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Jumping genes help detemine uniqueness of individual brains

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies may have found one explanation for the puzzling variety in brain organization and function: mobile elements, pieces of DNA that can jump from one place in the genome to another, randomly changing the genetic information in single brain cells.

15 Jun 2005

Scientists produce for the first time an infectious form of the hepatitis C virus in laboratory cultures of human cells

The finding, reported in the June 9 issue of Science Express, will allow scientists to study every stage of the HCV life cycle and develop drugs to treat this life-threatening disease that affects more than 170 million people around the world.

9 Jun 2005

New bioinformatics technique for systematically analyzing key regions in DNA that help control gene activity

Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Linnaeus Centre for Bioinformatics (LCB) at Uppsala University in Sweden have developed a new bioinformatics technique for systematically analyzing key regions in DNA that help control gene activity.

8 Jun 2005

Statisticians learn how to analyze huge quantities of genetic data

In a conceptual breakthrough, a team of researchers led by statisticians at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has figured out how to analyze huge quantities of genetic data, surpassing the capabilities of traditional techniques and speeding the quest for understanding the genetic basis of complex diseases such as asthma and diabetes.

6 Jun 2005

Protein, called "eed," crucial to the regulation of genes in embryonic stem cells

New research from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows how a protein may be crucial to the regulation of genes in embryonic stem cells.

26 May 2005

Genetic biomarker that may improve quality of life during treatment for colorectal cancer

A Mayo Clinic-led study has revealed a genetic biomarker that can predict which patients are most likely to experience unwanted side effects from one of the most commonly used and highly effective chemotherapy regimens designed to treat colorectal cancer.

16 May 2005

Lack of samples slows bird flu fight

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in its' efforts to determine whether the virus that causes bird flu is mutating, has been hindered by a lack of samples from infected birds and people in Asia.

11 May 2005

Targeted Genetics announces new patent for Hyperlipidemia

Targeted Genetics Corporation announced today issuance of U.S. patent #6,887,463, entitled, "Methods and Compositions for Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Defects in Lipoprotein Metabolism."

11 May 2005

New treatment improves visual acuity score of patients with retinitis pigmentosa

Neurotech SA announced positive results from an open-label Phase I clinical trial (03-EI-0234) of its lead product, NT-501. NT-501 uses Neurotech’s patented Encapsulated Cell Technology (ECT) as a device to deliver ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) to eyes of visually impaired patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Neurotech is a biotechnology company specializing in the development of novel therapeutics to treat diseases of the eye. The company is headquartered in Paris.

8 May 2005

Specific variants of genes predict bleeding after heart surgery

Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that the presence of specific variants of genes that control clotting and the contractility, or "tone," of blood vessels can double the ability of physicians to predict those heart surgery patients at greatest risk of bleeding after surgery.

4 May 2005

Researchers unravel how nature releases the torque built up in DNA at the molecular level

A Dutch led international team of researchers has unravelled how nature releases the torque built up in DNA at the molecular level. The researchers from Delft University of Technology, the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris and the Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York published their findings in the 31 March 2005 issue of Nature. An artistic impression of the enzyme at work is featured on the cover of this issue.

4 May 2005

P12 protein influences key cell-signaling pathway

New research shows that a protein produced by a cancer-causing virus influences a key signaling pathway in the immune cells that the virus infects. This stimulates the cells to divide, helping the virus spread through the body.

26 Apr 2005

Researchers make gains in understanding antibiotic resistance

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers chiseling away at the problem of antibiotic resistance now have a detailed explanation of how the drugs' main cellular target in bacteria evolves to become resistant to some of these medications.

22 Apr 2005

Genes influence how heart failure patients respond to drugs

Genes dictate the color of our hair and eyes. They factor into whether we get cancer or heart disease. And, scientists increasingly recognize, they also ensure some patients will benefit from a prescription drug, while others develop adverse reactions or simply fail to respond at all.

21 Apr 2005

Method shows how precisely gene expression signals are copied in DNA replication

Genetic information that determines hair color or whether an individual might develop a particular cancer is passed from one generation to the next through DNA. Genes encoded in the DNA contain information, but a process called methylation is one factor that often controls how that information is expressed.

19 Apr 2005

Largest "gene deserts" yet discovered in the human genome sequence

A detailed analysis of chromosomes 2 and 4 has detected the largest "gene deserts" known in the human genome and uncovered more evidence that human chromosome 2 arose from the fusion of two ancestral ape chromosomes, researchers supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).

6 Apr 2005

New miniature sensors for analysing DNA

The sensors have the same size and thickness as a fingernail and reduce the time needed to identify DNA chains to several minutes or a few hours, depending on each chain.

3 Apr 2005

Dozens of new genes identified in X chromosome

By intensely and systematically comparing the human X chromosome to genetic information from chimpanzees, rats and mice, a team of scientists from the United States and India has uncovered dozens of new genes, many of which are located in regions of the chromosome already tied to disease.

3 Apr 2005

New guidelines mean tailor-made drugs are on the way

Many experts believe a milestone has been reached with the issuing of guidelines for pharmaceutical companies to encourage them to gather and submit information about how genetic variations affect the way people respond to their drugs.

23 Mar 2005

New findings about the spread of HIV in the UK

Contrary to the prevailing belief that the HIV epidemic in the UK can be traced back to one source, a new study by Oxford and London scientists suggests that HIV spread via at least six independent virus introductions and subsequent transmission chains.

21 Mar 2005