Genetic Engineering News and Research

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Combination therapy with MEK and BRAF inhibitors for anaplastic thyroid cancer proves effective

Researchers from the Jacks Laboratory at MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research (KI) have developed and characterized a genetically engineered mouse that successfully models progression from papillary thyroid cancer, which has an excellent prognosis, to anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), a highly lethal disease.

8 Apr 2014

Chordoma Foundation grants $75,000 to support development of new mouse model for bone cancer research

The Chordoma Foundation has made a seed grant of $75,000 to Adrienne Flanagan, M.D., Ph.D., of University College, London, and her Jackson Laboratory collaborator, Mike Sasner, Ph.D., to develop a new mouse model for chordoma, a difficult-to-treat bone cancer affecting the skull and spine.

3 Apr 2014

Johns Hopkins neuroscientists identify cause of brain degeneration in Huntington's disease

Working with genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins neuroscientists report they have identified what they believe is the cause of the vast disintegration of a part of the brain called the corpus striatum in rodents and people with Huntington's disease: loss of the ability to make the amino acid cysteine.

29 Mar 2014

Research may lead the way toward new treatments for proliferative retinopathies

A new report published online in The FASEB Journal may lead the way toward new treatments or a cure for a common cause of blindness (proliferative retinopathies). Specifically, scientists have discovered that the body's innate immune system does more than help ward off external pathogens.

27 Mar 2014

Scientists discover why cerebellar granule cell neurons in A-T patients fail to repair DNA damage

A team of scientists, led by Stuart Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of the Neuroscience and Aging Research Center at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, recently discovered why cerebellar granule cell neurons in patients suffering from ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) were unable to repair DNA damage and thus died.

26 Mar 2014

MIT biological engineers trying to adapt MRI to visualize gene activity inside the brains of living animals

Doctors commonly use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose tumors, damage from stroke, and many other medical conditions. Neuroscientists also rely on it as a research tool for identifying parts of the brain that carry out different cognitive functions.

26 Mar 2014

Marina Cavazzana, Adrian J. Thrasher honored with Pioneer Award for gene therapy

Marina Cavazzana, MD, PhD, Paris Descartes University, France and Adrian J. Thrasher, MD, PhD, University College London Institute of Child Health, UK, have been honored with the Pioneer Award for basic and clinical gene therapy for immunodeficiency disorders.

25 Mar 2014

New way to make large concentrations of skeletal muscle cells from human stem cells

As stem cells continue their gradual transition from the lab to the clinic, a research group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has discovered a new way to make large concentrations of skeletal muscle cells and muscle progenitors from human stem cells.

24 Mar 2014

New curricula is essential to train internists to manage menopausal symptoms

The number of menopausal women is projected to reach 50 million by 2020. With changing views on appropriate therapies to control symptoms and new treatments available and on the horizon, most internists lack the core competencies and experience to meet the needs of women entering menopause, according to a provocative Commentary published in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

20 Mar 2014

Scientists discover molecular mechanism that actively regulates memory loss

In order to function properly, the human brain requires the ability not only to store but also to forget: Through memory loss, unnecessary information is deleted and the nervous system retains its plasticity.

17 Mar 2014

UC Davis MIND Institute named Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center

The UC Davis MIND Institute has been named an Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, through a prestigious grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health - a distinction held by only a handful of neurodevelopmental centers nationwide committed to the diagnosis, prevention, treatment and amelioration of developmental disorders such as autism, fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome.

14 Mar 2014

Homologous recombination technology for research applications in genetically modified rodents: an interview with Alexandre Fraichard, CEO, genOway

Homologous recombination is a technology that enables the targeted insertion of nucleotide fragments into the genome of a cell. It is called ‘homologous’ because it uses a sequence that is a homologue to the sequence being targeted in a gene, so that the sequence is recognized.

10 Mar 2014

Scientists uncover bacterial secretion system that allows sharing of genetic material between bacteria

The system that allows the sharing of genetic material between bacteria - and therefore the spread of antibiotic resistance - has been uncovered by a team of scientists at Birkbeck, University of London and UCL.

10 Mar 2014

Exposure to UV light may exacerbate melanoma cells to creep outside blood vessels

Based on the pioneering work of Dr. Claire Lugassy and Dr. Raymond Barnhill at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, a new study provides additional support for a process by which melanoma cells, a deadly form of skin cancer, can spread throughout the body by creeping like tiny spiders along the outside of blood vessels without ever entering the blood stream, and that this process is exacerbated by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light.

10 Mar 2014

Researchers examine association between diabetes and obesity

It's by now well established that obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes. But what exactly is it about extra body fat that leads to insulin resistance and blood glucose elevation, the hallmarks of diabetes?

7 Mar 2014

Low-dose oral interferon may reduce risk of HCV relapse in patients with mild liver fibrosis

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can lead to serious diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer of the liver, so viral clearance and prevention of relapse are important treatment goals.

6 Mar 2014

Scientists discover fundamental aggravating factor in autoimmune diseases

Scientists in Freiburg may have discovered a fundamental aggravating factor in autoimmune diseases. If B-lymphocytes lack the protein PTP1B, the cells will become hyperactive for stimulatory signals and can thus promote an autoimmune attack.

6 Mar 2014

Research discovery advances efforts to replace damaged heart muscle

In a study that began in a pair of infant siblings with a rare heart defect, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have identified a key molecular switch that regulates heart cell division and normally turns the process off around the time of birth. Their research, they report, could advance efforts to turn the process back on and regenerate heart tissue damaged by heart attacks or disease.

4 Mar 2014

Researchers discover novel treatments for psoriasis that are likely to cause fewer side effects

Almost ten years ago, the group led by Erwin Wagner, currently at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), developed genetically modified mice showing symptoms very reminiscent to psoriasis.

28 Feb 2014

Vaccine targeting tumors could initiate immune response to fight cancer

Cincinnati Cancer Center (CCC) and UC Cancer Institute researchers have found that a vaccine, targeting tumors that produce a certain protein and receptor responsible for communication between cells and the body's immune system, could initiate the immune response to fight cancer.

28 Feb 2014

Genetic Engineering News and Research

Combination therapy with MEK and BRAF inhibitors for anaplastic thyroid cancer proves effective

Chordoma Foundation grants $75,000 to support development of new mouse model for bone cancer research

Johns Hopkins neuroscientists identify cause of brain degeneration in Huntington's disease

Research may lead the way toward new treatments for proliferative retinopathies

Scientists discover why cerebellar granule cell neurons in A-T patients fail to repair DNA damage

MIT biological engineers trying to adapt MRI to visualize gene activity inside the brains of living animals

Marina Cavazzana, Adrian J. Thrasher honored with Pioneer Award for gene therapy

New way to make large concentrations of skeletal muscle cells from human stem cells

New curricula is essential to train internists to manage menopausal symptoms

Scientists discover molecular mechanism that actively regulates memory loss

UC Davis MIND Institute named Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center

Homologous recombination technology for research applications in genetically modified rodents: an interview with Alexandre Fraichard, CEO, genOway

Scientists uncover bacterial secretion system that allows sharing of genetic material between bacteria

Exposure to UV light may exacerbate melanoma cells to creep outside blood vessels

Researchers examine association between diabetes and obesity

Low-dose oral interferon may reduce risk of HCV relapse in patients with mild liver fibrosis

Scientists discover fundamental aggravating factor in autoimmune diseases

Research discovery advances efforts to replace damaged heart muscle

Researchers discover novel treatments for psoriasis that are likely to cause fewer side effects

Vaccine targeting tumors could initiate immune response to fight cancer

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

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