Genes News and Research

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Skin cancer facts

Up to two-thirds of all cancers may be prevented through dietary and lifestyle changes. In the case of skin cancer, this could not be more true.

4 Apr 2006

HOXB13 and IL17BR genes predict outcome for breast cancer patients

The 2-gene expression profile of HOXB13 and IL17BR in a woman's breast cancer predicts risk of recurrence in node-negative patients treated with tamoxifen.

4 Apr 2006

Antioxidant therapy will be useful for women with pre-eclampsia

The antioxidant tempol prevents the onset of pre-eclampsia in pregnant mice, a finding that further implicates oxidative stress in the illness, which is widespread among pregnant women.

4 Apr 2006

Immune response protects against brain tumor development

In their quest to determine whether immune system surveillance guards against brain tumor development, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found that allergies and asthma that stimulate inflammation may be protective, but use of antihistamines to control the inflammation could eliminate that protection.

4 Apr 2006

Study demonstrates the importance of familial factors in the general development of cancer

Studying thousands of people, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have documented a 25 percent increased risk of developing one of a number of cancers in first-degree relatives of lung cancer patients who have never smoked compared to families of people who neither smoke nor have lung cancer.

4 Apr 2006

Nicotine and chemotherapy not a good mix

Researchers in the U.S. say that preliminary research has suggested that nicotine can prevent chemotherapy drugs such as taxol from killing lung cancer cells.

3 Apr 2006

Weill Cornell experts publish review of genetic medicine

In an article published in the April issue of Nature Reviews Genetics, two experts at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University sum up the achievements, challenges and promise of a burgeoning field: genetic medicine.

3 Apr 2006

Malaria, mosquitoes and man - breaking a deadly cycle

Malaria kills a child every thirty seconds in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to recent estimates. It is a huge problem currently threatening over 40% of the world’s population and still on the increase.

31 Mar 2006

Scientists identify a new gene that causes the spread of cancer

Professor Philip Rudland, Dr Guozheng Wang and Dr Roger Barraclough from the University’s Cancer and Polio Research Fund Laboratories have discovered an additional member of the S100 family of protein genes - S100P - that causes the spread of cancerous cells from an original tumour to other parts of the body.

30 Mar 2006

Minimal genome should be twice the size

The simplest bacteria need almost twice as many genes to survive than scientists first believed, according to new research published in Nature (30 March 2006).

30 Mar 2006

Weill Cornell researchers identify tumor-suppressor gene important to diffuse large B-cell lymphomas

Inactivation of a "tumor suppressor" gene could be a major cause of a class of blood cancers called diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, reports a team of researchers at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

30 Mar 2006

Mouse Brain Gene Expression Map at St. Jude - powerful new tool for studying brain development

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have given investigators around the world free access to a powerful tool for studying brain development.

28 Mar 2006

Study on fruit flies offers new approach to understand human response to viral infections

A research team led by UC Riverside scientists has shown that the common fruit fly can serve as an excellent model for studying the immunity animals are born with for fighting viral infections.

28 Mar 2006

Researchers develop new tool to find gene control regions

Researchers at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins have invented a cost-effective and highly efficient way of analyzing what many have termed "junk" DNA and identified regions critical for controlling gene function.

28 Mar 2006

Discovery of a gene that drives anthrax bacteria's toxic effects

A study in Cell reports the discovery of a gene that drives anthrax bacteria's toxic effects. The gene could offer a potential new target for countermeasures against the lethal toxin, according to the researchers.

28 Mar 2006

RNAi-based inhibitors for created for nearly every human and mouse gene - available to all genetic researchers

An international public-private research team led by scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard announced today the construction and availability of an extensive library of molecular reagents to silence most human and mouse genes.

28 Mar 2006

Researchers find environmentally friendly ways to produce more Taxol

As the effective cancer-treatment drug Taxol enters its next generation, Michigan State University announces discoveries which point to both environmentally friendly ways to produce more Taxol, and ultimately innovations to produce a more potent second-generation drug.

28 Mar 2006

Tobacco plants being used to produce human albumin

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the intravenous protein most commonly used in the world for therapeutic ends. It is employed to stabilise blood volume and to avoid risk of a heart attack, its administration in operating theatres being almost a daily occurrence.

27 Mar 2006

Gene therapy treatment for brain tumours and infections

In a study published in the March 15 issue of The Journal of Immunology, researchers at Board of Governors' Gene Therapeutics Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have developed a way to overcome immune privilege in the brain to eradicate potentially deadly brain tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme and other types of brain infections.

27 Mar 2006

Long term reduction in LDL cholesterol dramatically reduces risk of heart disease

A new genetic analysis of more than 12,000 individuals has found that a decrease in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, of as little as 15 percent, sustained over the long term can dramatically reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

23 Mar 2006