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UCSB researchers study how genotypes can express themselves differently as a function of culture

Two psychologists at UC Santa Barbara have provided a new twist on the old adage that people are products of both nature and nurture, in introducing a framework for understanding how these influences interact.

9 Nov 2011

Johns Hopkins researchers unravel how breast cancer metastasizes

The spread of breast cancer is responsible for more than 90 percent of breast cancer deaths. Now, the process by which it spreads—or metastasizes—has been unraveled by researchers at Johns Hopkins. Reporting in two papers, the researchers have discovered the switch that enables breast cancer cells to travel to and be received in the lungs.

9 Nov 2011

'Second hit' determines immune response against developing Burkitt's lymphoma

The human c-myc gene encodes a transcription factor (MYC) involved in the regulation of a vast number of other genes - it has been estimated that the transcription of about one in six genes is somehow under the control of MYC.

9 Nov 2011

ScreenCell, Transgenomic sign collaboration and distribution agreement for CTC technology

Transgenomic, Inc. and ScreenCell, a privately-held company, today announced the signing of a perpetual, worldwide collaboration and distribution agreement for ScreenCell's Isolation Devices and Dilution Buffers, designed for the collection of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood.

9 Nov 2011

New breast and ovarian cancer vaccine in the pipeline: Study

A new vaccine is being tried clinically to combat tumor cells in a small study of advanced breast and ovarian cancer patients. The results show that there is improvement in overall survival times and stopping the disease for a handful of breast cancer patients.

8 Nov 2011

Study looks at influence of father's depression on his children

There have been numerous studies that looked at the effect of mother's depression upon her children. But there have been no studies that explore the influence a father's depression on his children.

8 Nov 2011

Study: Genes that are active in brain are transcribed with special mechanism

Knowledge about the development of the nervous system is of the greatest importance for us to understand the function of the brain and brain disorders. Researchers at Uppsala University have examined the key step when genes are read and found that genes that are active in the brain are transcribed with a special mechanism.

8 Nov 2011

Prefrontal cortex neurons from individuals with autism show changes in chromatin structures

Neurons in the prefrontal cortex of individuals with autism show changes at numerous sites across the genome, according to a study being published Online First by the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Nov 2011

Low-grade inflammatory processes drive development of osteoarthritis

In a study to be published online Nov. 6 in Nature Medicine, investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that the development of osteoarthritis is in great part driven by low-grade inflammatory processes.

8 Nov 2011

Epigenetic alterations may play an important role in autism

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are the first to map epigenetic changes in neurons from the brains of individuals with autism, providing empirical evidence that epigenetic alterations-changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence-may play an important role in the disease.

8 Nov 2011

Study on epigentics and cellular memory

How do fetal cells know what cell types to become? Why do cells in the adult body sometimes forget what they are and develop into cancer cells? These are some of the questions intensively investigated within the research field of epigenetics.

8 Nov 2011

CRCHUM researcher receives Gates Foundation grant to eradicate HIV/AIDS

The Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l'Universit- de Montr-al (CRCHUM) announced today that one of its researchers will receive funding of 100,000 US $ through Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that enables researchers worldwide to test unorthodox ideas that address persistent health and development challenges.

7 Nov 2011

Smoking primes the brain for cocaine addiction: Study

The study comes from the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Maryland that is the first of its kind to show how nicotine can change the brain in a way that enhances the behavioral effects of cocaine. It could help explain why so many drug-using teenagers tend to start with cigarettes and alcohol before moving on to more illegal substances.

7 Nov 2011

Just couple of glasses of wine a day could raise risk of breast cancer: Study

According to a new major study just two glasses of a wine a day can increase the risk of breast cancer among women by 50%. Researchers also warn that women who drink regularly in their 20s and 30s are far more likely to develop breast cancer in later life, regardless of whether they reduce their alcohol consumption.

7 Nov 2011

Transgenomic and A. Menarini Diagnostics enter distribution agreement for mutation detection systems

Transgenomic, Inc. and A. Menarini Diagnostics today announced an exclusive distribution agreement for Transgenomic's SURVEYOR Scan and WAVE MCE (Micro-Capillary Electrophoresis) Mutation Detection system to its network of over 2,000 pathologists throughout Europe.

7 Nov 2011

Blocking APE1 enzyme could provide new way to kill cancer cells

BLOCKING a key DNA damage repair enzyme, called APE1, could provide a new way to kill cancer cells containing faulty BRCA genes, according to research presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference in Liverpool.

7 Nov 2011

Sleeping Beauty transposon system plays a vital role in investigating colorectal cancer pathway

A jumping gene with the fairy tale name "Sleeping Beauty" has helped to unlock vital clues for researchers investigating the genetics of colorectal cancer.

7 Nov 2011

IFNa-kinoid shows promise against lupus

The first study to show results using active immunotherapy against the signaling protein interferon alpha in the treatment of lupus will be presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago.

7 Nov 2011

Heidelberg scientists identify single protein responsible for varicose veins

Dr. Thomas Korff and his group at the Division of Cardiovascular Physiology of Heidelberg University's Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology have now shown that the pathological remodeling processes causing varicose veins are mediated by a single protein.

5 Nov 2011

Psychotherapy could have diverse cerebral effects depending on certain genes

Problems like anxiety and depression are caused by psychological and environmental factors, and are known to be influenced by genetic proclivities. However, it is still not clear how each factor affects the brain's functions to induce anxious and depressive symptoms.

4 Nov 2011