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Small interfering RNAs in mammals act as specific antiviral weapons

Many viral infections are nipped in the bud by the innate immune response. This involves specific proteins within the infected cell that recognize the virus and trigger a signalling cascade - the so-called interferon response. This activates a protective mechanism in neighbouring cells and often results in the death of the primarily infected cell.

11 Oct 2013

Gene mutation offers clues to development of diverse neurological disorders

A research team, headed by Theodore Friedmann, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, says a gene mutation that causes a rare but devastating neurological disorder known as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome appears to offer clues to the developmental and neuronal defects found in other, diverse neurological disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.

10 Oct 2013

Study: Distinct behavior of proteins reflects common biochemical principles

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found unexpected similarities between proteins that were thought to be fundamentally different.

9 Oct 2013

Researchers who contributed to field of medicine receive Keio Medical Science Prize

The 18th Keio Medical Science Prize has been awarded to Victor R. Ambros, PhD, professor of molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Silverman Chair in Natural Science; and Shigekazu Nagata, PhD, professor of medical chemistry in the Graduate School of Medicine at Kyoto University.

8 Oct 2013

Regular five-meal pattern associated with reduced risk of obesity

A regular eating pattern may protect adolescents from obesity, according to a Finnish population-based study with more than 4,000 participants. When eating five meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks - a day, even those with a genetic predisposition to obesity had no higher body mass index (BMI) than their controls.

3 Oct 2013

New method to monitor activity of gene promoters during response to drug

When developing new drugs, monitoring cellular responses to candidate compounds is essential for assessing their efficacy and safety. Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies report a new method to monitor and quantify the activity of gene promoters during the response to a drug, using the advanced gene expression analysis method CAGE followed by single-molecule sequencing.

3 Oct 2013

Genetic discovery could take guesswork out of prescribing correct dose of drugs

The discovery of genetic differences affecting up to a third of the population could take the guesswork out of prescribing the correct dose of 25 percent of drugs currently on the market, researchers say.

2 Oct 2013

Scientists unravel secrets of mechanism that snips our genes

Certain diseases such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy are linked to genetic mutations that damage the important biological process of rearranging gene sequences in pre-messenger RNA, a procedure called RNA splicing.

27 Sep 2013

Researchers identify mutation in ITGA10 gene that causes chondrodysplasia in dog breeds

Professor Hannes Lohi's research group at the University of Helsinki and Folkhälsan Research Center has identified a mutation in ITGA10 gene, causing chondrodysplasia in two dog breeds, the Norwegian Elkhound and the Karelian Bear Dog.

26 Sep 2013

$Researchers show link between FTO gene and hip fracture in women$

Researchers show link between FTO gene and hip fracture in women

Australian researchers have demonstrated a strong association between the FTO (fat and obesity) gene and hip fracture in women. While the gene is already well known to affect diabetes and obesity, this is the first study to show that its high-risk variant can increase the risk of hip fracture by as much as 82%.

25 Sep 2013

New And Improved Method For Analyzing Single-Cell Gene Expression

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24 Sep 2013

Researchers develop new, improved technique for single-cell gene expression analysis

A team of researchers affiliated with Ludwig Cancer Research and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report in the current issue of Nature Methods a dramatically improved technique for analyzing the genes expressed within a single cell -- a capability of relevance to everything from basic research to future cancer diagn

23 Sep 2013

Small alteration in a brain gene contributes to risk for anxiety, depression and memory loss

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered why a tiny alteration in a brain gene, found in 20 percent of the population, contributes to the risk for anxiety, depression and memory loss.

20 Sep 2013

Researchers identify likely molecular pathway that causes untreatable neurodegenerative diseases

University of Adelaide researchers have identified a likely molecular pathway that causes a group of untreatable neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease and Lou Gehrig's disease.

19 Sep 2013

Sequenom announces Certified Service Provider program for technical certification

Sequenom, Inc., a life sciences company providing innovative diagnostic testing and genetic analysis solutions, today announced a Certified Service Provider (CSP) program for the technical certification of selected laboratories offering research services using the Sequenom research-use-only MassARRAY System.

18 Sep 2013

Gene variations predict breast cancer sleep disturbance

Researchers have identified cytokine gene variations in women with breast cancer that may help to identify those at increased risk for sleep disturbance following surgery.

16 Sep 2013

New method helps reconnect injured organs or build functional human tissues from ground up

A team of researchers at the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University has found a way to self-assemble complex structures out of bricks smaller than a grain of salt.

10 Sep 2013

NIH awards nearly $14M grants to research on how genetic factors influence susceptibility to disease

Five research teams have received new four-year awards to study the genomics of disease susceptibility in ethnically diverse populations. The projects aim to unravel the subtle variations in genetic makeup among groups - including African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics and more - that may account for differences in risks for conditions such as high blood pressure and high blood lipids, in addition to common diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

7 Sep 2013

Plasma marker inflames schizophrenia risk

Elevated plasma levels of the inflammatory molecule C-reactive protein may be a marker of an increased risk for developing schizophrenia, a study suggests.

6 Sep 2013

Bioinformatics researchers investigate functional diversity of proteins

No two human beings are the same. Although we all possess the same genes, our genetic code varies in many places. And since genes provide the blueprint for all proteins, these variants usually result in numerous differences in protein function. But what impact does this diversity have? Bioinformatics researchers at Rutgers University and the Technische Universitaet Muenchen have investigated how protein function is affected by changes at the DNA level.