Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

NanoString, BWH partner to translate genomic biomarker discoveries into clinical cancer diagnostics

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a provider of life science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products, today announced that it has signed a multi-year, multi-investigator research collaboration with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital to accelerate the translation of genomic biomarker discoveries into clinical cancer diagnostics.

From NanoString Technologies 7 Oct 2014

Lund University researchers identify mechanisms that play vital role in development of type 2 diabetes

By studying identical twins, researchers from Lund University in Sweden have identified mechanisms that could be behind the development of type 2 diabetes. This may explain cases where one identical twin develops type 2 diabetes while the other remains healthy.

7 Oct 2014

Scientists show how BRCA2 protein works to repair damaged DNA

Scientists have taken pictures of the BRCA2 protein for the first time, showing how it works to repair damaged DNA.

6 Oct 2014

Scientists identify genetic factors that influence height in individuals

An international collaboration of scientists has identified a fifth of the genetic factors that cause height to vary between individuals.

6 Oct 2014

Study provides better glimpse at the biology of height

The largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date, involving more than 300 institutions and more than 250,000 subjects, roughly doubles the number of known gene regions influencing height to more than 400.

6 Oct 2014

Researchers reveal 'programmable' antibiotic technique to target drug-resistant microbes

The multitude of microbes scientists have found populating the human body have good, bad and mostly mysterious implications for our health. But when something goes wrong, we defend ourselves with the undiscriminating brute force of traditional antibiotics, which wipe out everything at once, regardless of the consequences.

6 Oct 2014

New method for extracting potential bone-producing cells from human fat

Within our fat lives a variety of cells with the potential to become bone, cartilage, or more fat if properly prompted. This makes adipose tissue, in theory, a readily available reservoir for regenerative therapies such as bone healing if doctors can get enough of those cells and compel them to produce bone.

6 Oct 2014

Researchers discover rare disease that affects heart rate, intestinal movements

Physicians and researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine, Universit- de Montr-al, CHU de Qu-bec, Universit- Laval, and Hubrecht Institute have discovered a rare disease affecting both heart rate and intestinal movements.

6 Oct 2014

Researchers find potential new way to better control immune-mediated diseases

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that T-cells - a type of white blood cell that learns to recognize and attack microbial pathogens - are activated by a pain receptor.

6 Oct 2014

TyrRS enzyme protects DNA during cellular stress

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that an enzyme best known for its fundamental role in building proteins has a second major function: to protect DNA during times of cellular stress.

3 Oct 2014

Diet may influence susceptibility to autoinflammatory bone disease in at-risk individuals

Diet-induced changes in the gut's bacterial ecosystem can alter susceptibility to an autoinflammatory bone disease by modifying the immune response, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists reported. The findings appeared September 28 as an advanced online publication of the scientific journal Nature.

3 Oct 2014

Women can now take proactive steps to reduce breast cancer risk

Now that medical professionals have identified gene mutations that predispose for breast cancer, patients can take proactive steps to reduce their risk.

3 Oct 2014

ERK and JNK enzymes may offer solutions for treating endometrial, colon cancers

In the quest to solve cancer's mysteries, they come in handy when describing tongue-twisting processes and pathways that somehow allow tumors to form and thrive. Two examples are ERK (extracellular-signal-related kinase) and JNK (c-June N-Terminal Kinase), enzymes that may offer unexpected solutions for treating some endometrial and colon cancers.

3 Oct 2014

Researchers identify biomarker that can predict GS7 prostate cancer patients

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified a biomarker living next door to the KLK3 gene that can predict which GS7 prostate cancer patients will have a more aggressive form of cancer.

3 Oct 2014

Genetic susceptibility to psychosocial stress can increase risk of cardiovascular disease

A new genetic finding from Duke Medicine suggests that some people who are prone to hostility, anxiety and depression might also be hard-wired to gain weight when exposed to chronic stress, leading to diabetes and heart disease.

1 Oct 2014

Ganymed, BioNTech AG open new headquarters and research facility in Germany

BioNTech AG and Ganymed Pharmaceuticals AG, two premier German biotechology companies, announced today the joint- opening of a new approx. 10,000 square-meters (108,000 square-feet) headquarters and research facility.

1 Oct 2014

Salk researchers receive BRAIN Initiative funding

Joseph Ecker, a Salk professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, and Margarita Behrens, Salk staff scientist, have been named recipients in the 2014 round of grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative for leading-edge work in neuroscience.

1 Oct 2014

Metamark expands prostate cancer test services to include PROGENSAPCA3 assay

Metamark announced today the expansion of its prostate cancer test services to now include the PROGENSA® PCA3 assay, a urine-based test that can help confirm negative prostate biopsies, and ERG, a companion test to the company's existing PTEN assay.

1 Oct 2014

Study shows healthy fat in olive oil may revive a failing heart

Oleate, a common dietary fat found in olive oil, restored proper metabolism of fuel in heart cells in an animal model of heart failure.

1 Oct 2014

Gaucher disease: an interview with Dr Clement Olivier, Shire

Gaucher disease is the most common condition within a family of rare diseases known as the lysosomal storage diseases. The disease causes lipids to accumulate in cells, which is why it is referred to as a storage disorder. The accumulation occurs mainly in the spleen, liver, and bones, but may also occur in the lungs, heart, and central nervous system.

30 Sep 2014