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Current research underway to prevent preterm births

Family history, infection and stress all may play a role in raising a woman's risk of having a premature baby - but they don't fully explain why some women give birth too soon and others don't, according to a review article published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

11 Feb 2010

fMRI study shows neural network may be brain's back burner for social decision making

When we put an idea on the back burner, it goes into a processing area of the brain called the default-mode network. This network enables us to hold the low-priority idea in abeyance until a time when we aren't busy with something else.

11 Feb 2010

CINJ researchers develop new vaccine strategy for pancreatic cancer

More than 42,500 people in the United States were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and nearly 35,200 died from the disease, according to The American Cancer Society.

11 Feb 2010

Mapping of all fragile sites of yeast S.cerevisiae may lead to better understanding of cancer development

The research group of Dr. Fran-ois Robert, a researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM), in collaboration with the team of Dr. Daniel Durocher (Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute and University of Toronto) accomplished a technical breakthrough: they mapped all the fragile sites of a living organism, the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The method used by the researchers can be applied to humans. This study has been published online today in the scientific journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.

10 Feb 2010

Insight into mechanism H. pylori uses to evade the immune system

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the causal agent of chronic gastritis, ulcer and gastric cancer. It has the potential to persist in the human stomach for decades, sometimes causing neither harm nor clinical symptoms. Nevertheless, on some occasions, depending on the host immune system and the strain causing the infection, the outcome can be very serious. To maintain the infection, the bacterium must adapt to survive the host defences. One way to accomplish this is to sequentially change the external proteins on the bacterial surface.

10 Feb 2010

Biology of lung cancer varies by age and gender

The biology of lung cancer differs from one patient to the next, depending on age and sex, according to scientists at Duke University Medical Center. The findings may help explain why certain groups of patients do better than others, even though they appear to have the same disease.

10 Feb 2010

Study may pave way for more refined treatments for brain tumors

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown once again that "ready, fire, aim," nonsensical though it may sound, can be an essential approach to research.

10 Feb 2010

Autism Speaks: Ten most significant autism research achievements in 2009

Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization has released its annual list of the 10 most significant research achievements to have impacted autism during the previous year. Every year, Autism Speaks documents the progress made toward its mission to discover the causes and treatment for autism spectrum disorders, and compiles a list of the 10 most significant research achievements to have impacted autism during the previous year.

10 Feb 2010

Data provide key information about epigenetic profiles for gastric cancer

Gastric cancer, one of the most common types of cancer, is associated with high mortality rates. In the last decades, a decrease in the worldwide incidence has been observed with some changes in the therapeutic and diagnostic options.

10 Feb 2010

Study: New mechanism may allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics

Scientists have shown that cells' DNA-reading machinery can skim through certain kinds of damaged DNA without skipping any letters in the genetic "text." The studies, performed in bacteria, suggest a new mechanism that can allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.

10 Feb 2010

Study could lead to new therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease

A new study from The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro - at McGill University is the first to discover a molecular link between Parkinson's disease and defects in the ability of nerve cells to communicate.

10 Feb 2010

MHI researchers receive $4.8M as grants for genetics and genomic medicine research projects

Two research teams led by Dr. Christine Des Rosiers and Dr. John D. Rioux, both researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) and professors at the Universit- de Montr-al, have been awarded grants of $2.5 million and $2.3 million, respectively, to finance research projects on genetics and genomic medicine.

10 Feb 2010

NNK induces epigenetic alteration during cancer formation and inhibits tumor suppressor genes

In the history of humans fighting against cancer, the relationship between tobaccos and cancer has been an important subject for the academic and clinical research. By understanding the mechanism of why cancer is caused by tobaccos, scientists around the world all anticipate to solve the mystery of cancer and find the way of prevention and cure.

9 Feb 2010

QIAGEN acquires global licence for PI3K gene to develop real-time-PCR and endpoint PCR assays

QIAGEN today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary DxS has acquired the global and exclusive licence for biomarker PI3K from Johns Hopkins University to develop real-time-PCR and endpoint PCR assays.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 8 Feb 2010

Mutation in alpha tectorin gene causes progressive childhood deafness

Deafness is the most common disorder of the senses. Tragically, it commonly strikes in early childhood, severely damaging an affected child's ability to learn speech and language. In many cases, children gradually lose their hearing to become profoundly deaf over a long period of months to years, but scientists know very little about how this progressive loss happens, making prospects for prevention and cure very slim.

8 Feb 2010

Stanford researchers use DNA minicircles to induce pluripotency in stem cells from human fat

Tiny circles of DNA are the key to a new and easier way to transform stem cells from human fat into induced pluripotent stem cells for use in regenerative medicine, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Unlike other commonly used techniques, the method, which is based on standard molecular biology practices, does not use viruses to introduce genes into the cells or permanently alter a cell's genome.

8 Feb 2010

Breakthrough research could lead to new potential treatments for malaria

Groundbreaking research done at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) School of Biological Sciences (SBS) could lead to the development of more potent drugs or a vaccine for malaria, which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes and kills up to three million people each year.

6 Feb 2010

Breakthrough discovery could help in developing a broad spectrum of antiviral drugs

Within a virus's tiny exterior is a store of energy waiting to be unleashed. When the virus encounters a host cell, this pent-up energy is released, propelling the viral DNA into the cell and turning it into a virus factory.

6 Feb 2010

Scientists employ new approach to understand metabolic changes of TB bacteria

The complex chain of metabolic events in bacteria that lead to fatal diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) may be better understood using mathematical models, according to an article published in the February issue of Microbiology Today.

5 Feb 2010

"Kin selection hypothesis" may explain homosexuality from an evolutionary point of view

Male homosexuality doesn't make complete sense from an evolutionary point of view. It appears that the trait is heritable, but because homosexual men are much less likely to produce offspring than heterosexual men, shouldn't the genes for this trait have been extinguished long ago? What value could this sexual orientation have, that it has persisted for eons even without any discernible reproductive advantage?

5 Feb 2010

Genes News and Research

Current research underway to prevent preterm births

fMRI study shows neural network may be brain's back burner for social decision making

CINJ researchers develop new vaccine strategy for pancreatic cancer

Mapping of all fragile sites of yeast S.cerevisiae may lead to better understanding of cancer development

Insight into mechanism H. pylori uses to evade the immune system

Biology of lung cancer varies by age and gender

Study may pave way for more refined treatments for brain tumors

Autism Speaks: Ten most significant autism research achievements in 2009

Data provide key information about epigenetic profiles for gastric cancer

Study: New mechanism may allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics

Study could lead to new therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease

MHI researchers receive $4.8M as grants for genetics and genomic medicine research projects

NNK induces epigenetic alteration during cancer formation and inhibits tumor suppressor genes

QIAGEN acquires global licence for PI3K gene to develop real-time-PCR and endpoint PCR assays

Mutation in alpha tectorin gene causes progressive childhood deafness

Stanford researchers use DNA minicircles to induce pluripotency in stem cells from human fat

Breakthrough research could lead to new potential treatments for malaria

Breakthrough discovery could help in developing a broad spectrum of antiviral drugs

Scientists employ new approach to understand metabolic changes of TB bacteria

"Kin selection hypothesis" may explain homosexuality from an evolutionary point of view

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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