Fanconi Anemia News and Research

RSS

Fanconi anemia or FA, is a rare, inherited blood disorder that leads to bone marrow failure. FA causes your bone marrow to stop making enough new blood cells for your body to work normally. FA also can cause your bone marrow to make many abnormal blood cells. This can lead to serious health problems such as cancer.

John H. Postlethwait selected to receive GSA's George W. Beadle Award

The Genetics Society of America is pleased to announce that John H. Postlethwait, PhD (University of Oregon) has been selected to receive the Society's George W. Beadle Award for outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers.

16 Jan 2015

Resveratrol in red wine may prevent cancer

Alcohol use is a major risk factor for head and neck cancer. But an article published in the November issue of the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology shows that the chemical resveratrol found in grape skins and in red wine may prevent cancer as well.

4 Dec 2014

Scientists find that DNA repair drug could help treat leukaemia, other cancers

A team of scientists led by Research Associate Professor Motomi Osato and Professor Yoshiaki Ito from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore found that a drug originally designed for killing a limited type of cancer cells with DNA repair defects could potentially be used to treat leukaemia and other cancers.

26 Aug 2014

Drug to kill limited type of cancer cells with DNA repair defects could treat leukaemia

A team of scientists led by Research Associate Professor Motomi Osato and Professor Yoshiaki Ito from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) found that a drug originally designed for killing a limited type of cancer cells with DNA repair defects could potentially be used to treat leukaemia and other cancers.

26 Aug 2014

Aldea Pharmaceuticals announces closure of $24M Series B equity financing

Aldea Pharmaceuticals, a company pioneering novel therapeutics to treat aldehyde metabolism disorders, today announced that it has closed a $24 million Series B equity financing.

25 Aug 2014

Scientists find interplay between two specific proteins crucial for flawless repair of crosslink damage

Environmental influences such as ionizing radiation, intense heat or various chemical substances damage the DNA constantly.

27 May 2014

Genetic basis of hereditary disease causes severe brain atrophy in Jews of Moroccan ancestry

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have unraveled the genetic basis of a hereditary disease that causes severe brain atrophy, mental retardation and epilepsy in Jews of Moroccan ancestry, according to a study published this week online in the Journal of Medical Genetics.

11 Mar 2014

Biostatistics provides clues to understanding autism: an interview with Dr Knut M. Wittkowski, The Rockefeller University

The incidence of autism spectrum disorders has increased sharply since it was first described 60 years ago. Today, ASD affects more than 1% of all children in the U.S. and about half of them develop a life-long disability.

3 Mar 2014

Researchers reveal how genetic susceptibility plays large role in cancer risk

In laboratory experiments conducted on human cell lines at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, scientists have shown that people carrying certain mutations in two hereditary cancer genes, BRCA2 and PALB2, may have a higher than usual susceptibility to DNA damage caused by a byproduct of alcohol, called acetaldehyde.

24 Jan 2014

Researchers find that 20% of women with ovarian cancer had inherited mutations in gene pathway

A new study conservatively estimates that one in five women with ovarian cancer has inherited genetic mutations that increase the risk of the disease, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

23 Jan 2014

URI professor studies rare hereditary disorder Fanconi anemia in children

When 2-year-old Logan Stevenson served as best man at his parents' wedding just days before he died of a rare genetic disorder, it drew international attention to a disease about which few people had ever heard. Hearing about Logan's story added another level of urgency to the research being conducted by University of Rhode Island Associate Professor Niall Howlett.

28 Aug 2013

Research suggests blocking DNA repair complex helps fight therapy-resistant leukemia

New research posted online by the Nature journal Leukemia suggests blocking part of a DNA repair complex that helps some types of leukemia resist treatment can increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and enhance survival.

9 Aug 2013

Regular Fanconi anemia cells aren't sensitive to resveratrol

Fanconi anemia is a recessive genetic disorder affecting 1 in 350,000 babies, which leaves cells unable to repair damaged DNA. This lack of repair puts Fanconi anemia patients at high risk for developing a variety of cancers, especially leukemias and head and neck cancer.

5 Sep 2012

Research finds new single-gene cause of chronic kidney disease

A new single-gene cause of chronic kidney disease has been discovered that implicates a disease mechanism not previously believed to be related to the disease, according to new research from the University of Michigan.

11 Jul 2012

FANCM gene plays key role in recombination of genetic information during inheritance

Scientists of KIT and the University of Birmingham have identified relevant new functions of a gene that plays a crucial role in Fanconi anemia, a life-threatening disease. The FANCM gene is known to be important for the stability of the genome.

30 Apr 2012

Federal Court refuses to reconsider bone marrow donor payments

According to a federal appeals court it would not reconsider a ruling that allows bone marrow donors to be paid for their donations like blood donors.

29 Mar 2012

First “saviour sibling” procedure successful

In a first, a nine year old girl received tissue donated by her 18-month old brother Max who was created specifically so that he could aid her medical treatment – a procedure termed as “savior sibling”. This is the first time that the procedure has been under the supervision of British researchers from IVF onwards.

27 Dec 2010

Cord Blood America shares web site post on Thanksgiving Day

On this day before Thanksgiving, a day when our entire nation gives thanks for its blessing, Cord Blood America, Inc., the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells to families nationwide and internationally, would like to share with its investors a post from its web site by Dr. Geoffrey O'Neill, CBAI Vice President, Operations.

24 Nov 2010

NIH awards $3.9M for Fanconi anemia research

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a three-year, $3.9 million grant to Children's Hospital Boston researchers and their colleagues to develop a therapy to treat Fanconi anemia, a fatal genetic blood disease.

25 Oct 2010

Dr. Bessler joins Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

One of the world's leading experts in bone marrow failure and related blood disorders recently joined The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Hematology researcher Monica Bessler, M.D., Ph.D., arrived at the hospital this summer to establish a new program, the Pediatric and Adult Comprehensive Bone Marrow Failure Center.

5 Oct 2010