Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers link plasticity related gene-1 to lipid phosphates

In mice that are missing a protein found only in the brain, neural signals "go crazy," leaving the animals with epileptic seizures from a young age, researchers have found. The report in the September 18th Cell, a Cell Press publication, details what it is that happens when the protein encoded by plasticity related gene-1 (PRG-1) gets lost, revealing an important fine-tuning mechanism for brain function.

18 Sep 2009

Insulin metabolism regulates body's internal clock

While scientists have known for several years that our body's internal clock helps regulate many biological processes, researchers have found that the reverse is also true: Many common biological processes - including insulin metabolism - regulate the clock, according to a new study by investigators at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, and the University of California at San Diego.

18 Sep 2009

Research reveals that iPSCs similar to embryonic stem cells

A team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla have developed a safe strategy for reprogramming cells to a pluripotent state without use of viral vectors or genomic insertions. Their studies reveal that these induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are very similar to human embryonic stem cells, yet maintain a "transcriptional signature." In essence, these cells retain some memory of the donor cells they once were.

18 Sep 2009

Study: HBV genotype is not linked to hepatocellular carcinoma

Previous studies revealed that HBV genotypes as well as mutations in the core promoter, precore or HBx gene have been shown to have an association with the clinical outcome of liver disease, however, this is still controversial. It is likely that this depends on the HBV genotype distribution in certain region.

17 Sep 2009

UPV provides new model to recognize postnatal depression

Worldwide, 13% of women who give birth suffer from postnatal depression, which causes a significant deterioration in a mother's quality of life and her ability to care for her baby. Now, Spanish researchers have developed a model to diagnose this illness with a predictive power of 80% - the best result to date for this kind of depression.

17 Sep 2009

NIH to fund grants for epigenetic research

The National Institutes of Health announced today that it will fund 22 grants on genome-wide studies of how epigenetic changes -- chemical modifications to genes that result from diet, aging, stress, or environmental exposures -- define and contribute to specific human diseases and biological processes.

17 Sep 2009

Charley's Fund and the Nash Avery Foundation to support investigation of Galapagos' SARM candidate drug

Galapagos NV (Euronext: GLPG), Charley's Fund Inc. and the Nash Avery Foundation announced today that they will collaborate to investigate the potential effectiveness of Galapagos' SARM candidate drug, G100192, in treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy. G100192 is an orally-available small molecule therapeutic, which has demonstrated successful Proof of Concept in pre-clinical studies for cachexia (the loss of weight and muscle mass).

17 Sep 2009

Seegene awarded patent in the U.S. and Europe for Annealing Control Primer

Seegene, Inc., a leader in multi-pathogen diagnostic testing, today announced that it has been awarded patent in the U.S. and Europe for Annealing Control Primer (ACP), a new technology for amplifying a specific region of a gene with much higher specificity and reproducibility than conventional approaches.

17 Sep 2009

Guide reveals that non-smokers require different treatment for lung cancer

A committee of scientists led by Johns Hopkins investigators has published a new guide to the biology, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in never-smokers, fortifying measures for what physicians have long known is a very different disease than in smokers.

17 Sep 2009

Genentech releases Phase III PRIMA study findings

Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group and Biogen Idec, today announced that a Phase III study (PRIMA) showed that patients with follicular lymphoma who continued receiving Rituxan (rituximab) alone after responding to Rituxan and chemotherapy lived longer without their disease worsening (progression-free survival or PFS) than those who did not continue to receive Rituxan.

17 Sep 2009

Researchers investigate individual's ability to get rid of Hepatitis C

More than seventy percent of people who contract Hepatitis C will live with the virus that causes it for the rest of their lives and some will develop serious liver disease including cancer. However, 30 to 40 percent of those infected somehow defeat the infection and get rid of the virus with no treatment. In this week's Advanced Online Publication at Nature, Johns Hopkins researchers working as part of an international team report the discovery of the strongest genetic alteration associated with the ability to get rid of the infection.

17 Sep 2009

ESHRE's first workshop on male infertility

ESHRE invites you to attend its first workshop on male infertility in Thessaloniki, Greece "Reproductive andrology: linking laboratory to clinical practice". The workshop provides a forum for clinicians and scientists to share research results and discuss new developments.

16 Sep 2009

Newly developed model helps early diagnosis of postnatal depression

16 Sep 2009

FAO and WHO to provide science-based guidance on food and nutrition

The FAO and the WHO have been assigned the task to provide science-based guidance on food and nutrition to national governments and the international community.

16 Sep 2009

Researchers examine new method for controlling soybean aphids

Two Iowa State University researchers are examining a new method of controlling soybean aphids without the use of chemical pesticides.

16 Sep 2009

Immune response at tumour site predicts cancer progression in colorectal cancer patients

The immune reaction at tumour site determines cancer evolution and clinical outcome in patients with colorectal cancer, regardless of the local extent and spread of the tumour, according to the findings of Jérôme Galon, INSERM Research Director, Paris, and co-workers.

16 Sep 2009

Stem cells - the answer to autoimmune diseases and cancer in the future

Stem cells are multipotent cells of the immune system. Scientists hope to use them for curing autoimmune diseases, cancer and innate genetic defects in the future.

16 Sep 2009

New cancer therapy involves remodelling blood vessels and activating immune cells

Reversing or re-arranging the growth of these vessels in combination with specific immune strategies is a promising new strategy for cancer therapy, says Ruth Ganss, Professor at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Perth, at the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009 held in Berlin.

16 Sep 2009

Defective gene is linked to male infertility

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered a gene involved with the production of sperm that may contribute to male infertility and lead to new approaches to male contraception.

16 Sep 2009

Research study indicates presence of two stable bacterial ecosystems in the gut

Small-bowel transplant patients with an ileostomy -- an opening into their small bowel -- have a very different population of bacteria living in their gut than patients whose ileostomy has been closed, researchers from UC Davis and Georgetown University Medical Center have found. The results are published online Sept. 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

16 Sep 2009