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Study: New genetic variants may increase cancer risk

The European Collaborative Oncological Gen-Environmental Study (COGS) project, whose main goal is to decipher the complex genetic bases of breast, prostate and ovarian cancers, publishes today a total of 12 research articles in several prestigious journals, including Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, The American Journal of Human Genetics and PLOS Genetics.

28 Mar 2013

Inflammation and epigenetics: an interview with Dr Belkina and Dr Denis, Boston University School of Medicine

Inflammation can be thought of as taking two major forms: acute or chronic. Acute inflammation, which can be painful, usually arises quickly and resolves quickly. It accompanies bacterial infections, traumatic injury and is useful to fight infections and promote healing.

28 Mar 2013

Researchers uncover DNA rearrangement process for sex determination in Tetrahymena

It's been more than 50 years since scientists discovered that the single-celled organism Tetrahymena thermophila has seven sexes. But in all that time, they've never known how each cell's sex, or "mating type," is determined.

28 Mar 2013

Researchers shed new light on role of methylation in gene expression

Researchers at UC Davis and the University of British Columbia have shed new light on methylation, a critical process that helps control how genes are expressed.

28 Mar 2013

Study links genetic variation, wheezing illness to childhood asthma risk

About 90 percent of children with two copies of a common genetic variation and who wheezed when they caught a cold early in life went on to develop asthma by age 6, according to a study to be published March 28 by the New England Journal of Medicine.

28 Mar 2013

Researchers reprogramming skin cells into brain cells to understand Alzheimer's disease

Sam Gandy, MD, PhD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is leading an international team of researchers working to reprogram skin cells into brain cells to gain a better understanding of Alzheimer's disease.

28 Mar 2013

Scientists discover new mechanism that regulates replication of insulin-producing beta cells in pancreas

Bringing scientists a step closer to new treatments for diabetes, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and The Mount Sinai Medical Center have discovered a novel mechanism that regulates the replication of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.

27 Mar 2013

Genetic variants influence childhood obesity, say researchers

Previous research has shown that obesity runs in families, and twin studies suggest that this is largely due to genetic factors, with heritability estimates over 50%.

27 Mar 2013

Novel molecular mechanism can prevent aging and cancer progression, say researchers

University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slows the aging process and may prevent the progression of some cancers.

27 Mar 2013

Study raises alarm over loss of individual 'genomic liberty' due to gene patents

Humans don't "own" their own genes, the cellular chemicsals that define who they are and what diseases they might be at risk for. Through more than 40,000 patents on DNA molecules, companies have essentially claimed the entire human genome for profit, report two researchers who analyzed the patents on human DNA. Their study, published March 25 in the journal Genome Medicine, raises an alarm about the loss of individual "genomic liberty."

27 Mar 2013

Academic medical centers launch ASD sub-registry within ResearchMatch

Each year, only five percent of the estimated 1.5 million children with an autism spectrum disorder in the US participate in clinical research studies. This is in stark contrast to pediatric cancer studies, which have a nearly 90 percent enrollment rate - a rate that has helped advance treatment and outcomes for childhood cancers substantially in the last decade.

27 Mar 2013

CHOP researchers moving closer to personalized medicine for children with cancer

Pediatric researchers, investigating the biology of brain tumors in children, are finding that crucial differences in how the same gene is mutated may call for different treatments.

27 Mar 2013

Molecular biologist hopes to learn why degenerative disorder affects specific brain cells

Dr. Santosh D'Mello, professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of Texas at Dallas, has received a federal grant for research that may shed light on why and how specific brain cells are affected by Huntington's disease, a devastating, degenerative brain disorder.

27 Mar 2013

Bladder cancer risk linked to genetic alterations

A new analysis has found that genetic alterations in a particular cellular pathway are linked with bladder cancer risk, recurrence, disease progression, and patient survival. Published early online in CANCER, a peer- reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings could help improve bladder cancer screening and treatment.

26 Mar 2013

Researchers re-programme other cells to become nerve cells, directly in the brain

The field of cell therapy, which aims to form new cells in the body in order to cure disease, has taken another important step in the development towards new treatments.

26 Mar 2013

New vaccine proves highly effective against H5N1 virus

Until now most experimental vaccines against the highly lethal H5N1 avian influenza virus have lacked effectiveness. But a new vaccine has proven highly effective against the virus when tested in both mice and ferrets. It is also effective against the H9 subtype of avian influenza.

26 Mar 2013

Study: Neural-crest stem cells also play a key role in building olfactory sensory neurons

When our noses pick up a scent, whether the aroma of a sweet rose or the sweat of a stranger at the gym, two types of sensory neurons are at work in sensing that odor or pheromone.

26 Mar 2013

UCI study finds novel molecular mechanism that helps trigger formation of long-term memory

UC Irvine neurobiologists have found a novel molecular mechanism that helps trigger the formation of long-term memory. The researchers believe the discovery of this mechanism adds another piece to the puzzle in the ongoing effort to uncover the mysteries of memory and, potentially, certain intellectual disabilities.

26 Mar 2013

First multi-gene DNA sequencing test launched for cancer patients

The first multi-gene DNA sequencing test that can help predict cancer patients' responses to treatment has been launched in the National Health Service, thanks to a partnership between scientists at the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

26 Mar 2013

MIT biology professor named Pew's Biomedical Researcher of the Month

Biologist Mary Gehring, Ph.D. is The Pew Charitable Trusts' featured biomedical researcher of the month for her creative research on epigenetics in plants.

25 Mar 2013

Genes News and Research

Study: New genetic variants may increase cancer risk

Inflammation and epigenetics: an interview with Dr Belkina and Dr Denis, Boston University School of Medicine

Researchers uncover DNA rearrangement process for sex determination in Tetrahymena

Researchers shed new light on role of methylation in gene expression

Study links genetic variation, wheezing illness to childhood asthma risk

Researchers reprogramming skin cells into brain cells to understand Alzheimer's disease

Scientists discover new mechanism that regulates replication of insulin-producing beta cells in pancreas

Genetic variants influence childhood obesity, say researchers

Novel molecular mechanism can prevent aging and cancer progression, say researchers

Study raises alarm over loss of individual 'genomic liberty' due to gene patents

Academic medical centers launch ASD sub-registry within ResearchMatch

CHOP researchers moving closer to personalized medicine for children with cancer

Molecular biologist hopes to learn why degenerative disorder affects specific brain cells

Bladder cancer risk linked to genetic alterations

Researchers re-programme other cells to become nerve cells, directly in the brain

New vaccine proves highly effective against H5N1 virus

Study: Neural-crest stem cells also play a key role in building olfactory sensory neurons

UCI study finds novel molecular mechanism that helps trigger formation of long-term memory

First multi-gene DNA sequencing test launched for cancer patients

MIT biology professor named Pew's Biomedical Researcher of the Month

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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