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An innovative genetic prediction algorithm

A University of Toledo doctoral candidate in biomedical sciences recently combined the inspiration he received from his grandfather, values learned from his mother, insights gleaned from his mentors and processing power tapped from a supercomputer to unlock a few of the many secrets of the human genome.

29 Jun 2010

Movable sequences of DNA are more common than previously thought

Researchers at the University of Leicester have demonstrated that movable sequences of DNA, which give rise to genetic variability and sometimes cause specific diseases, are far more common than previously thought.

29 Jun 2010

Aestus Therapeutics announces license agreement with Astellas Pharma

Aestus Therapeutics, Inc. announced today a license agreement with Astellas Pharma Inc. (Astellas; Tokyo, Japan) to provide Aestus with exclusive, world-wide rights to the Astellas product FK614. Aestus will develop the product as ATx08-001, a novel, first-in-class therapeutic for the treatment of neuropathic pain. The first clinical trial will start later this year.

28 Jun 2010

Wellcome Trust launches project in UK to decode genomes of 10,000 people

On the tenth anniversary of the completion of the first draft of the human genome - a draft which had taken ten years to complete - the Wellcome Trust today launches a project to decode the genomes of 10,000 people over the next three years. This will be one of the largest genome sequencing programmes ever undertaken and will analyse the genomes of the equivalent of one in 6,000 people in the UK.

28 Jun 2010

Transposons create genomic instability and are implicated in cancer and other diseases: Research

Transposons, or "jumping genes," make up roughly half of the human genome. Geneticists previously estimated that they replicate and insert themselves into new locations roughly one in every 20 live births.

28 Jun 2010

Researchers discover genetic links to kidney failure, diabetic kidney disease

Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute will make two presentations at this week's 70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, June 25-29, in Orlando, Florida.

28 Jun 2010

Additional results from BLISS-76 Phase 3 trial of BENLYSTA presented at International Congress on SLE

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. today announced the presentation of additional results from BLISS-76, one of two pivotal Phase 3 trials of BENLYSTA (belimumab) in seropositive patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The additional data will be presented in Vancouver at the 9th International Congress on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus on Friday and Saturday, June 25-26.

28 Jun 2010

Research provides hope and encouragement to people living with lupus

Research presented during the 9th International Lupus Congress held in Vancouver, Canada from June 24-27, 2010 should give hope and encouragement for the future of the treatment and management of lupus to the 1.5 million Americans and 5 million people worldwide living with lupus. In recent years, there have been significant advances made in many areas of lupus research including the development of new treatments, adult stem cell transplantation, genetics, lupus-related cardiovascular disease, and quality of life issues for people with lupus.

25 Jun 2010

Impact of oil spill on humans and wildlife

University of Rhode Island Pharmacy Professor Bongsup Cho knows there are cancer-causing chemicals in diesel fumes and cigarette smoke.

25 Jun 2010

Blood flow disturbances in artery determine appearance of atherosclerosis: Study

A new animal model of atherosclerosis has allowed researchers to identify a host of genes turned on or off during the initial stages of the process, before a plaque appears in the affected blood vessel.

24 Jun 2010

People with certain chitinase gene variants at increased risk of severe asthma attacks

Exposure to high levels of fungus may increase the risk of severe asthma attacks among people with certain chitinase gene variants, according to a study from Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

24 Jun 2010

New book provides comprehensive review of the functions of p53 family

The p53 tumor suppressor gene, the "guardian of the genome," protects cells against genotoxic stress but is mutated in many cancers. It encodes one of a family of proteins that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and cell death. Mutations in p53 allow cells to escape normal growth controls and thereby contribute to tumor malignancy.

24 Jun 2010

Researchers endorse, modify vitamin D theory of autism

A Scientific American article asks, "What if Vitamin D Deficiency is a Cause of Autism?" How could vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy cause autism, a genetic disease? Indeed, five researchers at Harvard, led by Dr. Dennis Kinney, recently endorsed and then modified the vitamin D theory of autism.

24 Jun 2010

NIH to invest $25M over five years for international collaboration on genetic research in Africa

The NIH on Tuesday announced a partnership with Wellcome Trust and the African Society for Human Genetics that will enable African researchers to "use the latest genetic and clinical technology to study common health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and other diseases," VOA News reports (DeCapua, 6/22).

24 Jun 2010

Scientists discover septet of overactive genes that control bodily function

In what is believed to be the largest review of the human genetic code to determine why some people's blood platelets are more likely to clump faster than others, scientists at Johns Hopkins and in Boston have found a septet of overactive genes, which they say likely control that bodily function.

23 Jun 2010

Researchers develop experimental approaches, analysis tools to understand phenotypic expression

The Human Genome Project, along with numerous parallel efforts to solve the DNA sequences of hundreds of animal, plant, fungal, and microbe genomes in the last few decades, has produced enormous amounts of genetic data with which researchers are struggling to keep pace.

23 Jun 2010

Scientists discover weakness of human louse

Scientists have discovered the human louse's Achilles' heel which could lead to new treatments to rid us of body and head lice infestations.

23 Jun 2010

International team obtains genome sequence of human body louse

An international team has obtained the genome sequence of the human body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus), a parasite that feeds on the blood of its host and a vector of pathogens that cause diseases such as epidemic typhus, relapsing fever and trench fever.

22 Jun 2010

New study that describes sequencing and analysis of body louse genome published

A global research team led by scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute today published a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describing the sequencing and analysis of the body louse genome. Lead author, Ewen Kirkness, Ph.D., JCVI, directed the sequencing and gene-finding efforts in the project. Detailed analysis of the genome was then conducted by a large international group of 71 scientists, coordinated by Barry Pittendrigh, University of Illinois, and Professor Evgeny Zdobnov, University of Geneva Medical School.

22 Jun 2010

NIH, Wellcome Trust partner to support population-based genetic studies of disorders, communicable diseases in Africa

The National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Wellcome Trust, a global charity based in London, today announced a partnership to support population-based genetic studies in Africa of common, non-communicable disorders such as heart disease and cancer, as well as communicable diseases such as malaria.

22 Jun 2010