Epigenetics News and Research

Latest Epigenetics News and Research

Scientists discover molecular basis for tamoxifen resistance and potential way to defeat it

In the last three decades, thousands of women with breast cancer have taken the drug tamoxifen, only to discover that the therapy doesn't work, either because their tumors do not respond to the treatment at all, or because they develop resistance to it over time. Now researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have discovered the molecular basis for tamoxifen resistance and found a potential way to defeat it.

14 Nov 2011

Researchers show how ER-positive breast cancer tumors become resistant to tamoxifen

Researchers have shown how estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer tumors become resistant to tamoxifen, the only approved hormonal therapy for premenopausal patients with this type of breast cancer.

14 Nov 2011

Combination of azacitidine and entinostat shows promise against NSCLC

A new type of therapy aimed at reversing the gene-silencing that promotes cancer-cell growth has shown promising results in a small clinical trial conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

10 Nov 2011

New epigenetic therapy may treat recurrent metastatic NSCLC

Patients with recurrent metastatic non-small cell lung cancer have a morbid prognosis, but a new epigenetic therapy may have potential in this population, according to data published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

10 Nov 2011

Prefrontal cortex neurons from individuals with autism show changes in chromatin structures

Neurons in the prefrontal cortex of individuals with autism show changes at numerous sites across the genome, according to a study being published Online First by the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Nov 2011

Epigenetic alterations may play an important role in autism

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are the first to map epigenetic changes in neurons from the brains of individuals with autism, providing empirical evidence that epigenetic alterations-changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence-may play an important role in the disease.

8 Nov 2011

Study on epigentics and cellular memory

How do fetal cells know what cell types to become? Why do cells in the adult body sometimes forget what they are and develop into cancer cells? These are some of the questions intensively investigated within the research field of epigenetics.

8 Nov 2011

Exendin-4 drug could prevent later development of diabetes in children

Pediatric researchers who tested newborn animals with an existing human drug used in adults with diabetes report that this drug, when given very early in life, prevents diabetes from developing in adult animals. If this finding can be repeated in humans, it may become a way to prevent at-risk infants from developing type 2 diabetes.

3 Nov 2011

Researchers use diabetes drug to permanently reprogram insulin-producing cells

3 Nov 2011

First report on how patterns of 5-hmC's distribution change in mouse brain during development

In 2009, the DNA alphabet expanded. Scientists discovered that an extra letter or "sixth nucleotide" was surprisingly abundant in DNA from stem cells and brain cells.

31 Oct 2011

Research focuses on JQ1 molecule that tricks NUT midline carcinoma cancer cells

NUT midline carcinoma (NMC) is a cancer without a cure, and one that affects all age groups. NMC is a rapid-growth disease with an average survival time of four and a half months after diagnosis, making the development of clinical trials for potential therapies or cures for this cancer difficult, to say the least.

29 Oct 2011

AAP President to outline efforts to advance agenda for children

O. Marion Burton, MD, FAAP, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will address attendees at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday,Oct. 15, 2011, at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in Boston.

15 Oct 2011

Achievement of pre-clinical milestone triggers $4M payment from GSK to Epizyme

Epizyme, Inc., a company leading the discovery and development of personalized therapeutics for genetically-defined cancer patients, today announced the achievement of pre-clinical milestones in its alliance with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), triggering $4 million in milestone payments.

15 Oct 2011

Scientists uncover vast new gene regulatory network linked with cancer

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and two other institutions have uncovered a vast new gene regulatory network in mammalian cells that could explain genetic variability in cancer and other diseases.

15 Oct 2011

Scientisits uncover evidence of powerful new cancer genetic networks

In findings with major implications for the genetics of cancer and human health, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and two other science teams in New York City and Rome have uncovered evidence of powerful new genetic networks and showed how it may work to drive cancer and normal development.

14 Oct 2011

Study: miR-34b gene associated with aggressive form of melanoma

A certain microRNA gene, miR-34b, could be a useful biomarker in early diagnosis of the most lethal forms of melanoma, according to new research published by KGI Professor Animesh Ray and his research collaborators.

14 Oct 2011

University of Leicester's public lectures to explore reality of toxic damage

The genetic and biochemical consequences of exposure to toxins and mutagens are the theme of the next in a series of accessible lecture events at the University of Leicester.

7 Oct 2011

CCP announces eight new cancer research projects at BWH

The Campaign for Cancer Prevention (CCP) began in 2007 with the single goal of uniting those across the globe who care about preventing cancer. It has now grown to a more than 6 million member movement, becoming a leading initiative on the social media platform, Causes.com.

4 Oct 2011

Novel drug shows promise for MLL leukemia

According to British scientists a potential new drug from GlaxoSmithKline could treat mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL). MLL is the most common form of leukemia in babies. The study appeared in the journal Nature where scientists from the British drugmaker collaborating with the charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and Cellzome AG found that the experimental drug, called I-BET151.

3 Oct 2011

Potential new drug could treat mixed-lineage leukaemia

A team lead by Cancer Research UK scientists have shown that a potential new drug could treat mixed-lineage leukaemia (MLL), the most common form of leukaemia in babies, according to a study published in Nature today.

3 Oct 2011