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Phenotypic personalized medicine can identify a person's optimal drug, dose combinations

For decades, doctors and scientists have predicted that personalized medicine — tailoring drug doses and combinations to people's specific diseases and body chemistry — would be the future of health care.

7 Apr 2016

Researchers develop innovative method for gene transfer

Researchers have developed a new and highly efficient method for gene transfer. The technique, which involves culturing and transfecting cells with genetic material on an array of carbon nanotubes, appears to overcome the limitations of other gene editing technologies.

7 Apr 2016

Forensic scientists find that HSV-1 strains could be useful for tracing a person's history

The genomes of two distinct strains of the virus that causes the common lip cold sore, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), have been identified within the same person -- an achievement that could be useful to forensic scientists for tracing a person's history.

6 Apr 2016

Vanderbilt, Celgene collaborate to accelerate development of personalized therapies

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has entered into a strategic research agreement with Celgene Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company based in Summit, New Jersey.

5 Apr 2016

Study demonstrates rarity of familial hypercholesterolemia mutations in individuals with high cholesterol

Only a small fraction of people with very high cholesterol can attribute their condition to a genetic mutation related to familial hypercholesterolemia, but individuals with these mutations face a high risk of developing early-onset coronary artery disease, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

4 Apr 2016

DNA changes may affect a person's lifespan

Scientists have identified DNA changes that can cut a person's lifespan by up to three years.

31 Mar 2016

Penn researchers discover molecular mechanism that underlies common cerebrovascular disease

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are clusters of dilated, thin-walled blood vessels in the brain that can cause stroke and seizures, yet exactly how they form is somewhat of a mystery. Now, a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has discovered the molecular mechanism that underlies this common cerebrovascular disease. They published their results this week online ahead of print in Nature.

31 Mar 2016

SLU scientist describes several tactics that can help cells overcome lesions

In a recent review paper published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, SLU scientist Alessandro Vindigni, Ph.D., describes the strategies cells use when their DNA faces replication stress, challenges that may derail a cell's ability to reproduce.

29 Mar 2016

Study identifies genetic differences in kidney tumors of African-Americans

A University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center-led study has identified genetic differences in tumors of African-Americans with the most common type of kidney cancer compared with whites.

26 Mar 2016

DNA sequence features predict genome-wide binding pattern of key protein involved in brain disorders

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of California-Davis are combining in vivo experimentation with computation for highly accurate prediction of the genome-wide binding pattern of a key protein involved in brain disorders.

25 Mar 2016

Virus-generated DNA lurking between human genes, show research

Think your DNA is all human? Think again. And a new discovery suggests it's even less human than scientists previously thought.

24 Mar 2016

Researchers elucidate how cells are blind to chromosome cohesion defects

Research led by Raquel Oliveira, group leader at Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, has elucidated how cells are almost blind to chromosome cohesion defects.

24 Mar 2016

Research findings offer new way to differentiate, treat patients with lung cancer

Research in Manchester has identified mutations in lung cancer that is key to tumour growth, offering a new way to differentiate and treat some patients with the disease.

23 Mar 2016

Research sheds new light on genetic relationship between ASD and ASD-related traits in wider population

New light has been shed on the genetic relationship between autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and ASD-related traits in the wider population, by a team of international researchers including academics from the University of Bristol, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

22 Mar 2016

Study sheds light on role of RNA editing in cancer

A new study provides insight on the potential role played by RNA (ribonucleic acid) editing in cancer. The findings, which appear online in the journal Scientific Reports, may further our understanding of an emerging mechanism implicated in tumor initiation and progression, and may thus lead to the development of better treatment options in the future.

18 Mar 2016

Fujitsu Laboratories develops new technology that accelerates database analyses of genomic information

Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. announced the development of a technology that accelerates database analyses of the correlations between genomic variations and environmental information, such as disease and lifestyle habits. This technology speeds up the process by a factor of roughly 400 compared to existing methods.

16 Mar 2016

Researchers identify new mutation responsible for spinocerebellar ataxia

Using the genetic information of two different families with three generations of disease, researchers have identified a new mutation responsible for a degenerative and ultimately fatal movement disorder. Through induced pluripotent stem cell techniques, researchers also grew neurons from one patient in the laboratory to be used in future experiments.

15 Mar 2016

Scientists map biological networks of genes to gain new insights on disease mechanisms

Innovative software tools allowed the scientists to construct accurate "maps" of gene networks for about 400 different human cell and tissue types, ranging from immune cells to brain tissues, whereas previous studies were limited to just one or few tissues.

11 Mar 2016

IOM report elucidates state of ovarian cancer incidence, treatment and research

Ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest malignancies, is actually a constellation of different cancers that may originate in other organs and should not be treated as a single disease, concludes a new congressionally mandated report on the state of ovarian cancer incidence, treatment and research. The report, published by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, also highlights persistent serious disparities in delivery of care across different groups of women in the U.S., and suggests promising areas for further research.

4 Mar 2016

Study on DNA scrunching may aid in developing new antimicrobial medicines

A research collaboration that combines novel "big-data" informatics tools with expertise in basic biology has uncovered details of an essential process in life: how a crucial enzyme locates the site on DNA where it begins to direct the synthesis of RNA. This finding may aid in the discovery of new antimicrobial medicines, and the powerful technological approaches developed for this research may shed light on other essential cellular processes.