Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists find seven new genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability

X-linked intellectual disability is a disorder that predominantly affects men and can have highly variable clinical manifestations. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have found seven new genes that can cause this genetic disease: Mutations of these genes on the X chromosome lead to various forms of intellectual disability.

15 Feb 2015

Researcher uses Gene Rank technique to capture, describe gene connectivity

Using the technique known as "Gene Rank" (GR), Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center investigator Eugene Demidenko, PhD, captured and described a new characterization of gene connectivity in "Microarray Enriched Gene Rank," published in BioData Mining. The effective computer algorithm can be used to compare tissues across or within organisms at great speed with a simple laptop computer.

15 Feb 2015

Researchers identify two cell-signaling molecules that appear critical to stalling cancer's spread

In what is believed to be the largest epigenetic analysis to date of cell-signaling molecules in early-stage melanoma, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center have identified two tiny bits of non-coding genetic material in primary tumors that appear critical to stalling the cancer's spread -- and essentially setting the biological fate of the disease.

15 Feb 2015

A*STAR's GIS scientists develop new system that can predict treatment targets for cancer

In recent months, several national initiatives for personalized medicine have been announced, including the recently launched precision medicine initiative in the US, driven by rapid advances in genomic technologies and with the promise of cheaper and better healthcare. Significant challenges remain, however, in the management and analysis of genetic information and their integration with patient data.

15 Feb 2015

Novel image-analysis technique improves breast cancer detection and diagnosis

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have developed an image-analysis technique that is designed to improve breast cancer detection and diagnosis.

13 Feb 2015

Immune system exploits flu virus' dependence on host's machinery

Viruses are masters of outsourcing, entrusting their fundamental function - reproduction - to the host cells they infect. But it turns out this highly economical approach also creates vulnerability.

13 Feb 2015

Researchers identify RGS6 protein that controls both alcohol-seeking behavior and organ damage

What if there was a drug that could simultaneously curb a person's craving for alcohol while also protecting their heart and liver from alcohol's damaging effects?

12 Feb 2015

Researchers identify molecular pathways associated with distinct subsets of SSc patients

For years, doctors have been baffled about why some patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) respond to therapy while others do not.

12 Feb 2015

Rare and classic EGFR mutations have different impacts on NSCLC outcome

Certain rare epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are associated with tobacco smoking, worse prognosis and poor response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy compared to the more common "classical" EGFR mutations.

12 Feb 2015

Children exposed to air pollution are at increased risk for brain inflammation, neurodegenerative changes

City smog lowers children's IQ. This is among findings from a recent University of Montana study that found children living in cities with significant air pollution are at an increased risk for detrimental impacts to the brain, including short-term memory loss and lower IQ.

12 Feb 2015

Oral pathogen protects different tumor cells from being killed by immune cells

Bacteria that are commonly found in the mouth are often abundant in patients with colon cancer, but the potential role these microbes play in tumor development has not been clear. A study published by Cell Press February 18th in the journal Immunity reveals that the oral pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum protects a variety of tumor cells from being killed by immune cells.

12 Feb 2015

FDA advisory committees to review Amgen's talimogene laherparepvec for metastatic melanoma treatment

Amgen announced today that the Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee and the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will jointly review the Company's Biologics License Application (BLA) for talimogene laherparepvec.

11 Feb 2015

Movement Disorder Center at UC San Diego designated Center of Excellence in NPF's global network

The Movement Disorder Center at UC San Diego Health System has been designated the 41st Center of Excellence in the National Parkinson Foundation's global network. This competitive designation is the highest recognition offered by NPF to a Parkinson's specialty clinic and represents the consensus of leaders in the field that the multidisciplinary clinic at UC San Diego Health System is among the world's leading centers for Parkinson's research, outreach and care.

11 Feb 2015

Freiburg researchers identify novel approach to inhibit signalling processes in colorectal cancer cells

Colorectal carcinoma is the most frequent type of bowel cancer and the second most common tumour disease among men and women in Germany. So-called microsatellite stable colorectal cancer with mutations in the BRAF gene represents a particularly aggressive form.

