Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers find Alzheimer's pathology to originate from Amyloid-Beta oligomers in the brain

Using a new mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that Alzheimer's pathology originates in Amyloid-Beta (Abeta) oligomers in the brain, rather than the amyloid plaques previously thought by many researchers to cause the disease.

28 Apr 2010

NCCTG to conduct Phase II study of brostallicin in combination with cisplatin for mTNBC cancer

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the North Central Cancer Treatment Group ("NCCTG") plans to conduct a Phase II study of brostallicin in combination with cisplatin in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast ("mTNBC") cancer, defined by tumors lacking expression of estrogen, progesterone receptors and without over-expression of HER2. Additionally, the majority of breast cancers that are associated with the susceptibility mutation (BRCA1) are of the triple-negative type.

28 Apr 2010

Dietary MSC can help reset cell's biological clock to prevent development of breast cancer: Study

Usually when all else fails with a technical device, a "reset" button can be pressed, preventing a glitch from going any further. What if that could be done with threats to a person's health? Investigators from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute which is jointly administered by UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, have discovered that a form of a dietary trace element known as selenium can help reset a cell's "biological clock" when it is disrupted by a chemical cancer-causing agent (carcinogen).

28 Apr 2010

Pharmacological suppression of nonsense mutations effective in treating genetic defects

Genetic mutation can disrupt the way human cells make proteins, which in turn leads to inherited disease. David Bedwell, a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Microbiology, says scientists are closer than ever to producing drugs that fix this disrupted-protein pathway and drastically improving treatment of genetic disease.

27 Apr 2010

High levels of phosphate in sodas accelerate signs of aging

Here's another reason to kick the soda habit. New research published online in the FASEB Journal shows that high levels of phosphates may add more "pop" to sodas and processed foods than once thought. That's because researchers found that the high levels of phosphates accelerate signs of aging. High phosphate levels may also increase the prevalence and severity of age-related complications, such as chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular calcification, and can also induce severe muscle and skin atrophy.

27 Apr 2010

Prime-boost malaria vaccine regimen provides sterile protection: Vical

Vical Incorporated announced today that a prime-boost malaria vaccine regimen provided sterile protection, with no disease symptoms and no detectable malaria parasites, in 4 of 15 vaccinated volunteers a full 28 days after challenge with multiple infected-mosquito bites.

27 Apr 2010

Illumina announces shipment of HiScanSQ system for research needs

Illumina, Inc. today announced shipment of HiScanSQ, the first instrument to integrate microarray analysis and next-generation sequencing in a modular design that can evolve with changing research needs.

From Illumina, Inc. 27 Apr 2010

New imaging protocol to visualize activity of brain's reward circuitry in individuals addicted to drugs

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed an imaging protocol that allows them to visualize the activity of the brain's reward circuitry in both normal individuals and those addicted to drugs. The technique could lead to better insight into why people take recreational drugs as well as help determine which treatment strategies might be most effective.

27 Apr 2010

Scientists now closer to produce drugs to fix disease-causing mutations, spare healthy genes

Inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis can be caused by genetic "nonsense mutations" that disrupt the way human cells make proteins. David Bedwell, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Microbiology, says scientists are now closer to producing drugs that will fix this disruption and drastically improve treatment of genetic disease.

27 Apr 2010

Slitrk5 gene linked to development of OCD-like behaviors

Researchers at the Ansary Stem Cell Institute and the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College discovered that mice missing a single gene developed repetitive obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors. The genetically altered mice, which behaved much like people with a certain type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), could help scientists design new therapies for this debilitating condition.

27 Apr 2010

Study links progression of lethal type of brain tumor with reduced expression of immune system genes

A new study links progression of a lethal type of brain tumor with reduced expression of more than 600 immune system genes, suggesting how complex the immune response is to the cancer and the resulting difficulty in targeting specific immune system proteins for treatment.

27 Apr 2010

Researchers identify molecular marker of pancreatic cancer

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have identified a molecular marker of pancreatic cancer that may help spot the disease at its earliest stages, when it can be treated more successfully with surgery.

