Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists discover genetic pathway responsible for brain development

Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology and Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology have identified a genetic pathway that accounts for the extraordinary size of the human brain.

19 Dec 2014

Scientists identify white blood cells that tumors use to suppress disease-fighting immune system

A study led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has identified the population of white blood cells that tumors use to enhance growth and suppress the disease-fighting immune system.

19 Dec 2014

Study: Inactivating polymorphism may influence progression of ovarian and luminal breast cancer

A common polymorphism - a variation in a person's DNA sequence that is found with regularity in the general population - can lead to a chain of events that dictates how a tumor will progress in certain types of cancer, including a form of breast cancer as well as ovarian cancer, according to new research from The Wistar Institute that was published online by the journal Cancer Cell.

19 Dec 2014

New nationwide effort seeks to find novel approaches to treat ASD, intellectual disability

Some of the genetic diseases that can cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) are so rare that even physicians who specialize in treating them can't be certain they have seen every possible symptom.

19 Dec 2014

Gene variations predispose mestizo Mexican population to develop severe form of COPD

A study by Ramcés Falfán-Valencia, researcher at the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, found that the mestizo Mexican population has a number of variations in certain genes that predispose them to develop the most severe form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

19 Dec 2014

Single biopsy site may reveal all lung adenocarcinoma genetic mutations

Genetic sequencing of a single tumour site sample may be adequate for identifying cancer gene mutations in patients with lung andenocarcinoma, research published in Science suggests.

18 Dec 2014

Researchers treat myocardial infarction with new telomerase-based gene therapy

The enzyme telomerase repairs cell damage produced by ageing, and has been used successfully in therapies to lengthen the life of mice. Now it has been observed that it could also be used to cure illnesses related to the ageing process.

18 Dec 2014

Researchers find link between ferrets and humans

Research that provides a new understanding as to why ferrets are similar to humans is set to have major implications for the development of novel drugs and treatment strategies.

18 Dec 2014

Inovio begins hTERT DNA immunotherapy trial in adults with breast, lung and pancreatic cancer

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced it has initiated a phase I trial of its hTERT DNA immunotherapy (INO-1400) alone or in combination with Inovio's IL-12 immune activator (INO-9012) in adults with breast, lung, or pancreatic cancer at high risk of relapse after surgery and other cancer treatments.

18 Dec 2014

Researchers reveal common features responsible for antibiotic resistance

Treating bacterial infections with antibiotics is becoming increasingly difficult as bacteria develop resistance not only to the antibiotics being used against them, but also to ones they have never encountered before. By analyzing genetic and phenotypic changes in antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli, researchers at the RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center in Japan have revealed a common set of features that appear to be responsible for the development of resistance to several types of antibiotics.

18 Dec 2014

Broccoli can help reduce HGPS-related defects

Children who suffer from Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria syndrome age prematurely due to a defective protein in their cells. Scientists at Technische Universität München have now identified another important pathological factor: the system responsible for removing cellular debris and for breaking down defective proteins operates at lower levels in HGPS cells than in normal cells. The researchers have succeeded in reactivating protein breakdown in HGPS cells and thus reducing disease-related defects by using a substance from broccoli.

18 Dec 2014

Researchers examine why Mexican-Americans at increased risk for Type 2 diabetes

While people of Mexican ancestry are nearly twice as likely to develop Type 2 diabetes as people of European heritage, the majority of research in this area has focused on those of European origin.

18 Dec 2014

Two orphan receptor proteins exert fatal double whammy effect against glioblastoma cells

Two related proteins exert a lethal double whammy effect against glioblastoma cells when activated with a small molecule, say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

18 Dec 2014

High-dose flu vaccine better than regular flu shot for frail, older adults of long-term care facilities

The high-dose flu vaccine is significantly better than the regular flu shot at boosting the immune response to the flu virus in frail, older residents of long-term care facilities, according to the results of a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study.

18 Dec 2014

Study offers insights into mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial peptides

Antimicrobial peptides are a distinctive class of potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics produced by the body's innate immune system--the first line of defense against disease-causing microbes.

18 Dec 2014

Research findings may lead to new treatment strategies for Ewing sarcoma

The genetic abnormality that drives the bone cancer Ewing sarcoma operates through two distinct processes - both activating genes that stimulate tumor growth and suppressing those that should keep cancer from developing. These findings by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators, published in the November issue of Cancer Cell, may lead to new therapies targeting these aberrant mechanisms.

18 Dec 2014

Tel Aviv University study throws spotlight on gene mutation responsible for premature ovarian failure

Premature ovarian failure, also known as primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), affects 1% of all women worldwide. In most cases, the exact cause of the condition, which is often associated with infertility, is difficult to determine.

18 Dec 2014

UK doctors to test cannabis-based medicine for children with severe epilepsy

Children with severe epilepsy could be helped by a new treatment derived from the cannabis plant.

18 Dec 2014

New study identifies how SNAIL gene helps cancer cells break free from primary tumor

More than 90 percent of cancer-related deaths are caused by the spread of cancer cells from their primary tumor site to other areas of the body. A new study has identified how one important gene helps cancer cells break free from the primary tumor.

18 Dec 2014

Researchers identify a single protein as root cause of multiple allergic reactions

Johns Hopkins and University of Alberta researchers have identified a single protein as the root of painful and dangerous allergic reactions to a range of medications and other substances. If a new drug can be found that targets the problematic protein, they say, it could help smooth treatment for patients with conditions ranging from prostate cancer to diabetes to HIV

17 Dec 2014

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists discover genetic pathway responsible for brain development

Scientists identify white blood cells that tumors use to suppress disease-fighting immune system

Study: Inactivating polymorphism may influence progression of ovarian and luminal breast cancer

New nationwide effort seeks to find novel approaches to treat ASD, intellectual disability

Gene variations predispose mestizo Mexican population to develop severe form of COPD

Single biopsy site may reveal all lung adenocarcinoma genetic mutations

Researchers treat myocardial infarction with new telomerase-based gene therapy

Researchers find link between ferrets and humans

Inovio begins hTERT DNA immunotherapy trial in adults with breast, lung and pancreatic cancer

Researchers reveal common features responsible for antibiotic resistance

Broccoli can help reduce HGPS-related defects

Researchers examine why Mexican-Americans at increased risk for Type 2 diabetes

Two orphan receptor proteins exert fatal double whammy effect against glioblastoma cells

High-dose flu vaccine better than regular flu shot for frail, older adults of long-term care facilities

Study offers insights into mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial peptides

Research findings may lead to new treatment strategies for Ewing sarcoma

Tel Aviv University study throws spotlight on gene mutation responsible for premature ovarian failure

UK doctors to test cannabis-based medicine for children with severe epilepsy

New study identifies how SNAIL gene helps cancer cells break free from primary tumor

Researchers identify a single protein as root cause of multiple allergic reactions

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