Mutation News and Research

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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

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 find why patients with XPV are more susceptible to skin cancer

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found why patients with a variant form of xeroderma pigmentosum, an inherited genetic disorder characterized by extreme sensitivity to the sun, are more susceptible to skin cancers than the general population. The data are published in the current issue of the journal Nature. Their finding sets the stage for research into therapies that would help protect people with XPV from developing skin cancers.

24 Jun 2010

Mutation in ion channel that changes its dynamics is implicated in epilepsy: Scientists

In 2004, Washington University in St. Lous researcher Jianmin Cui was handed a puzzling clue to the structure of an ion channel his lab had been studying for five years.

24 Jun 2010

Phase I/II clinical trials show crizotinib reduces lung cancer tumors

Patients with a specific kind of lung cancer may benefit from a Phase III clinical trial offered by the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. The new drug, crizotinib, under development by Pfizer, showed dramatic results in reducing lung cancer tumors in some patients during Phase I and II clinical trials.

23 Jun 2010

NCI awards GeneGo Phase II SBIR grant for development of MetaMiner(Oncology) platform

GeneGo, Inc., a leading provider of databases, software and services in systems biology and chemistry, announced today that they were awarded with a Phase II SBIR grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for further development of an analytical platform for translational research and data analysis in oncology.

22 Jun 2010

Elevation of Smurf1 may play a role in molecular basis of PAH: Study

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease, marked by shortness of breath and fatigue which can be fatal if untreated. Increased pressure in the pulmonary artery and its branches is associated with dysfunctional growth control of endothelial and smooth muscle cells leading to excessive thickening of the blood vessel wall, obliteration of the lumen and right heart failure.

22 Jun 2010

Investigators discover new way to harness thrombin's anti-blood clotting properties

In research led by a Saint Louis University investigator, molecular biologists have discovered a way to harness the enzyme thrombin's anti-blood clotting properties. The finding opens the door to new medications that will treat diseases related to thrombosis, the presence of blood clots in blood vessels, which is responsible for nearly a third of all deaths in the U.S.

19 Jun 2010

Friday Opinions: Uwe Reinhardt, Reps. Ron Paul and John Sarbanes, Minnesota nurses' strike

Alas, the penalties baked into the bill for disregarding the mandate, though not trivial, are low enough that many younger and healthier individuals are likely to find paying the penalty cheaper than owning up to the mandate. If that happens in significant numbers, as well it might, the premiums that private insurers will have to charge for the mandated coverage in the small-group market will be driven correspondingly higher (Uwe Reinhardt, 6/18).

19 Jun 2010

FVL gene mutation increases risk of blood clots in breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen: Study

Women who develop blood clots while taking tamoxifen for early-stage breast cancer are more likely to carry a faulty version of a gene involved in clotting than those who do not develop blood clots, a US study has found.

18 Jun 2010

USPTO awards Alnylam Notice of Allowance for patent covering methods of inhibiting expression of mutant genes

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has awarded a Notice of Allowance for the "John et al." patent (Application No. 10/384,463), which covers methods of inhibiting mutant genes with double-stranded RNAs from 19 to 30 nucleotides in length.

18 Jun 2010

Applied BioCode's novel BMB technology to be presented at Biodetection Technologies 2010 Conference

Applied BioCode, Inc. announced today a presentation to be given on their Barcoded Magnetic Beads technology at the Biodetection Technologies 2010 Conference in Arlington, Virginia. The presentation is titled "Multiplexed Assays Go Digital" and will be given by Dr. Winston Ho, President at Applied BioCode, on June 18, 2010.

18 Jun 2010

Protect Your Lungs, LUNGevity Foundation announce merger

To combat the nation's number one cancer killer, non-profit organizations Protect Your Lungs and LUNGevity Foundation today announced they will join forces in an effort to fund research and hope for a cure for lung cancer. Together, the new organization hopes to create the same successful improvements for lung cancer mortality rates as those experienced by breast, prostate, and colon cancer. The merged organization, committed to elevating lung cancer on the national agenda, will operate under the name LUNGevity Foundation with offices in Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

18 Jun 2010

Scientists find antibiotic-resistant bacteria in seven species of sharks and redfish

Scientists have found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in seven species of sharks and redfish captured in waters off Belize, Florida, Louisiana and Massachusetts. Most of these wild, free-swimming fish harbored several drug-resistant bacterial strains.

