Genetic News and Research

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Decoding genomes from 25,000 cancer samples

The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) today set out its bold plan to decode the genomes from 25,000 cancer samples and create a resource of freely available data that will help cancer researchers around the world. The publication outlines research design and projects as well as the important ethical framework for this science.

15 Apr 2010

Gene causing progressive form of hair loss identified

A team of investigators from Columbia, Rockefeller and Stanford Universities has identified a new gene involved in hair growth, as reported in a paper in the April 15 issue of Nature. This discovery may affect future research and treatments for male pattern baldness and other forms of hair loss.

15 Apr 2010

MDA awards over $21M in grants for advancing critical neuromuscular research

Forty-two medical researchers and their labs have been awarded more than $21 million in grants by the Muscular Dystrophy Association to advance critical neuromuscular research in 2010. Many of the grants are multi-year awards to be dispersed over the next three years.

15 Apr 2010

Gene defect promotes aggressive forms of ovarian cancer

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have discovered how mistakes in a key gene drive the early stages of aggressive ovarian cancers. This could improve diagnosis of aggressive forms of the disease and lead to new treatments, according to a study published in the Journal of Pathology this month.

15 Apr 2010

Scientists uncover new genes responsible for cancer, deafness

From deep within the genomes of organisms as diverse as plants, worms and yeast, scientists have uncovered new genes responsible for causing human diseases such as cancer and deafness.

15 Apr 2010

New data from Pfizer Oncology's pipeline to be presented at AACR 2010

Pfizer Oncology announced today that it will present new data from the company's pipeline, including two novel, dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors (PF-04691502 and PKI-587, also known as PF-05212384); crizotinib (PF-02341066), an ALK inhibitor that also inhibits c-MET; and PF-04605412, an anti-α5β1 inhibitor.

15 Apr 2010

Researchers identify new strategy for treating acute myeloid leukemia

Researchers have identified a self-feeding "vicious circle" of molecules that keeps acute leukemia cells alive and growing and that drives the disease forward.

15 Apr 2010

Study provides support for relationship between APOE4 gene and risk of Alzheimer's disease in Latinos

A brain-imaging study published today in the Archives of Neurology suggests that a major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease in the Anglo population is also a risk factor for the disease in Latinos.

15 Apr 2010

eRNA molecules are key players in brain development, says study

How does the brain work? This question is one of the greatest scientific mysteries, and neurobiologists have only recently begun to piece together the molecular building blocks that enable human beings to be "thinking" animals.

15 Apr 2010

Researchers develop new method to identify genetic variation in active genes

Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a new method for identifying genetic variation, including mutations, in active genes. Hopes are strong that the method represents an important research tool that will lead to the development of new diagnostic tests.

15 Apr 2010

ICGC: New era of personalised medicine for cancer patients

Published online today in Nature, a paper authored by over 200 members of the International Cancer Genome Consortium describes the beginnings of a Brave New World, a new era of personalised medicine for cancer patients.

15 Apr 2010

UA Superfund Research Program to study contaminated dust, water and health issues

Metal-laden dust and contaminated water, and their health effects, will be the focus of multiple projects for the University of Arizona's Superfund Research Program during the next five years. The National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences recently notified UA that the Superfund Research Program, funded since 1989, will receive an additional $14 million in grant funding through 2015 to conduct the research.

15 Apr 2010

Researchers identify gene that appears to increase risk of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have identified a gene that appears to increase a person's risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of Alzheimer's disease. The research will be presented as part of the late-breaking science program at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, April 10 - 17, 2010.

15 Apr 2010

PROP compound linked to obesity and risk of cardiovascular disease

Whether or not you can taste a bitter compound called 6-n-propylthiouracil (or PROP) may help Professor Beverly Tepper identify your risk for becoming obese and/or developing cardiovascular disease.

15 Apr 2010

Australian scientists sequence genome of pancreatic cancer

The International Cancer Genome Consortium which includes researchers from 22 countries is mapping the genomes of different types of cancers. A genome is essentially a blueprint of a human’s DNA. The genetic data of each individual is different and so is the genetic data of the cancer in the individual. The Australian scientists are sequencing the genomes of people suffering from pancreatic cancer.

15 Apr 2010

High level of microRNAs found in patients with high-risk multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) recently discovered that widespread activity of a specific class of genes can identify aggressive, or high-risk, cases of the disease.

13 Apr 2010

Strains of Salmonella beginning to emerge in HIV-infected people in Africa

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have discovered that dangerous strains of Salmonella are beginning to emerge in people infected with HIV in Africa.

13 Apr 2010

TD2, Horizon Discovery announce strategic alliance to advance personalized medicine

A strategic alliance announced today between TGen Drug Development (TD2) and Horizon Discovery Limited will significant advance personalized medicine.

13 Apr 2010

New Supramap web-based application to track and stop disease outbreaks

Pathogens can now be easily tracked in time and space as they evolve, an advance that could revolutionize both public health and inform national security in the fight against infectious diseases. Developed by researchers that include scientists at the American Museum of Natural History, Supramap is a new, powerful, web-based application that maps genetic mutations like those among the different strains of avian influenza onto the globe.

13 Apr 2010

CSL Behring calls for grant requests through LEAD program

CSL Behring, a global leader in the plasma protein biotherapeutics industry, is calling for grant requests through its Local Empowerment for Advocacy Development program. The LEAD program awards funds to United States patient organizations that assist people with rare diseases in advocating for continued access to health care and life-saving plasma protein therapies.

13 Apr 2010