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Researchers identify novel genes that make some children cope with malaria

Researchers from Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and University of Montreal have identified several novel genes that make some children more efficient than others in the way their immune system responds to malaria infection.

12 Sep 2012

Pregnancy exposures may increase risk of breast cancer in multiple generations of offspring

Chemicals or foods that raise estrogen levels during pregnancy may increase cancer risk in daughters, granddaughters, and even great-granddaughters, according to scientists from Virginia Tech and Georgetown University.

12 Sep 2012

Scripps scientists discover new antibody-discovery technique

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found a new technique that should greatly speed the discovery of medically and scientifically useful antibodies, immune system proteins that detect and destroy invaders such as bacteria and viruses. New methods to discover antibodies are important because antibodies make up the fastest growing sector of human therapeutics; it is estimated that by 2014 the top-three selling drugs worldwide will be antibodies.

12 Sep 2012

Molecular insight into oxygen sensing mechanism

The study of an oxygen-sensing bacterial regulatory protein by chemistry researchers at the University of Georgia has provided molecular insight into the oxygen sensing mechanism, which could ultimately lead to a better understanding of the ageing process and new treatments for human diseases such cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

12 Sep 2012

Genes predict the brain's reaction to smoking

Have you ever wondered why some people find it so much easier to stop smoking than others? New research shows that vulnerability to smoking addiction is shaped by our genes. A study from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, McGill University shows that people with genetically fast nicotine metabolism have a significantly greater brain response to smoking cues than those with slow nicotine metabolism.

12 Sep 2012

Berkeley lab researchers link possible new oncogene with resistance to cancer drugs

A gene that may possibly belong to an entire new family of oncogenes has been linked by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) to the resistance of breast cancer to a well-regarded and widely used cancer therapy.

12 Sep 2012

Genetic test predicts risk for Autism

A team of Australian researchers, led by University of Melbourne has developed a genetic test that is able to predict the risk of developing Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD.

11 Sep 2012

Karolinska Institutet professor receives Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize for obesity research

This year's Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize, worth SEK 1 million, goes to Professor Peter Arner from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, who conducts research on fat. His team was the first to show that fat cells are formed throughout one's lifetime, not just in childhood.

11 Sep 2012

Half of all people of South Asian, African descent will develop diabetes by age 80

Half of all people of South Asian, African and African Caribbean descent will develop diabetes by age 80 according to a new study published today. The study is the first to reveal the full extent of ethnic differences in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and also provides some answers as to the causes of the increased risk.

11 Sep 2012

Study discovers pathways that govern instability of GAA/TTC repeats

A study of more than 6,000 genes in a common species of yeast has identified the pathways that govern the instability of GAA/TTC repeats. In humans, the expansions of these repeats is known to inactivate a gene - FXN - which leads to Friedreich's ataxia, a neurodegenerative disease that is currently incurable. In yeast, long repeats also destabilize the genome, manifested by the breakage of chromosomes.

11 Sep 2012

Researchers discover small DNA sequence that drives GATA2 protein

The protein GATA2 is known as a "master regulator" of blood cell development. When a mutation occurs in the gene that makes GATA2, serious blood diseases such as acute myeloid leukemia can result.

11 Sep 2012

Flow cytometry renders PCR testing unnecessary for most AML patients

Early treatment response is a powerful predictor of long-term outcome for young patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The information can help physicians decide whether a more intensive approach is needed. Research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators has identified the best test for measuring that response and guiding therapy.

11 Sep 2012

Two different genetic mutations cooperate to induce adrenal cancer

Two different genetic mutations cooperate to induce adrenal cancer, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

11 Sep 2012

HIF-1 activity directly responsible for spread of breast cancer to lymph vessels

The invasion of cancer cells into the lymph vessels that connect the breast to surrounding lymph nodes is the first step leading to the metastasis, or spread, of cancer throughout the body. Metastasis is the primary cause of breast cancer deaths. Surprisingly little is known about the control of this process and how it might be interrupted to prolong the lives of women with breast cancer.

11 Sep 2012

Sifting through the junk with ENCODE

The first large-scale results from the ENCylopedia Of DNA Elements Consortium have shed light on possible functions of large areas of the genome previously thought of as “junk DNA.”

10 Sep 2012

Automated system for mapping protein-DNA interactions

Since the sequencing of the human genome in 2001, all our genes - around 20,000 in total - have been identified. But much is still unknown - for instance where and when each is active. Next to each gene sits a short DNA segment, and the activity of this regulatory segment determines whether the gene will be turned on, where and how strongly.

10 Sep 2012

Researchers identify many potential therapeutic targets for squamous cell lung cancers

A new paper published online in Nature holds out hope that people with the second most common type of lung cancer may one day benefit from targeted therapies that have transformed treatments for other lung cancer patients.

10 Sep 2012

Surprising new roles for angiotensin converting enzyme

At the 1st ECRC "Franz-Volhard" Symposium on September 7, 2012 at the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin-Buch, Professor Ken Bernstein reported that in mice an excess of ACE led to a much stronger immune response than usual.

10 Sep 2012

Researchers identify genetic variations linked with onset of Barrett's oesophagus

Genetic variations that are linked with the onset of Barrett's oesophagus (BE), a pre-cancerous condition of the lower end of the gullet, have been identified for the first time. The discovery of variations in regions on two chromosomes makes it possible to develop screening tests for people at high risk of developing the disease.

10 Sep 2012

Scientists characterize the lung squamous cell carcinoma genome

In the September 9, 2012 early online edition of Nature, scientists with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) report that they have characterized the lung squamous cell carcinoma genome.

10 Sep 2012

Genes News and Research

Researchers identify novel genes that make some children cope with malaria

Pregnancy exposures may increase risk of breast cancer in multiple generations of offspring

Scripps scientists discover new antibody-discovery technique

Molecular insight into oxygen sensing mechanism

Genes predict the brain's reaction to smoking

Berkeley lab researchers link possible new oncogene with resistance to cancer drugs

Genetic test predicts risk for Autism

Karolinska Institutet professor receives Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize for obesity research

Half of all people of South Asian, African descent will develop diabetes by age 80

Study discovers pathways that govern instability of GAA/TTC repeats

Researchers discover small DNA sequence that drives GATA2 protein

Flow cytometry renders PCR testing unnecessary for most AML patients

Two different genetic mutations cooperate to induce adrenal cancer

HIF-1 activity directly responsible for spread of breast cancer to lymph vessels

Sifting through the junk with ENCODE

Automated system for mapping protein-DNA interactions

Researchers identify many potential therapeutic targets for squamous cell lung cancers

Surprising new roles for angiotensin converting enzyme

Researchers identify genetic variations linked with onset of Barrett's oesophagus

Scientists characterize the lung squamous cell carcinoma genome

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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