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Umbilical cord-derived stem cells from women with gestational diabetes show premature aging

Multipotent cells isolated from the human umbilical cord, called mesenchymal stromal cells (hUC-MSCs) have shown promise for use in cell therapy to treat a variety of human diseases. However, intriguing new evidence shows that hUC-MSCs isolated from women with gestational diabetes demonstrate premature aging, poorer cell growth, and altered metabolic function, as reported in an article in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

22 Jan 2015

Walnuts may improve cognitive function

Eating walnuts may improve performance on cognitive function tests, including those for memory, concentration and information processing speed according to new research from the David Geffen School of Medicine at The University of California, Los Angeles, led by Dr. Lenore Arab. Cognitive function was consistently greater in adult participants that consumed walnuts, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity.

21 Jan 2015

Penn, Spark Therapeutics expand strategic relationship to develop treatment for progressive blindness

The University of Pennsylvania has announced an expanded relationship with Spark Therapeutics, a late-stage gene therapy company developing treatments for debilitating, genetic diseases.

21 Jan 2015

Study: Mutated ATRX gene may serve as much-needed biomarker for rare neuroendocrine tumors

A somatic mutation in the ATRX gene has recently been shown as a potential molecular marker for aggressive brain tumors, such as gliomas, neuroblastomas and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Now, for the first time, researchers at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center have found that the same mutated gene may serve as a much-needed biomarker for the pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PCC/PGL) that become malignant.

21 Jan 2015

Study: ICSI technique no better than conventional IVF

The use of an assisted reproduction technique known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) doubled between 1996 and 2012, although compared with conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF), use of ICSI was not associated with improved reproductive outcomes, according to a study in the January 20 issue of JAMA.

21 Jan 2015

HZI professor selected as recipient of 2015 Louis-Jeantet-Prize for Medicine

Prof Emmanuelle Charpentier from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig is one of the two recipients of the 2015 Louis-Jeantet-Prize for Medicine. The prize money of 700,000 Swiss francs is mostly attributed for the continuation of the awardees work.

21 Jan 2015

Research breakthrough in understanding mosquito reproductive process

Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes have contributed to the death and suffering of millions throughout human history, earning the mosquito the title as the world's most dangerous animal. Even today, several devastating mosquito-borne diseases (such as malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus) continue to rage.

21 Jan 2015

UChicago researchers awarded NIH grants to develop novel medications for sleep apnea, asthma

Two research teams based at the University of Chicago have received prestigious grants from the National Institutes of Health to develop novel medications to treat sleep apnea and asthma.

21 Jan 2015

Researchers reveal key factor in understanding elevated cancer risk linked to gene therapy

National Institutes of Health researchers have uncovered a key factor in understanding the elevated cancer risk associated with gene therapy. They conducted research on mice with a rare disease similar to one in humans, hoping their findings may eventually help improve gene therapy for humans. Researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of NIH, published their research in the Jan. 20, 2015, online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

21 Jan 2015

Changes in current Ebola virus epidemic could potentially interfere with experimental treatments

Researchers have tracked the genetic mutations that have occurred in the Ebola virus during the last four decades. Their findings, published in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, identified changes in the current West African outbreak strain that could potentially interfere with experimental, sequence-based therapeutics.

21 Jan 2015

Understanding heart mutations that cause sudden cardiac arrest

New biosciences research at the University of Kent could point the way to greater understanding of the heart mutations that cause sudden cardiac arrest.

20 Jan 2015

Amrubicin, carboplatin duo efficacious in thymic carcinoma, not invasive thymoma

Combination therapy with amrubicin and carboplatin is moderately effective in patients with advanced thymic carcinoma, a Japanese study finds, but invasive thymoma patients do not benefit from this regimen.

20 Jan 2015

MET amplified in NSCLC irrespective of type, genetic background

A third of non-small-cell lung cancers show low- to high-level amplification of the MET gene, according to a German study, with no significant difference in frequency across different types of cancer and genetic backgrounds.

