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Pancreatic B-cell dedifferentiation leads to decline in insulin production in type 2 diabetes

Scientists generally think that reduced insulin production by the pancreas, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes, is due to the death of the organ's beta cells. However, a new study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers shows that beta cells do not die but instead revert to a more fundamental, undifferentiated cell type.

15 Sep 2012

Sanford-Burnham scientist to receive NIH’s New Innovator Award

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director today announced that Duc Dong, Ph.D., assistant professor at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), will receive a New Innovator Award.

15 Sep 2012

Genomes of lung cancer smokers have more mutations

Lung cancer patients with a history of smoking have 10 times more genetic mutations in their tumors than those with the disease who have never smoked, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

14 Sep 2012

Scientists successfully reverse neuronal changes in autism

People with autism suffer from a pervasive developmental disorder of the brain that becomes evident in early childhood. Peter Scheiffele and Kaspar Vogt, Professors at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, have identified a specific dysfunction in neuronal circuits that is caused by autism.

14 Sep 2012

Study: 172K polymorphism makes certain forms of HIV less resistant to drugs

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can contain dozens of different mutations, called polymorphisms. In a recent study an international team of researchers, including MU scientists, found that one of those mutations, called 172K, made certain forms of the virus more susceptible to treatment. Soon, doctors will be able to use this knowledge to improve the drug regiment they prescribe to HIV-infected individuals.

14 Sep 2012

SOX2 gene potential therapeutic target for SCLC

Expression of the Sry-related HMG box 2 gene is higher in small-celllung cancer tissue samples than in non-cancerous lung tissue samples, according to findings from a genetic study.

13 Sep 2012

ICREA researcher updates latest findings in applied epigenetics

The research team led by Manel Esteller, director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), professor of genetics at the University of Barcelona and ICREA researcher, has updated the latest findings in applied epigenetics in a review paper published in Nature Reviews Genetics.

13 Sep 2012

NDC to advance study and treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases

The Neurodegeneration Consortium (NDC), a transformative multi-institutional initiative, will advance the study and treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, thanks to an inaugural $25 million gift from the Robert A. and Renee E. Belfer Family Foundation to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

13 Sep 2012

Endocannabinoids may contribute to pregnancy complications

New research indicates marijuana-like compounds called endocannabinoids alter genes and biological signals critical to the formation of a normal placenta during pregnancy and may contribute to pregnancy complications like preeclampsia.

13 Sep 2012

Melbourne researchers develop genetic test to predict risk of autism spectrum disorder

A team of Australian researchers, led by University of Melbourne has developed a genetic test that is able to predict the risk of developing Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD.

13 Sep 2012

Synthetic biology pioneer wins 2012 Heinz Award

Jay Keasling, a leading authority and pioneer on synthetic biology who has engineered microbial "factories" to manufacture an affordable version of a frontline antimalarial drug and biofuel substitutes for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, has won a 2012 Heinz Award, which is presented by the Heinz Family Foundation and carries with it a cash prize of $250,000.

13 Sep 2012

New research offers ways in which investigators can reduce amount of Cd in foods

A number of environmental toxins pose considerable health threats to humans, and the heavy metal cadmium (Cd) ranks high on the list. Most of us are exposed to it through plant-derived foods such as grains and vegetables. Now, new research offers ways in which investigators can reduce the amount of Cd found in the food we eat, according to a review published online September 12th in the Cell Press journal Trends in Plant Science.

13 Sep 2012

Molecular beacons allow scientists to monitor gene expression during stem cell transformation

A novel set of custom-designed "molecular beacons" allows scientists to monitor gene expression in living populations of stem cells as they turn into a specific tissue in real-time. The technology, which Brown University researchers describe in a new study, provides tissue engineers with a potentially powerful tool to discover what it may take to make stem cells transform into desired tissue cells more often and more quickly.

12 Sep 2012

Gene therapy regimen can safely restore immune systems to children with Bubble Boy disease

UCLA stem cell researchers have found that a gene therapy regimen can safely restore immune systems to children with so-called "Bubble Boy" disease, a life threatening condition that if left untreated can be fatal within one to two years.

12 Sep 2012

Researchers identify novel genes that make some children cope with malaria

Researchers from Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and University of Montreal have identified several novel genes that make some children more efficient than others in the way their immune system responds to malaria infection.

12 Sep 2012

Pregnancy exposures may increase risk of breast cancer in multiple generations of offspring

Chemicals or foods that raise estrogen levels during pregnancy may increase cancer risk in daughters, granddaughters, and even great-granddaughters, according to scientists from Virginia Tech and Georgetown University.

12 Sep 2012

Scripps scientists discover new antibody-discovery technique

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found a new technique that should greatly speed the discovery of medically and scientifically useful antibodies, immune system proteins that detect and destroy invaders such as bacteria and viruses. New methods to discover antibodies are important because antibodies make up the fastest growing sector of human therapeutics; it is estimated that by 2014 the top-three selling drugs worldwide will be antibodies.

12 Sep 2012

Molecular insight into oxygen sensing mechanism

The study of an oxygen-sensing bacterial regulatory protein by chemistry researchers at the University of Georgia has provided molecular insight into the oxygen sensing mechanism, which could ultimately lead to a better understanding of the ageing process and new treatments for human diseases such cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

12 Sep 2012

Genes predict the brain's reaction to smoking

Have you ever wondered why some people find it so much easier to stop smoking than others? New research shows that vulnerability to smoking addiction is shaped by our genes. A study from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, McGill University shows that people with genetically fast nicotine metabolism have a significantly greater brain response to smoking cues than those with slow nicotine metabolism.

12 Sep 2012

Berkeley lab researchers link possible new oncogene with resistance to cancer drugs

A gene that may possibly belong to an entire new family of oncogenes has been linked by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) to the resistance of breast cancer to a well-regarded and widely used cancer therapy.

12 Sep 2012

Genes News and Research

Pancreatic B-cell dedifferentiation leads to decline in insulin production in type 2 diabetes

Sanford-Burnham scientist to receive NIH’s New Innovator Award

Genomes of lung cancer smokers have more mutations

Scientists successfully reverse neuronal changes in autism

Study: 172K polymorphism makes certain forms of HIV less resistant to drugs

SOX2 gene potential therapeutic target for SCLC

ICREA researcher updates latest findings in applied epigenetics

NDC to advance study and treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases

Endocannabinoids may contribute to pregnancy complications

Melbourne researchers develop genetic test to predict risk of autism spectrum disorder

Synthetic biology pioneer wins 2012 Heinz Award

New research offers ways in which investigators can reduce amount of Cd in foods

Molecular beacons allow scientists to monitor gene expression during stem cell transformation

Gene therapy regimen can safely restore immune systems to children with Bubble Boy disease

Researchers identify novel genes that make some children cope with malaria

Pregnancy exposures may increase risk of breast cancer in multiple generations of offspring

Scripps scientists discover new antibody-discovery technique

Molecular insight into oxygen sensing mechanism

Genes predict the brain's reaction to smoking

Berkeley lab researchers link possible new oncogene with resistance to cancer drugs

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