Epigenetics News and Research

RSS

Epigenetics is the study of chemical reactions that influence gene expression, through activation or deactivation of genes at specific times and locations.

Chromatrap to be Lead Sponsor at 'Epigenetics in Drug Discovery' conference

Chromatrap, a business unit of Porvair Sciences, has announced that it will be the Lead Sponsor at the prestigious “Epigenetics in Drug Discovery” conference to be held in Cambridge, UK from 26th-27th January 2016.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 21 Dec 2015

Heidelberg neurobiologists identify Dnmt3a2 protein that boosts memory performance

Increasing the level of a certain DNA-modified enzyme in the brain significantly improves cognitive ability. The discovery was made by the research team led by Prof. Dr. Hilmar Bading at the Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences of Heidelberg University. Mouse experiments showed that the Dnmt3a2 protein can boost memory performance in the animals.

21 Dec 2015

New study sheds light on the molecular basis of memory and learning

The brain still harbours many unknowns. Basically, it is assumed that it stores experiences by altering the connections between brain cells. This ability to adapt - which is also called "plasticity" - provides the basis for memory and learning, which is the ability to draw conclusions from memories. On a molecular scale these changes are mediated by modifications of expression of specific genes that as required strengthen or weaken the connections between the brain cells.

18 Dec 2015

VCU Massey Cancer Center scientists reveal signaling process that leads to excessive growth of cancer

The gene p53 has been described as the "guardian of the genome" due to its prominent role in preventing genetic mutations. More than half of all cancers are thought to originate from p53 mutations or loss of function, and now a recent study by VCU Massey Cancer Center scientist Richard Moran, Ph.D., explains why.

15 Dec 2015

Renowned experts, Nobel laureates to convene at Toulouse Onco Week to discuss latest advances in oncology

The first Toulouse Onco Week (TOW) is due to take place from 3 to 6 February 2016 at the Pierre Baudis Congess Center, Toulouse, France. This unique event will be focused on the international fight against cancer by bringing together stakeholders from around the world and presenting the latest global innovations in oncology.

10 Dec 2015

Environmental and lifestyle factors damage men's reproductive health

Environmental and lifestyle factors are damaging men's reproductive health and may be playing a large role in decreasing fertility rates in industrialized countries, a new study in Physiological Reviews reports. Socioeconomic influences and female reproductive health cannot solely be blamed for higher incidences of infertility, the study supports.

10 Dec 2015

UC San Diego researchers awarded MJFF grant to identify biomarkers for Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is difficult to diagnose, particularly in its early stages. Now, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine - aided by a $375,000 grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research - hope to improve the prospects of early diagnosis by identifying a biological signpost in the blood.

9 Dec 2015

DNA sequence variation can influence gene activity in developing human brain

An international research collaboration has shed new light on how DNA sequence variation can influence gene activity in the developing human brain.

1 Dec 2015

Research brings scientists closer to understanding mechanisms underlying genomic imprinting process

Research led by Dr. Keiji Tanimoto from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, has brought us closer to understanding the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of genomic imprinting.

25 Nov 2015

Prenatal smoking exposure can potentially affect someone's health for years after birth

New Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research finds that blood taken from children up to the age of five contains molecular evidence about whether their mothers smoked during pregnancy.

23 Nov 2015

IMB scientists unravel complex regulatory mechanism involved in brain development

Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Biology in Mainz have unraveled a complex regulatory mechanism that explains how a single gene can drive the formation of brain cells. The research, published in The EMBO Journal, is an important step towards a better understanding of how the brain develops. It also harbors potential for regenerative medicine.

19 Nov 2015

Changes in cellular metabolites regulate earliest stages of embryonic stem cell development

Changes in cellular metabolites have been shown to regulate embryonic stem cell development at the earliest stages of life. Metabolites are simple compounds generated during life-sustaining chemical activities in cells.

17 Nov 2015

Agios announces data from dose-escalation phase 1 study of AG-120 in patients with IDH1 mutant positive advanced solid tumors

Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the fields of cancer metabolism and rare genetic metabolic disorders, today announced the first data from the dose-escalation portion of the ongoing Phase 1 study evaluating single agent AG-120, a first-in-class, oral, selective, potent inhibitor of mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1), in advanced solid tumors. The data are being presented today at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston. AG-120 is being developed in collaboration with Celgene.

9 Nov 2015

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation validated antibodies launched by Chromatrap

Chromatrap, a business unit of Porvair Sciences Ltd, has announced the launch of its own range of Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-validated antibodies.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 9 Nov 2015

Hypersexual disorder can be linked to hyperactive stress systems

New research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that hypersexual disorder - known popularly as sex addiction - can be linked to hyperactive stress systems. In a stress regulation test using the cortisone drug dexamethasone, men with hypersexual disorder showed higher levels of stress hormones than controls, a finding that the researchers hope will contribute to improved therapy for this patient group.

3 Nov 2015

Key protein controls stem cell properties that could make them useful in regenerative medicine

A key protein controls stem cell properties that could make them more useful in regenerative medicine, according to a study led by Mount Sinai researchers and published online today in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

31 Oct 2015

New research shows that autophagy can operate in cell nucleus to guard against start of cancer

Autophagy, literally self-eating or the degradation of unwanted cellular bits and pieces by the cell itself, has been shown for the first time to also work in the cell nucleus. In addition, in this setting it plays a role in guarding against the start of cancer, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

29 Oct 2015

Expectant mothers encouraged to eat balanced diet to reduce obesity risk in unborn child

Overweight and obese women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy may be putting their babies at risk of a lifetime of obesity.

28 Oct 2015

ISIBELa joint research project aims to improve cancer therapy

Some individuals experience cancer recurrence when they enter adolescence or adulthood after they have been successfully treated for cancer in childhood while others don't. But why is this? This is the core question being considered in a research project directed by the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

27 Oct 2015

New study identifies molecular mechanism that prevents immunotherapy drugs from killing off cancer

Immunotherapy treatments have proven wildly successful in treating some patients with cancer. But despite this success, the majority of patients do not respond to the treatments.