Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Trial shows which brain cancer patients benefit from temozolomide

An international team of scientists and cancer specialists has identified which patients with the deadly form of brain tumours called glioblastomas are likely to live longer if they are treated with temozolomide, and which patients are likely to get only marginal, if any, benefit.

28 Sep 2004

Researchers reveal potential new role for Glivec/Imatinib

Imatinib – or Glivec as it also known – looks as if it may become an effective treatment for yet another type of cancer.

28 Sep 2004

Arsenic trioxide - invented as a treatment for a rare type of leukaemia

Arsenic trioxide – a highly poisonous substance best known as an effective weed killer or pesticide and notorious for being a favourite ‘weapon’ of choice in murder mystery novels, is being re-invented as a treatment for a rare type of leukaemia.

28 Sep 2004

Master gene that controls the first breath a newborn infant

Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have identified a master gene that controls the first breath a newborn infant takes. The findings could have implications for treating premature babies and children and adults with lung disease or lung injury.

28 Sep 2004

Duplication of the alpha-synuclein gene causes Parkinson's disease in a French family

In affected individuals, age of onset, symptoms and symptom progression are similar to that observed in people with sporadic or unexplained cases of Parkinson's disease.

27 Sep 2004

Bionomics licences childhood epilepsy test

Bionomics has announced that it has granted a licence to Massachusetts-based Athena Diagnostics to market Bionomics’ childhood epilepsy diagnostic to neurologists in North America and Japan.

27 Sep 2004

Functions of the c-myb gene which leukemia cells depend on for proliferation

Today the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences publishes a paper by Temple University researchers that details one of the functions of the c-myb gene (which leukemia cells depend on for proliferation), the formation of white blood cells.

27 Sep 2004

Marijuana use may increase the risk of ectopic (tubal) pregnancies

It is not known whether drugs that block or, in the case of marijuana, over-stimulate the CB1 receptor can cause ectopic pregnancy in humans. However, "our results raise caution for women of reproductive ages regarding the chronic use of marijuana for recreation or pain alleviation," the researchers concluded.

27 Sep 2004

Discovery of key molecular step which allows cancer cells to move to different parts of the body

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have figured out a key molecular step by which a cancer cell can unhook itself from the mesh weave of other cancer cells in a tumor, and move away to a different part of the body - the process, known as metastasis, that makes cancer so dangerous.

27 Sep 2004

New type of regulatory T cell that reduces asthma and airway inflammation

The team's research not only provides a detailed profile of these newfound cells but also sheds light on how such cells are related to other T cells and suggests that there exists a spectrum of regulatory T cells, known as Tregs, to be identified and studied.

26 Sep 2004

Study is the first to show that lowering the levels of lipid in nerve terminals affects the efficiency of neurotransmission

Yale researchers demonstrate the crucial role of a membrane lipid called phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns (4,5)P2) in the communication of information between synapses in the brain, according to a study published this week in Nature.

26 Sep 2004

Study presents multiple lines of evidence against the proposed link between SV40 and human mesotheliomas

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the chest cavity that kills about 2000 people a year in the United States.

26 Sep 2004

Gene responsible for a rare form of dystonia known as rapid-onset dystonia parkinsonism identified

Investigators funded in part by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have identified the gene responsible for a rare form of dystonia known as rapid-onset dystonia parkinsonism (RDP).

23 Sep 2004

First generation of human retinal cells in the laboratory from human embryonic stem cells

Some of these retinal tissues such as Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for such devastating diseases as macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and other retinal degenerative diseases.

23 Sep 2004

Breakthrough discovery on why the malaria parasite has become resistant to chloroquine

Scientists at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have made a major breakthrough in discovering why the malaria parasite Plasmodium Falciparum, deposited in humans by the mosquito, has become resistant to chloroquine

23 Sep 2004

New link in the growth of Ewing’s sarcoma

To develop new therapeutic approaches to cancer, it is essential to understand the long and extremely complex process that underlies it, in other words the various stages of cancer development from the initial mutation to the tumor.

23 Sep 2004

THC in marijuana may block the spread of forms of cancer causing herpes viruses

The compound in marijuana that produces a high, delta-9 tetrahydrocannbinol or THC, may block the spread of several forms of cancer causing herpes viruses, University of South Florida College of Medicine scientists report.

22 Sep 2004

Zebrafish atlas will help research community to model human disease

An inch-long tropical fish will enjoy improved global exposure thanks to a five-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources-National Institutes of Health

22 Sep 2004

Edible vaccine for HIV AIDS

Scientists from Novosibirsk are engaged in the development of an unusual vaccine which, apart from being less expensive to produce, safe and painless to administer, is also edible.

22 Sep 2004

NIH opens new hospital totally dedicated to clinical research

This new hospital totally dedicated to clinical research — research involving patients — is the most significant addition to the NIH campus in more than 50 years and provides a unique opportunity for scientists, clinicians, and patients to study and conquer both chronic and acute disease in the 21st century.

22 Sep 2004

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Trial shows which brain cancer patients benefit from temozolomide

Researchers reveal potential new role for Glivec/Imatinib

Arsenic trioxide - invented as a treatment for a rare type of leukaemia

Master gene that controls the first breath a newborn infant

Duplication of the alpha-synuclein gene causes Parkinson's disease in a French family

Bionomics licences childhood epilepsy test

Functions of the c-myb gene which leukemia cells depend on for proliferation

Marijuana use may increase the risk of ectopic (tubal) pregnancies

Discovery of key molecular step which allows cancer cells to move to different parts of the body

New type of regulatory T cell that reduces asthma and airway inflammation

Study is the first to show that lowering the levels of lipid in nerve terminals affects the efficiency of neurotransmission

Study presents multiple lines of evidence against the proposed link between SV40 and human mesotheliomas

Gene responsible for a rare form of dystonia known as rapid-onset dystonia parkinsonism identified

First generation of human retinal cells in the laboratory from human embryonic stem cells

Breakthrough discovery on why the malaria parasite has become resistant to chloroquine

New link in the growth of Ewing’s sarcoma

THC in marijuana may block the spread of forms of cancer causing herpes viruses

Zebrafish atlas will help research community to model human disease

Edible vaccine for HIV AIDS

NIH opens new hospital totally dedicated to clinical research

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

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development