Genes News and Research

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New understanding on the mechanics of gene transcription

The molecular machinery behind gene transcription -- the intricate transfer of information from a segment of DNA to a corresponding strand of messenger RNA -- isn't stationed in special "transcription factories" within a cell nucleus, according to Cornell researchers.

9 Jan 2008

Loss of a small portion of chromosome 16 linked to autism

Loss of a small portion of chromosome 16, known as 16p11.2, is significantly associated with autism report researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in an article, published Dec. 21, 2007, online by the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

9 Jan 2008

Researchers trigger insulin production in diabetic mice

If the human body were a stage, then proteins would rank among the lead actors in the play we call "Life."

9 Jan 2008

Freeze-dried tendon grafts loaded with gene therapy may provide repair injured tendons

According to study data published today in the journal Molecular Therapy, a new graft technique may provide the first effective framework around which flexor tendon tissue can reorganize as it heals.

9 Jan 2008

BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations and breast cancer

Breast cancer risk varies widely among women who are carriers of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, according to a new study published in the January 9, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

9 Jan 2008

Brain response differences found in way women with irritable bowel syndrome deal with pain

UCLA researchers found that women with IBS cannot effectively turn-off a pain modulation mechanism in the brain, which causes them to be more sensitive to abdominal pain, compared to women without IBS.

9 Jan 2008

Research may improve prognosis and treatment of lung cancer

A group of scientists led by Professor Xavier Pares of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, has published a research on AKR1B10, an enzyme that is detected in large quantities only in lung cancers, particularly those caused by smoking.

8 Jan 2008

New magnetic method of delivering cells and genes to repair injured or diseased organs

Scientists have used magnetic fields and tiny iron-bearing particles to drive healthy cells to targeted sites in blood vessels.

8 Jan 2008

Discovery of 480 genes that control human cell division

A team of U.S., Israeli and German scientists used computational biology techniques to discover 480 genes that play a role in human cell division and to identify more than 100 of those genes that have an abnormal pattern of activation in cancer cells.

8 Jan 2008

Chlamydia trachomatis genome sheds light on an emerging infection

Researchers have decoded the genome of the strain of Chlamydia that causes the most severe, invasive form of the disease. Their study shows that, despite recent increases in invasive infections, the strain has remained virtually unchanged for 40 years.

7 Jan 2008

New biomarker for predicting liver cancer spread and survival discovered

New research has shown that a unique pattern of microRNAs, small RNA molecules that regulate gene activity, can accurately predict whether liver cancer will spread and whether liver cancer patients will have shorter or longer survival, even patients with early stage disease.

7 Jan 2008

Tracking down allergenic substances

At present, animal tests are the only way of determining whether a particular chemical can cause an allergic reaction.

7 Jan 2008

New understanding of cell's inner workings

A group of scientists in Princeton's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology has uncovered a new biological mechanism that could provide a clearer window into a cell's inner workings.

7 Jan 2008

Comprehensive gene atlas underlying drug addiction

Using an integrative meta-analysis approach, researchers from the Center for Bioinformatics at Peking University in Beijing have assembled the most comprehensive gene atlas underlying drug addiction and identified five molecular pathways common to four different addictive drugs.

7 Jan 2008

New flu vaccine protects against all strains including bird flu

A new flu vaccine which protects against all strains of influenza has had promising results in trials.

6 Jan 2008

Wisconsin now screens all newborns for severe combined immune deficiency

Wisconsin became the first state in the nation to screen all newborns for Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID).

4 Jan 2008

The dopamine transporter gene influences alcohol withdrawal seizures

The physiological component of alcoholism is defined by tolerance and/or withdrawal: the more severe the dependency on alcohol, the more severe the clinical complications, such as greater intensity and/or complications of alcohol withdrawal.

4 Jan 2008

Novel anti-tumor compound

Researchers at Emory University have developed a novel anti-tumor compound that represents a distinct strategy: targeting one of the most important "intercept points" for cancer cells.

4 Jan 2008

Gene therapy can reduce long-term drinking among rodents

Just as the risk of developing alcoholism is strongly influenced by genetic factors, mutations in gene coding - such as the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2*2) allele - also appear to protect against the risk.

4 Jan 2008

Down syndrome points to a new way of repressing cancer growth

Researchers at Johns Hopkins and Ohio State University have found that the number of copies of a particular gene can affect the severity of colon cancer in a mouse model. Publishing in the Jan. 3 issue of Nature, the research team describes how trisomy 21, or Down syndrome in humans, can repress tumor growth.

4 Jan 2008