specificity cutoff of 100 percent in a preliminary study with colorectal tissue.

29 Jul 2010

FAO launches initiative to curb animal diseases

In an effort to prevent and control outbreaks of animal diseases and the associated costs, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization on Monday announced a new five-year initiative "to improve global response to disease outbreaks, implement effective prevention and containment strategies and manage risks," PANA/Afrique en ligne reports (7/28).

29 Jul 2010

Scientists identify new targets to develop treatment for HD

Scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research have discovered that a particular family of enzymes are involved in the breakdown of proteins that modify the production of toxic fragments that lead to the pathology of Huntington's disease. These enzymes, matrix metalloproteinases, provide new targets for drug therapies for the disease - targets that have already been shown to respond to cancer drugs currently in clinical development.

29 Jul 2010

Genetic signals determine neurotransmitter use for communication

Cascades of genetic signals determine which neurotransmitter a brain cell will ultimately use to communicate with other cells. Now a pair of reports from biologists at the University of California, San Diego, have shown for the first time that electrical activity in these developing neurons can alter their chemical fate-and change an animal's behavior-by tweaking this genetic program.

29 Jul 2010

Quest Diagnostics' Fragile X Syndrome test receives New York State health department approval

An accurate, faster testing option to identify female carriers and other patients with genetic abnormalities that cause Fragile X Syndrome is now available to physicians in all fifty states with the recent approval in New York. Fragile X is the leading cause of inherited mental retardation and the most common known single gene cause of autism.

From Quest Diagnostics 29 Jul 2010

Increased SIRT1 protein can delay delay aging, extend lifespan

Researchers watched two groups of mice, both nearing the end of a two-day fast. One group was quietly huddled together, but the other group was active and alert. The difference? The second set of mice had been engineered so their brains produced more SIRT1, a protein known to play a role in aging and longevity.

29 Jul 2010

SurModics, EGEN continue collaboration on long-term controlled release of siRNA complexes

SurModics, Inc., a leading provider of drug delivery and surface modification technologies to the healthcare industry and EGEN, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing nucleic acid (DNA and RNAi) therapeutics for the treatment of human diseases, are pleased to announce they have executed a continuation of their feasibility collaboration focused on long-term controlled release of siRNA complexes.

28 Jul 2010

Research findings provide new insight into skeletal development

Too little of a protein called neogenin results in a smaller skeleton during development and sets the stage for a more fragile bone framework lifelong, Medical College of Georgia researchers report.

28 Jul 2010

Scientists identify genetic variants for breast cancer

Women with higher risk scores that consisted of having certain genetic variants most strongly linked to breast cancer had an associated higher risk of breast cancer, with these scores also highly predictive of estrogen receptor-positive disease, according to a study in the July 28 issue of JAMA.

28 Jul 2010

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Epigenetic changes to DNA in breast cancers linked with environmental risk factors, tumor size: Study

FDA lifts hold, allows Geron to proceed with Phase I clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in spinal cord injury

Resveratrol suppresses inflammation and free radicals: Study

Helicos' single-molecule sequencing technology for detection, quantification of novel small RNA

Researchers discover tumor suppressor lincRNAs

Bio-Path commences dosing in Liposomal Grb-2 Phase I cancer study

Study on link between SNP and concentrations of serum creatinine

Researchers discover three disease-causing genes in Salmonella

Researchers identify genetic mutation for Uner Tan Syndrome

Life Technologies second-quarter Non-GAAP revenue increases 8% to $906 million

Prostate basal cell can spawn tumors in prostate gland: Research

Exact Sciences to demonstrate methylation specific technology at AACC annual meeting

FAO launches initiative to curb animal diseases

Scientists identify new targets to develop treatment for HD

Genetic signals determine neurotransmitter use for communication

Quest Diagnostics' Fragile X Syndrome test receives New York State health department approval

Increased SIRT1 protein can delay delay aging, extend lifespan

SurModics, EGEN continue collaboration on long-term controlled release of siRNA complexes

Research findings provide new insight into skeletal development

Scientists identify genetic variants for breast cancer

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

The evolution of OCT for retinal imaging and disease intervention

Supercharging Next-Gen Antibody Discovery with AI and High-Throughput Experimentation

Prof. Dr. Kristina Kusche-Vihrog