Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study: Air pollution, impaired lung function independently affect cognition

Studies have shown that both air pollution and impaired lung function can cause cognitive deficits, but it was unclear whether air pollution diminishes cognition by reducing breathing ability first or whether air pollution represents an independent risk factor for cognitive deficit.

19 May 2015

Mi-Prostate Score improves prostate cancer detection

A new urine-based test improved prostate cancer detection - including detecting more aggressive forms of prostate cancer - compared to traditional models based on prostate serum antigen, or PSA, levels, a new study finds.

19 May 2015

Study finds new colon cancer screening as promising alternative to colonoscopy for African Americans

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, physician-scientists at University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found that a new non-invasive technology for colon cancer screening is a promising alternative to colonoscopy for African Americans.

19 May 2015

Two-drug combination improves lung function in some cystic fibrosis patients

The combination of two drugs — an investigational drug used in conjunction with an already FDA-approved medication — improved lung function in patients with one form of cystic fibrosis, according to two new studies.

19 May 2015

Researchers uncover mechanism behind common mutation that helps cancer cells replicate limitlessly

More than 500,000 people in the United States die each year of cancer-related causes. Now, emerging research has identified the mechanism behind one of the most common mutations that help cancer cells replicate limitlessly.

19 May 2015

NAS, NAM launch major initiative to guide decision making on human gene-editing research

The National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine are launching a major initiative to guide decision making about controversial new research involving human gene editing. Human gene-editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9, may lead to promising new treatments for disease.

19 May 2015

Researchers reveal molecular steps that allow pancreatic cancer to spread to the liver

An international team led by Weill Cornell Medical College investigators has illuminated the precise molecular steps that enable pancreatic cancer to spread to the liver -- the event that makes the most common form of the disease lethal. By understanding this process, investigators say their discovery can lead to targeted treatments that delay metastasis, and could offer clinicians a new biomarker to test for the earliest signs of pancreatic cancer.

19 May 2015

Study quantifies different mutational profiles of tumour cell clusters in patients with bowel cancer

Bowel cancer is often driven by mutations in one of several different genes, and a patient can have a cancer with a different genetic make-up to another patient's cancer. Identifying the molecular alterations involved in each patient's cancer enables doctors to choose drugs that best target specific alterations.

19 May 2015

Alnylam files clinical trial application for alpha-1 liver disease, presents data at DDW

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that it has filed a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) with the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial with ALN-AAT, a subcutaneously administered investigational RNAi therapeutic targeting alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) for the treatment of AAT deficiency-associated liver disease (alpha-1 liver disease).

19 May 2015

New studies to improve prostate cancer detection to be presented at AUA annual meeting

Five new studies evaluating the use of imaging and urine-based biomarkers as ways to improve prostate cancer detection will be presented during the 110th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA).

18 May 2015

Studies support use of ThyraMIR and ThyGenX to improve detection of benign/malignant thyroid nodules

Data will be presented at both Digestive Disease Week (DDW) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) annual medical meetings.

18 May 2015

New blood test detects breast cancer metastasis earlier than is currently possible

Research findings from Lund University in Sweden now provide new hope for a way of detecting metastases significantly earlier than is currently possible.

18 May 2015

Too much or too little sleep may up stroke risk in hypertensive patients

High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects one third of--or 70 million--US adults, and the healthcare costs associated with treating the disease are approximately $46 billion.

18 May 2015

Combined therapy shows promise in cystic fibrosis patients

Treatment with two medications that target the most common genetic cause of cystic fibrosis improves lung function and lowers the rate of pulmonary exacerbations, according to the results from a Phase III international clinical trial published online in the New England Journal of Medicine on May 17, 2015.

17 May 2015

Researchers discover how and where chromosome fragile sites occur in human DNA

Using a novel method they developed to map chromosome breaks in a model organism, the budding yeast, Wenyi Feng, Ph.D., of Upstate Medical University and her colleagues have discovered new information as to how and where chromosome fragile sites can occur in human DNA. These sites are frequently observed in cancer cells and are responsible for causing genomic rearrangements.

15 May 2015

Chemical drug safely controls side effects associated with haploidentical stem cell transplantation

Researchers in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist and Texas Children's Hospital have found that a single dose of an otherwise harmless drug can safely control the severe and often lethal side effects associated with haploidentical stem cell transplantation.

15 May 2015

Profiling normal DNA provides opportunity to identify inherited mutations

As the practice of genetically profiling patient tumors for clinical treatment decision making becomes more commonplace, a recent study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center suggests that profiling normal DNA also provides an important opportunity to identify inherited mutations that could be critical for patients and their families.

15 May 2015

Allen Institute makes progress in brain research with launch of Allen Cell Types Database

The Allen Institute for Brain Science announced today that it is taking the first major scientific step to create a searchable standards database for the brain with the launch of the Allen Cell Types Database. This first release includes information on the location, electrical activity and shape of more than 240 neurons.

14 May 2015

New test could identify resistant tuberculosis faster

Tuberculosis (TB) disease rates in some parts of London are as high as in Sub-Saharan Africa, and drug-resistant strains are becoming increasingly common.

From Oxford Gene Technology 14 May 2015

Prostate cancer patients can experience cognitive impairment following androgen deprivation therapy

Cognitive impairment can occur in cancer patients who are treated with a variety of therapies, including radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy.

14 May 2015

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study: Air pollution, impaired lung function independently affect cognition

Mi-Prostate Score improves prostate cancer detection

Study finds new colon cancer screening as promising alternative to colonoscopy for African Americans

Two-drug combination improves lung function in some cystic fibrosis patients

Researchers uncover mechanism behind common mutation that helps cancer cells replicate limitlessly

NAS, NAM launch major initiative to guide decision making on human gene-editing research

Researchers reveal molecular steps that allow pancreatic cancer to spread to the liver

Study quantifies different mutational profiles of tumour cell clusters in patients with bowel cancer

Alnylam files clinical trial application for alpha-1 liver disease, presents data at DDW

New studies to improve prostate cancer detection to be presented at AUA annual meeting

Studies support use of ThyraMIR and ThyGenX to improve detection of benign/malignant thyroid nodules

New blood test detects breast cancer metastasis earlier than is currently possible

Too much or too little sleep may up stroke risk in hypertensive patients

Combined therapy shows promise in cystic fibrosis patients

Researchers discover how and where chromosome fragile sites occur in human DNA

Chemical drug safely controls side effects associated with haploidentical stem cell transplantation

Profiling normal DNA provides opportunity to identify inherited mutations

Allen Institute makes progress in brain research with launch of Allen Cell Types Database

New test could identify resistant tuberculosis faster

Prostate cancer patients can experience cognitive impairment following androgen deprivation therapy

Industry Focus: Cell & Gene Therapy eBook

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