Chromosome News and Research

Latest Chromosome News and Research

New compound that is designed to overcome Gleevec resistance

One of the truly spectacular success stories in modern oncology is the development and implementation of Gleevec, a drug that virtually halts the progress of chronic myeloid leukemia. Yet for some patients who harbor particularly stubborn genetic mutations, Gleevec fails miserably.

17 Jul 2004

DNA left overs, new mechanism for evolution

A team of researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has discovered that transposons, small DNA sequences that travel through the genomes, can silence the genes adjacent to them by inducing a molecule called antisense RNA.

16 Jul 2004

Ghrelin may help reduce obsesity in children with genetic disorder

What if your child’s overeating was so uncontrollable that it led to eating out of the garbage, ransacking the kitchen and getting arrested for stealing food?

15 Jul 2004

A drug derived from an ocean-growing sponge helps prevent the growth of cancer cells

A drug derived from an ocean-growing sponge teams up to enhance the performance of the yew tree derivative Taxol® (paclitaxel) in preventing the growth of cancer cells, according to research published in the July 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

15 Jul 2004

Geographic variations in colour perception

It's long been known that color blindness is caused, usually in men, by changes in the red and green opsin genes, the genes that enable humans to perceive color.

9 Jul 2004

Gene responsible for the onset of aging

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a gene responsible for the onset of aging, including age-related disorders such as infertility, reproductive problems and cataracts.

7 Jul 2004

How DNA repair machinery detects and corrects errors in DNA replication

Biochemists at Duke University Medical Center have discovered key components that enable the cell's DNA repair machinery to adeptly launch its action in either direction along a DNA strand to strip out faulty DNA.

2 Jul 2004

Children cured of acute lymphocytic leukemia after chemotherapy have a 5-20 times greater risk of developing secondary malignant neoplasm's

The alterations in the children's gene sequence remain embedded within their chromosomes and may pose elevated risk for development of second malignancies and other diseases later in life, cautioned Barry A. Finette, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Vermont.

1 Jul 2004

Chromosomal chaos in early embryonic development is linked to abnormalities in cytokinesis and spindle formation

Abnormalities in the spindles (the bi-polar thread like structures that link and pull the chromosomes during cell division) of human embryos before implantation may be the primary reason for many of the chromosome defects observed in early human development

29 Jun 2004

A moderately high protein diet could reduce a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant

A moderately high protein diet could reduce a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant, according to new research presented at the 20th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today on Monday 28 June.

28 Jun 2004

Discovery of gene that causes a rare juvenile-onset form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

The discovery of the Senataxin gene, on chromosome 9q34, may provide clues to the mechanisms of related brain disorders. The study appears in the June 2004 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

28 Jun 2004

Catalogue of the 30,000 or so genes that contain the instructions to make a human or a mouse

With genomic sequencing at The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and other centres, researchers now have an extensive catalogue of the 30,000 or so genes that contain the instructions to make a human or a mouse.

24 Jun 2004

Genes account for approximately 30 percent of longevity in humans

Current research indicates that genes account for approximately 30 percent of longevity in humans which means that healthy habits play a large role in determining lifespan but good genes do help and the question now is how

23 Jun 2004

Paclitaxel analog kills more cancer cells than natural product

Paclitaxel, a natural compound from yew trees, is the world's best-selling anticancer drug. Several analogs are in clinical trial, with others in preclinical development. One problem that paclitaxel and all its analogs share, however, is that they are all highly complex compounds, and cannot be prepared synthetically in a commercially viable way.

21 Jun 2004

New gene found in genetic wasteland

In a region of DNA long considered a genetic wasteland, Harvard Medical School researchers have discovered a new class of gene.

20 Jun 2004

Geneticists determine the lack of chromosomes

A healthy person’s genome contains 46 chromosomes, but an individual cell can contain less. Contemporary methods allow to determine the value of losses rather accurately. The Tomsk researchers’ effort has been supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research.

15 Jun 2004

Significance of the discovery of anthrax toxin genes in a naturally occurring microbe other than Bacillus anthracis

Dr. Fraser discusses, for the first time, the significance of the discovery of anthrax toxin genes in a naturally occurring microbe other than Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax.

14 Jun 2004

Genetic link between hormones and migraine

Director of the Genomics Research Centre Professor Lyn Griffiths and her team of researchers at Griffith University have identified a genetic link between hormones and migraine.

9 Jun 2004

Proteins transform DNA into molecular velcro

Proteins critical for compacting DNA in preparation for cell division actually interact with the double helix to fashion it into a kind of “molecular Velcro,” researchers have discovered.

5 Jun 2004

Breakthrough in gene therapy

Despite a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs during the past 15 years, gene therapy has continued to attract many of the world's brightest scientists. They are tantalized by the enormous potential that replacing missing genes or disabling defective ones offers for curing diseases of many kinds.

3 Jun 2004