Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Public health advisories reduce rate of codeine dispensed to postpartum women

Public health advisories from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada were associated with significant reductions in the rate of dispensing of codeine to postpartum women, according to a study in the May 12 issue of JAMA.

14 May 2015

Researchers make major step toward finding target to combat drug-resistant neuroblastoma

Researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles have made an important step toward finding a target in the fight against drug-resistant neuroblastoma (NBL), the most common solid malignancy found, outside of the skull, in children.

14 May 2015

Gadusol compound can provide a systemic sunscreen to humans

Researchers have discovered why many animal species can spend their whole lives outdoors with no apparent concern about high levels of solar exposure: they make their own sunscreen.

14 May 2015

Dopamine-producing neurons affect crucial brain functions

Nerve cells that produce dopamine for the purpose of transmitting signals to other cells affect numerous crucial brain functions.

14 May 2015

Study finds similarity in clinical progression between human patients and Huntington's disease monkeys

Transgenic Huntington's disease monkeys show similarity to humans with Huntington's in their progressive neurodegeneration and decline of motor control, scientists from Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, report.

14 May 2015

Small-molecule drug simultaneously rejuvenates old muscles, aging brains

Whether you're brainy, brawny or both, you may someday benefit from a drug found to rejuvenate aging brain and muscle tissue. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered that a small-molecule drug simultaneously perks up old stem cells in the brains and muscles of mice, a finding that could lead to drug interventions for humans that would make aging tissues throughout the body act young again.

14 May 2015

Non-coding RNAs in maternal food can pass through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression

In a new study published in the Protein & Cell, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University reports that small non-coding RNAs in maternal food can transfer through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression.

14 May 2015

Serotonin and TGF-beta pathways link diet to health and ageing

Diet exerts a major impact on health and ageing. The nervous system plays an important role in this process but, thus far, how food signals are interpreted by the nervous system has been a mystery.

14 May 2015

TSRI researchers find interferon beta protein as prime suspect in persistent viral infections

Interferon proteins are normally considered virus-fighters, but scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found evidence that one of them, interferon beta (IFNβ), has an immune-suppressing effect that can help some viruses establish persistent infections.

14 May 2015

CNIO researchers identify new strategy to combat cancer

Scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have discovered a new strategy to fight cancer, which is very different from those described to date. Their work shows for the first time that telomeres -- the structures protecting the ends of the chromosomes -- may represent an effective anti-cancer target: by blocking the TRF1 gene, which is essential for the telomeres, they have shown dramatic improvements in mice with lung cancer.

14 May 2015

Blocking FGL2 protein may offer new approach to treating brain cancer

Blocking FGL2, a protein known to promote cancer, may offer a new strategy for treating brain cancer, according to a study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

14 May 2015

Eating Mediterranean diet helps delay cognitive decline

Professor of Preventive Medicine at the University of Valencia Dolors Corella is part of the multidisciplinary team conducting the Predimed study, which has found that eating a Mediterranean diet, enriched with olive oil or nuts, helps delay cognitive decline.

13 May 2015

UCL-led team develops new technique to find resistant TB faster

The time needed to genetically sequence the bacteria causing tuberculosis (Mtb) from patient samples has been reduced from weeks to days using a new technique developed by a UCL-led team. This could help health service providers to better treat disease, control transmission of this infection, and monitor outbreaks.

From Oxford Gene Technology 13 May 2015

Major breakthrough in understanding development of type 1 diabetes

Joslin researchers have uncovered the action of a gene that regulates the education of T cells, providing insight into how and why the immune system begins mistaking the body's own tissues for targets. The gene, Clec16a, is one of a suite of genes associated with multiple autoimmune disorders, suggesting it is fundamental to the development of autoimmunity.

13 May 2015

Prostate cancer patients who receive androgen deprivation therapy may experience cognitive problems

Cognitive impairment can occur in cancer patients who are treated with a variety of therapies, including radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. After chemotherapy treatment it is commonly called "chemo brain." Signs of cognitive impairment include forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, problems recalling information, trouble multi-tasking and becoming slower at processing information.

13 May 2015

Case Western Reserve researchers find potential game-changer for triple-negative breast cancer

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University combined finely crafted nanoparticles with one of nature's potent disrupters to prevent the spread of triple-negative breast cancer in mouse models.

13 May 2015

Researchers develop new tool to identify common genetic anomalies in cancer

Researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and Thermo Fisher Scientific have developed and tested a new tool that searches for the most common genetic anomalies seen in cancer. The assay demonstrates the ability to make gene sequencing easier over a large volume of samples.

13 May 2015