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Oxidative stress strongly evident in the in-utero environment of the fetus with Down syndrome

A paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University researchers reports that amniotic fluid surrounding Down syndrome fetuses shows oxidative stress, a condition that could harm fetal cells and play a role in affected individuals. The results demonstrate secondary adverse consequences of Down syndrome and suggest potential prenatal therapies.

2 Jun 2009

Research sheds new light on how bird flu outbreaks begin in wild bird populations

New data on the persistence of avian influenza viruses in the environment has allowed a team of University of Georgia researchers to create the first model that takes into account both direct and indirect transmission of the viruses among birds. The model, which is detailed in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has the potential to shed new light on how outbreaks begin in wild bird populations.

2 Jun 2009

Scientists create pig stem cells

Scientists have managed to induce cells from pigs to transform into pluripotent stem cells - cells that, like embryonic stem cells, are capable of developing into any type of cell in the body. It is the first time in the world that this has been achieved using somatic cells (cells that are not sperm or egg cells) from any animal with hooves (known as ungulates).

2 Jun 2009

Researchers examine 'invading' bacteria in DNA - advanced warfare on the most elemental of levels

Researchers at Texas A&M University's Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering have discovered how certain types of bacteria integrate the DNA that they have captured from invading enemies into their own genetic makeup to increase their chances of survival.

2 Jun 2009

Discovery of enzyme involved in inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine, working with biochemists, geneticists and clinicians at the University of Bern, Switzerland and in the United Kingdom, have discovered an enzyme that has a key role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

2 Jun 2009

Eye cancer patients want genetic testing to predict metastasis risk

If you had cancer and a genetic test could predict the risk of the tumor spreading aggressively, would you want to know - even if no treatments existed to help you?

1 Jun 2009

Rapamycin epilepsy-prevention effect may be widely applicable

A drug with potential to prevent epilepsy caused by a genetic condition may also help prevent more common forms of epilepsy caused by brain injury, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

1 Jun 2009

Exploiting cancer cell 'addiction' may lead to new therapies

A new study uncovers a gene expression signature that reliably identifies cancer cells whose survival is dependent on a common signaling pathway, even when the cells contain multiple other genetic abnormalities.

1 Jun 2009

Glioblastoma may originate in neural stem cells

University of Michigan scientists have found that a deficiency in a key tumor suppressor gene in the brain leads to the most common type of adult brain cancer. The study, conducted in mice that mimic human cancer, points the way to more effective future treatments and a way to screen for the disease early.

1 Jun 2009

Smoking and genetics play role in rheumatoid arthritis

Recent genetic studies have revealed several new sites of genes that are risk factors for developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

1 Jun 2009

Oligophrenin-1 signaling protein linked to mental retardation controls synapse maturation, plasticity

A team of neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has demonstrated the mechanism by which a signaling protein found throughout the brain controls the maturation and strength of excitatory synapses, the tiny gaps across which the majority of neurons communicate.

1 Jun 2009

“Misreading” of histone code linked to human cancer

The development of blood from stem cell to fully formed blood cell follows a genetically determined program. When it works properly, blood formation stops when it reaches maturity. But when it doesn't, genetic mutations can prevent the stop signal and cause the developing cells to turn cancerous. In research published in Nature, Rockefeller University scientists show for the first time that a misreading of the blood cells' histone code is responsible for acute myeloid leukemia, a rare form of the deadly blood cancer.

1 Jun 2009

MicroRNAs grease the cell's circadian clockwork

Most of our cells possess an internal clock, a group of genes displaying a cyclic expression pattern that reaches a peak once a day. A large number of circadian genes are expressed by organs such as the liver, whose activity needs to be precisely regulated over the course of the day.

31 May 2009

Discovery of gene associated with a three-fold increase in risk for testicular cancer

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have uncovered variation around two genes that are associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer.

31 May 2009

Combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem cells cure human genetic disease in vitro

A study led by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has catapulted the field of regenerative medicine significantly forward, proving in principle that a human genetic disease can be cured using a combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. The study, published in the May 31, 2009 early online edition of Nature, is a major milestone on the path from the laboratory to the clinic.

31 May 2009

Genes News and Research

Oxidative stress strongly evident in the in-utero environment of the fetus with Down syndrome

Research sheds new light on how bird flu outbreaks begin in wild bird populations

Scientists create pig stem cells

Researchers examine 'invading' bacteria in DNA - advanced warfare on the most elemental of levels

Discovery of enzyme involved in inflammatory bowel disease

Eye cancer patients want genetic testing to predict metastasis risk

Rapamycin epilepsy-prevention effect may be widely applicable

Exploiting cancer cell 'addiction' may lead to new therapies

Glioblastoma may originate in neural stem cells

Smoking and genetics play role in rheumatoid arthritis

Oligophrenin-1 signaling protein linked to mental retardation controls synapse maturation, plasticity

“Misreading” of histone code linked to human cancer

MicroRNAs grease the cell's circadian clockwork

Discovery of gene associated with a three-fold increase in risk for testicular cancer

Combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem cells cure human genetic disease in vitro

Genetic profiling reveals genes active in the earliest brain circuit construction

Genomic research lays groundwork for new approaches for treating, preventing skin diseases

Adult bone marrow stem cells injected into skeletal muscle can repair heart tissue

New cellular targets for HIV drug development

Experimental therapy uses immune system to boost cure rate in neuroblastoma

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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