Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Gene therapy may delay Alzheimer progression

Results from a preliminary eight-patient study of gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease are positive enough to justify a larger clinical trial, Mark H. Tuszynski, M.D., Ph.D., reported April 27 at the 56th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Tuszynski says that a larger trial is being planned at a major medical center in Chicago.

30 Apr 2004

Australian research helps to better understand asthma, hayfever, eczema and associated allergies

May 4, 2004 is World Asthma Day. Asthma, hayfever, eczema and associated allergies are among the most common chronic diseases in the developed world. It has been estimated that up to 50% of people in western societies suffer from these conditions, and in Australia alone, health care costs for asthma alone exceed $700 million each year.

29 Apr 2004

Functional genomics and proteomics may accelerate the discovery of new drugs and therapeutic molecules

Functional genomics and proteomics have been quite successful in identifying functions of potential therapeutic targets such as encoded proteins. In fact, the possibilities of identifying more than 10,000 novel target antigens in the human genome may accelerate the discovery of new drugs and therapeutic molecules.

29 Apr 2004

Scientists have discovered a genetic cause of cleft lip and palate in mice

By watching mice “dance” and comparing the DNA of the dancers to their flat-footed siblings, scientists have discovered a genetic cause of cleft lip and palate in mice, a finding that is already being used to search for a similar genetic defect in humans.

29 Apr 2004

Time bomb in heart leads to heart failure in some congenital heart disease patients

However, surgical correction of certain forms of congenital heart disease may not fix the underlying molecular trigger that drives progressive heart failure and sudden death later in life, according to new research from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

29 Apr 2004

A new prognostic marker has shown potential to predict recurrence in certain colon cancer patients

In the study, a team of researchers led by Veridex, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, used gene expression profiling to identify the new marker – a 23-gene signature – which may predict disease recurrence in patients initially diagnosed with Dukes' B colon cancer.

29 Apr 2004

New technique of identifying genes may help researchers developing drugs

A quick new technique able to identify genes that evolve rapidly as well as those that change slowly already has pinpointed new targets for researchers developing drugs against tuberculosis and malaria, and it could do the same for other infectious diseases, according to a paper in this week's Nature.

29 Apr 2004

Scientists have unraveled the behavior of one key component of bacteria

The researchers studied a mechanism of action they call the "magic spot" – an important regulator of gene expression. They describe their results in the current issue of the journal Cell.

29 Apr 2004

Mutation of a gene involved in non-small cell lung cancer linked to drug effectiveness

Mutation of a gene involved in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) increases the likelihood that the drug gefitinib (Iressa™) will show a beneficial response, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) - part of the National Institutes of Health - and two other institutions announced today in the online version of Science.

29 Apr 2004

Lou Gehrig’s disease gene discovered

A gene for a rare juvenile-onset form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) has been isolated in families in the United States, Belgium and Austria, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced today.

29 Apr 2004

Results look promising in Alzheimer’s gene therapy trial

Surgical placement of genetically modified tissue directly into the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, an experimental approach to delaying brain cell loss associated with the disease, leads to increased metabolic activity in the brain, with cells apparently responding to the insertion of growth factor-producing grafts

28 Apr 2004

Scientists identify six genes associated with the most common form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

In a paper that will be published on Thursday, April 29, 2004 in the New England Journal of Medicine, a team of scientists from Stanford University and Applied Biosystems, an Applera Corporation business, describe the identification of six genes associated with survival in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

28 Apr 2004

Researchers have discovered the cause of one form of retinitis pigmentosa, a type of genetically inherited blindness

Saint Louis University researchers have discovered the cause of one form of retinitis pigmentosa, a type of genetically inherited blindness.

28 Apr 2004

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease

One variant of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to an analysis of research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., April 24 – May 1, 2004.

27 Apr 2004

$11 million for lung injury research

Northwestern University has received an $11 million Program Project Grant (PPG) from the National Institutes of Health to define the mechanisms that cause changes in the alveolar epithelium during lung injury.

27 Apr 2004

FDA mandates approval for all pancreatic enzyme replacements

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has announced its support of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) requirement that manufacturers of pancreatic enzyme replacements obtain FDA approval for their products within the next four years.

27 Apr 2004

Experimental smallpox DNA vaccine

In the first successful study of its kind, scientists have shown that a DNA-based vaccine for smallpox can protect nonhuman primates from monkeypox, a disease that resembles smallpox in humans.

27 Apr 2004

A high rate of marriage among deaf individuals can explain the increased frequency of connexin deafness in the United States

A high rate of marriage among deaf individuals can explain the increased frequency of connexin deafness in the United States and may have led to a doubling of its occurrence during the past 200 years, according to a study by hereditary deafness experts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

27 Apr 2004

UK scientists have discovered cancer cells life and death scenario following anti-cancer treatment

CANCER Research UK scientists have discovered how some cancer cells choose to live and others die following anti-cancer treatment, unveiling their findings in the prestigious journal PNAS today.

26 Apr 2004

Clinical trial of enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of Gaucher disease

Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. today announced that it has initiated a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and clinical activity of GA-GCB, its enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of Gaucher disease.

26 Apr 2004

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Gene therapy may delay Alzheimer progression

Australian research helps to better understand asthma, hayfever, eczema and associated allergies

Functional genomics and proteomics may accelerate the discovery of new drugs and therapeutic molecules

Scientists have discovered a genetic cause of cleft lip and palate in mice

Time bomb in heart leads to heart failure in some congenital heart disease patients

A new prognostic marker has shown potential to predict recurrence in certain colon cancer patients

New technique of identifying genes may help researchers developing drugs

Scientists have unraveled the behavior of one key component of bacteria

Mutation of a gene involved in non-small cell lung cancer linked to drug effectiveness

Lou Gehrig’s disease gene discovered

Results look promising in Alzheimer’s gene therapy trial

Scientists identify six genes associated with the most common form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Researchers have discovered the cause of one form of retinitis pigmentosa, a type of genetically inherited blindness

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease

$11 million for lung injury research

FDA mandates approval for all pancreatic enzyme replacements

Experimental smallpox DNA vaccine

A high rate of marriage among deaf individuals can explain the increased frequency of connexin deafness in the United States

UK scientists have discovered cancer cells life and death scenario following anti-cancer treatment

Clinical trial of enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of Gaucher disease

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

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Exploring the Future of Neuroscience Drug Discovery

Genomic conservation in Thailand's mangroves