Gene Expression News and Research

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Gene Expression is the process by which a gene gets turned on in a cell to make RNA and proteins. Gene expression may be measured by looking at the RNA, or the protein made from the RNA, or what the protein does in a cell.

HDAC6 protein may provide novel target for stress-linked disorders

A cellular protein called HDAC6, newly characterized as a gatekeeper of steroid biology in the brain, may provide a novel target for treating and preventing stress-linked disorders, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

24 Apr 2012

RVX-208 molecule increases apolipoprotein A-I production

Resverlogix Corp. today announces the "Mechanism of Action" (MoA) by which RVX-208 increases apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) production.

23 Apr 2012

Acetylon receives U.S. patent for ACY-1215 to treat multiple myeloma

Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that it has been granted U.S. Patent 8,148,526 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This patent contains fundamental composition of matter claims covering the Company's selective HDAC6 inhibitor, ACY-1215, which is currently being investigated in human clinical trials for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

21 Apr 2012

March of Dimes selects UTMB scientist to receive Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award

The March of Dimes Foundation has chosen University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston assistant professor Muge Kuyumcu-Martinez to receive a two-year, $150,000 Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award. The grant will support her research on congenital heart defects, the most common type of major birth defect.

21 Apr 2012

Perivascular fat tissue may influence onset of atherosclerosis

Researchers at UC have confirmed that fat surrounding the outside of arteries in humans-particularly the left coronary artery-may influence the onset of coronary artery disease, or atherosclerosis, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S.

21 Apr 2012

Final data from Santaris’ miravirsen Phase 2a trial on HCV to be presented at ILC 2012

Santaris Pharma A/S, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies, will present final data from a Phase 2a trial showing that miravirsen given as a four-week monotherapy treatment provided robust dose-dependent anti-viral activity with a mean reduction of 2 to 3 logs from baseline in HCV RNA (log10 IU/mL) that was sustained well beyond the end of therapy.

19 Apr 2012

New genetic signature may predict NSCLC patients at risk of relapse

A new genetic signature identified by Spanish researchers may provide doctors with robust and objective information about which patients with early stage lung cancer are at low or high risk of relapse following surgery, investigators report at the 3rd European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva. Their work also opens new avenues for immunotherapy for lung cancer.

19 Apr 2012

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus senses and reacts to host cell's impending death

A research team led by Children's National Medical Center has identified a trigger that causes latent Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) to rapidly replicate itself. KSHV causes Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and other cancers that commonly affect immunocompromised patients, including those with AIDS.

18 Apr 2012

Allied Healthcare announces Coridon license to vector technology

Allied Healthcare Group (ASX: AHZ) has announced an update on the progress of Coridon, its investment company founded by Professor Ian Frazer and working on developing the next generation of vaccines. Included in these activities, Cordon has entered into a license agreement with Nature Technology Corporation (NTC) and has contracted VGXI Inc. in the US for production of clinical material for the Phase I study scheduled to begin later this year.

17 Apr 2012

Tool predicts response to platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer

A DNA repair pathway-focused score has the potential to help determine if first-line platinum based chemotherapy can benefit advanced-stage ovarian cancer patients, according to a study published April 13 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

16 Apr 2012

Changes in thromboxane synthase may lead to hypertension in women with preeclampsia

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered that changes in the gene expression of a key enzyme may contribute to high blood pressure and increase susceptibility to forming blood clots in pregnant women with preeclampsia.

16 Apr 2012

Study examines cellular and molecular organization of human and mouse brain

Scientists at the Allen Institute for Brain Science have identified similarities and differences among regions of the human brain, among the brains of human individuals, and between humans and mice by analyzing the expression of approximately 1,000 genes in the brain.

16 Apr 2012

Researchers discover intra-cellular function of LOXL2 protein

Researchers at the Hospital de Mar Research Institute (IMIM) have discovered that the protein LOXL2 has a function within the cell nucleus thus far unknown. They have also described a new chemical reaction of this protein on histone H3 that would be involved in gene silencing, one of which would be involved in the progression of breast, larynx, lung and skin tumours.

16 Apr 2012

Transcription factors do not act like an 'on-off' switch

A UNC-led team of scientists has now shown that transcription factors don't act like an 'on-off' switch, but instead can exhibit much more complex binding behavior.

12 Apr 2012

Austrian scientists challenge the clinical relevance of the term “basal-like” breast cancer subtype

Not all breast cancers are the same. Different types can mean different prognoses for the patient, and a different kind of treatment may be adequate. But how to classify tumors? Are molecular classification methods reliable? Mohammad Ali Lavasani and Farid Moinfar from the Unit of Breast and Gynecologic Pathology at the Medical University of Graz, Austria give a critical review of the literature with focus on “basal-like” carcinoma.

11 Apr 2012

First study to demonstrate link between social status and genetic regulation in primates

The ranking of a monkey within her social environment and the stress accompanying that status dramatically alters the expression of nearly 1,000 genes, a new scientific study reports. The research is the first to demonstrate a link between social status and genetic regulation in primates on a genome-wide scale, revealing a strong, plastic link between social environment and biology.

10 Apr 2012

A step closer to correcting unhealthy gene mutations with diet

Scientists have moved a step closer to correcting some unhealthy gene mutations with diet, according to a new research report appearing in the April 2012 issue of the journal GENETICS.

9 Apr 2012

MD Anderson initiates Phase 1/2 entinostat-lapatinib ditosylate combination study in metastatic breast cancer

Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage epigenetics oncology company, announced that investigators at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Department of Breast Medical Oncology have initiated a phase 1/2 study combining Syndax's lead product entinostat with lapatinib ditosylate (Tykerb) in patients with locally recurrent or distant relapsed metastatic breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab (Herceptin).

9 Apr 2012

Powerful link between circadian rhythms and metabolism

The discovery of a major gear in the biological clock that tells the body when to sleep and metabolize food may lead to new drugs to treat sleep problems and metabolic disorders, including diabetes.

7 Apr 2012

Novel technology to grow new primordial lung progenitors

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) have derived a population of pure lung and thyroid progenitor cells in vitro that successfully mimic the developmental milestones of lung and thyroid tissue formation.

6 Apr 2012