Mutation News and Research

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Scientists demonstrate how one gene evolves two competing functions via duplication

Researchers report that they are the first to show in molecular detail how one gene evolved two competing functions that eventually split up - via gene duplication - to pursue their separate destinies.

13 Jan 2011

BIDMC scientist wins 2011 Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for cancer research

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center cancer geneticist Pier Paolo Pandolfi, MD, PhD, is the recipient of the 2011 Pezcoller Foundation-AACR (American Association of Cancer Research) International Award for Cancer Research.

13 Jan 2011

New discovery has brought dream of transforming measles virus against cancer

When most people in the developed world think of measles, what comes to mind is only a dim memory of a vaccination at a pediatrician's office. But while childhood vaccination has virtually eliminated measles from North America and much of Europe, researchers remain interested in the virus.

13 Jan 2011

Scientists find way to prevent early stage pancreatic cancer in research models

Cancer researchers at The Peggy and Charles Stephenson Oklahoma Cancer Center have found a way to stop early stage pancreatic cancer in research models - a result that has far-reaching implications in chemoprevention for high-risk patients.

12 Jan 2011

Antibodies produced by people who recovered from H1N1 offer clues for universal flu vaccine

The antibodies produced by individuals who fought off H1N1 (swine flu) infection last year may bring researchers one step closer to their quest to develop a "universal" flu vaccine, U.S. researchers said Monday, HealthDay News/Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

12 Jan 2011

Novel scoring system identifies PTEN genetic mutation

Researchers have discovered a method for more precise identification of individuals who should undergo testing for genetic mutations of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN, which associates with a variety of conditions including several types of cancers. The research has created a diagnostic scoring system that improves on established criteria.

11 Jan 2011

QIAGEN to acquire minority stake in Alacris Theranostics

QIAGEN has signed an agreement for the acquisition of a strategic stake in Alacris Theranostics GmbH, a German start-up company using novel technologies to develop individualized cancer treatment strategies based upon a patient's genomic profile, and for the acquisition of an exclusive option to access all biomarkers emerging from this discovery program.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 11 Jan 2011

Oncolytics opens enrollment in REOLYSIN combination U.S. Phase I colorectal cancer study

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced today that a U.S. Phase I study of REOLYSIN® in combination with FOLFIRI (Folinic Acid (leucovorin) + Fluorouracil (5-FU) + Irinotecan) in patients with oxaliplatin refractory/intolerant Kras mutant colorectal cancer (REO 022) is now open to enrollment. The principal investigator is Dr. Sanjay Goel of the Montefiore Medical Center at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

10 Jan 2011

Researchers demystify death of brain cells in Parkinson's patients

Just 5 percent of Parkinson's disease cases can be explained by genetic mutation, while the rest have no known cause. But a new discovery by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio may begin to explain why the vast majority of Parkinson's patients develop the progressive neurodegenerative disease.

10 Jan 2011

Researchers identify gene mutation for that is essential for correct protein-processing in cells

A Jackson Laboratory research team led by Professor Patsy Nishina, Ph.D., has identified a mutation in a gene that's essential for correct protein-processing in cells. Defects in protein folding are associated with a variety of abnormalities and diseases.

10 Jan 2011

AFQ056 drug improves symptoms in Fragile X patients: Study

The first drug to treat the underlying disorder instead of the symptoms of Fragile X, the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, shows some promise according to a new study published in the January issue of Science Translational Medicine.

9 Jan 2011

Gigantism gene inherited by hundreds: Study

A gene that predicted gigantism in humans was identified in the DNA of the 18th-century man known as the Irish Giant, who was more than 7 feet 7 inches tall. Copies of the same mutation have been found in patients today who suffer from excessive growth, and scientists have concluded they all inherited the gene from a common ancestor.

9 Jan 2011

Single cellular crisis shatters chromosomes in cancer causation

Remarkable new research overthrows the conventional view that cancer always develops in a steady, stepwise progression. It shows that in some cancers, the genome can be shattered into hundreds of fragments in a single cellular catastrophe, wreaking mutation on a massive scale.

7 Jan 2011

Plexxikon, Genentech enter PLX4032 co-promotion agreement

Plexxikon, Inc., announced today that it has signed an agreement with Genentech to co-promote PLX4032 (RG7204) in the United States. PLX4032, an oral, novel kinase inhibitor that targets the oncogenic BRAF mutation, is being tested in late-stage clinical trials for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.

7 Jan 2011

Scientists perform surgery on single cell to extract and examine mitochondria

Medical researchers who crave a means of exploring the genetic culprits behind a host of neuromuscular disorders may have just had their wish granted by a team working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where scientists have performed surgery on single cells to extract and examine their mitochondria.

7 Jan 2011

Researchers identify genetic mutation responsible for acromegaly disease

An international research team, spearheaded by scientists from the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, has identified the genetic mutation responsible for a disease known as "gigantism" or acromegaly.

7 Jan 2011

New research: NFKBIA gene loss induces glioblastoma development

New research shows that loss of a gene called NFKBIA promotes the growth of glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and deadly form of brain cancer, and suggests that therapies that stabilize this gene may improve survival for certain glioblastoma patients.

7 Jan 2011

Choosing between EGFR therapeutic options in metastatic colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and women in the USA, with a new diagnosis made every 3.5 minutes and an associated death every 9 minutes.

6 Jan 2011

Betulin in birch bark appears to provide metabolic benefits

An ingredient found in abundance in birch bark appears to have an array of metabolic benefits, according to new studies in animals that are reported in the January issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication.

5 Jan 2011

Low-radiocarbon nutrition permanently reduces genetic damage to brain cells

A new method of child and maternal nutrition could prevent a specific type of genetic damage that would otherwise occur in up to 160 million brain cells in each person over their lifetime. Preventing this genetic damage could have significant implications related to aging and cancer.

5 Jan 2011