Mutation News and Research

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Bosutinib safe, effective for chronic myelogenous leukemia

A new drug for chronic myelogenous leukemia works for patients who have developed resistance to frontline therapy and causes fewer side effects than other medications in its class, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports at the 49th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

12 Dec 2007

New test for targeted therapy in acute myeloid leukemia

Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researcher Jeff Tyner, Ph.D., has created a way to identify proteins that are candidates for targeted therapy in acute myeloid leukemia using an assay that yields results in just four days.

10 Dec 2007

New studies on brain and behavior from the world's leading scientists

The 2007 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting will feature hundreds of new studies on brain and behavior from the world's leading scientists.

10 Dec 2007

New drug candidate knocks out resistant form of chronic myeloid leukemia

Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have found a new, experimental drug candidate it to be effective against a highly resistant mutation in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

10 Dec 2007

Human evolution in genetic fast lane

Countering a common theory that human evolution has slowed to a crawl or even stopped in modern humans, a new study examining data from an international genomics project describes the past 40,000 years as a time of supercharged evolutionary change, driven by exponential population growth and cultural shifts.

10 Dec 2007

Genetic evidence that human evolution is speeding up

Researchers discovered genetic evidence that human evolution is speeding up – and has not halted or proceeded at a constant rate, as had been thought – indicating that humans on different continents are becoming increasingly different.

10 Dec 2007

Genetic animal model of autism

By introducing a gene mutation in mice, investigators have created what they believe to be the first accurate model of autism not associated with a broader neuropsychiatric syndrome, according to research presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology annual meeting.

10 Dec 2007

Chikungunya in La Reunion - new findings

Researchers have discovered the key to how a mysterious mosquito-borne viral outbreak swept over the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion in 2005 and 2006, infecting about 266,000 people and causing at least 260 deaths — the first fatalities to be reported in connection with the virus, known as chikungunya.

10 Dec 2007

Study shows how mutations in the BRCA1 gene lead to breast cancer

An international team of researchers led by Columbia University Medical Center's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and Sweden's Lund University has, for the first time, revealed how mutations in the BRCA1 gene lead to breast cancer.

10 Dec 2007

Nilotinib and Dasatinib show promise as therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia

Two drugs approved for use as second line therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia are showing promising results as frontline therapy for newly diagnosed patients in two clinical trials, research teams led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report at the 49th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

10 Dec 2007

Chikungunya virus spreads to new vectors

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch have discovered how a key protein switch allows Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) to spread to new vectors.

10 Dec 2007

Bird flu cases in China still a puzzle

Health authorities in China say the search for a causal link between a son and his father, both victims of bird flu, has revealed no evidence that the virus has mutated into a new strain.

10 Dec 2007

Human to human spread of bird flu suspected in China

Health authorities in China have announced that the father of a man who died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu last week also has the lethal virus.

9 Dec 2007

Missing brain protein may be one of the culprits behind autism and other brain disorders

The protein helps synapses develop. Synapses--through which neurons communicate with one other-underlie our ability to learn and remember. Now Li-Huei Tsai, Picower Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, has uncovered an enzyme that is key to that protein's activity.

5 Dec 2007

Many cancers caused by infections

Cancer -- popularly understood as a result of mutations or mistakes within the genetic code in cells -- is also caused by infections from viruses, bacteria and parasites.

5 Dec 2007

Researchers gain new understanding of the causes of dyslexia

Dyslexia marked by poor reading fluency - slow and choppy reading - may be caused by disorganized, meandering tracts of nerve fibers in the brain, according to researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).

4 Dec 2007

Research may lead to more effective sunscreens

Chronic exposure to the sun increases the risk of an individual developing skin cancer because UV light from the sun can cause genetic mutations that enable cells in the skin to grow in an uncontrolled manner.

4 Dec 2007

Genetic testing for severe type of migraine may help identify new treatment options

People with a severe type of migraine in which one side of the body becomes weak should consider genetic testing, according to research that has found familial genes for this type of migraine in people who did not have family members experiencing the problem.

4 Dec 2007

New classification system for rare lung diseases in infants

A new classification system of rare lung diseases in infants is improving diagnosis and treatment.

3 Dec 2007

Broccoli shows benefits for epidermolysis bullosa simplex

The compound sulforaphane whose natural precursors are found at high levels in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables has been hailed for its chemopreventive powers against cancer.

3 Dec 2007