27 Apr 2010

New discovery links Slitrk5 gene to development of OCD-like behaviors

27 Apr 2010

ERCC1 Analysis guides patient treatment decisions

Moffitt Cancer Center announces steadily growing interest in the ERCC1 Analysis, the first test developed for selecting chemotherapy for Non Small Lung Cancer patients. Each year, more than 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer.

26 Apr 2010

Santaris Pharma advances into drug development SPC5001 research candidate against PCSK9

Santaris Pharma A/S, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies, today announced that it has advanced into drug development a discovery research candidate directed against PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9), an important new target for the treatment of high cholesterol. Using its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) Drug Platform and Drug Discovery Engine, Santaris Pharma A/S identified and advanced the new drug, SPC5001, in just 18 months.

26 Apr 2010

OICR makes equity investments in three promising Ontario technologies

Frank Stonebanks, Vice-President, Commercialization and Chief Commercial Officer of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research today announced that OICR has made equity investments in three promising Ontario technologies to accelerate their commercialization.

26 Apr 2010

BioSante signs Option Agreement to obtain non-exclusive worldwide license for 2A/Furin technology

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an Option Agreement with an undisclosed large multi-national pharmaceutical company to obtain a non-exclusive worldwide license for the use of BioSante's 2A/Furin technology in the expression of antibodies.

26 Apr 2010

New reprogramming strategies needed for production of iPSCs: Study

Scientists may be one step closer to being able to generate any type of cells and tissues from a patient's own cells. In a study that will appear in the journal Nature and is receiving early online release, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine (MGH-CRM) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), describe finding that an important cluster of genes is inactivated in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that do not have the full development potential of embryonic stem cells.

26 Apr 2010

Symphogen's Sympress II technology demonstrates cost-effective single batch production of rpAb

Symphogen A/S today announced the publication of data in the March 20, 2010 online edition of Molecular Biotechnology by Nielsen LS et al. [epub ahead of print] demonstrating the ability of its Sympress II technology to enable cost-effective production of recombinant polyclonal antibodies (rpAb) and antibody mixtures with batch-to-batch consistency that the Company believes could supply drug product for large indications such as cancer and infectious disease.

26 Apr 2010

University of Utah researchers knock out genes in nematode worms

Knocking genes out of action allows researchers to learn what genes do by seeing what goes wrong without them. University of Utah biologists pioneered the field. Mario Capecchi won a Nobel Prize for developing knockout mice. Kent Golic found a way to cripple fruit fly genes. Now, biologist Erik Jorgensen and colleagues have devised a procedure for knocking out genes in nematode worms.

26 Apr 2010

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers find Alzheimer's pathology to originate from Amyloid-Beta oligomers in the brain

NCCTG to conduct Phase II study of brostallicin in combination with cisplatin for mTNBC cancer

Dietary MSC can help reset cell's biological clock to prevent development of breast cancer: Study

Pharmacological suppression of nonsense mutations effective in treating genetic defects

High levels of phosphate in sodas accelerate signs of aging

Prime-boost malaria vaccine regimen provides sterile protection: Vical

Illumina announces shipment of HiScanSQ system for research needs

New imaging protocol to visualize activity of brain's reward circuitry in individuals addicted to drugs

Scientists now closer to produce drugs to fix disease-causing mutations, spare healthy genes

Slitrk5 gene linked to development of OCD-like behaviors

Study links progression of lethal type of brain tumor with reduced expression of immune system genes

Researchers identify molecular marker of pancreatic cancer

New discovery links Slitrk5 gene to development of OCD-like behaviors

ERCC1 Analysis guides patient treatment decisions

Santaris Pharma advances into drug development SPC5001 research candidate against PCSK9

OICR makes equity investments in three promising Ontario technologies

BioSante signs Option Agreement to obtain non-exclusive worldwide license for 2A/Furin technology

New reprogramming strategies needed for production of iPSCs: Study

Symphogen's Sympress II technology demonstrates cost-effective single batch production of rpAb

University of Utah researchers knock out genes in nematode worms

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