Gene Therapy News and Research

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Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease. In the future, this technique may allow doctors to treat a disorder by inserting a gene into a patient’s cells instead of using drugs or surgery.

FDA approves trial for SKCC breast cancer vaccine

The Federal Drug Administration announced Friday approval of a Phase 1 clinical trial designed to study a breast cancer vaccine developed at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

10 Dec 2007

Lymphatic vessel and lymph node function are restored with growth factor treatment

The frequent spread of certain cancers to lymph nodes often necessitates surgery or radiation therapy that damages the lymphatic system and can cause lymphedema, a condition of localized fluid retention that often increases susceptibility to infections.

4 Dec 2007

Australian scientist awarded $1 million by Pfizer Australia to develop gene therapies for muscle-related diseases

An Australian scientist has been awarded a $1 million research grant to develop innovative gene therapy tools for muscle-related diseases.

27 Nov 2007

Experimental gene therapy trial for arthritis allowed to resume

Trials in the U.S. of a controversial and experimental gene therapy have been given the green light to resume following the tragic death of a volunteer in July.

27 Nov 2007

Gene-based therapy successful in Parkinson's disease

Brain scans have revealed that the first gene-based therapy for Parkinson's disease was effective.

20 Nov 2007

Dyslexia expert Dr. Bruce McCandliss awarded Presidential honor

Dr. Bruce McCandliss, a psychologist at the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology and associate professor of psychology in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, has received a commendation by the President of the United States in the form of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

20 Nov 2007

PET scans show gene therapy normalizes brain function in Parkinson's patients

Brain scans used to track changes in a dozen patients who received an experimental gene therapy show that the treatment normalizes brain function - and the effects are still present a year later.

20 Nov 2007

Gene-transfer technique trial for childhood blindness under way

Three decades have passed since gene therapy pioneer William W. Hauswirth, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the University of Florida began work on a virus that could safely deliver corrective genes into living animals.

19 Nov 2007

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell opens new section of general surgery called Gastrointestinal Metabolic Surgery

Opening the doors to one of the first academic medical program dedicated to surgical treatment of type 2 diabetes, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center has created a new section of General Surgery called Gastrointestinal Metabolic Surgery.

19 Nov 2007

CellCyte Genetics receives patent on stem cell delivery method

CellCyte Genetics Corporation has announced that is has received notice of the issuance of a U.S. patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,282,222) for its unique methods and compositions approach to deliver and direct stem cells to target organs in the body.

13 Nov 2007

Gene, stem cell therapy only needs to be 50 percent effective to create a healthy heart

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and greatly affects the quality and length of life for individuals with specific forms of muscular dystrophy.

1 Nov 2007

Gamma interferon could aid fight against fungal infections

Interferon, the "superhero" cure for viral infections, may be a strong weapon in the battle against fungal infections in immunocompromised patients, according to an article in the November issue of Microbiology Today.

1 Nov 2007

Therapeutic gene expression can be sustainable for 1 year

Researchers at the Board of Governors Gene Therapeutics Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have shown for the first time that it is possible to sustain therapeutic gene expression in the central nervous system for up to a year, even in the presence of an anti-viral immune response mechanism that is normally present in humans.

28 Oct 2007

Intravenous gene therapy protects normal tissue of mice during whole-body radiation

Gene therapy administered intravenously could be an effective agent to protect vital organs and tissues from the effects of ionizing radiation in the event of large-scale exposure from a radiological or nuclear bomb, according to an animal study presented today by University of Pittsburgh researchers at the 49th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Los Angeles.

28 Oct 2007

Lower frequency deep brain stimulation effective treatment for dystonia

A Mount Sinai Medical Center study has found that lower frequency deep brain stimulation in young patients with primary torsion dystonia is as effective as higher frequency stimulation, which has been commonly used.

25 Oct 2007

Researchers discover important tool in understanding differentiation in human embryonic stem cells

Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Stem Cell Institute have described how an existing genetic tool can be used to study how human embryonic stem cells differentiate.

24 Oct 2007

Stem cells to treat damaged eyes and a rare skin disorder

Doctors and scientists in Italy have shown how stem cells can be used to treat damaged eyes and, in combination with gene therapy, a rare and debilitating skin disease.

22 Oct 2007

Aida granted new anti-cancer patent

One of mainland China's leading pharmaceutical companies, has announced that it was granted an additional patent related to its Rh-Apo2L anti-cancer drug, the second of three patents that had been applied for which Aida believes places it at the vanguard of China's pharmaceutical industry.

12 Oct 2007

One injection of gene therapy spreads through brain in animal study

By targeting a site in a mouse brain well connected to other areas, researchers successfully delivered a beneficial gene to the entire brain - after one injection of gene therapy.

9 Oct 2007

Sir Martin Evans wins Nobel prize for stem cell research

Medical Research Council funded scientist Sir Martin Evans, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2007 alongside Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies for their discoveries of "principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells".

9 Oct 2007