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Study finds potential chemical compound that initiated life on Earth

A new study conducted at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has found a compound called diamidophosphate (DAP), which is expected to have played a vital role in the origins of life on Earth.

8 Nov 2017

Scientists find way to stimulate growth of new neural connections in the brain

A team led by University of Idaho scientists has found a way to stimulate formation of new neural connections in the adult brain in a study that could eventually help humans fend off memory loss, brain trauma and other ailments in the central nervous system.

8 Nov 2017

New category of immunotherapy appears safe to use in patients with both cancer and HIV

A new category of immunotherapies called checkpoint inhibitors that has been highly effective against many different cancers appears safe to use in patients with both advanced malignancies and HIV, a population excluded from earlier trials of such therapies, according to an early-phase trial.

7 Nov 2017

Roundworms may provide new clues to nicotine dependence

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute found that a previously dismissed genetic mechanism may contribute to nicotine dependence, and to the withdrawal effects that can make quitting smoking so difficult.

7 Nov 2017

SLU researcher reports success in identifying new drug targets for muscular dystrophy

In a recent paper published in the journal Skeletal Muscle, a Saint Louis University researcher reports success in identifying new drug targets that potentially could slow or halt the progression of a form muscular dystrophy, an illness characterized by progressive muscle degeneration.

7 Nov 2017

Genotype may help identify patients at increased risk for sickle cell disease-related complications

Researchers have found a genotype that could help identify sickle cell disease (SCD) patients at greatest risk of common, yet severe, complications of SCD.

7 Nov 2017

New study finds enhanced impact of drug combination for FAP patients

People with an inherited syndrome called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) have a 100% lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer if they do not seek appropriate medical care.

7 Nov 2017

Mental stress and anticipation of pain may trigger painful sickle cell episodes

Mental stress and the anticipation of pain may cause blood vessels to narrow and trigger episodes of severe pain (vaso-occlusive crisis, or VOC) in sickle cell disease (SCD).

7 Nov 2017

Texas Biomedical Research Institute tests promising new treatment for HBV infection

Research at the Southwest National Primate Research Center on the campus of Texas Biomedical Research Institute helped advance a new treatment now in human trials for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

7 Nov 2017

Researchers to test use of ‘viral specific’ T-cells to target toxic viruses in children

Michael Pulsipher, MD, of the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, along with Michael Keller, MD from Children's National Health System in Washington, DC, have been awarded $4.8 million by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to study the use of a new T-cell therapy to help fight active viral infections in children with severe immune deficiencies.

7 Nov 2017

FDA approves first targeted cancer treatment based on basket study

The US Food and Drug Administration has announced that it has approved the drug vemurafenib for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600-mutant Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD).

7 Nov 2017

WISDOM trial aims to identify best way to screen for breast cancer

Since her 40s, Lilly Lidot has received yearly mammograms. Her sister did not get regular checkups, so when her cancer was diagnosed it had already spread to her brain. Lilly's sister died in 2010.

7 Nov 2017

FDA grants approval to first treatment for rare blood cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approval of Zelboraf (vemurafenib) to include the treatment of certain adult patients with Erdheim-Chester Disease (ECD), a rare cancer of the blood.

7 Nov 2017

FDA approves new drug Zelboraf for Erdheim-Chester disease

The United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has approved Zelboraf (vemurafenib), a drug for the treatment of adults with a are type of blood cancer called Erdheim-Chester Disease or ECD.

6 Nov 2017

Drug can safely and effectively help infants with SMA gain muscle function, study shows

More than half of the babies with infantile-onset spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) who were treated with nusinersen (Spinraza) gained motor milestones, compared to none of the babies in the control group. Infants treated with the drug also had 63 percent lower risk of death.

6 Nov 2017

Scientists identify eight new genes involved in epileptic encephalopathy

Approximately 30 per cent of patients with epilepsy do not respond to anti-epileptic drugs. In these cases, all neurologists can do is attempt to find the right combination of medication through trial and error.

6 Nov 2017

Study findings highlight importance of screening PCOS patients for mental health disorders

Women with PCOS are more likely to suffer from mental health disorders and should be routinely screened for these during medical assessments, according to a study presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Harrogate.

6 Nov 2017

Research casts light on how chromosomes 'cheat' for chance to get into a sex cell

Each of your cells contains two copies of 23 chromosomes, one inherited from your father and one from your mother. Theoretically, when you create a gamete -- a sperm or an egg -- each copy has a 50-50 shot at being passed on. But the reality isn't so clearcut.

3 Nov 2017

Research provides path to possible treatment for Fragile X Syndrome and other types of autism

In Fragile X Syndrome--the leading genetic form of intellectual disability and autism--the effects of a single defective gene ripple through a series of chemical pathways, altering signals between brain cells.

3 Nov 2017

Environmental toxin exposure may disrupt function of circadian clock, research shows

Can environmental toxins disrupt circadian rhythms - the biological "clock" whose disturbance is linked to chronic inflammation and a host of human disorders? Research showing a link between circadian disruption and plankton that have adapted to road salt pollution puts the question squarely on the table.

3 Nov 2017

Genetic News and Research

Study finds potential chemical compound that initiated life on Earth

Scientists find way to stimulate growth of new neural connections in the brain

New category of immunotherapy appears safe to use in patients with both cancer and HIV

Roundworms may provide new clues to nicotine dependence

SLU researcher reports success in identifying new drug targets for muscular dystrophy

Genotype may help identify patients at increased risk for sickle cell disease-related complications

New study finds enhanced impact of drug combination for FAP patients

Mental stress and anticipation of pain may trigger painful sickle cell episodes

Texas Biomedical Research Institute tests promising new treatment for HBV infection

Researchers to test use of ‘viral specific’ T-cells to target toxic viruses in children

FDA approves first targeted cancer treatment based on basket study

WISDOM trial aims to identify best way to screen for breast cancer

FDA grants approval to first treatment for rare blood cancer

FDA approves new drug Zelboraf for Erdheim-Chester disease

Drug can safely and effectively help infants with SMA gain muscle function, study shows

Scientists identify eight new genes involved in epileptic encephalopathy

Study findings highlight importance of screening PCOS patients for mental health disorders

Research casts light on how chromosomes 'cheat' for chance to get into a sex cell

Research provides path to possible treatment for Fragile X Syndrome and other types of autism

Environmental toxin exposure may disrupt function of circadian clock, research shows

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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