Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers gain new insight into how motor neurons in the brain die during ALS

Researchers look to understand the causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in the hope of finding new ways to treat the disease. A new study published online today (December 17th) in the Cell Press journal Neuron shows that a common gene mutation in ALS generates a deadly protein that may cause the damage in the brain that leads to ALS.

17 Dec 2014

Researchers use novel technique to identify microlesions in brain tissue from epileptic patients

Using an innovative technique combining genetic analysis and mathematical modeling with some basic sleuthing, researchers have identified previously undescribed microlesions in brain tissue from epileptic patients. The millimeter-sized abnormalities may explain why areas of the brain that appear normal can produce severe seizures in many children and adults with epilepsy.

17 Dec 2014

Novel technique to identify biological markers in brain development

With a unique, multi-faceted approach, researchers at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development have quantified the effect of previously unidentified anomalies in genetic expression that determine how the human brain develops from its earliest stages.

17 Dec 2014

Research finding could inspire new ideas for treating type 2 oculocutaneous albinism

Newly published research provides the first demonstration of how a genetic mutation associated with a common form of albinism leads to the lack of melanin pigments that characterizes the condition.

17 Dec 2014

Researchers examining new antioxidant-based therapeutic approaches to hypertension

High blood pressure affects more than 70 million Americans and is a major risk factor for stroke, heart failure and other renal and cardiovascular diseases. Two University of Houston College of Pharmacy researchers are examining the role of intrinsic antioxidant pathways in mitigating hypertension.

17 Dec 2014

Isis Pharmaceuticals begins ISIS-DMPK Rx clinical study in DM1 patients

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a study for ISIS-DMPK Rx in patients with Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1). DM1 is a rare genetic neuromuscular disease caused by the production of toxic dystrophia myotonica-protein kinase (DMPK) RNA in cells. ISIS-DMPKRx is specifically designed to reduce toxic DMPK RNA.

16 Dec 2014

Pre-clinical studies confirm TRXE-009 as new potential treatment for melanoma

Novogen Limited, Australian/US biotechnology company, today announces that it has confirmed that its lead candidate product, TRXE-009, originally developed for the treatment of brain cancers, has been shown in pre-clinical studies also to be highly active against melanoma.

16 Dec 2014

Joslin study could lead to improved anti-aging drugs

In a study published today by Nature, researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center used a microscopic worm (C. elegans) to identify a new path that could lead to drugs to slow aging and the chronic diseases that often accompany it--and might even lead to better cosmetics.

16 Dec 2014

Scientists demonstrate technique for editing genome in sperm-producing adult stem cells

Scientists at Indiana University and colleagues at Stanford and the University of Texas have demonstrated a technique for "editing" the genome in sperm-producing adult stem cells, a result with powerful potential for basic research and for gene therapy.

16 Dec 2014

New MIT study implicates RNA-binding proteins in regulation of cancer

A new study from MIT implicates a family of RNA-binding proteins in the regulation of cancer, particularly in a subtype of breast cancer. These proteins, known as Musashi proteins, can force cells into a state associated with increased proliferation.

16 Dec 2014

Trastuzumab drug improves long-term survival of patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer

VCU Massey Cancer Center physician-researcher Charles E. Geyer, Jr., M.D., was the National Protocol Officer for one component of a large national study involving two National Cancer Institute-supported clinical trials that demonstrated that trastuzumab significantly improves the long-term survival of HER-2 positive breast cancer patients.

16 Dec 2014

Two-drug combination before surgery benefits women with triple-negative breast cancer

A breast cancer specialist and clinical researcher at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island presented research yesterday at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium showing that adding either the chemotherapy drug carboplatin or the blood vessel-targeting drug bevacizumab to the standard treatment of chemotherapy before surgery helped women who have the basal-like subtype of triple-negative breast cancer.

15 Dec 2014

UT Southwestern researchers identify possible therapy to treat neurofibromatosis type 1

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a possible therapy to treat neurofibromatosis type 1 or NF1, a childhood neurological disease characterized by learning deficits and autism that is caused by inherited mutations in the gene encoding a protein called neurofibromin.

15 Dec 2014

ADIPOQ gene variations linked to colorectal cancer risk, new study reveals

Adiponectin, a collagen-like protein secreted by fat cells, derives from the ADIPOQ gene. Variations in this gene may increase risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and various cancers. A new study that links specific variations in the ADIPOQ gene to either higher or lower colorectal cancer risk is published in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

15 Dec 2014

Maf1 protein that makes other proteins also controls fat levels in the body

Like a smart sensor that adjusts the lighting in each room and a home's overall temperature, a protein that governs the making of other proteins in the cell also appears capable of controlling fat levels in the body.

14 Dec 2014

Environmental factors influence how genetic variants affect the brain, behaviour

Both positive and negative experiences influence how genetic variants affect the brain and thereby behaviour, according to a new study. "Evidence is accumulating to show that the effects of variants of many genes that are common in the population depend on environmental factors.

14 Dec 2014

NTU scientists discover how malaria parasite develops resistance towards front-line drugs

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University have discovered exactly how the malaria parasite is developing resistance towards the most important front-line drugs used to treat the disease.

14 Dec 2014

Experts expose fundamental role of chaos and complexity in biological information processing

The interdisciplinary approach to problems that till recently were addressed in the hermetic framework of distinct disciplines such as physics, informatics, biology or sociology constitutes today one of the most active and innovative areas of science, where fundamental issues meet problems of everyday concern.

14 Dec 2014

Researchers uncover mechanism that helps white fat cells to become browner

White adipose tissue stores excess calories as fat that can be released for use in other organs during fasting. Mammals also have small amounts of brown adipose tissue, which primarily acts as an effective fat burner for the production of heat. Now researchers from the University of Southern Denmark have uncovered the mechanism by which white fat cells from humans gets reprogrammed to become browner.

14 Dec 2014

Researchers assemble first high-resolution, 3-D maps of folded genomes

In a triumph for cell biology, researchers have assembled the first high-resolution, 3-D maps of entire folded genomes and found a structural basis for gene regulation -- a kind of "genomic origami" that allows the same genome to produce different types of cells. The research appears online today in Cell.

14 Dec 2014

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers gain new insight into how motor neurons in the brain die during ALS

Researchers use novel technique to identify microlesions in brain tissue from epileptic patients

Novel technique to identify biological markers in brain development

Research finding could inspire new ideas for treating type 2 oculocutaneous albinism

Researchers examining new antioxidant-based therapeutic approaches to hypertension

Isis Pharmaceuticals begins ISIS-DMPK Rx clinical study in DM1 patients

Pre-clinical studies confirm TRXE-009 as new potential treatment for melanoma

Joslin study could lead to improved anti-aging drugs

Scientists demonstrate technique for editing genome in sperm-producing adult stem cells

New MIT study implicates RNA-binding proteins in regulation of cancer

Trastuzumab drug improves long-term survival of patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer

Two-drug combination before surgery benefits women with triple-negative breast cancer

UT Southwestern researchers identify possible therapy to treat neurofibromatosis type 1

ADIPOQ gene variations linked to colorectal cancer risk, new study reveals

Maf1 protein that makes other proteins also controls fat levels in the body

Environmental factors influence how genetic variants affect the brain, behaviour

NTU scientists discover how malaria parasite develops resistance towards front-line drugs

Experts expose fundamental role of chaos and complexity in biological information processing

Researchers uncover mechanism that helps white fat cells to become browner

Researchers assemble first high-resolution, 3-D maps of folded genomes

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