Genes News and Research

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CSHL scientist discovers how bookmarking protein triggers leukemia

Each cell inherits genes from its parent as well as epigenetic information - what amounts to an instruction manual that specifies which genes should be activated or "expressed," when and to what level.

6 Jan 2010

Study reveals hereditary factors contribute to abdominal aortic aneurysm in twins

A new study in the January issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery(®), published by the Society for Vascular Surgery®, reveals robust epidemiological evidence that hereditary factors contribute to aneurysm formation in twins.

6 Jan 2010

Genetic rogue elements could help diagnose breast and bowel cancer

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have found that a group of genetic rogue elements, produced by DNA sequences commonly known as 'junk DNA', could help diagnose breast and bowel cancer.

5 Jan 2010

MindUp Cancer Project integrated into HIRU

Hiru Corporation welcomes the integration of its MindUp Cancer Project into the HIRU corporation. This asset was recently acquired on a cash and stock basis as reported previously.

5 Jan 2010

Elusive human protein outsmarted

A team of researchers is being recognized for devising a new way to study a human protein that long has evaded close scrutiny by scientists investigating its role in the communication of important genetic messages inside a cell's nucleus to workhorse molecules found elsewhere.

5 Jan 2010

Transcription factor promotes stem cell proliferation to repair tissue damage

The master regulator of muscle differentiation, MyoD, functions early in myogenesis to help stem cells proliferate in response to muscle injury, according to researchers at Case Western Reserve University. The study appears online Jan. 4 in the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org).

5 Jan 2010

New study reveals choline plays a critical role in fetal brain development

If you're pregnant and looking for an excuse to eat bacon and eggs, now you've got one: a new research study published in the January 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) by a team of University of North Carolina researchers shows that choline plays a critical role in helping fetal brains develop regions associated with memory. Choline is found in meats, including pork, as well as chicken eggs.

5 Jan 2010

Experimental lung cancer drug promising against brain cancer glioblastoma and prostate cancer

An experimental drug currently being tested against breast and lung cancer shows promise in fighting the brain cancer glioblastoma and prostate cancer, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in two preclinical studies.

4 Jan 2010

Scientists identify genetic marker to diagnose DFTD

An international team of scientists led by a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) investigator has discovered that the deadly facial tumors decimating Australia's Tasmanian devil population probably originated in Schwann cells, a type of tissue that cushions and protects nerve fibers.

4 Jan 2010

US-German team studies genome mutations

"While the long term effects of genome mutations are quite well understood, we did not know how often new mutations arise in the first place," said Detlef Weigel, director at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. It is routine today to compare the genomes of related animal or plant species.

3 Jan 2010

Scientists discover a new family of giant virus

After Mimivirus, Mamavirus and the virophage, the group of giant viruses now has a new member called Marseillevirus. Discovered in an amoeba by the team led by Didier Raoult at the Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes research group (CNRS/Université Aix-Marseille 2), a description of this new virus was published this week on the website of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

31 Dec 2009

Book underlines the importance of positive emotions, spirituality and wisdom for successful aging

It's never too early or too late to start working toward the goal of improving brain health. So perhaps the New Year is the perfect time to consider how one achieves a long and satisfying life. A book recently publishing by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., called Successful Cognitive and Emotional Aging may be just the tool to help find some answers to the age-old question.

30 Dec 2009

Advances in development of “lipidoid” formulations for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and collaborators from the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) today announced the publication of new data in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) describing further advancements in discovery and development of novel “lipidoid” formulations for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics.

30 Dec 2009

Scientists develop straightforward technique to find ethnic origin of stem cells

An international team of scientists led by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute has developed a straightforward technique to determine the ethnic origin of stem cells.

30 Dec 2009

DMET genotyping platform screens for 1256 genetic variations in 170 genes

It's the ultimate goal in the treatment of cancer: tailoring a person's therapy based on his or her genetic makeup. While a lofty goal, scientists are steadily moving forward, rapidly exploiting new technologies. Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center report a significant advance in this field of research using a new chip that looks for hundreds of mutations in dozen of genes.

29 Dec 2009

Study suggests genetic variations predispose African-Americans to diabetes

For years, scientists have tried to determine the basis for discrepancies between race and the predisposition for development of diseases such as type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Could factors such as differences in lifestyle or access to health care play a role, or is there something else in play?

29 Dec 2009

Defects in protein-secretion machinery linked to neural tube closure

Spinal cord disorders like spina bifida arise during early development when future spinal cord cells growing in a flat layer fail to roll up into a tube. In the Dec. 6 issue of Nature Cell Biology, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine team with colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley to report a never-before known link between protein transport and mouse spinal cord development, a discovery that opens new doors for research on all spinal defects.

29 Dec 2009

Successful RNA interference to turn off multiple genes raises hope for new liver disease treatments

Researchers at MIT and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals report this week that they have successfully used RNA interference to turn off multiple genes in the livers of mice, an advance that could lead to new treatments for diseases of the liver and other organs.

29 Dec 2009

Research suggests common mechanism is associated with different human diseases

Inherited mutations in voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) are associated with many different human diseases, including genetic forms of epilepsy and chronic pain. Theodore Cummins and colleagues, at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, have now determined the functional consequence of three such mutations.

29 Dec 2009

Scientists identify new gene variants associated with disturbances in lipid metabolism

Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München led by Professor Karsten Suhre have identified new gene variants associated with disturbances in the lipid metabolism.

28 Dec 2009