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Study reveals direct regulatory role of serotonin in rheumatoid arthritis

For the first time, serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) has been directly implicated in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although 5-HT is predominantly known as a neurotransmitter within the central nervous system, new evidence points to additional important functions for serotonin in the periphery.

10 Mar 2016

Hematopoietic reprogramming can lead to differentiated blood products for cell-replacement therapy

Building upon previous work, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai identified cells in the embryos of mice that are precursors to blood stem cells or hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells.

9 Mar 2016

New MyGene2 web tool may help find genes influencing Mendelian disorders

A new web tool, MyGene2, will enable patients and their families to join clinicians and scientists in the search for genes underlying rare disorders. The sharing of health information also will improve knowledge about how gene variants influence symptoms and other clinical features of Mendelian disorders.

3 Mar 2016

Discovery highlights need to improve patient education about genomics

An overwhelming majority of people with incurable cancer want to hear findings from DNA sequencing of their own tumors and normal cells, and to learn how those results may affect their health and treatment options, Dana Farber Cancer Institute scientists report.

27 Feb 2016

Researchers develop effective technique for studying high-arched palate using mouse model

Researchers from the laboratory of Paul Trainor, Ph.D., at the Stowers Institute of Medical Research have developed an effective and reliable technique for studying high-arched palate using a mouse model. The methodology could expand research into the genetic aspects of this craniofacial abnormality.

27 Feb 2016

New drug shows promise against Huntington's disease

A drug that would be the first to target the cause of Huntington's disease (HD) is effective and safe when tested in mice and monkeys, according to data released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

27 Feb 2016

Exocrine tissue could play a role in diabetes treatment

Diabetes describes a disease where the body is not receiving a sufficient supply of insulin. It commonly inflicts the pancreas, the organ responsible for insulin production. More specifically, it inflicts the cells that produce insulin, which are found in the endocrine tissue of the pancreas.

22 Feb 2016

Scientists resolve tumor heterogeneity using innovative DEPArray technology

Using the innovative DEPArray technology, scientists at Silicon Biosystems, a Bologna (Italy) and San Diego (CA, USA) based biotech company, were able to solve one of the biggest limitation in the study of cancer genetic: tumor samples heterogeneity.

22 Feb 2016

Parvus' novel therapeutic approach employing nanomedicines published in Nature

Parvus Therapeutics today announced the publication in Nature of a seminal paper describing the discovery and applications of a novel therapeutic approach employing nanomedicines, referred to as "Navacims"TM, to reprogram white blood cells to become regulatory cells capable of blunting autoimmune responses and restoring the equilibrium of the immune system.

19 Feb 2016

UAB research reveals heterogonous population of leukemia stem cells

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have found a marker on blood cells that may help the most pressing problem in chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML, today — an inability to get patients off treatment.

16 Feb 2016

Hereditary spastic paraplegia characteristics unveiled

Researchers have detailed the characteristics of a large cohort of patients with hereditary spastic paraplegias.

15 Feb 2016

Astrocytes implicated in preclinical AD

Astrocytes are activated in the brains of people with autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease long before symptoms appear and even before amyloidosis begins, a study shows.

12 Feb 2016

Study: High-cholesterol diet or eating eggs do not increase risk of cardiovascular diseases

A new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows that a relatively high intake of dietary cholesterol, or eating one egg every day, are not associated with an elevated risk of incident coronary heart disease. Furthermore, no association was found among those with the APOE4 phenotype, which affects cholesterol metabolism and is common among the Finnish population.

11 Feb 2016

Duchenne muscular dystrophy: direct effect on muscle stem cells? An interview with Dr Rudnicki

For twenty years, it has been understood that dystrophin is expressed in differentiated muscle fibers where it is part of a protein complex that crosses the membrane and connects the extracellular matrix to the actin network inside the cell to provide structural integrity.

5 Feb 2016

New research identifies key enzyme linked to age-related increases in cancer and inflammation

For the first time, researchers have shown that an enzyme key to regulating gene expression -- and also an oncogene when mutated -- is critical for the expression of numerous inflammatory compounds that have been implicated in age-related increases in cancer and tissue degeneration, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

4 Feb 2016

UAB research explores neurofibromatosis type 1

It is easy to tell a medical research story that has a simple and dramatic moment. But disease is often much more complex, and the work to understand it can be painstaking. A vivid example of that is seen in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Genomics Laboratory, headed by Ludwine Messiaen, Ph.D., professor of genetics. This lab offers clinical genetic testing for a broad array of common and rare genetic disorders.

3 Feb 2016

Genetic profiling ‘feasible’ for paediatric cancer patients

Research published in JAMA Oncology demonstrates that tumour and germline molecular profiling is feasible in paediatric cancer patients and can have actionable findings.

2 Feb 2016

Eisai's Halaven receives FDA approval for treatment of patients with metastatic liposarcoma

Eisai Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Halaven (eribulin mesylate) Injection (0.5 mg per mL) for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic liposarcoma who have received a prior anthracycline-containing regimen.

29 Jan 2016

Scientists discover epigenetic switch linked to obesity

It is well known that a predisposition to adiposity lies in our genes. A new study by researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg now shows that it is also crucial how these genes are regulated. The scientists led by Andrew Pospisilik discovered a novel regulatory, epigenetic switch, which causes individuals with identical genetic material, such as monozygotic twins, to either be lean or obese.

29 Jan 2016

CosmosID announces $6M in Series B funding round

CosmosID, the leading genomic big data company focused on microbiome research, outbreak investigations, and infectious disease diagnostics, using next-generation DNA sequencing, announced $6M in Series B funding.

28 Jan 2016