Genetic News and Research

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AstraZeneca and Pfizer support Cancer Research UK in £5.5m Stratified Medicine programme

CANCER RESEARCH UK will be supported by AstraZeneca and Pfizer in a multimillion pound initiative to examine how genetic tests to improve cancer diagnosis can be best rolled out across the NHS.

1 Feb 2011

Researchers discover 'common set of dysregulated miRNAs in murine lupus models'

Potentially impacting future diagnosis and treatment of lupus, an immune illness affecting more than 5 million people worldwide, researchers at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech have likely uncovered where the breakdown in the body's lymphocyte molecular regulatory machinery is occurring.

1 Feb 2011

Global consortium aims to discover and map all Alzheimer's genes

The launch of the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP) – a collaboration formed to discover and map the genes that contribute to Alzheimer's disease – was announced today by a multi-national group of researchers. The collaborative effort, spanning universities from both Europe and the United States, will combine the knowledge, staff and resources of four consortia that conduct research on Alzheimer's disease genetics.

1 Feb 2011

Scientists devise safer way to create iPS cells

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found a better way to create induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells-adult cells reprogrammed with the properties of embryonic stem cells-from a small blood sample. This new method, described last week in Cell Research, avoids creating DNA changes that could lead to tumor formation.

1 Feb 2011

DNA Direct implements four new health plan clients for molecular diagnostic and genetic tests

DNA Direct, a wholly owned subsidiary of Medco Health Solutions, Inc. and a provider of guidance and decision support for genomic medicine, today announced four new health plan clients that are implementing DNA Direct's Policy & Benefit Support Program for molecular diagnostic and genetic tests.

1 Feb 2011

HighRes Biosolutions to build High-Throughput Laboratory Network for LANL-UCLA

A compact, self-contained, automated system for surveillance and screening of potential pandemic strains of influenza and other deadly infectious diseases is a step closer to reality, thanks to an agreement between Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health, and HighRes Biosolutions of Boston, Massachussets.

1 Feb 2011

Scientist identifies natural signaling molecule that can prevent Hemophilia A

A scientist from The Scripps Research Institute has identified a new role for a natural signaling molecule in preventing blood clot formation. The molecule could become a target for the development of novel and cost-effective treatments for blood clotting diseases such as Hemophilia A.

1 Feb 2011

New research finding shows strong relationship between gut bacteria and fatty liver

The more we learn about biology, the closer we get to being able to treat disease - and the more complicated our understanding of disease itself becomes. A new research finding showing a strong relationship between complex microbial ecologies in human intestines and the common but serious medical condition known as fatty liver illustrates this paradox.

1 Feb 2011

Lifestyle more closely linked with childhood obesity, than genetics

Are some children genetically tuned to be overweight, or is lifestyle to blame for childhood obesity?

1 Feb 2011

New nicotine addiction mechanism revealed

A new discovery has shown why some people cannot give up tobacco and may lead to new anti-smoking treatments. The researchers have found a brain pathway which when defective leads to an uncontrollable desire to smoke. This is a “sub-unit” of a receptor protein sensitive to nicotine.

31 Jan 2011

Extreme morning sickness drug comes at a price

Women, who suffer from an extreme form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), are shelling out $7,000 for a drug not yet approved for use by expectant mums because they are desperate to control their illness. HG leads to severe nausea, dehydration and fatigue and may require hospitalization. It affects up to 3 per cent of pregnant women - about 9,000 per year in Australia. It may lead to termination of the pregnancy.

31 Jan 2011

Research shows nestin regulates formation of neuromuscular junction

In a study published in the Jan. 30, 2011, advance online edition of Nature Neuroscience, Salk Institute of Biological Studies investigators led by Kuo-Fen Lee, PhD., show that nestin has reason for being in a completely different cell type--muscle tissue.

30 Jan 2011

Cystic Fibrosis Canada hosts Kites in Flight celebration to raise awareness of CF

Cystic Fibrosis Canada (formerly known as the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) is changing its look to increase awareness of the cause, and help Canadians with cystic fibrosis live longer, healthier lives.

29 Jan 2011

Genetic study helps investigators solve medical mysteries

The mystery began in 1976. Adolfo Pampena was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that caused a strange combination of symptoms and was associated with the occurrence of multiple tumours in his stomach and colon. His medical team was stumped and was unable to answer the most important questions for him and his family: the cause of his disease and the risk for future generations.

29 Jan 2011

Scientists use full genome sequencing to identify precise steps in molecular evolution of S. pneumoniae

Despite penicillin and the dozens of antibiotics that followed it, streptococcus bacteria have remained a major threat to health throughout the world. The reason: the superb evolutionary skills of this pathogen to rapidly alter its genetic makeup.

29 Jan 2011

U-M researchers reveal molecular signals that regulate catch-up growth

University of Michigan researchers have uncovered molecular signals that regulate catch-up growth---the growth spurt that occurs when normal conditions are restored after a fetus, young animal or child has been ill, under stress or deprived of enough food or oxygen to grow properly.

29 Jan 2011

Research provides new clues for compulsive behavior, cognitive defects linked with LND

Research from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine provides new clues for the compulsive behavior and cognitive defects associated with a rare childhood neurological disease called Lesch-Nyhan Disease.

29 Jan 2011

Cedars-Sinai's director receives lifetime achievement award for medical research, mentorship

The Western Society of Clinical Investigation has honored David L. Rimoin, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Genetics Institute, with its 2011 Mayo Soley Award for lifetime achievement in medical research and mentorship.

29 Jan 2011

Connectome remains dynamic during development, says Scripps Research

Connected highways of nerve cells carry information to and from different areas of the brain and the rest of the nervous system. Scientists are trying to draw a complete atlas of these connections-sometimes referred to as the "connectome"-to gain a better understanding of how the brain functions in health and disease.

28 Jan 2011

NIH awards CCTSI $2.2 million grant to advance personalized medicine

A federal grant totaling $2.2 million shows how the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Anschutz Medical Campus are using technology to advance the cutting-edge field of personalized medicine -- tailoring treatments to the individual based on their genetic make-up.

28 Jan 2011