20 Jan 2015

Income, race and ethnic origin may play more potent roles in asthma risk

Challenging the long-standing belief that city dwellers suffer disproportionately from asthma, the results of a new Johns Hopkins Children's Center study of more than 23,000 U.S. children reveal that income, race and ethnic origin may play far more potent roles in asthma risk than kids' physical surroundings.

20 Jan 2015

Effective vaccine booster schedules needed to fight against whooping cough resurgence

A key to victory in battle, according to Chinese general and military strategist Sun Tzu, is to know your enemy. In the current fight against whooping cough resurgence, perhaps the biggest obstacle is an incomplete understanding of its underlying causes, according to a University of Michigan population ecologist.

20 Jan 2015

Researchers identify novel signaling pathway that triggers allergic asthma response

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with collaborators in Korea and Scotland, have identified a novel signaling pathway critical to the immune response of cells associated with the initiation of allergic asthma.

20 Jan 2015

Study unveils genetic architecture that enables parasite to develop antimalarial drug resistance

The largest genome-wide association study to date of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum unveils a complex genetic architecture that enables the parasite to develop resistance to our most effective antimalarial drug, artemisinin. The results could help to improve early detection of emerging artemisinin resistance.

20 Jan 2015

Brain uses separate pathway to recall old fear memories

People with anxiety disorders, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often experience prolonged and exaggerated fearfulness. Now, an animal study suggests that this might involve disruption of a gradual shifting of brain circuitry for retrieving fear memories. Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered in rats that an old fear memory is recalled by a separate brain pathway from the one originally used to recall it when it was fresh.

20 Jan 2015

Researchers find genetic mutation that causes glycogen storage disease type IIIa in Inuit

A team of Canadian and Japanese researchers has identified the genetic mutation responsible for glycogen storage disease type IIIa in Inuit in northern Quebec, Canada, in a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

20 Jan 2015

Study leads to discovery of rare genetic disorder

Recently, a grassroots effort initiated by families and clinicians led to the discovery of a human genetic disorder with severe consequences that is linked to a mutation in the human NGLY1 gene. In a big step towards understanding the effects of this mutation, research by scientists at the RIKEN-Max Planck Joint Research Center in Japan implicates the enzyme ENGase as the factor responsible for deficient protein degradation that occurs in the absence of mouse Ngly1 gene expression.

19 Jan 2015

Genetic News and Research

Umbilical cord-derived stem cells from women with gestational diabetes show premature aging

Walnuts may improve cognitive function

Penn, Spark Therapeutics expand strategic relationship to develop treatment for progressive blindness

Study: Mutated ATRX gene may serve as much-needed biomarker for rare neuroendocrine tumors

Study: ICSI technique no better than conventional IVF

HZI professor selected as recipient of 2015 Louis-Jeantet-Prize for Medicine

Research breakthrough in understanding mosquito reproductive process

UChicago researchers awarded NIH grants to develop novel medications for sleep apnea, asthma

Researchers reveal key factor in understanding elevated cancer risk linked to gene therapy

Changes in current Ebola virus epidemic could potentially interfere with experimental treatments

Understanding heart mutations that cause sudden cardiac arrest

Amrubicin, carboplatin duo efficacious in thymic carcinoma, not invasive thymoma

MET amplified in NSCLC irrespective of type, genetic background

Income, race and ethnic origin may play more potent roles in asthma risk

Effective vaccine booster schedules needed to fight against whooping cough resurgence

Researchers identify novel signaling pathway that triggers allergic asthma response

Study unveils genetic architecture that enables parasite to develop antimalarial drug resistance

Brain uses separate pathway to recall old fear memories

Researchers find genetic mutation that causes glycogen storage disease type IIIa in Inuit

Study leads to discovery of rare genetic disorder

Sequencing & Genomics: Elevating Science and Healthcare 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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