11 Feb 2015

UNC researchers create new research tool to help crack the histone code

University of North Carolina scientists have created a new research tool, based on the fruit fly, to help crack the histone code. This research tool can be used to better understand the function of histone proteins, which play critical roles in the regulation of gene expression in animals and plants.

11 Feb 2015

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society announces launch of new partnership to empower people with lymphoma

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society together with the Lymphoma Research Foundation, CancerCare, the Association of Community Cancer Centers and Genentech announced the launch of a new partnership, the Alliance for Resource Collaboration in Hematology (ARCH).

10 Feb 2015

TAU researchers identify novel genetic mutation as source of specific rare disease

Rare diseases -- those that affect fewer than one in 200,000 people -- are often identified early in life. Some 30 percent of children afflicted by these "orphan diseases" do not live to see their fifth birthday. While the U.S. Orphan Drug Act of 1983 was written into law to promote research on the topic, the cost of identifying the source and progression of these diseases remains prohibitive for many families.

10 Feb 2015

Researchers identify axitinib as promising candidate to treat drug-resistant leukaemia

A study led by researchers at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM and Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, in close collaboration with researchers at Pfizer, has identified a previously unrecognized action of Pfizer's axitinib as a potent inhibitor of the dominant mutation that confers drug resistance to all well tolerated treatments in patients with certain types of leukemia.

10 Feb 2015

New research provides hope for treating stroke using HUCBCs

Researchers have known that transplanted human umbilical cord cells (HUCBCs) can have a restorative effect on the brain and brain function following a stroke. However, just how the cells exert their therapeutic effects has not been clear. Now, a research team from the University of South Florida using animal models of stroke has found that the HUCBCs are most beneficial in preventing neuron loss when the Akt signaling pathway is activated by secretions from the HUCBCs and that Akt activation subsequently impacts a specific gene involved in reducing inflammation.

10 Feb 2015

Japanese researchers explore use of bone marrow transplants to treat hypophosphatasia

Recent research carried out by a team of researchers in Japan has investigated the use of bone marrow transplants (BMTs) to treat hypophosphatasia (HPP). In this study, the researchers carried out BMT for two infants with HPP in combination with allogenic (other-donated) mesenchymal stem cell transplants (MSCTs). The allogenic MSC donors were a parent of the infant.

10 Feb 2015

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists find seven new genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability

Researcher uses Gene Rank technique to capture, describe gene connectivity

Researchers identify two cell-signaling molecules that appear critical to stalling cancer's spread

A*STAR's GIS scientists develop new system that can predict treatment targets for cancer

Novel image-analysis technique improves breast cancer detection and diagnosis

Immune system exploits flu virus' dependence on host's machinery

Researchers identify RGS6 protein that controls both alcohol-seeking behavior and organ damage

Researchers identify molecular pathways associated with distinct subsets of SSc patients

Rare and classic EGFR mutations have different impacts on NSCLC outcome

Children exposed to air pollution are at increased risk for brain inflammation, neurodegenerative changes

Oral pathogen protects different tumor cells from being killed by immune cells

FDA advisory committees to review Amgen's talimogene laherparepvec for metastatic melanoma treatment

Movement Disorder Center at UC San Diego designated Center of Excellence in NPF's global network

Freiburg researchers identify novel approach to inhibit signalling processes in colorectal cancer cells

UNC researchers create new research tool to help crack the histone code

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society announces launch of new partnership to empower people with lymphoma

TAU researchers identify novel genetic mutation as source of specific rare disease

Researchers identify axitinib as promising candidate to treat drug-resistant leukaemia

New research provides hope for treating stroke using HUCBCs

Japanese researchers explore use of bone marrow transplants to treat hypophosphatasia

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

Decoding Cannabis: Differentiating Hemp and Marijuana

Deciphering the Microbiome with The Microsetta Initiative

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research