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Winners of GSA poster awards announced at 56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference

The Genetics Society of America (GSA) and the Drosophila research community are pleased to announce the winners of the GSA poster awards at the 56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, which took place in Chicago, IL, March 4-8, 2015.

10 Apr 2015

Newly approved drug for rare blood cancer shows sustained benefit for 2 years

The most recent results from a clinical trial show that ibrutinib, a newly approved drug for Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia, continued to control the rare blood cancer, with 95 percent of patients surviving for two years, report investigators from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

10 Apr 2015

Protein-degrading enzyme can trigger strong allergic reactions through skin

Papain is an important industrial protein-degrading enzyme that is used, for example, in the food and cosmetic industries.

10 Apr 2015

Researchers identify phenomenon that explains effects of oxidative stress on immune cells

You're up in the mountains, the snow is blindingly white, and the sun is blazing down from the sky: ideal skiing conditions - but any skiers carrying the herpes virus might also have to reckon with the onset of cold sores after their day out.

10 Apr 2015

Challenges involved in tracing the source of Legionnaires’ disease outbreak

Genetic research helps to explain why tracing the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that claimed four lives has proven to be more complicated than scientists hoped.

10 Apr 2015

Researchers use new gene editing tool to cut HIV DNA

The virus that causes AIDS is an efficient and crafty retrovirus. Once HIV inserts its DNA into the genome of its host cells, it has a long incubation period, and can remain dormant and hidden for years.

10 Apr 2015

Hedione scent generates sex-specific activation patterns in brain

The question if humans can communicate via pheromones in the same way as animals is under debate. Cell physiologists at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum have demonstrated that the odorous substance Hedione activates the putative pheromone receptor VN1R1, which occurs in the human olfactory epithelium.

10 Apr 2015

Research opens door to potential drug target for deadly Ebola virus

Opening the door to potential treatments for the deadly Ebola virus, scientists have found that a protein made by the virus plays a role similar to that of a coat-check attendant.

9 Apr 2015

People with high-risk tumors containing BRAF or NRAS gene mutations have lower survival rates

Researchers from the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center analyzed hundreds of melanoma samples to find out if two genetic mutations more commonly found in melanoma tumors were associated with lower survival rates in patients.

9 Apr 2015

Pharmacyclics announces positive results from IMBRUVICA Phase II study in WM patients

Pharmacyclics, Inc. today announced longer-term data from a Phase II investigator-initiated study showing Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) patients treated with IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) experienced sustained disease control with an overall response rate (ORR) of 91% after a median of 19.1 months of treatment and a 2-year overall survival (OS) rate of 95%.

9 Apr 2015

Shorter individuals at greater risk of heart disease

In a study of more than 200,000 people with or without heart disease, researchers from the University of Leicester found that for every 2.5 inch decrease in a person’s height, the risk of coronary heart disease increased by 13.5%...

9 Apr 2015

USPTO issues Cardio3 BioSciences Notice of Allowance for patent covering CAR-expressing TCR-deficient T-Cells

Cardio3 BioSciences, a leader in engineered cell therapies with clinical programs initially targeting indications in cardiovascular disease and oncology, today announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a significant patent application covering T-Cell receptor-deficient T-Cells which are engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor.

9 Apr 2015

UQDI reveals that Anisina drug can kill melanoma cells

US-Australian drug discovery company, Novogen, today announced that studies conducted at The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute revealed that experimental drug, Anisina, killed melanoma cells irrespective of their mutational status.

9 Apr 2015

Study suggests that pancreatic cancers harbor genetic alterations

A genetic analysis led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggests that most pancreatic cancers harbor genetic alterations that could be targeted by existing drugs, using their genetic features as a roadmap for treatment. The findings support a precision approach to treating pancreatic cancer, the fourth most deadly cancer for both men and women.

9 Apr 2015

UAB scientists create alternative to the use of viruses in gene therapy

A team of scientists from the Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the UAB has produced an alternative to the use of viruses in gene therapy. The researchers synthesised nanoparticles which act as artificial viruses, capable of surrounding DNA fragments and releasing them as therapeutic agents, with no biological risk, into the interior of the cells.

9 Apr 2015

Humans carry recessive disease mutations that can cause severe genetic disorders or prenatal death

Humans carry an average of one to two mutations per person that can cause severe genetic disorders or prenatal death when two copies of the same mutation are inherited, according to estimates published today in the journal GENETICS.

9 Apr 2015

Study may point to immediate cause of CF exacerbations

In the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis (CF), the most severe symptoms are recurring episodes of lung inflammation and bacterial infection (known as "exacerbations") that happen from one to three times a year and cause ever-increasing amounts of lung damage through the course of a CF patient's life.

9 Apr 2015

Simple dietary intervention can help reduce weight gain

A University of Calgary study has found that rats fed a fibre supplement while on a high fat and high sugar diet show a much lower weight gain than those who did not eat the fibre. A team of researchers from the university's Cumming School of Medicine and the Faculty of Kinesiology says the study helps scientists better understand the mechanisms of weight control and energy balance.

9 Apr 2015

Study looks at connections between cerebral cortex and cerebellum in children with autism

In early childhood, the neurons inside children's developing brains form connections between various regions of brain "real estate." As described in a paper published last week in the journal Biological Psychiatry, cognitive neuroscientists at San Diego State University found that in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, the connections between the cerebral cortex and the cerebellum appear to be overdeveloped in sensorimotor regions of the brain.

9 Apr 2015

Phase 2 IMAGO trial of SHP625 fails to meet primary endpoints in pediatric patients with ALGS

Shire plc today announced that the 13-week Phase 2 IMAGO trial of its investigational compound SHP625 (LUM001) did not meet the primary or secondary endpoints in the study of 20 pediatric patients with Alagille syndrome (ALGS), a rare, life-threatening genetic disorder that presents with chronic cholestasis (accumulation of bile acids in the liver) and severe pruritus (itching).

9 Apr 2015

Genetic News and Research

Winners of GSA poster awards announced at 56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference

Newly approved drug for rare blood cancer shows sustained benefit for 2 years

Protein-degrading enzyme can trigger strong allergic reactions through skin

Researchers identify phenomenon that explains effects of oxidative stress on immune cells

Challenges involved in tracing the source of Legionnaires’ disease outbreak

Researchers use new gene editing tool to cut HIV DNA

Hedione scent generates sex-specific activation patterns in brain

Research opens door to potential drug target for deadly Ebola virus

People with high-risk tumors containing BRAF or NRAS gene mutations have lower survival rates

Pharmacyclics announces positive results from IMBRUVICA Phase II study in WM patients

Shorter individuals at greater risk of heart disease

USPTO issues Cardio3 BioSciences Notice of Allowance for patent covering CAR-expressing TCR-deficient T-Cells

UQDI reveals that Anisina drug can kill melanoma cells

Study suggests that pancreatic cancers harbor genetic alterations

UAB scientists create alternative to the use of viruses in gene therapy

Humans carry recessive disease mutations that can cause severe genetic disorders or prenatal death

Study may point to immediate cause of CF exacerbations

Simple dietary intervention can help reduce weight gain

Study looks at connections between cerebral cortex and cerebellum in children with autism

Phase 2 IMAGO trial of SHP625 fails to meet primary endpoints in pediatric patients with ALGS

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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