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Researchers discover how genetic mutations cause rare human diseases

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and in Michigan, North Carolina and Spain have discovered how genetic mutations cause a number of rare human diseases, which include Meckel syndrome, Joubert syndrome and several other disorders.

11 Jul 2011

New genetic research on Ankylosing Spondylitis

The team of researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Queensland, Oxford, Texas and Toronto, used a technique called genome-wide association where millions of genetic markers are measured in thousands of people that have the disease and thousands of healthy individuals.

11 Jul 2011

New genetic clues about ankylosing spondylitis

A study involving over 5,000 people living with the joint disorder ankylosing spondylitis has identified a series of genetic variants associated with increased susceptibility to the condition as well as providing new clues to how the condition may be treated in the future.

11 Jul 2011

Scientists probe 'atlastin,' a protein linked to hereditary spastic paraplegia

New research from Rice University and Italy's Eugenio Medea Scientific Institute is yielding clues about hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a group of inherited neurological disorders that affect about 20,000 people in the United States.

11 Jul 2011

AJMS summarizes developments related to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a common and severe lung disease of unknown cause and with no proven therapies. But researchers are pushing forward in investigating new clues to the development and effective treatment of IPF, according to a special symposium presented in The American Journal of the Medical Sciences (AJMS), official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (SSCI).

8 Jul 2011

Primary function of sex is not to promote diversity, but to maintain a species' identity

Biology textbooks maintain that the main function of sex is to promote genetic diversity. But Henry Heng, Ph.D., associate professor in WSU's Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, says that's not the case.

8 Jul 2011

Extensive genomic, transcriptional diversity identified through massively parallel DNA and RNA sequencing

In a paper published in the online edition of Nature Genetics on July 3, 2011, sequencing specialists at Axeq Technologies, and scientists from Macrogen Inc., Genomic Medicine Institute at Seoul National University, Psoma Therapeutics Inc., Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School reported the discovery of a wide range of novel genetic variants based on the deep sequencing of 18 genomes and 17 transcriptomes of unrelated Korean individuals.

8 Jul 2011

Corporates profit from pinkwashing

Companies that try to increase sales of their products by adopting the color pink and pink ribbons to imply that they support breast cancer research-a practice called pinkwashing-but at the same time permit the use of chemicals shown to cause cancer are committing a form of social injustice against women, according to a thought-provoking article in Environmental Justice.

8 Jul 2011

Broken compact fluorescent light bulbs can release harmful mercury vapor for a long time

Once broken, a compact fluorescent light bulb continuously releases mercury vapor into the air for weeks to months, and the total amount can exceed safe human exposure levels in a poorly ventilated room, according to study results reported in Environmental Engineering Science, a peer-reviewed online only journal published monthly by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc..

8 Jul 2011

Collaborative research discovers broadly acting antibody against influenza viruses

Annually changing flu vaccines with their hit-and-miss effectiveness may soon give way to a single, near-universal flu vaccine, according to a new report from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell. They describe an antibody that, in animal tests, can prevent or cure infections with a broad variety of influenza viruses, including seasonal and potentially pandemic strains.

8 Jul 2011

ACMG presents new guideline on genetic counseling, testing for AD

When is it appropriate to perform genetic testing for Alzheimer disease, and what information do patients need to understand their risk? The June issue of Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics presents a new practice guideline on genetic counseling and testing for AD.

8 Jul 2011

Novartis Afinitor Phase III trial on tuberous sclerosis meets primary endpoint

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today Phase III trial results that showed more than one-third of patients taking Afinitor tablets experienced a 50% or greater reduction in the size of their subependymal giant cell astrocytomas, non-cancerous brain tumors associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.

8 Jul 2011

NUS, NTU students win WFF's Ph.D. Prizes for environmental research

Antibiotics, which are among the world's most widely prescribed medicines, can easily find their way into rivers and lakes because they tend not to be removed through the normal sewage process.

8 Jul 2011

AHAF awards 22 new grants to scientists worldwide for innovative vision research

The American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF), a nonprofit organization with a history of funding cutting-edge research on age-related diseases, announced today that it has awarded 22 new grants totaling nearly $2.2 million to scientists worldwide who are studying glaucoma and macular degeneration. The two conditions are the leading causes of irreversible vision loss and blindness in the U.S.

8 Jul 2011

International biologists discover seven new species of mice

After living incognito for millions of years in a remote area of a forested mountain range in the Philippines, seven newfound species of mice owe their recent discovery to DNA evidence and the Florida State University biologist who deciphered it.

8 Jul 2011

Researchers identify cellular origin of malignant glioma

Using a mouse genetic system co-developed by researchers at the University of Oregon and Stanford University, a research team led by UO biologist Hui Zong has isolated the cellular origin for malignant glioma, a deadly human brain cancer.

8 Jul 2011

Researchers use AFM to characterize ovarian cell structure for cancer diagnosis

Using ovarian surface epithelial cells from mice, researchers from Virginia Tech have released findings from a study that they believe will help in cancer risk assessment, cancer diagnosis, and treatment efficiency in a technical journal: Nanomedicine.

7 Jul 2011

GEN article reports on new drug research and development costs

A policy specialist and a healthcare economist both say that the oft-quoted cost of $1.32 billion to bring a new drug to market does not hold up to close scrutiny, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News.

7 Jul 2011

Study finds link between genetic variation and cetuximab rectal cancer therapy

team of researchers led by Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) oncologist Heinz-Josef Lenz, M.D., has identified a genetic marker that may predict which patients with rectal cancer can be cured by certain chemotherapies when combined with surgery.

7 Jul 2011

Eighteen scientists receive Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation awards

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting innovative early career researchers, named 18 new Damon Runyon Fellows at its spring Fellowship Award Committee review.

7 Jul 2011