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Schizophrenia brain changes 'due to disease rather than genes’

The brain abnormalities observed in patients with schizophrenia are primarily due to processes associated with the disease itself or its treatment, as opposed to being caused by genetic factors, the results of a Dutch study indicate.

1 Aug 2012

Orc1 mutations may explain pathology in manifestations of Meier-Gorlin syndrome

Research published Aug. 1 by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) links gene mutations found in some patients with Meier-Gorlin syndrome (MGS) with specific cellular dysfunctions that are thought to give rise to a particularly extreme version of dwarfism, small brain size, and other manifestations of abnormal growth which generally characterize that rare condition.

1 Aug 2012

Chk1 gene alone is sufficient to kill cancer cells

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered a mutant form of the gene, Chk1, that when expressed in cancer cells, permanently stopped their proliferation and caused cell death without the addition of any chemotherapeutic drugs.

1 Aug 2012

Biomimetic bioartificial livers and cell toxicity assays: an interview with Dr. Joris Braspenning, CEO Medicyte

Biomimetic bioartificial livers are liver organoids based on synthetic equivalents of the human extracellular matrix (ECM) which will be seeded with human cells.

1 Aug 2012

Scientists discover novel therapeutic target for advanced breast cancer

Scientists at Western University have identified a new therapeutic target for advanced breast cancer which has shown tremendous promise in mouse models.

1 Aug 2012

New drug may be useful in treating long QT syndrome

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a new drug that may be useful in treating a heart rhythm condition called long QT syndrome.

1 Aug 2012

NYGC purchases four Life Technologies' Ion Proton Sequencers

Life Technologies Corporation today announced that the New York Genome Center (NYGC) has purchased four Ion Proton Sequencers for its new Innovation Center.

31 Jul 2012

Life Technologies second quarter revenue increases 1% to $950 million

Life Technologies Corporation today announced results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2012.

31 Jul 2012

OrPro to advance development of ORP-100 for treatment of cystic fibrosis

OrPro Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the company has been awarded a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

31 Jul 2012

Australia's top medical researchers for 2012 announced

Finalists for one of Australia’s longest running and most prestigious awards for medical research were announced today. This year’s winner will join a list of alumni winners that includes many of the country’s most respected scientists.

31 Jul 2012

Population Genetics validates GenomePooling™ for cancer

Population Genetics Technologies Ltd., creator of innovative methods for genetic analyses and biomarker discovery, has successfully completed a pilot study to prove that its GenomePooling™ method is sensitive and accurate enough to detect even small percentages of gene variants within cancer tissue. This validates the method’s suitability for use in IntReALL 2010, the world’s largest genetic analysis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) relapse cases. ALL is the most common childhood malignant disease.

31 Jul 2012

GenomePooling™ method is sensitive and accurate

31 Jul 2012

Study identifies Olympic athletes with asthma and airway hyper-responsiveness

Based on data from the last five Olympic games, a study by the University of Western Australia has identified those athletes with asthma and airway hyper-responsiveness. With a prevalence of around 8% they are the most common chronic conditions among Olympic athletes, and could be related to intense training.

31 Jul 2012

Kids with congenital heart defect should receive early evaluation for developmental disorders

Children born with a congenital heart defect should receive early evaluation, prompt treatment and ongoing follow-up for related developmental disorders affecting brain function, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation.

31 Jul 2012

TAU researcher reveals link between plant and human biology

Increasingly, scientists are uncovering surprising biological connections between humans and other forms of life. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher has revealed that plant and human biology is much closer than has ever been understood - and the study of these similarities could uncover the biological basis of diseases like cancer as well as other "animal" behaviors.

31 Jul 2012

Researchers identify new genetic target for diuretic therapy

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have identified a new genetic target for diuretic therapy in patients with fluid overload-like those with congestive heart failure, liver cirrhosis or kidney failure.

31 Jul 2012

National Marfan Foundation’s annual conference to be held in Chicago

The National Marfan Foundation is gearing up for its 28th Annual conference, held at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, August 2-5. Hosted by Northwestern Medicine- and the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, the four-day conference has something for everyone with Marfan syndrome (MFS) and related disorders, including access to many of the top MFS experts in the world.

31 Jul 2012

Study finds brain structural variations in people with highly superior autobiographical memory

UC Irvine scientists have discovered intriguing differences in the brains and mental processes of an extraordinary group of people who can effortlessly recall every moment of their lives since about age 10.

31 Jul 2012

ATP1A3 gene mutations responsible for alternating hemiplegia of childhood

Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a rare disorder that usually begins in infancy, with intermittent episodes of paralysis and stiffness, first affecting one side of the body, then the other. Symptoms mysteriously appear and disappear, again and again, and affected children often experience dozens of episodes per week. As they get older, children fall progressively behind their peers in both intellectual abilities and motor skills, and more than half develop epilepsy.

31 Jul 2012

New drug shows promise for Long QT syndrome

Long QT syndrome, which results from genetic mutation or certain medications, can cause the heart to beat chaotically and the affected person to die suddenly. The chaotic heartbeat is due to abnormal electrical activity in the heart. In an electrocardiogram test, this abnormality appears as a wider-than-normal QT interval, a pattern of "hills" in a map of peaks and valleys corresponding to the heart contracting and relaxing.

30 Jul 2012