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Study points to molecular pathway to treat recurring, deadly malignancies

Analyzing the genomes of twin 3-year-old sisters – one healthy and one with aggressive leukemia – led an international team of researchers to identify a novel molecular target that could become a way to treat recurring and deadly malignancies.

9 Feb 2014

Study: Genetic mutations in titin gene can cause skeletal muscle disease

A University of Arizona doctoral candidate has shown for the first time that genetic mutations in the titin gene can cause skeletal muscle myopathy, a disease in which muscle fibers do not function properly, resulting in muscle weakness.

29 Jan 2014

Scientists provide new insights into molecular regulation of stem cell differentiation

The findings of the scientists of the Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research (IDR) at Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) provide new insights into the molecular regulation of stem cell differentiation.

25 Jan 2014

Blood methylome offers clues to schizophrenia

Researchers show that a methylome-wide association study of the blood can provide a glimpse of past environmental insults that may contribute to the development of schizophrenia.

22 Jan 2014

Scientists identify specific enzyme essential for brain development

Scientists from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna have identified a specific enzyme, histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2), as essential for brain development. The findings published in Development are important to advance the development of new drugs to treat neurological diseases.

22 Jan 2014

Researchers suggest new targets may provide druggable alternatives to Ewing's Sarcoma

Ewing's Sarcoma is an aggressive pediatric cancer, most commonly caused by the improper fusion of the gene EWS with the gene FLI1. Though the cause has long been known, therapeutic targeting of this fusion has to date proven very difficult.

22 Jan 2014

Irregular sleep timing disrupts daily rhythms of our genes

A new study from the University of Surrey, published today in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), found that the daily rhythms of our genes are disrupted when sleep times shift.

21 Jan 2014

Study explores the role of DNA in predisposing individuals to diseases

A group of international researchers, led by a research fellow in the Harvard Medical School-affiliated Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, published a paper today in Cell describing a study aimed at better understanding how inherited genetic differences, or variants, predispose certain individuals to develop diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

16 Jan 2014

BMH-21 chemical compound has ability to shut down a common cancer process

Johns Hopkins scientists say a previously known but little studied chemical compound targets and shuts down a common cancer process. In studies of laboratory-grown human tumor cell lines, the drug disrupted tumor cell division and prevented growth of advanced cancer cells.

15 Jan 2014

Finland researchers identify mechanism that enhances prostate cancer proliferation, metastasis

A research group at Biocenter Oulu in Finland has identified a mechanism related to a transcription factor that binds much more strongly onto a particular SNP variant, thereby initiating a genetic programme which enhances prostate cancer proliferation and metastasis.

13 Jan 2014

Montreal researchers identifies two specific key players in growth of GBM

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and deadly form of primary malignant brain cancer accounting for approximately 15% of all brain tumours and occurring mostly in adults between the ages of 45 and 70.

9 Jan 2014

First patient enrolled in the North American Phase 3 clinical trials for investigational flu treatment drug

BioDefense Therapeutics—a Joint Product Management office within the U.S. Department of Defense—announced the first patient enrolled in the North American Phase 3 clinical trials for favipiravir (T-705a). The drug is an investigational flu treatment candidate with broad-spectrum potential being developed by BD Tx through a contract with Boston-based MediVector, Inc.

7 Jan 2014

Study suggests new target for drugs to treat head and neck tumors

The increased activation of a key oncogene in head and neck cancers could be the result of mutation and dysfunction of regulatory proteins that are supposed to keep the gene, which has the potential to cause cancer, in check, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

7 Jan 2014

AstraZeneca to take over Probiodrug's CDK9 inhibitor program

Probiodrug AG announced today the transfer of its experimental cyclin-dependent kinase 9 inhibitor program to AstraZeneca. The transaction includes the sale to AstraZeneca of a lead molecule and back-up compounds with the associated intellectual property. CDK9, which has been implicated in the transcriptional regulation of genes involved in proliferation and inflammation, is a promising target for the treatment of both cancer and inflammatory diseases.

3 Jan 2014

Discovery opens new pathways for treatment of toxoplasmosis and malaria

A newly identified protein and other proteins it interacts with could become effective targets for new drugs to control the parasite that cause toxoplasmosis, researchers led by investigators at Indiana University School of Medicine have reported.

3 Jan 2014

Activation of protein P300 plays central role in DNA repair in hippocampal neurons

Various medications have been developed to treat neurodegenerative disorders, and drugs without significant side effects are gaining widespread interest such disorders.

27 Dec 2013

Researchers identify molecular link between liver cancer, obesity, alcoholism, and hepatitis

Obesity, alcoholism, and chronic hepatitis all increase the risk of getting liver cancer, which is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Obesity in particular is driving a significant increase in liver cancer in the United States.

20 Dec 2013

Researchers map cell's complex genetic interactions to fix UV damaged DNA

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in The Netherlands and United Kingdom, have produced the first map detailing the network of genetic interactions underlying the cellular response to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

19 Dec 2013

Researchers discover series of compounds possessing anti-HIV activity

University of Minnesota researchers have discovered a first-of-its-kind series of compounds possessing anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity. The compounds present a new target for potential HIV drug development and future treatment options.

18 Dec 2013

Scientists establish a goal of creating vaccine gene chip to speed up vaccine testing

Testing the efficacy of vaccines in clinical trials takes years, even decades. Yet challenging infections like HIV, malaria and dengue are striking today. To speed up vaccine testing, scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center have established a goal of creating a "vaccine gene chip."

17 Dec 2013