Genes News and Research

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Scientists tackle the decline in male fertility

This week, Australian scientists will gather at The University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) to discuss the causes of an alarming decline in male fertility in Australia and worldwide.

11 May 2004

Faster technique for extracting DNA

A computer scientist at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a novel technique to extract more DNA from a single sequence reaction than is normally possible, reducing both cost and time of the sequencing process.

10 May 2004

Having an alcoholic stepfather increases risk of behavior problems in girls more than boys

Living with an alcoholic stepfather is associated with a significantly higher risk of behavior problems in girls than boys, according to a new study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University.

10 May 2004

Identifying the addiction genes, new treatments for addiction, and the possibility of individually tailored drugs

Identifying the addiction genes, new treatments for addiction, and the possibility of individually tailored drugs are just a few of the issues a new Foresight project announced today will be investigating.

10 May 2004

Scientists discover what could be the instruction manual of life

In a world first, scientists from The University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) have uncovered a new class of genetic elements with the potential to radically alter our notions of how the genome “comes to life” to form humans.

8 May 2004

No evidence of CJD associated with the Garden State Racetrack

The Department of Health and Senior Services released a report today on an investigation of a suspected cluster of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) associated with the Garden State Racetrack.

8 May 2004

New way by which cells can become cancerous may solve mystery with lung cancer

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are describing an entirely new way by which cells can become cancerous. And they say their finding provides an answer to a mystery in lung and other cancers.

8 May 2004

Britain debates whether to create DNA registry of newborn babies

In a White Paper published last year the Government asked the Human Genetics Commission and the National Screening Committee to consider the case for screening every baby at birth and storing their genetic profile for future use.

7 May 2004

Researchers find an entirely new way by which cells can become cancerous

Finding provides an answer to a mystery in lung and other cancers: why a potent tumor suppressor gene called FUS1 functions as it should, yet none of the protein it produces can be found anywhere in a cancer cell.

6 May 2004

International research team have decoded the genetic blueprint of the tularemia (rabbit fever) bacterium

Two teams of researchers, one based in the United States and the other in Europe, have decoded the genetic blueprint of the tularemia (rabbit fever) bacterium, a highly infectious human and animal pathogen.

6 May 2004

Research uncovers critical pieces of human genome

Researchers have found precisely the same sequences in the genomes of humans, rats, and mice; sequences that are 95 to 99 percent identical to these can be found in the chicken and dog genomes, as well.

6 May 2004

Neurobiologists pinpoint region of the brain responsible for storing distant memories

For the first time, UCLA neurobiologists have pinpointed a region of the brain called the anterior cingulate as responsible for retrieving and storing distant memories. Published in the May 7 edition of Science, the findings may suggest new ways of treating memory disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

6 May 2004

System Biosciences launches siRNA expression libraries to target 8,500 human genes

The siRNA libraries contain 7,500 and 43,800 siRNA template sequences that target 1,500 and 8,500 well-characterized human genes, respectively.

6 May 2004

Protein in the male reproductive tract is a potent anti-bacterial agent

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that a protein they discovered three years ago in the male reproductive tract is a potent anti-bacterial agent.

6 May 2004

Study sheds new light on children with a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A new international study of children with a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) shows that certain chromosome losses can signal an especially poor response to therapy, but that other chromosome abnormalities have no effect on treatment survival.

5 May 2004

World's first gene therapy trial aimed at preventing cancer

The concept seems straightforward. If, at its heart, cancer is a disease of genes, then giving patients new genes should disarm cancer. Such treatment would replace missing or faulty genes that keep cell growth in check, or would flush the body with "super genes" that could attack and destroy cancer.

5 May 2004

Embryo testing could produce babies who might aid sick siblings

Parents with a child requiring stem cell transplantation can have genetic testing done on embryos prior to implantation to determine if the tissue type matches and the ensuing offspring could potentially serve as a donor to the affected child, according to a study in the May 5 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

5 May 2004

Radiologists use CT-Scans to inject gene therapy into tumors

Using CT-scan images to steer gene-therapy injections directly into the tumor offers a safe delivery method for treating patients with metastatic kidney cancer, report UCLA radiologists in the May issue of Radiology. Their findings could enhance the treatment of the disease, which resists traditional intravenous chemotherapy in 85 percent of cases.

4 May 2004

QIAGEN launches human siRNA library sets

Prime Standard QIA a leading supplier of products and technologies for nucleic acid separation, purification and handling today announced that it has launched a series of off-the-shelf human library siRNA sets, covering a broad gene family selection including kinases, GPCRs, apoptosis related genes, and oncogenes, to name a few.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 3 May 2004

New technique to deliver gene therapy to soft-tissue tumors

Using new research and technology that shows bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) will engraft at the site of a tumor and contribute to the growth of stromal fibroblasts (the healthy tissue surrounding a tumor)

2 May 2004