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UNMCC researcher to investigate possible mechanism for cancer tumor development

Most of us think of DNA mutations as the culprits that cause cancer. Scott Ness, PhD, University of New Mexico Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Associate Director at the UNM Cancer Center, thinks there may be another, more elusive culprit. If Dr. Ness is right his research, funded as part of the National Cancer Institute's Provocative Questions Project, might open a whole new arena in which to target anticancer drugs.

28 Sep 2012

UCSD receives NCI grant to continue research into chronic lymphocytic leukemia

An international consortium of scientists studying chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), based at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has been awarded a 5-year, $20 million grant by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

28 Sep 2012

Study finds new regulator for heart formation

A new regulator for heart formation has been discovered by studying how embryonic stem cells adjust the packaging of their DNA. This approach to finding genetic regulators, the scientists say, may have the power to provide insight into the development of any tissue in the body - liver, brain, blood and so on.

28 Sep 2012

Hundreds of new genes are involved in function and development of T-cells

A research team led by investigators at New York University and NYU School of Medicine has determined how cells that cause inflammatory ailments, such as Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis, differentiate from stem cells and ultimately affect the clinical outcome of these diseases.

27 Sep 2012

Type 2 diabetes may be derived from composition of specific intestinal flora

Whether you have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, in the future may be derived from the composition of your intestinal flora. That according to new metagenomics research of an international consortium of scientists, including Jeroen Raes, connected to VIB and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Metagenomics is the study of the genetic material of complete ecosystems, in this case the human intestine. This study appears in the leading journal Nature.

27 Sep 2012

DNp63a protein employs epigenetics to keep cancer cells alive

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is diagnosed in about 700,000 people in the United States every year. Commonly contributing to SCC is a protein called DNp63a - it goes abnormally high and the ability of a patient's body to kill cancer cells goes abnormally low. In many cases of SCC, it's just that simple. And science thought the function of DNp63a was simple, as well: the tumor suppressor gene p53 is responsible for recognizing and killing cancer cells, and in SCC, it's usually inactivated. It looked like high DNp63a repressed p53, made SCC.

27 Sep 2012

Scientists discover 12 genetic markers for ED in prostate cancer patients after radiotherapy

In the first study of its kind, a research team led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University discovered 12 genetic markers associated with the development of erectile dysfunction (ED) in prostate cancer patients who were treated with radiation.

27 Sep 2012

NCI-funded sequencing project aims to identify genetic links to colorectal cancer

Uncovering colon cancer's genetic roots is the focus of a new $13 million, four-year, National Cancer Institute-funded project at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Ulrike (Riki) Peters, Ph.D., M.P.H., a member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division, will lead the effort. She and her colleagues will use next-generation sequencing, a technique that captures entire genome sequences, to identify genetic links to colorectal cancer.

27 Sep 2012

Fly neurons may uncover secrets of Alzheimer's disease

Although they're a common nuisance in the home, fruit flies have made great contributions to research in genetics and developmental biology. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher is again turning to this everyday pest to answer crucial questions about how neurons function at a cellular level - which may uncover the secrets of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

26 Sep 2012

Parts of the brain can evolve independently from each other

An Evolutionary Biologist at The University of Manchester, working with scientists in the United States, has found compelling evidence that parts of the brain can evolve independently from each other. It's hoped the findings will significantly advance our understanding of the brain.

From The University of Manchester 26 Sep 2012

Researchers identify several kinase inhibitors that help generate many iPSCs

The process researchers use to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-a special type of stem cell that can be made in the lab from any type of adult cell-is time consuming and inefficient. To speed things up, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) turned to kinase inhibitors.

26 Sep 2012

Study finds four different subtypes of breast cancer

In a study published by the journal Nature on Sunday, scientists evaluated breast cancer from a genetic perspective and found distinct genetic differences in patients' tumors. The results of the research point to the fact that analyzing genetics is not only helpful for cancer research, but imperative. Based on the study, scientists conclude that breast cancer can be broken down into four different subtypes.

26 Sep 2012

k-MITOMI device can simultaneously measure up to 768 biomolecular interactions

Inside our cells, molecules are constantly binding and separating from one another. It's this game of constant flux that drives gene expression asides essentially every other biological process.

26 Sep 2012

Biologists reveal one way that biological clocks control neuronal activity

Biologists at New York University have uncovered one way that biological clocks control neuronal activity - a discovery that sheds new light on sleep-wake cycles and offers potential new directions for research into therapies to address sleep disorders and jetlag.

26 Sep 2012

Pervenio Lung RS from Life Technologies

Life Technologies Corporation today announced the launch of Pervenio Lung RS. First-of-its-kind, the molecular test has been documented to reliably identify early stage lung cancer patients who are at high risk for mortality following surgery. It also fulfills an unmet need for prognostic information to guide preventative treatment and improve disease management.

25 Sep 2012

LIFR protein suppresses local invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells

A receptor protein suppresses local invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells, the most lethal aspect of the disease, according to a research team headed by scientists from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

25 Sep 2012

Researchers discover path to identify why genetic variants increase breast cancer risk

Cancer researchers studying 44 known genetic variants associated with breast cancer have found the way to identify why they increase cancer risk, opening the door to future therapeutic applications based on personalized medicine.

25 Sep 2012

New KSU molecule may deliver drugs inside the body to treat diseases

Kansas State University researchers have discovered a molecule that may be capable of delivering drugs inside the body to treat diseases.

25 Sep 2012

Study on epigenetics link of PTSD and respiratory disease in 9/11 responders

The "Epigenetics Link of PTSD and Respiratory Disease in 9/11 Responders" study is the first to investigate the association between genetic changes and the development of both conditions in the 9/11 responder patient population. Approximately 500 patients treated at the LI-CCE for both conditions will be evaluated during the two-year study.

24 Sep 2012

Lasers manipulate neurons in worms' brains

In the quest to understand how the brain turns sensory input into behavior, Harvard scientists have crossed a major threshold. Using precisely-targeted lasers, researchers have been able to take over an animal's brain, instruct it to turn in any direction they choose, and even to implant false sensory information, fooling the animal into thinking food was nearby.

24 Sep 2012