Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Gefitinib drug boosts oesophageal cancer patients' survival by up to six months

Patients with a specific type of oesophageal cancer survived longer when they were given the latest lung cancer drug, according to trial results being presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference today (Wednesday).

4 Nov 2014

Scientists uncover small set of genes critical in aging and neurodegenerative disease

Aging is the most significant and universal risk factor for developing neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. This risk increases disproportionately with age, but no one really knows why.

4 Nov 2014

NSAIDs protect against colorectal cancer by inducing cell suicide pathways in intestinal stem cells

Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protect against the development of colorectal cancer by inducing cell suicide pathways in intestinal stem cells that carry a certain mutated and dysfunctional gene, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and the School of Medicine.

4 Nov 2014

Innovative tool could redefine limits of synthetic biology, improve study of yeast genetics

NYU Langone yeast geneticists report they have developed a novel tool -- dubbed "the telomerator" -- that could redefine the limits of synthetic biology and advance how successfully living things can be engineered or constructed in the laboratory based on an organism's genetic, chemical base-pair structure.

4 Nov 2014

Researchers to develop new tests to evaluate cognitive growth in people with intellectual disability

Leading researchers, funded through a new, five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, are collaborating to develop and evaluate tests designed to measure and track changes in the cognitive functioning of people who typically are difficult to assess accurately: those with an intellectual disability, formerly termed mental retardation.

3 Nov 2014

Researchers develop mouse model to improve basic research on Ebola treatments, vaccines

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues have developed the first genetic strain of mice that can be infected with Ebola and display symptoms similar to those that humans experience.

31 Oct 2014

Scientists develop new system to treat a host of genetic conditions

As potential next-generation therapeutics and research tools, few life sciences technologies hold more promise than genome-editing proteins – molecules that can be programmed to alter specific genes in order to treat or even cure genetic diseases.

31 Oct 2014

New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics

Oligonucleotide-based therapeutics present unique challenges when it comes to testing their potential to cause reproductive and developmental harm. New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing that take into consideration the combined chemical and biological characteristics of these novel biopharmaceuticals are presented in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers.

31 Oct 2014

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Two major genetic studies of autism, led in part by UC San Francisco scientists and involving more than 50 laboratories worldwide, have newly implicated dozens of genes in the disorder. The research shows that rare mutations in these genes affect communication networks in the brain and compromise fundamental biological mechanisms that govern whether, when, and how genes are activated overall.

31 Oct 2014

Molecular profiling reveals potential therapeutic targets for lung cancer

Analysis of 607 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) lung tumors and neuroendocrine tumors (NET) identified common molecular markers among both groups that could reveal new therapeutic targets for patients with similar types of lung cancer, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

31 Oct 2014

Einstein-Montefiore researchers to present latest finding on aging research at GSA 2014

Investigators at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center will present their latest aging research at the Gerontological Society of America's 67th Annual Scientific Meeting.

31 Oct 2014

Insilico Medicine, CCARL and Plantbiosis partner to advance research on aging

Through this unique partnership, the Baltimore-based Insilico Medicine and Lethbridge-based CCARL will provide expertise in aging research and build on the personalized medicine and drug discovery platforms OncoFinder and GeroScope to develop new systems for age-related diseases.

31 Oct 2014

Moffitt researcher uncovers new approach to treat cancer

The scientific community has made significant strides in recent years in identifying important genetic contributors to malignancy and developing therapeutic agents that target altered genes and proteins. A recent approach to treat cancer called synthetic lethality takes advantage of genetic alterations in cancer cells that make them more susceptible to certain drugs.

31 Oct 2014

SCN clock isn't necessary to align body rhythms with light-dark cycle, study reveals

Circadian clocks regulate functions ranging from alertness and reaction time to body temperature and blood pressure. New research published in the November 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal further adds to our understanding of the circadian rhythm by suggesting that the suprachiasmaticus nucleus (SCN) clock, a tiny region of the hypothalamus considered to be the body's "master" timekeeper, is not necessary to align body rhythms with the light-dark cycle.

31 Oct 2014

Study: Nearly 5% of U.S. children affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Nearly 5 percent of U.S. children may be affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, according to a new study co-authored by Sanford Research's Gene Hoyme, M.D., and Amy Elliott, Ph.D., and published by Pediatrics.

30 Oct 2014

Researchers discover link between seizures and migraines

Seizures and migraines have always been considered separate physiological events in the brain, but now a team of engineers and neuroscientists looking at the brain from a physics viewpoint discovered a link between these and related phenomena.

30 Oct 2014

UAlberta researchers discover link between pulmonary hypertension, diabetes and cancer

A UAlberta team has discovered that a protein that plays a critical role in metabolism, the process by which the cell generates energy from foods, is important for the development of pulmonary hypertension, a deadly disease.

30 Oct 2014

Growth hormone worthwhile treatment in hypochondroplasia

Researchers report that recombinant human growth hormone can improve growth in children with hypochondroplasia.

30 Oct 2014

Insufficient Th1 polarisation blocks RCC vaccine efficacy

A lack of a clinical response to an allogenic gene-modified renal cell cancer vaccine may be due to insufficient type 1 T-helper cell polarisation, show results of a gene expression profiling study.

30 Oct 2014

Study on papillary thyroid carcinoma to be presented at 84th Annual Meeting of the ATA

The prevalence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the most common type of thyroid cancer, is increasing rapidly. New research to determine the impact of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy on survival in PTC, describing a novel blood test able to detect circulating BRAFV600E-positive tumor DNA, and identifying a long non-coding RNA specifically associated with the thyroid that is down-regulated in PTC compared to normal thyroid tissue in patient-derived clinical specimens and cell cultures will be featured in oral presentations delivered at the 84th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association, October 29-November 2, 2014, in Coronado, California.

30 Oct 2014

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Gefitinib drug boosts oesophageal cancer patients' survival by up to six months

Scientists uncover small set of genes critical in aging and neurodegenerative disease

NSAIDs protect against colorectal cancer by inducing cell suicide pathways in intestinal stem cells

Innovative tool could redefine limits of synthetic biology, improve study of yeast genetics

Researchers to develop new tests to evaluate cognitive growth in people with intellectual disability

Researchers develop mouse model to improve basic research on Ebola treatments, vaccines

Scientists develop new system to treat a host of genetic conditions

New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Molecular profiling reveals potential therapeutic targets for lung cancer

Einstein-Montefiore researchers to present latest finding on aging research at GSA 2014

Insilico Medicine, CCARL and Plantbiosis partner to advance research on aging

Moffitt researcher uncovers new approach to treat cancer

SCN clock isn't necessary to align body rhythms with light-dark cycle, study reveals

Study: Nearly 5% of U.S. children affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Researchers discover link between seizures and migraines

UAlberta researchers discover link between pulmonary hypertension, diabetes and cancer

Growth hormone worthwhile treatment in hypochondroplasia

Insufficient Th1 polarisation blocks RCC vaccine efficacy

Study on papillary thyroid carcinoma to be presented at 84th Annual Meeting of the ATA

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