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Rice-led research shows how migratory cancer cells acquire 'stem-like' properties

In the first study of its kind, Rice University researchers have mapped how information flows through the genetic circuits that cause cancer cells to become metastatic. The research reveals a common pattern in the decision-making that allows cancer cells to both migrate and form new tumors. Researchers say the commonality may open the door to new drugs that interfere with the genetic switches that cancer must flip to form both cancer stem cells and circulating tumor cells -- two of the main players in cancer metastasis.

31 Oct 2014

Scientists develop new system to treat a host of genetic conditions

As potential next-generation therapeutics and research tools, few life sciences technologies hold more promise than genome-editing proteins – molecules that can be programmed to alter specific genes in order to treat or even cure genetic diseases.

31 Oct 2014

Profectus BioSciences gets funding to develop VesiculoVax Zaire-Ebola virus vaccine

Profectus BioSciences, Inc., a clinical-stage vaccine company developing novel vaccines for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases, announced today that the Department of Defense through the Medical Countermeasure Systems-Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, a subordinate command of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, Edgewood, MD, has contracted the manufacture and IND-enabling preclinical testing of the Profectus trivalent Ebola/Marburg vaccine.

31 Oct 2014

New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics

Oligonucleotide-based therapeutics present unique challenges when it comes to testing their potential to cause reproductive and developmental harm. New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing that take into consideration the combined chemical and biological characteristics of these novel biopharmaceuticals are presented in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers.

31 Oct 2014

Study identifies new targets for developing novel treatment for alcohol dependence

Bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract fulfill many vital functions and are critical for digestion. Yet, these same bacteria can induce strong inflammatory responses by the immune system if they penetrate the gut and enter the bloodstream.

31 Oct 2014

Study opens door to new treatments for brain diseases

Delivering life-saving drugs across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) might become a little easier thanks to a new report published in the November 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal.

31 Oct 2014

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Two major genetic studies of autism, led in part by UC San Francisco scientists and involving more than 50 laboratories worldwide, have newly implicated dozens of genes in the disorder. The research shows that rare mutations in these genes affect communication networks in the brain and compromise fundamental biological mechanisms that govern whether, when, and how genes are activated overall.

31 Oct 2014

Moffitt researcher uncovers new approach to treat cancer

The scientific community has made significant strides in recent years in identifying important genetic contributors to malignancy and developing therapeutic agents that target altered genes and proteins. A recent approach to treat cancer called synthetic lethality takes advantage of genetic alterations in cancer cells that make them more susceptible to certain drugs.

31 Oct 2014

BRI receives JDRF grant to explore why people with type 1 diabetes continue to produce insulin

Scientists at Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason are studying a critical question in type 1 diabetes: Why do some people who get type 1 diabetes continue to produce small amounts of insulin over time while others stop? Researchers have found at the time of diagnosis with type 1 diabetes that many people continue to produce small amounts of insulin.

31 Oct 2014

Obesity genes promote all-round increases in postnatal growth

Genetic variants that increase susceptibility to obesity are associated with increased gains in lean mass, as well as fat mass, during early childhood, meta-analysis findings indicate.

30 Oct 2014

Research shows that copper could help to prevent Ebola spread

Research from the University of Southampton has indicated that copper could help to prevent the spread of Ebola.

30 Oct 2014

Study on papillary thyroid carcinoma to be presented at 84th Annual Meeting of the ATA

The prevalence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the most common type of thyroid cancer, is increasing rapidly. New research to determine the impact of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy on survival in PTC, describing a novel blood test able to detect circulating BRAFV600E-positive tumor DNA, and identifying a long non-coding RNA specifically associated with the thyroid that is down-regulated in PTC compared to normal thyroid tissue in patient-derived clinical specimens and cell cultures will be featured in oral presentations delivered at the 84th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association, October 29-November 2, 2014, in Coronado, California.

