Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Nivolumab drug highly effective for Hodgkin's lymphoma

A phase I clinical trial of nivolumab found that the immune-boosting drug is a highly effective therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma. The multi-institution study, led by Mayo Clinic, indicated that the drug was safe and led to an 87 percent response rate in patients who had failed on other treatments.

7 Dec 2014

Study shows link between cardiac abnormalities, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy

Groundbreaking findings describing the link between cardiac abnormalities and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) will be presented at the American Epilepsy Society's Annual Meeting in December.

7 Dec 2014

New study explores reliability of optogenetics as method of intervention of temporal lobe seizures

Optogenetics is one of the hottest tools in biomedical research today, a method that uses gene therapy to deliver light-sensitive proteins into specific cells. This new tool allows researchers to interact with a single cell or a network of cells with exquisite precision. Whereas imaging and other technologies allow researchers to watch the brain in action, optogenetics enables them to influence those actions.

7 Dec 2014

Study provides insights into genetic underpinnings of childhood epilepsies

Technological advances in genetic analysis have uncovered changes in single genes that account for a surprising number of infantile and early-childhood epilepsies. Though some of the affected genes have been identified, the physical manifestations of these alterations remain largely uncharacterized.

7 Dec 2014

Scientists devise powerful algorithm to improve effectiveness of research technology harnessing RNAi

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have devised a powerful algorithm that improves the effectiveness of an important research technology harnessing RNA interference, or RNAi.

7 Dec 2014

Study: Key protein may help prevent tumor growth, promote wound healing

A key protein may represent a new way to use the immune system to speed healing and counter inflammatory, infectious and autoimmune diseases, according to study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published in the December issue of Cell Reports.

7 Dec 2014

Researchers reveal that genetic mutations may cause more cases of ALS

Genetic mutations may cause more cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) than scientists previously had realized, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The scientists also showed that the number of mutated genes influences the age when the fatal paralyzing disorder first appears.

7 Dec 2014

Scientists suspect role of mini-chromosomes in cancers, diseases caused by gene mutations

Cancers are due to genetic aberrations in certain cells that gain the ability to divide indefinitely. This proliferation of sick cells generates tumors, which gradually invade healthy tissue. Therefore, current therapies essentially seek to destroy cancer cells to stop their proliferation. Through high-throughput genetic sequencing of glioblastoma cells, one of the most deadly brain tumors, a team of geneticists from the University of Geneva's (UNIGE) Faculty of Medicine discovered that some of these mutations are caused by supplemental extrachromosomal DNA fragments, called double minutes, which enable cancer cells to better adapt to their environment and therefore better resist to treatments meant to destroy them.

6 Dec 2014

Genetics may play major role in Lou Gehrig's disease, study reveals

Genetics may play a larger role in causing Lou Gehrig's disease than previously believed, potentially accounting for more than one-third of all cases, according to one of the most comprehensive genetic studies to date of patients who suffer from the condition also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

6 Dec 2014

Researchers suggest new strategy to control cellular identity and fate

A team of scientists that included researchers from UCLA has discovered a novel mechanism of RNA regulation in embryonic stem cells. The findings are strong evidence that a specific chemical modification, or "tag," on RNA plays a key role in determining the ability of embryonic stem cells to adopt different cellular identities.

6 Dec 2014

Growth genes seem different in Hunger Winter children

Individuals conceived in the severe Dutch Famine, also called the Hunger Winter, may have adjusted to this horrendous period of World War II by making adaptations to how active their DNA is. Genes involved in growth and development were differentially regulated, according to researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center, Harvard University, and Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

5 Dec 2014

Hormone leptin increases blood pressure that occurs with weight gain

Leptin, a hormone that regulates the amount of fat stored in the body, also drives the increase in blood pressure that occurs with weight gain, according to researchers from Monash University and the University of Cambridge.

5 Dec 2014

Scientists uphold mouse model of human disease, but pinpoint vital differences in gene expression

Scientists at Penn State College of Medicine, working alongside an international team of researchers, have produced the most complete encyclopedia of functional elements in the mouse genome to date and compared it to the human genome.

5 Dec 2014

TSRI scientists identify 'mechanoreceptor' protein that mediates sense of touch in mammals

A team led by biologists at The Scripps Research Institute has solved a long-standing mystery in neuroscience by identifying the "mechanoreceptor" protein that mediates the sense of touch in mammals.

5 Dec 2014

Phase IIb trial shows platinum-resistant ovarian patients treated with PM1183 live longer

Zeltia announces today that its pharmaceutical division PharmaMar has data from a group of 33 randomized patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer demonstrating that PM1183 shows a significantly superior median overall survival compared to topotecan.

4 Dec 2014

Resveratrol in red wine inhibits formation of inflammatory factors that activate cardiovascular diseases

A natural substance present in red wine, resveratrol, inhibits the formation of inflammatory factors that trigger cardiovascular diseases. This has been established by a research team at the Department of Pharmacology of the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz working in collaboration with researchers of the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and the University of Vienna.

4 Dec 2014

New technology reveals cellular gene transcription process in detail

A new technology that reveals cellular gene transcription in greater detail has been developed by Dr. Daniel Kaufmann of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre and the research team he directed. "This new research tool offers us a more profound view of the immune responses that are involved in a range of diseases, such as HIV infection. At the level of gene transcription, this had been difficult, complex and costly to do with current technologies, such as microscopy," explained the University of Montreal professor.

4 Dec 2014

New targeted therapy shows promise in patients with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC

An international study involving Manchester researchers has found that for previously untreated lung cancer patients with a particular genetic change, a new targeted therapy is better than standard chemotherapy.

4 Dec 2014

UAB research suggests potential therapeutic target for patients with frontotemporal dementia

Drugs that boost the function of a specific type of neurotransmitter receptor may provide benefit to patients with the second most common type of dementia, according to research by scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham published today in the Journal of Neuroscience.

4 Dec 2014

Researchers identify biochemical mechanism that could lead to 'chemo brain'

UNC School of Medicine researchers have found for the first time a biochemical mechanism that could be a cause of "chemo brain" - the neurological side effects such as memory loss, confusion, difficulty thinking, and trouble concentrating that many cancer patients experience while on chemotherapy to treat tumors in other parts of the body.

4 Dec 2014

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Nivolumab drug highly effective for Hodgkin's lymphoma

Study shows link between cardiac abnormalities, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy

New study explores reliability of optogenetics as method of intervention of temporal lobe seizures

Study provides insights into genetic underpinnings of childhood epilepsies

Scientists devise powerful algorithm to improve effectiveness of research technology harnessing RNAi

Study: Key protein may help prevent tumor growth, promote wound healing

Researchers reveal that genetic mutations may cause more cases of ALS

Scientists suspect role of mini-chromosomes in cancers, diseases caused by gene mutations

Genetics may play major role in Lou Gehrig's disease, study reveals

Researchers suggest new strategy to control cellular identity and fate

Growth genes seem different in Hunger Winter children

Hormone leptin increases blood pressure that occurs with weight gain

Scientists uphold mouse model of human disease, but pinpoint vital differences in gene expression

TSRI scientists identify 'mechanoreceptor' protein that mediates sense of touch in mammals

Phase IIb trial shows platinum-resistant ovarian patients treated with PM1183 live longer

Resveratrol in red wine inhibits formation of inflammatory factors that activate cardiovascular diseases

New technology reveals cellular gene transcription process in detail

New targeted therapy shows promise in patients with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC

UAB research suggests potential therapeutic target for patients with frontotemporal dementia

Researchers identify biochemical mechanism that could lead to 'chemo brain'

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