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Scientists identify role of Mesp1 gene in earliest step of cardiovascular lineage segregation

Researchers at the Université libre de Bruxelles and University of Cambridge identified the role of key gene Mesp1 in the earliest step of cardiovascular lineage segregation. This discovery may help to better understand congenital heart defects.

27 Jan 2018

Researchers identify promising new drug target for Ewing sarcoma

Screening a class of recently-developed drug compounds -- so-called "CDK inhibitors" capable of blocking CDK7/12/13 proteins -- against hundreds of different human cancer cell lines, researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center have found that CDK12 inhibitors pack a particularly lethal punch to Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer typically affecting children and young adults.

25 Jan 2018

Scientists elucidate surprising dual function of ceramide synthase

Scientists at the University of Bonn have clarified a surprising dual function of ceramide synthase. The enzyme not only catalyzes a central step of the production of vital lipids. It also has the ability to turn genes involved in lipid metabolism on or off. The study is being published in the renowned journal Cell Reports.

24 Jan 2018

TSRI scientists identify factors crucial to mesenchymal stem cell differentiation

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute recently published a study in the journal Cell Death and Differentiation identifying factors crucial to mesenchymal stem cell differentiation, providing insight into how these cells should be studied for clinical purposes.

24 Jan 2018

Scientists identify molecular key that opens up compacted genome

News article describing the recent discovery of pax7, a protein which opens up compacted DNA for access by transcription factors.

23 Jan 2018

KAIST scientists identify cellular mechanism for severe viral hepatitis

KAIST medical scientists identified a cellular mechanism causing inflammatory changes in regulatory T cells that can lead to severe viral hepatitis. Research on this mechanism will help further understand the nature of various inflammatory diseases and lead to the development of relevant clinical treatments.

22 Jan 2018

Researchers propose new regulation mechanism linked to action of SirT6 on chromatin

Researchers from the Epigenetics and Cancer Biology Program of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, led by Dr. Àlex Vaquero, have proposed a new regulation mechanism of the NF-κB pathway, which is associated with accelerated cellular aging, based on the analysis of the function of the SirT6 protein.

19 Jan 2018

Modular gene enhancers may be suitable target in treatment of blood cancer

Every day, billions of new blood cells are generated in the bone marrow. The gene Myc is known to play an important role in this process, and is also known to play a role in cancer.

18 Jan 2018

Three-dimensional organization of genome plays key role in gene expression, cell fate

Scientists have long been reading the code of life - the genome -, as a sequence of letters but now researchers have also started exploring its three-dimensional organization.

17 Jan 2018

Genes involved in spinal cord repair of lamprey also present in mammals, study reveals

Many of the genes involved in natural repair of the injured spinal cord of the lamprey are also active in the repair of the peripheral nervous system in mammals, according to a study by a collaborative group of scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory and other institutions.

16 Jan 2018

Lamprey genes provide clues to repair spinal cord damage, finds study

Researchers have found that several genes within an ancient species of fish can be used to provide clues in the treatment of spinal cord damage. The study titled, “Highly Conserved Molecular Pathways, Including Wnt Signaling, Promote Functional Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury in Lampreys,” appeared in the latest issue of the journal Scientific Reports.

15 Jan 2018

Caltech researchers develop new method to see neural connections in living flies

The human brain is composed of billions of neurons wired together in intricate webs and communicating through electrical pulses and chemical signals.

12 Jan 2018

The Virus That Causes Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease May Use Human Protein to Aid Infection

The human protein, prohibitin, may be used by the virus to enter motor neurons and cause the neurological complications of hand, foot and mouth disease.

12 Jan 2018

Biomarkers may help predict prognosis of gastric cancer patients with alcohol consumption habits

Alcohol consumption has been identified as a modifiable risk factor for cancers such as gastric cancer. A new report in the The American Journal of Pathology sheds light on how specific proteins interact with alcohol, and how that interplay impacts survival and response to platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer who may or may not still be drinking.

10 Jan 2018

Researchers uncover powerful new model for studying hallmark of vascular disease

While refining ways to grow arterial endothelial cells in the lab, a regenerative biology team at the Morgridge Institute for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison unexpectedly unearthed a powerful new model for studying a hallmark of vascular disease.

9 Jan 2018

Sangamo and Pfizer partner for development of new zinc finger protein gene therapy to treat ALS

Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. today announced a collaboration for the development of a potential gene therapy using zinc finger protein transcription factors (ZFP-TFs) to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) linked to mutations of the C9ORF72 gene.

8 Jan 2018

Scientists discover mechanism that amplifies autoimmune reaction in early stage islet autoimmunity

Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München have discovered a mechanism that amplifies the autoimmune reaction in an early stage of pancreatic islet autoimmunity prior to the progression to clinical type 1 diabetes.

4 Jan 2018

Study suggests potential means of stalling or even reversing diabetes-related blindness

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a cell signaling pathway in mice that triggers vision loss in patients with diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion – diseases characterized by the closure of blood vessels in the retina, leading to blindness.

3 Jan 2018

Researchers discover way to enhance effectiveness and safety of sonogenetics

Researchers at Duke University have discovered a way to enhance the effectiveness and safety of sonogenetics or ultrasonic modulation, emerging techniques that use sound waves to control the behavior of individual neurons or to promote tissue growth and wound healing in other cells.