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Emphysema gene linked to lung cancer

A gene linked to emphysema also can be a factor for developing lung cancer unrelated to cigarette smoking, UT Southwestern Medical Center research indicates. Smoking was the only known risk factor previously associated with both diseases.

9 Jun 2011

Autism caused by hundreds of different genetic mutations: Study

New research shows that autism is not caused by one or two gene defects but probably by hundreds of different mutations, many of which arise spontaneously. This comes from the study that has examined the genes of more than 1,000 families.

9 Jun 2011

IAS calls on leaders to ensure inclusion of HIV cure research into international AIDS agenda

As world leaders meet this week to review progress and chart the future course of the global AIDS response at the 2011 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS in New York, the International AIDS Society (IAS) calls on leaders to ensure the inclusion of HIV cure research and its global strategy into the international HIV agenda and in all discussions, political decisions and funding strategies.

8 Jun 2011

NYU Cancer Institute scientists present new research findings at ASCO 2011

Experts from The Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center, at NYU Langone Medical Center presented new research findings at the 47th American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2011 Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.

8 Jun 2011

New research on spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the leading genetic cause of death in children under 2, with no treatment other than supportive care. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston show how loss or mutation of the SMA gene causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, and suggest a promising approach to treating the condition, sometimes referred to as a "Lou Gehrig's disease of babies."

8 Jun 2011

Scientists find neuronal cells die in Alzheimer's disease

In what they are calling a new direction in the study of Alzheimer's disease, UC Santa Barbara scientists have made an important finding about what happens to brain cells that are destroyed in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

8 Jun 2011

Self-assembling mini devices now enlisted in nanomedicine revolution

Measured in billionths of a meter, self-assembling nano-sized devices designed to carry drugs and imaging agents into the body are revolutionizing medicine by improving drug solubility and bio-distribution, providing a platform for combining targeting and imaging agents, and enabling membrane barriers to be crossed as well as making drug and imaging agent combination therapies possible.

8 Jun 2011

MSU professor to lead acetazolamide clinical trial on idiopathic intracranial hypertension

A rare but increasingly more common disease striking overweight, younger women is the focus of a clinical trial at Michigan State University, where an osteopathic physician is testing the effectiveness of a certain drug against a potentially blindness-causing ailment.

8 Jun 2011

As health care technology advances, costs increase

The device industry has launched an aggressive campaign to avoid tighter Food and Drug Administration rules that would help generate the information needed to show whether newer devices are actually superior to the ones they replace.

8 Jun 2011

Intrexon, Halozyme partner to develop subcutaneous alpha 1-antitrypsin for A1AT deficiency

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. and Intrexon Corporation, today announced the signing of a worldwide exclusive licensing agreement for the use of rHuPH20 in the development of a subcutaneous injectable formulation of Intrexon Corporation's recombinant human alpha 1-antitrypsin (rHuA1AT).

7 Jun 2011

Increased blood clotting tendency linked to elevated bowel cancer risk

Back in the mid 19th century, a French doctor, Armand Trousseau, discovered a connection between cancer and thrombosis - the formation of often dangerous blood clots that can lead to venous occlusion.

7 Jun 2011

Study finds consistent link between Parkinson's disease and melanoma

An analysis of several studies shows that people with Parkinson's disease have a significantly higher risk of melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer and the leading cause of death from skin diseases.

7 Jun 2011

Faults in p53 gene could help predict beneficial drug combination for ovarian cancer

FAULTS in a gene commonly inactivated in many different types of cancer could be used to predict which drug combination ovarian cancer patients are most likely to benefit from, according to results presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

7 Jun 2011

Survivors of childhood cancer at increased risk of developing subsequent primary neoplasms

In a study that included nearly 18,000 children who had cancer, with follow-up of about 25 years, the greatest excess risk associated with a subsequent primary neoplasm (a new tumor) at older than age 40 years was for digestive and genitourinary neoplasms (related to the genital or urinary tract organs), according to a study in the June 8 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on cancer.

7 Jun 2011

Silencing two microRNAs may help treat age-related macular degeneration

Blocking two tiny molecules of RNA - a chemical cousin of DNA - appears to suppress the abnormal growth of blood vessels that occurs in degenerative eye disorders, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

7 Jun 2011

Senescent melanoma cells express an inflammatory secretome

Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive and notoriously chemoresistant form of cancer. In this paper, Ohanna et al. reveal that anti-melanoma drugs may, paradoxically, induce a senescence-associated secretory profile ("secretome") that can ultimately promote metastasis and contribute to melanoma relapse.

6 Jun 2011

Cancer risk assessment in Lynch syndrome

Among various genetic mutations for individuals with Lynch syndrome, a hereditary cancer syndrome that carries a high risk of colon cancer and an above-normal risk of other cancers, researchers have identified mutations associated with a lower cancer risk and mutations associated with an increased risk for ovarian and endometrial cancer, according to a study in the June 8 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on cancer.

6 Jun 2011

Global gene therapy market to reach $300 million by 2015

The global gene therapy market is expected to grow to over $300 million by 2015, according to a new report available on companiesandmarkets.com. The gene therapy market will grow further driven by the human genome project, the increasing incidence of cancer and other critical diseases.

6 Jun 2011

New study shows Bisphenol A exposure through diet has been underestimated

A new University of Missouri study shows that the exposure to the controversial chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) through diet has been underestimated by previous lab tests.

6 Jun 2011

Researcher finds thyroid cancer gene inhibits spread of malignant cells

A mutant gene long thought to accelerate tumor growth in thyroid cancer patients actually inhibits the spread of malignant cells, showing promise for novel cancer therapies, a Mayo Clinic study has found.

6 Jun 2011