17 Jun 2010

Stony Brook team creates live attenuated influenza virus vaccine by computer-aided rational design

A team of molecular biologists and computer scientists at Stony Brook University have used a novel method to weaken (attenuate) influenza virus by way of designing hundreds of mutations to its genetic code to create an effective vaccine. Reported online and in the July issue of Nature Biotechnology, the method may be a major step in developing more effective and safe vaccines against influenza, which claims 250,000 to 500,000 lives annually worldwide, partly because existing vaccines are not fully effective.

17 Jun 2010

Curis reports topline results from GDC-0449 Phase II clinical trial for metastatic colorectal cancer

Curis, Inc., a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today announced topline results from a Phase II clinical trial conducted by Roche and Genentech, Curis' collaborator and a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, of GDC-0449, a first-in-class Hedgehog pathway inhibitor. GDC-0449 was tested in combination with Avastin® (bevacizumab) and FOLFOX or FOLFIRI chemotherapy in first-line metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

17 Jun 2010

Research findings could lead to less invasive treatments for ALL

A team of researchers from the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Universit- de Montr-al have defined for the first time the mechanism behind three cancer-causing genes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Published in the journal Genes and Development, the findings offer insight on the complex interaction between the genes and their contributions to leukemia, thereby providing the foundation for the design of targeted therapies.

17 Jun 2010

RG7204 holds promise for metastatic melanoma with V600E BRAF mutation

Preclinical findings recently published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, showed RG7204 (PLX4032) inhibited proliferation of tumor cell lines that expressed V600E-BRAF, a mutation found in several human cancers, including melanoma.

16 Jun 2010

Identification of key player in signaling pathway offers hope for new targeted melanoma therapies

Identification of a key player in a signaling pathway involved in the development of melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer - may offer hope for new targeted melanoma therapies.

16 Jun 2010

3 new genes in genetic research of suicidal behaviour

Three genes that have barely been studied to date have now provided fresh knowledge about patients with suicidal backgrounds. This is the result of a study by a team of Spanish researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital and Columbia University in the City of New York (United States), which found that several mutations are involved. This finding could help to develop future genetic tests to identify predisposition to suicide, without ignoring the importance of social and cultural factors.

16 Jun 2010

Mutation News and Research

Blood flow disturbances in artery determine appearance of atherosclerosis: Study

New book provides comprehensive review of the functions of p53 family

Researchers find why patients with XPV are more susceptible to skin cancer

Mutation in ion channel that changes its dynamics is implicated in epilepsy: Scientists

Phase I/II clinical trials show crizotinib reduces lung cancer tumors

NCI awards GeneGo Phase II SBIR grant for development of MetaMiner(Oncology) platform

Elevation of Smurf1 may play a role in molecular basis of PAH: Study

Investigators discover new way to harness thrombin's anti-blood clotting properties

Friday Opinions: Uwe Reinhardt, Reps. Ron Paul and John Sarbanes, Minnesota nurses' strike

FVL gene mutation increases risk of blood clots in breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen: Study

USPTO awards Alnylam Notice of Allowance for patent covering methods of inhibiting expression of mutant genes

Applied BioCode's novel BMB technology to be presented at Biodetection Technologies 2010 Conference

Protect Your Lungs, LUNGevity Foundation announce merger

Scientists find antibiotic-resistant bacteria in seven species of sharks and redfish

Stony Brook team creates live attenuated influenza virus vaccine by computer-aided rational design

Curis reports topline results from GDC-0449 Phase II clinical trial for metastatic colorectal cancer

Research findings could lead to less invasive treatments for ALL

RG7204 holds promise for metastatic melanoma with V600E BRAF mutation

Identification of key player in signaling pathway offers hope for new targeted melanoma therapies

3 new genes in genetic research of suicidal behaviour

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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