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Changes to LZTR1 gene predispose people to develop schwannomas

Changes to a gene called LZTR1 predispose people to develop a rare disorder where multiple tumors called schwannomas form near nerve pathways, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Genetics and led by researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

24 Dec 2013

Manipulating epigenetic mechanism may promote cell death in pediatric brain cancer

Researchers at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, the university hospital (Hospital de Cl-nicas de Porto Alegre, HCPA) and the Children's Cancer Institute (Instituto do C-ncer Infantil do Rio Grande do Sul, ICI-RS) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, have shown that manipulating an epigenetic mechanism, which regulates gene expression, may promote cell death and favor maturation towards less malignant-prone phenotypes in pediatric brain cancer cell lines.

22 Dec 2013

Researchers map cell's complex genetic interactions to fix UV damaged DNA

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in The Netherlands and United Kingdom, have produced the first map detailing the network of genetic interactions underlying the cellular response to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

19 Dec 2013

FoundationOne Heme identifies clinically actionable genomic alterations in multiple myeloma cases

Foundation Medicine today announced new data from a pilot study demonstrating that its fully informative genomic profile for hematologic malignancies, FoundationOne Heme, identified both novel and previously reported clinically actionable genomic alterations in multiple myeloma cases. These data were presented in an oral presentation titled Pilot Study To Evaluate The Prevalence Of Actionable Oncogenic Mutations In Patients With Relapsed Refractory Multiple Myeloma (abstract number 755) by Alexander Lesokhin, M.D., medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, at the 55th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

10 Dec 2013

Brown University biologists find way to measure effects of aging

Biologists at Brown University have found a way to measure the effects of aging by watching the ebb and flow of chromatin, a structure along strands of DNA that either silences or permits gene expression. In several newly published experiments they show that gene silencing via chromatin in fruit flies declines with age.

21 Nov 2013

Scientists reveal surprising role for HDAC1 proteins in development of skin tumors

Findings by scientists from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna reveal a surprising role for histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) - a member of a family of chromatin modifying proteins - in the development of skin tumors.

18 Nov 2013

Researchers explain new function of 2 key molecules involved in tumor progression

Researchers from IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) lead by Dr. Sandra Peir- have described a new function for two key molecules involved in tumor progression.

16 Nov 2013

Conceive Plus Fertility Personal Lubricant receives FDA approval

The Pew Research Center reports that in the year 2011, the birth rate in the United States slid by 8%. That kind of statistic would indicate getting pregnant isn't as easy as it used to be. However, pharmaceutical manufacturer SASMAR aims to be at the forefront of helping couples to start families. The FDA has officially approved their OTC sperm friendly fertility personal lubricant, Conceive Plus for sale in the US market.

15 Nov 2013

New computational method quickly orders DNA sequencing information along entire chromosomes

A new computational method has been shown to quickly assign, order and orient DNA sequencing information along entire chromosomes. The method may help overcome a major obstacle that has delayed progress in designing rapid, low-cost -- but still accurate -- ways to assemble genomes from scratch.

8 Nov 2013

Scientists make seminal breakthrough in understanding molecular basis of bile duct cancer

A team of scientists from the National Cancer Centre Singapore, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, Fundeni Clinical Institute (Romania) and Koen Kaen University (Thailand), have made a seminal breakthrough in understanding the molecular basis of bile duct cancer or cholangiocarcinoma, a rare but highly lethal form of liver cancer.

4 Nov 2013

High throughput ChIP microplate launched by Porvair

Porvair Sciences has announced that it will officially launch Chromatrap®96 HT – an innovative 96-well chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay plate at Epigenomics of Common Diseases (Wellcome Trust, Cambridge, UK) from 7th-10th November 2013.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 17 Oct 2013

CNIO researchers perform first exome sequencing for non-infiltrating bladder cancer

Bladder cancer represents a serious public health problem in many countries, especially in Spain, where 11,200 new cases are recorded every year, one of the highest rates in the world. The majority of these tumours have a good prognosis -- 70-80% five-year survival after diagnosis -- and they do not infiltrate the bladder muscle at the time of diagnosis -- in around 80% of cases.

14 Oct 2013

Constellation Pharmaceuticals awarded grant to facilitate study of epigenetic control of inflammation

Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company in the field of epigenetics, today announced that it has been awarded a research grant in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to explore the potential use of BET bromodomain inhibitors for the control of inflammation in cystic fibrosis.

10 Oct 2013

Researchers identify new prospects for developing cancer therapies

By detailing a process required for repairing DNA breakage, scientists at the Duke Cancer Institute have gained a better understanding of how cells deal with the barrage of damage that can contribute to cancer and other diseases.

1 Oct 2013

Pan-Cancer Initiative: Patterns Emerge Across Diverse Tumor Types

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27 Sep 2013

Sister stem cells display considerable differences despite having identical DNA

Scientists have used a brand new technique for examining individual stem cells to uncover dramatic differences in the gene expression levels - which genes are turned 'up' or 'down'- between apparently identical 'sister' pairs.

27 Sep 2013

FDA grants Breakthrough Therapy designation to Syndax's entinostat for ER+ breast cancer

Syndax Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated entinostat as a Breakthrough Therapy for the treatment of locally recurrent or metastatic estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer when added to exemestane in postmenopausal women whose disease has progressed following non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor therapy.

12 Sep 2013

Research offers focused explanation for cardiac arrest predilection for morning hours

Evidence from people with heart disease strongly supports the existence of the molecular link first discovered in laboratory mice between the body's natural circadian rhythms and cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death (SCD) - the No. 1 cause of death in heart attacks, a scientist said here today.

10 Sep 2013

Study: Changes in expression of various isoforms might play role in cancer development

Spool-like proteins called histones play a crucial role in packaging the nearly seven feet of DNA found in most human cells. A new study shows that a group of histones that are thought to behave the same way actually are functionally distinct proteins.

4 Sep 2013

Researchers discover role played by epigenetic factors in senescence and age-related diseases

One way cells promote tumor suppression is through a process called senescence, an irreversible arrest of proliferation. Senescence is thought to be associated with normal aging, but is also a protective measure by the body against run-away cell replication.

31 Aug 2013