Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Use of DNA-damaging agents revolutionizes chemotherapy against a wide variety of cancers

A new study demonstrates the potential effectiveness of treating tumors by combining agents that damage DNA with a drug that sensitizes cancer cells to these agents.

28 Mar 2005

Three different leukemias are all caused by mutations that alter a specific enzyme controlling blood cell proliferation

Identifying the genetic malfunction that causes these disorders raises the hope that researchers may be able to devise a targeted therapy, just as they have done for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), which is presently treated with Gleevec. The three leukemias that share a common genetic cause are polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and myeloid metaplasia with myelofibrosis (MMM).

28 Mar 2005

Test that will prevent the needless loss of the thyroid gland in people with the noncancerous condition

New research suggests that physicians can distinguish between a type of thyroid cancer and an identical-looking, non-cancerous thyroid condition by simply determining the activity of three genes.

28 Mar 2005

Latest findings in male reproduction research

The XVIII North American Testis Workshop, chaired by Population Council senior scientist Matthew Hardy, will be held 30 March - 2 April in Seattle, Washington. Participants will discuss findings from the large body of recent research on male reproduction.

28 Mar 2005

New directions toward the treatment of bipolar disorder

While lithium treatment has proven to be a godsend for many of the two million Americans with bipolar disorder, it is not without its downside. People on the drug may develop hypothyroidism, tremors, cognitive impairment, and excessive thirst and urination and gain weight.

23 Mar 2005

New guidelines mean tailor-made drugs are on the way

Many experts believe a milestone has been reached with the issuing of guidelines for pharmaceutical companies to encourage them to gather and submit information about how genetic variations affect the way people respond to their drugs.

23 Mar 2005

Gene linked to bone mineral density

Sequenom has announced the discovery of a genetic variation in the gene encoding phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) that is believed to affect osteoporosis risk. Fragility fractures caused by osteoporosis are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the aging population.

23 Mar 2005

Antibodies from tobacco plants protect against anthrax

Scientists have produced, in tobacco plants, human antibodies that could be used to treat anthrax exposure. They reported their findings at the 2005 American Society for Microbiology Biodefense Research Meeting.

23 Mar 2005

Gene named ATBF1 may contribute to the development of prostate cancer

A gene named ATBF1 may contribute to the development of prostate cancer through acquired mutations and/or loss of expression, according to research at Emory University School of Medicine and its Winship Cancer Institute.

23 Mar 2005

Preventing eye disease in retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited eye disease that causes visual disability leading to blindness. Over the last 15 years, researchers have pinpointed defects in dozens of genes causing different forms of RP.

22 Mar 2005

Study suggests combination therapy could stop spread, halt growth of melanomas

Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine have identified the mechanism by which the most mutated gene in melanoma, called v599EB-Raf, aids melanoma tumor development demonstrating its importance as a therapeutic target.

22 Mar 2005

Oral contraceptives may protect against breast cancer

Women at high genetic risk of breast cancer could reduce their risk of developing the disease at an early age by taking oral contraceptives, a new study has found. The findings contradict previous studies, which suggested oral contraceptive use would increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

22 Mar 2005

Tiny scaffolding allows stem cells to become working fat cells

Researchers here have used a new microscopic, three-dimensional scaffolding to coax mouse stem cells to transform themselves into fat cells, and then to function identical to how fat cells naturally do in the body.

22 Mar 2005

Genes TEL2 and MYC cooperate with each other to promote pediatric cases of the immune system cancer B-cell lymphoma

The genes TEL2 and MYC cooperate with each other to promote pediatric cases of the immune system cancer B-cell lymphoma. This finding, from investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, is published in the current issue of Molecular Cell Biology (MCB).

22 Mar 2005

New findings about the spread of HIV in the UK

Contrary to the prevailing belief that the HIV epidemic in the UK can be traced back to one source, a new study by Oxford and London scientists suggests that HIV spread via at least six independent virus introductions and subsequent transmission chains.

21 Mar 2005

African-American women with advanced endometrial cancer have more aggressive tumors than Caucasian women

In two studies of African-American women with endometrial cancer, a group of investigators from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Cancer Institute has found that African-American women with advanced endometrial cancer have more aggressive tumors than Caucasian women, potentially leading to worse outcomes.

21 Mar 2005

New research in mice sheds light on the causes behind male infertility

For 40 percent of the estimated six million American couples battling infertility, the problem lies with the man. But help may be on the way.

21 Mar 2005

Scientists find microRNA regulates Ras cancer gene

Research in the laboratory of Assistant Professor Frank J. Slack at Yale University has identified a new way that a familiar gene is regulated in lung cancer, presenting new possibilities for diagnosis and treatment. The work is reported in March issues of the journals Cell and Developmental Cell.

21 Mar 2005

Genomic analysis may one day be a primary diagnostic tool for physicians deciding on a course of treatment for trauma

The researchers showed that state-of-the-art techniques for rapidly analyzing changes in activity of all human genes will likely produce useful insights into the health of critically ill patients. The findings, which are available online and will be published in the March 29 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, make it possible for physicians to begin answering important questions about critical care through genomic analysis.

21 Mar 2005

Chemists say they have identified a gene that appears to play a key role in the development of type 1 diabetes

In the current study, the researchers focused on the formation of the MIF protein (macrophage migration inhibitory factor), a proinflammatory protein that they showed in previous studies is elevated in diabetic animals and may be involved in the cascade of immunological events that leads to the destruction of the pancreas and the subsequent onset of type 1 diabetes.

21 Mar 2005

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Use of DNA-damaging agents revolutionizes chemotherapy against a wide variety of cancers

Three different leukemias are all caused by mutations that alter a specific enzyme controlling blood cell proliferation

Test that will prevent the needless loss of the thyroid gland in people with the noncancerous condition

Latest findings in male reproduction research

New directions toward the treatment of bipolar disorder

New guidelines mean tailor-made drugs are on the way

Gene linked to bone mineral density

Antibodies from tobacco plants protect against anthrax

Gene named ATBF1 may contribute to the development of prostate cancer

Preventing eye disease in retinitis pigmentosa

Study suggests combination therapy could stop spread, halt growth of melanomas

Oral contraceptives may protect against breast cancer

Tiny scaffolding allows stem cells to become working fat cells

Genes TEL2 and MYC cooperate with each other to promote pediatric cases of the immune system cancer B-cell lymphoma

New findings about the spread of HIV in the UK

African-American women with advanced endometrial cancer have more aggressive tumors than Caucasian women

New research in mice sheds light on the causes behind male infertility

Scientists find microRNA regulates Ras cancer gene

Genomic analysis may one day be a primary diagnostic tool for physicians deciding on a course of treatment for trauma

Chemists say they have identified a gene that appears to play a key role in the development of type 1 diabetes

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