30 Oct 2014

BloodCenter of Wisconsin announces availability of cancer mutation HemeOnc Panel

BloodCenter of Wisconsin's Diagnostic Laboratories today announced the availability of a comprehensive cancer mutation HemeOnc Panel using next generation sequencing (NGS) technology. The NGS panel developed by BloodCenter of Wisconsin is designed to detect variants in 30 genes that are either prognostic or diagnostic for 10 different myeloid hematologic malignancies.

30 Oct 2014

New research findings on Graves' disease to be highlighted at ATA meeting

A unique mouse model of Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes hyperthyroidism, and new research findings that may help improve the treatment of Graves' disease will be highlighted in oral and poster presentations at the 84th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association, October 29-November 2, 2014, in Coronado, California.

30 Oct 2014

WUSM researchers sequence genome of enterovirus D68 samples from patients

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have sequenced the genome of enterovirus D68 sampled from patients treated at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Nationwide, the virus has spread rapidly in recent months and caused severe respiratory illness in young children, with some patients requiring hospitalization.

30 Oct 2014

New blood test could predict early onset Alzheimer’s disease with high accuracy

The research team previously identified that changes in the brain occur two decades before patients show signs of dementia. These changes can be detected through expensive brain imaging procedures.

30 Oct 2014

Ghrelin has potential to stimulate alcohol craving, study reveals

Ghrelin is a hormone released by the stomach and it stimulates appetite and food intake. Alcohol is commonly viewed as a psychoactive substance that primarily affects brain function, but it is also a highly caloric food.

30 Oct 2014

Prof. Mary-Claire King receives 2014 Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science

At a ceremony held in New York City on September 19, 2014, leading geneticist and humanitarian Prof. Mary-Claire King, the American Cancer Society Professor of Genome Sciences and Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle and 2008 Honorary Doctor of Philosophy of Tel Aviv University, was awarded the 2014 Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science.

30 Oct 2014

New study pinpoints complex genetic origins for autoimmune diseases

Scores of autoimmune diseases afflicting one in 12 Americans — ranging from type 1 diabetes, to multiple sclerosis (MS), to rheumatoid arthritis, to asthma — mysteriously cause the immune system to harm tissues within our own bodies. Now, a new study pinpoints the complex genetic origins for many of these diseases, a discovery that may lead to better diagnosis and ultimately to improved treatments.

30 Oct 2014

Landmark study provides new insight into function of enzyme related to BRCA1 protein

A landmark study to be published in the October 30, 2014 print edition of the journal Nature provides new insight into the function of an enzyme related to the BRCA1 breast-cancer protein. The study by a team at Penn State University is the first to produce a detailed working image of an enzyme in the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) -- a group that regulates cell development and is associated with many types of cancer.

30 Oct 2014

Genetic News and Research

Rice-led research shows how migratory cancer cells acquire 'stem-like' properties

Scientists develop new system to treat a host of genetic conditions

Profectus BioSciences gets funding to develop VesiculoVax Zaire-Ebola virus vaccine

New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics

Study identifies new targets for developing novel treatment for alcohol dependence

Study opens door to new treatments for brain diseases

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Moffitt researcher uncovers new approach to treat cancer

BRI receives JDRF grant to explore why people with type 1 diabetes continue to produce insulin

Obesity genes promote all-round increases in postnatal growth

Research shows that copper could help to prevent Ebola spread

Study on papillary thyroid carcinoma to be presented at 84th Annual Meeting of the ATA

BloodCenter of Wisconsin announces availability of cancer mutation HemeOnc Panel

New research findings on Graves' disease to be highlighted at ATA meeting

WUSM researchers sequence genome of enterovirus D68 samples from patients

New blood test could predict early onset Alzheimer’s disease with high accuracy

Ghrelin has potential to stimulate alcohol craving, study reveals

Prof. Mary-Claire King receives 2014 Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science

New study pinpoints complex genetic origins for autoimmune diseases

Landmark study provides new insight into function of enzyme related to BRCA1 protein

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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