Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Children born through assisted reproduction at greater risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes related defects

More than three million children have been born as a result of assisted reproductive technologies since the birth of the first "test tube baby" in 1978. While the majority of these children are healthy and normal, as a group they are at greater risk of certain kinds of birth defects and being low birth weight, which is associated with obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes later in life.

22 Feb 2010

Researchers develop new tool to understand how cancer grows

Researchers have a new tool to understand how cancers grow -- and with it a new opportunity to identify novel cancer drugs. They've been able to break apart human prostate tissue, extract the stem cells in that tissue, and alter those cells genetically so that they spur cancer.

22 Feb 2010

WCMC-Q students receive new round of UREP funds totaling $280,000

Twenty-eight WCMC-Q students have received grants totaling $280,000 in the latest, seventh, round of funding from the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) to conduct advanced research projects with faculty members.

22 Feb 2010

Scientists develop new mathematical model to understand CML better

Doctors can now understand better chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), including how it responds to therapy, thanks to a new mathematical model for the disease, developed by scientists in Portugal, Belgium and the United States. The work, to be published in the June edition of the journal Haematologica, also reveals that current therapies - which are not believed to cure CML - with the right protocol can actually get rid of the disease, and provides guidelines on how to do that.

21 Feb 2010

Two genetic alterations linked to benign enzyme condition keep hepatitis C patients anemia-free

Many people who undergo treatment for hepatitis C develop hemolytic anemia, a disorder that destroys red blood cells. In some cases, it is so severe they have to reduce their medication or stop therapy altogether. But now, scientists in Duke University's Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy have discovered two genetic alterations linked to a benign enzyme condition that keep some patients anemia-free.

21 Feb 2010

Brain and tissue sample repository to help advance understanding and treatment of psychiatric diseases

Johns Hopkins Children's Center neurovirologist Robert Yolken, M.D., and collaborators from the Stanley Medical Research Institute have developed a large repository of brain and tissue samples to advance the understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia.

20 Feb 2010

Ways of stem cells division linked to development of cancer

Changes in the way that stem cells divide in the gut could lead to cancer, according to a new study funded by the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.

20 Feb 2010

Variations among individual organisms attributed to differences in genes, environment or chance

Biologists attribute variations among individual organisms to differences in genes or environment, or both. But a new study of nematode worms with identical genes, raised in identical environments, has revealed another factor: chance.

19 Feb 2010

Major challenge facing today's toxicologists: Developing test systems to predict toxicity of compounds

Attagene Inc., a leader in developing innovative technologies for analyzing gene regulatory pathways, announced today the online publication of a paper in Chemical Research in Toxicology, a journal of the American Chemical Society, that highlights results of their collaborative work with the Environmental Protection Agency's National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT).

19 Feb 2010

Cancer genomes: Distinguishing between 'driver' and 'passenger' mutations

A new study of mutations in cancer genomes shows how researchers can begin to distinguish the 'driver' mutations that push cells towards cancer from the 'passenger' mutations that are a by-product of cancer cell development. The study also shows that at least one in nine genes can be removed without killing human cells.

19 Feb 2010

Harboring NRF2 gene may increase probability of being an endurance athlete

A few minor variations in one gene may make a difference in athletic endurance, according to a new study from Physiological Genomics.

19 Feb 2010

Most genetic abnormalities shared across multiple cancers

An international team of researchers has created a genome-scale map of 26 different cancers, revealing more than 100 genomic sites where DNA from tumors is either missing or abnormally duplicated compared to normal tissues. The study, the largest of its kind, finds that most of these genetic abnormalities are not unique to one form of cancer, but are shared across multiple cancers. The work appears in the February 18 issue of the journal Nature.

19 Feb 2010

Simple molecular kit to reprogram any cell of the body into another

In an effort to sidestep the ethical dilemma involved in using human embryonic stem cells to treat diseases, scientists are developing non-controversial alternatives: In particular, they are looking for drug-like chemical compounds that can transform adult skin cells into the stem cells now obtained from human embryos. That's the topic of a fascinating article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

19 Feb 2010

Emerging concepts from gene regulation studies in immune cells

The seventh meeting in the “Emergence and Convergence” series jointly organized by La Fondation IPSEN and Nature brings together today in San Antonio (Texas, USA) leading experts to discuss concepts emerging from gene regulation studies in immune cells that have led to insights into the initiation and maintenance of epigenetic chromatin marks necessary for proper differentiation and function of these cells in the immune system.

19 Feb 2010

Mechanism by which Plasmodium replicates itself in human blood to spread disease identified

Malaria remains one of the most deadly infectious diseases. Yet, how Plasmodium, the malaria parasite, regulates its infectious cycle has remained an enigma despite decades of rigorous research.

19 Feb 2010

Study shows how genes and environmental factors influence common human diseases

A UCLA study reveals how human genes interact with their environment to boost disease risk. Published in the Feb. 18 online edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics, the findings shed light on why the search for specific gene variants linked to human diseases can only partly explain common disorders.

19 Feb 2010

Six states to study sickle cell disease and thalassemias in national pilot project

Medical researchers are developing a new surveillance system to determine the number of patients diagnosed with a family of inherited blood disorders known as hemoglobinopathies, including sickle cell disease, thalassemias, and hemoglobin E disease.

19 Feb 2010

Researchers find gene mutations that may provide clues for treating AML patients

Although leukemia is one of the best studied cancers, the cause of some types is still poorly understood. Now, a newly found mutation in acute myeloid leukemia patients could account for half of the remaining cases of adult acute leukemia with an unknown origin.

19 Feb 2010

Scottish scientists identify link between deprivation and breast cancer survival

Scottish scientists have shed light on the connection between deprivation and breast cancer survival, confirming that the link is mirrored at a genetic level.

19 Feb 2010

The Methodist Hospital Research Institute awarded $11.5M NIH grant for research into methods of targeting cancer stem cells

The Methodist Hospital Research Institute was awarded an $11.5 million Center Grant by the National Institutes for Health (NIH) today to study the best way to attack deadly cancer stem cells to enhance treatments for breast cancer. Other members of the team include Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

19 Feb 2010

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Children born through assisted reproduction at greater risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes related defects

Researchers develop new tool to understand how cancer grows

WCMC-Q students receive new round of UREP funds totaling $280,000

Scientists develop new mathematical model to understand CML better

Two genetic alterations linked to benign enzyme condition keep hepatitis C patients anemia-free

Brain and tissue sample repository to help advance understanding and treatment of psychiatric diseases

Ways of stem cells division linked to development of cancer

Variations among individual organisms attributed to differences in genes, environment or chance

Major challenge facing today's toxicologists: Developing test systems to predict toxicity of compounds

Cancer genomes: Distinguishing between 'driver' and 'passenger' mutations

Harboring NRF2 gene may increase probability of being an endurance athlete

Most genetic abnormalities shared across multiple cancers

Simple molecular kit to reprogram any cell of the body into another

Emerging concepts from gene regulation studies in immune cells

Mechanism by which Plasmodium replicates itself in human blood to spread disease identified

Study shows how genes and environmental factors influence common human diseases

Six states to study sickle cell disease and thalassemias in national pilot project

Researchers find gene mutations that may provide clues for treating AML patients

Scottish scientists identify link between deprivation and breast cancer survival

The Methodist Hospital Research Institute awarded $11.5M NIH grant for research into methods of targeting cancer stem cells

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