Genes News and Research

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Restrooms are no more healthy, unhealthy than your home

Microbial succession in a sterilized restroom begins with bacteria from the gut and the vagina, and is followed shortly by microbes from the skin. Restrooms are dominated by a stable community structure of skin and outdoor associated bacteria, with few pathogenic bacteria making them similar to other built environments such as your home.

2 Dec 2014

Mayo Clinic recommends genetic screening for patients with triple-negative breast cancer

Most patients with triple-negative breast cancer should undergo genetic testing for mutations in known breast cancer predisposition genes, including BRCA1 and BRCA2, a Mayo Clinic-led study has found.

2 Dec 2014

Commonly used osteoporosis medications may also prevent lung, breast and colon cancers

The most commonly used medications for osteoporosis worldwide, bisphosphonates, may also prevent certain kinds of lung, breast and colon cancers, according to two studies led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

2 Dec 2014

DFG to establish eight new Collaborative Research Centres

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) will establish eight new Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs).

2 Dec 2014

Variants of ASIC1a gene appear to be associated with panic disorder

Panic disorder is a severe form of anxiety in which the affected individual feels an abrupt onset of fear, often accompanied by profound physical symptoms of discomfort. Scientists have known from studying twins that genes contribute to the risk of panic disorder, but very little is known about which specific genes are involved.

2 Dec 2014

Alport syndrome: an interview with Dr Paul Grint, CMO, Regulus

Alport Syndrome was first described by a physician called Cecil Alport, back in the late 1920s. It's a genetic disease that affects a certain type of collagen involved in the functioning of the kidney, the ear, and the eye.

1 Dec 2014

Exome sequencing refines 46,XY DSD diagnosis

Exome sequencing can identify a likely genetic cause of 46,XY disorders of sex development in about a third of cases, report researchers.

1 Dec 2014

Promising new therapeutic strategy for chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects at least one in four Americans who are older than 60 and can significantly shorten lifespan. Yet the few available drugs for CKD can only modestly delay the disease's progress towards kidney failure. Now, however, a team led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has found an aspect of CKD's development that points to a promising new therapeutic strategy.

1 Dec 2014

Predictive model provides information for treating 20% of human diseases

The analysis of drugs, natural products, and chemical substances found in the environment allows the identification of the chemical fragments responsible for a therapeutic or deleterious effect on human health.

1 Dec 2014

Different forms of ASIC1a gene associated with panic disorder

Panic disorder is a severe form of anxiety in which the affected individual feels an abrupt onset of fear, often accompanied by profound physical symptoms of discomfort.

1 Dec 2014

Researchers identify new genetic biomarkers that predict outcomes for patients with bowel cancer

Researchers at University of Limerick and University Hospital Limerick have identified several new genetic biomarkers which better predict outcomes for patients with bowel/colorectal cancer. The research team identified genes that are predictors of cancer recurrence and can also help to identify a patients’ suitability to specific types of chemotherapy.

1 Dec 2014

CCR5 receptor plays key role in driving prostate cancer metastases

Although prostate cancer can be successfully treated in many men, when the disease metastasizes to the bone, it is eventually lethal. In a study published online December 1st in the journal Cancer Research, researchers show that the receptor CCR5 best known for its role in HIV therapy, may also be involved in driving the spread of prostate cancer to the bone.

1 Dec 2014

Phenotyping human diseases in mice: an interview with Professor Carola Vinuesa

One of the main obstacles to finding effective therapies for human diseases has been our limited understanding of disease pathogenesis: we lack detailed knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead to the development of disease.

30 Nov 2014

DFG to establish new Collaborative Research Centres

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) will establish eight new Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs).

29 Nov 2014

Certain mosquito species genetically better at transmitting malaria

Certain species of mosquitoes are genetically better at transmitting malaria than even some of their close cousins, according to a multi-institutional team of researchers including Virginia Tech scientists.

28 Nov 2014

New study explores how genes interact in relation to the behavior of muscles

How do the genes in the cells inside the body's muscles respond when the muscles are put to work? And how are these genes affected when muscles are not used? What importance do activity and, on the other hand, lack of activity have for the organism's metabolism, and thus also for diseases such as diabetes and obesity? These questions form the basis for a new study from the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University and the Institute of Sports Medicine at Bispebjerg Hospital.

28 Nov 2014

Finding could upend scientific consensus about when embryonic cells begin separating into cell types

Bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that mouse embryos are contemplating their cellular fates in the earliest stages after fertilization when the embryo has only two to four cells, a discovery that could upend the scientific consensus about when embryonic cells begin differentiating into cell types.

28 Nov 2014

TET1 enzyme may be important target for cancer diagnostics, treatment

Mutations in the KRAS gene have long been known to cause cancer, and about one third of solid tumors have KRAS mutations or mutations in the KRAS pathway. KRAS promotes cancer formation not only by driving cell growth and division, but also by turning off protective tumor suppressor genes, which normally limit uncontrolled cell growth and cause damaged cells to self-destruct.

27 Nov 2014

Researchers show that iPS cells can be used to edit genetic mutations that cause DMD

Researchers at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, show that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be used to correct genetic mutations that cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

27 Nov 2014

Pathology specialist publishes invited commentary on breast cancer gene screening

There has been much recent debate on the benefits and risks of screening for breast cancer using BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in the general adult population.

27 Nov 2014