Genetic News and Research

RSS

Pharmacological suppression of nonsense mutations effective in treating genetic defects

Genetic mutation can disrupt the way human cells make proteins, which in turn leads to inherited disease. David Bedwell, a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Microbiology, says scientists are closer than ever to producing drugs that fix this disrupted-protein pathway and drastically improving treatment of genetic disease.

27 Apr 2010

Researchers to commence enrolling participants in National Children's Study

After years of planning, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are ready to begin enrolling participants in the National Children's Study, which will examine the effects of environmental and genetic factors on child and adult health.

27 Apr 2010

Illumina announces shipment of HiScanSQ system for research needs

Illumina, Inc. today announced shipment of HiScanSQ, the first instrument to integrate microarray analysis and next-generation sequencing in a modular design that can evolve with changing research needs.

From Illumina, Inc. 27 Apr 2010

Scientists now closer to produce drugs to fix disease-causing mutations, spare healthy genes

Inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis can be caused by genetic "nonsense mutations" that disrupt the way human cells make proteins. David Bedwell, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Microbiology, says scientists are now closer to producing drugs that will fix this disruption and drastically improve treatment of genetic disease.

27 Apr 2010

Slitrk5 gene linked to development of OCD-like behaviors

Researchers at the Ansary Stem Cell Institute and the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College discovered that mice missing a single gene developed repetitive obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors. The genetically altered mice, which behaved much like people with a certain type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), could help scientists design new therapies for this debilitating condition.

27 Apr 2010

Study links progression of lethal type of brain tumor with reduced expression of immune system genes

A new study links progression of a lethal type of brain tumor with reduced expression of more than 600 immune system genes, suggesting how complex the immune response is to the cancer and the resulting difficulty in targeting specific immune system proteins for treatment.

27 Apr 2010

New discovery links Slitrk5 gene to development of OCD-like behaviors

27 Apr 2010

Jefferson Medical College surgeon uses artificial liver assist device as bridge to transplantation

Cataldo Doria, M.D., Ph.D., Nicoletti Family Professor of Transplant Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and director of the Division of Transplantation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the first transplant surgeon in the United States to use a new totally artificial liver assist device as a bridge to transplantation.

27 Apr 2010

WHO experts to examine polio outbreak in Tajikistan

The WHO said it sent six technical experts to assess a small outbreak of polio in Tajikistan, VOA News reports, adding that WHO "says this is the first importation of polio in the European region since Europe was certified as polio-free in 2002."

27 Apr 2010

Black children with chronic kidney disease have severe anemia than white children: Study

Black children with chronic kidney disease have more severe anemia than white children even when they receive the same treatment, according to a multicenter study led by Johns Hopkins Children's Center to be published in the May issue of the American Journal of Kidney Disease.

27 Apr 2010

Santaris Pharma advances into drug development SPC5001 research candidate against PCSK9

Santaris Pharma A/S, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies, today announced that it has advanced into drug development a discovery research candidate directed against PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9), an important new target for the treatment of high cholesterol. Using its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) Drug Platform and Drug Discovery Engine, Santaris Pharma A/S identified and advanced the new drug, SPC5001, in just 18 months.

26 Apr 2010

DeCODE scientists discover common SNPs that increase number of CPD and risk of lung cancer

Cigarette smoking is a major cause of illness and death worldwide. But it is a complex behavior, and how much people smoke, how hard they find it to quit, and the impact of long-term smoking on health varies greatly among individuals. A substantial portion of this variability is genetic. Two years ago, deCODE discovered the first common, single-letter variation in the sequence of the human genome, on chromosome 15q25, associated with nicotine addiction and risk of lung cancer.

26 Apr 2010

University of Utah researchers knock out genes in nematode worms

Knocking genes out of action allows researchers to learn what genes do by seeing what goes wrong without them. University of Utah biologists pioneered the field. Mario Capecchi won a Nobel Prize for developing knockout mice. Kent Golic found a way to cripple fruit fly genes. Now, biologist Erik Jorgensen and colleagues have devised a procedure for knocking out genes in nematode worms.

26 Apr 2010

FDA clears Osmetech's eSensor Thrombophilia Risk Test

Osmetech, plc today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the eSensor® Thrombophilia Risk Test (TRT), a multiplexed molecular diagnostic test for four genetic markers associated with thrombosis. The panel includes Factor V Leiden, Factor II Prothrombin, MTHFR 677 and MTHFR 1298 in a single test panel.

26 Apr 2010

Ethnic differences in genetic factors may affect susceptibility to development of breast cancer

A new study finds that factors known to increase the risk of breast cancer among white women have less influence in Hispanic women. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that research is needed to evaluate how breast cancer risk factors differ among ethnic and racial populations.

26 Apr 2010

Three genetic regions associated with cigarette smoking

A team of scientists has used data from genome-wide association studies to identify genetic variants associated with key smoking behaviors that have a significant impact on health.

26 Apr 2010

Serum cortisol levels linked with increased mortality in patients with ACS: Research

Growing evidence suggests that serum cortisol levels are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic heart failure, research presented at this week's European Congress of Endocrinology shows.

26 Apr 2010

Genes that predispose to smoking behavior and lung cancer identified: More reason to quit say researchers

According to new research there are certain genes in a smoker that make it difficult for them to cut down or quit the bad habit. This report from three studies published in the journal Nature Genetics mentions at least three different genetic mutations on chromosome 15 or changes that can increase the number of cigarettes smoked per day by an individual.

25 Apr 2010

New understanding of nerve cell influence in exchange of information

Nerve cells communicate with each other by means of electrical impulses. To create such an impulse, the cells exchange charged ions with their environment. However, the role played by the ever-present chloride channels remained obscure, although some theories predicted a relation between the chloride channel ClC-2 and epilepsy.

24 Apr 2010

Mechanisms pathogenic viruses exploit to evade immune systems of hosts

Viruses have evolved a broad range of strategies that enable them to evade the immune systems of their hosts. A team of researchers led by LMU virologist Professor J-rgen Haas has been studying a novel, recently discovered mechanism that pathogenic viruses exploit for this purpose, and their latest results could point the way to new antiviral therapies. The mechanism is based on the production of short RNA molecules, called microRNAs, by the virus.

24 Apr 2010

Genetic News and Research

Pharmacological suppression of nonsense mutations effective in treating genetic defects

Researchers to commence enrolling participants in National Children's Study

Illumina announces shipment of HiScanSQ system for research needs

Scientists now closer to produce drugs to fix disease-causing mutations, spare healthy genes

Slitrk5 gene linked to development of OCD-like behaviors

Study links progression of lethal type of brain tumor with reduced expression of immune system genes

New discovery links Slitrk5 gene to development of OCD-like behaviors

Jefferson Medical College surgeon uses artificial liver assist device as bridge to transplantation

WHO experts to examine polio outbreak in Tajikistan

Black children with chronic kidney disease have severe anemia than white children: Study

Santaris Pharma advances into drug development SPC5001 research candidate against PCSK9

DeCODE scientists discover common SNPs that increase number of CPD and risk of lung cancer

University of Utah researchers knock out genes in nematode worms

FDA clears Osmetech's eSensor Thrombophilia Risk Test

Ethnic differences in genetic factors may affect susceptibility to development of breast cancer

Three genetic regions associated with cigarette smoking

Serum cortisol levels linked with increased mortality in patients with ACS: Research

Genes that predispose to smoking behavior and lung cancer identified: More reason to quit say researchers

New understanding of nerve cell influence in exchange of information

Mechanisms pathogenic viruses exploit to evade immune systems of hosts

Sequencing & Genomics: Elevating Science and Healthcare eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News