Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study supports need for diagnostic analysis of germline and tumor biomarker information

A core tenet of precision medicine is that predictive biomarkers can enhance therapeutic decision-making. In a new pilot study, scientists at Molecular Health analyzed a randomly selected set of 250 patients with solid tumors and detected predictive biomarkers in more than 85% of tumors.

30 Jun 2015

TSRI scientists find five different miRNAs involved in memory formation

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found that a type of genetic material called “microRNA” plays surprisingly different roles in the formation of memory in animal models. In some cases, these RNAs increase memory, while others decrease it.

30 Jun 2015

Researchers explore why some mutations can cause severe disease in humans, but benign in animals

Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School have identified a mechanism that explains why some mutations can be disease-causing in one genome but benign in another.

30 Jun 2015

Imperial College London researchers discover new inherited form of obesity, type 2 diabetes

Scientists have discovered a new inherited form of obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans. A large number of genes are involved in regulating body weight, and there are now over 30 genes known in which people with harmful changes in DNA sequence become extremely overweight. Similarly, there are a number of genes that can, when altered, cause type 2 diabetes. These conditions are inherited through families in exactly the same way as disorders such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington's disease.

30 Jun 2015

Bacterial ‘fight club’ approach effective for finding new drugs from natural sources

Creating bacterial "fight clubs" is an effective way to find new drugs from natural sources. That is the conclusion of a team of Vanderbilt chemists who have been exploring ways to get bacteria to produce biologically active chemicals that they normally hold in reserve. These compounds are called secondary metabolites.

30 Jun 2015

SLU's Center for Vaccine Development receives $2.9 million to study new vaccine to combat TB

Saint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development has received a $2.9 million award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study a new tuberculosis vaccine.

30 Jun 2015

Scientists develop high-throughput strategy to build de novo genomes

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a new approach to build nearly complete genomes by combining high-throughput DNA sequencing with genome mapping. The methodology enabled researchers to detect complex forms of genomic variation, critically important for their association with human disease, but previously difficult to detect.

30 Jun 2015

Study could point the way to new treatments for people with severe asthma

The immune response that occurs in patients with severe asthma is markedly different than what occurs in milder forms of the lung condition, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Those unique features could point the way to new treatments, they said in an article published online today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

30 Jun 2015

Two years may be a more practical survival goal for patients with follicular lymphoma

The goal for many cancer patients is to reach the five-year, disease-free mark, but new research from UR Medicine's Wilmot Cancer Institute suggests that two years might be a more practical survival goal for people with follicular lymphoma.

30 Jun 2015

Canada's first human gene therapy trial for choroideremia now underway at Royal Alexandra Hospital

Canada's first human gene therapy trial for eyes -- the replacement of a faulty gene with a healthy one -- is now underway at the Royal Alexandra Hospital to preserve and potentially restore vision for people with a genetic disorder that leaves them blind by middle age.

30 Jun 2015

Study on fruit flies, brewer's yeast may provide clues about cause of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Scientists at the University of Malta and the Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (CNRS/Université de Montpellier) have shown that fruit flies and brewer's yeast can reveal clues about the cause of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the most common genetic killer of infants.

30 Jun 2015

Kay E. Davies named recipient of ASHG's 2015 William Allan Award

The American Society of Human Genetics has named Kay E. Davies, DPhil, Dr. Lee's professor of anatomy, associate head of the medical sciences division; and director of the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit in the department of physiology, anatomy and genetics at the University of Oxford, the 2015 recipient of the annual William Allan Award.

30 Jun 2015

Rare genetic variants in A2ML1 gene responsible for chronic middle ear infections, say researchers

Many parents have heard the night-time cry of "my ear hurts." For some children, this might happen frequently beginning in infancy and even persist into adulthood. An international consortium led by those at Baylor College of Medicine may have taken the first step on the road to understanding why only some people get frequent painful or chronic middle ear infections. The culprit may be rare genetic variants in a gene called A2ML1.

30 Jun 2015

TSRI-led study identifies new immune molecules that protect against Marburg virus

A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute identifies new immune molecules that protect against deadly Marburg virus, a relative of Ebola virus. The research provides ingredients needed to develop treatments for future Marburg outbreaks.

30 Jun 2015

Researchers discover gene locations affecting wrist bones in children

Pediatric researchers have discovered gene locations affecting bone strength in wrist bones, the most common site for fractures in children. Children who have those genetic variants may be at higher-than-average risk of wrist fractures, and could especially benefit from activities and diets that promote bone strength.

30 Jun 2015

Researchers discover mechanism that regulates metabolism

The protein complex mTORC1 is a central regulator of cell metabolism. In the active state, it stimulates anabolic processes and increases the production and storage of proteins and lipids. Researchers from the German Leibniz Institute for Age Research in Jena and the Dutch Ageing Institute ERIBA in Groningen discovered a mechanism how mTORC1 regulates metabolism: It controls the expression of a specific variant of the transcriptional regulator C/EBPβ.

29 Jun 2015

Clinical data demonstrates safe administration of Pexa-Vec in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

SillaJen, Inc., a private clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the development of oncolytic immunotherapy products for cancer, today announced a publication of data demonstrating that in a Phase Ib trial of Pexa-Vec, patients received multiple bi-weekly doses of its lead product Pexa-Vec, representing the first report of multiple intravenous administrations of an oncolytic vaccinia.

29 Jun 2015

Veracyte named to Bay Area News Group's Top Workplaces list for second consecutive year

Veracyte, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company pioneering the field of molecular cytology, today announced that it has been named to the Bay Area News Group's prestigious Top Workplaces list for the second year in a row. The news group selects Top Workplace winners based solely on an annual survey of Bay Area-company employees.

29 Jun 2015

Scientists examine rates of secondary mutations in biomarker genes

Many tests for predictive biomarkers in tumors focus on selected known mutations or regions (e.g. hotspot panels). In a new study, scientists at Molecular Health examined the rates of secondary mutations in known biomarker genes and their potential impact on the diagnostic reliability of specific single-nucleotide variant (SNV) biomarker testing.

29 Jun 2015

People with specific gene variant at greater risk of developing depressions

People born with a particular gene variant have a greater risk of developing depressions, a recent study from the Department of Psychology at The University of Oslo shows.

29 Jun 2015

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study supports need for diagnostic analysis of germline and tumor biomarker information

TSRI scientists find five different miRNAs involved in memory formation

Researchers explore why some mutations can cause severe disease in humans, but benign in animals

Imperial College London researchers discover new inherited form of obesity, type 2 diabetes

Bacterial ‘fight club’ approach effective for finding new drugs from natural sources

SLU's Center for Vaccine Development receives $2.9 million to study new vaccine to combat TB

Scientists develop high-throughput strategy to build de novo genomes

Study could point the way to new treatments for people with severe asthma

Two years may be a more practical survival goal for patients with follicular lymphoma

Canada's first human gene therapy trial for choroideremia now underway at Royal Alexandra Hospital

Study on fruit flies, brewer's yeast may provide clues about cause of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Kay E. Davies named recipient of ASHG's 2015 William Allan Award

Rare genetic variants in A2ML1 gene responsible for chronic middle ear infections, say researchers

TSRI-led study identifies new immune molecules that protect against Marburg virus

Researchers discover gene locations affecting wrist bones in children

Researchers discover mechanism that regulates metabolism

Clinical data demonstrates safe administration of Pexa-Vec in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

Veracyte named to Bay Area News Group's Top Workplaces list for second consecutive year

Scientists examine rates of secondary mutations in biomarker genes

People with specific gene variant at greater risk of developing depressions

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