Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists identify genetic mechanisms behind development of myopia

Myopia, also known as short-sightedness or near-sightedness, is the most common disorder affecting the eyesight and it is on the increase. The causes are both genetic and environmental.

22 Apr 2016

Subtle changes in protein-coding gene may cause different genetic disorders

It has been disorienting to the scientific and medical community as to why different subtle changes in a protein-coding gene causes many different genetic disorders in different patients -- including premature aging, nerve problems, heart problems and muscle problems. no other gene works like this. According to a new study, co-authored by Binghamton University faculty Eric Hoffman, it has to do with cell "commitment."

22 Apr 2016

BCR-ABL halving time indicates CML prognosis during front-line TKI

Calculating halving time of the BCR-ABL transcript after 3 months may help determine prognosis in chronic myeloid leukaemia patients undergoing first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, say researchers.

21 Apr 2016

Infected mice can be better models for human diseases

Vaccines and therapeutics developed using mice often don't work as expected in humans. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis points to the near-sterile surroundings of laboratory mice as a key reason.

21 Apr 2016

Novel combination of cancer drugs can have therapeutic impact on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

New research from Roswell Park Cancer Institute shows that promising cancer drugs used in combination can have significant therapeutic impact on a particularly aggressive subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DH-DLBCL) in preclinical studies. The researchers will present their findings at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2016, to be held April 16-20 in New Orleans.

21 Apr 2016

New study explores mechanisms that control size, shape of tubular organ systems

A new study from the group of Holger Gerhardt in collaboration with Katie Bentley's Lab addresses a long standing question in the wider field of developmental biology and tissue patterning in general, and in the vascular biology field in particular: 'What are the fundamental mechanisms controlling size and shape of tubular organ systems'.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists develop CRISPRainbow to study genome structure in real time

CRISPRainbow, a new technology using CRISPR/Cas9 developed by scientists at UMass Medical School, allows researchers to tag and track up to seven different genomic locations in live cells. This labeling system, details of which were published in Nature Biotechnology, will be an invaluable tool for studying the structure of the genome in real time.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists map core genes involved during DNA uptake in strep bacteria

Bacteria possess the ability to take up DNA from their environment, a skill that enables them to acquire new genes for antibiotic resistance or to escape the immune response. Scientists have now mapped the core set of genes that are consistently controlled during DNA uptake in strep bacteria, and they hope the finding will allow them to cut off the microbes' ability to survive what doctors and nature can throw at them.

21 Apr 2016

Novel method could help analyze GWAS results for sporadic diseases

Using a novel method, Whitehead Institute researchers have determined how a non-coding mutation identified in genome-wide association studies can contribute to sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). The approach could be used to analyze GWAS results for other sporadic diseases with genetic causes, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and cancer.

21 Apr 2016

Novel gene therapy can improve symptoms of Bubble Boy disease in young adults

Adolescents and young adults with a severe inherited immunodeficiency disorder improved following treatment with novel gene therapy developed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The results of this study appear today in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

21 Apr 2016

New diagnostic approach may help physicians more efficiently screen for dementia

A tiered diagnostic approach that incorporates clinical, imaging and laboratory data may help physicians more efficiently screen for neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia, according to the consensus of a multi-disciplinary panel of experts.

From Quest Diagnostics 21 Apr 2016

Scientists develop new drug for life-threatening lung disease treatment

Researchers are developing a new drug to treat life-threatening lung damage and breathing problems in people with severe infections like pneumonia, those undergoing certain cancer treatments and premature infants with underdeveloped, injury prone lungs.

20 Apr 2016

Experimental treatment shrinks rare pediatric tumor by 90%

When a baby's life was threatened by a rare pediatric cancer that would not respond to surgery or chemotherapy, doctors at Nemours Children's Hospital rapidly, successfully shrank the tumor by 90 percent using an experimental treatment, according to a new study published online in Pediatric Blood and Cancer.

20 Apr 2016

Genetic markers may influence how breast cancer patients respond to treatment

Two previously unrecognized genetic markers may predict whether breast cancer patients would benefit from chemotherapy followed by tamoxifen, according to preclinical research from Roswell Park Cancer Institute, in collaboration with the cooperative research group SWOG and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The results of this research will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2016, to be held April 16-20 in New Orleans.

20 Apr 2016

Removing immunomodulatory protein improves symptoms of muscular dystrophy in mice

Removing an immunomodulatory protein called osteopontin improves the symptoms of mice with muscular dystrophy by changing the type of macrophages acting on damaged muscle tissue, according to a paper published in The Journal of Cell Biology.

19 Apr 2016

Study describes precise mechanisms that enable TB bacteria to persist in the body

Bacteria that cause tuberculosis trick immune cells meant to destroy them into hiding and feeding them instead. This is the result of a study led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center and published online April 18 in Nature Immunology.

19 Apr 2016

Newly discovered player in epigenetic regulation closely linked to known cancer promoters

If genes form the body's blueprint, then the layer of epigenetics decides which parts of the plan get built. Unfortunately, many cancers hijack epigenetics to modulate the expression of genes, thus promoting cancer growth and survival.

19 Apr 2016

Researchers identify biological pathway that explains why current asthma therapies fail in many cases

Asthma is an enormous public health problem that continues to grow larger, in part because scientists don't fully understand how it is caused. Existing therapies don't cure the disease and often don't even significantly alleviate the symptoms. Now, scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University have identified a biological pathway that potentially explains why current asthma therapies don't work well in many cases—and might be targeted to help those patients.

19 Apr 2016

Scientists discover new diagnostic marker for liver cancer

Scientists may have discovered a significant new diagnostic marker for liver cancer, according to a paper published in the April 18 online issue of Nature Cell Biology.

19 Apr 2016

New computer algorithm can better characterize functional context of genomic variations in cancer

Cancer is rarely the result of a single mutation in a single gene. Rather, tumors arise from the complex interplay between any number of mutually exclusive abnormal changes in the genome, the combinations of which can be unique to each individual patient.

19 Apr 2016

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists identify genetic mechanisms behind development of myopia

Subtle changes in protein-coding gene may cause different genetic disorders

BCR-ABL halving time indicates CML prognosis during front-line TKI

Infected mice can be better models for human diseases

Novel combination of cancer drugs can have therapeutic impact on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

New study explores mechanisms that control size, shape of tubular organ systems

Scientists develop CRISPRainbow to study genome structure in real time

Scientists map core genes involved during DNA uptake in strep bacteria

Novel method could help analyze GWAS results for sporadic diseases

Novel gene therapy can improve symptoms of Bubble Boy disease in young adults

New diagnostic approach may help physicians more efficiently screen for dementia

Scientists develop new drug for life-threatening lung disease treatment

Experimental treatment shrinks rare pediatric tumor by 90%

Genetic markers may influence how breast cancer patients respond to treatment

Removing immunomodulatory protein improves symptoms of muscular dystrophy in mice

Study describes precise mechanisms that enable TB bacteria to persist in the body

Newly discovered player in epigenetic regulation closely linked to known cancer promoters

Researchers identify biological pathway that explains why current asthma therapies fail in many cases

Scientists discover new diagnostic marker for liver cancer

New computer algorithm can better characterize functional context of genomic variations in cancer

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