Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Brain's immune system plays protective role in early Alzheimer's disease

The immune system's response against amyloid-beta, the protein that forms plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease, appears to protect the brain from damage in early stages of the devastating neurological disorder.

30 Mar 2007

Glimpse into early brain development shows how nerve cells move into position

Tucked into the lower, rear portion of the brain, the cerebellum plays key roles in motor learning, motor memory and sensory perception. It's also where the majority of metastatic childhood brain tumors are located. Yet scientists still know very little about its early growth.

29 Mar 2007

Improving the NHS's response to domestic violence

A project aimed at tackling shortcomings in the NHS's response to domestic violence is to be set up in Bristol and east London.

28 Mar 2007

DNA repair runs by the biological clock

No sooner have the clocks gone forward than scientists have shed new light on the link between our biological clocks and DNA damage repair processes, essential in protecting our cells from cancer.

27 Mar 2007

Circadian genes may be involved in bipolar disorder

Disrupt the gene that regulates the biological clocks in mice and they become manic, exhibiting behaviors similar to humans with bipolar disorder, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

25 Mar 2007

Cells use 'noise' to make cell-fate decisions

Electrical noise, like the crackle heard on AM radio when lightning strikes nearby, is a nuisance that wreaks havoc on electronic devices. But within cells, a similar kind of biochemical "noise" is beneficial, helping cells transform from one state to another, according to a new study led by a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher.

25 Mar 2007

Stanford brain tumor vaccine to be tested nationally

When Susan Wright learned that she had a type of fatal, rapidly growing brain cancer at age 46, her doctors at the University of Florida told her she wouldn't live more than 18 months.

22 Mar 2007

Researchers discover vitiligo gene

In a study appearing in the March 22 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at St George's, University of London, the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC) and the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes have discovered a connection between a gene and the chronic skin condition vitiligo, as well as a possible link to an array of other autoimmune diseases.

22 Mar 2007

First time observing real-time molecular interplay within ribosome

The ribosome is a kind of factory for protein in the cell, and as such has long been a prime target for drug discovery. Now, a technological advance by a team at Weill Cornell Medical College is poised to revolutionize research in the field.

21 Mar 2007

New dimension to understanding of p53 protein

The p53 protein routinely shuts down damaged cells and is one of our main lines of defence against cancer. Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now present new findings on how p53 carries out this all-important function.

21 Mar 2007

Curry related compound shows promise against Kennedy's disease

Scientists who focus on the molecular signaling that underlies prostate cancer have discovered a compound that shows promise against a debilitating neurodegenerative condition known as Kennedy's disease, which is caused by a mutant gene.

21 Mar 2007

Inflammation plays key role in the metastasis of prostate cancer

Many would assume that "mounting an immune response" or "having your body fight the cancer" is a good thing.

19 Mar 2007

Scientists discover new approach for treating virus-induced lymphomas

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human tumor virus and an etiological agent for Kaposi's sarcoma and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL). PELs are aggressive lymphomas with reported median survival time shorter than six months after diagnosis.

19 Mar 2007

Researchers use poliovirus to destroy neuroblastoma tumors in mice

The cause of one notorious childhood disease, poliovirus, could be used to treat the ongoing threat of another childhood disease, neuroblastoma.

15 Mar 2007

New anti-cancer target in enzyme MAP4K3

Scientists working at the Institute for Cancer Research have found a new anti-cancer target in MAP4K3, an enzyme which is able to 'switch on' the growth-promoter mTOR.

14 Mar 2007

Discovery of new cell involved with cancer

Scientists have discovered a new type of cell that appears to play a role in the development of cancer – a highly volatile, precancerous stem cell that can either remain benign or become malignant, depending upon environmental cues.

14 Mar 2007

Researchers uncover genetic sequence responsible for rare form of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an almost uniformly fatal disease regardless of the stage at time of diagnosis. However, a small percentage of patients develop a form of ductal adenocarcinoma associated with cystic lesions that can be detected earlier, is less aggressive and has a 50 percent long-term survival rate.

14 Mar 2007