Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

NFIX protein drives NSC differentiation toward oligodendrocytes

An international team of researchers has shown that NFIX, a protein that regulates neuronal stem cell activity (NSC), also has a role in driving NSC differentiation toward oligodendrocytes, a type of glial cell. These cells produce the myelin that surrounds and protects neurons.

7 Aug 2015

Lund University researchers discovered 'main switch' that regulates cell invaginations

Lack of microinvaginations in the cell membrane, caveolae, can cause serious diseases such as lipodystrophy and muscular dystrophy. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now discovered a "main switch" that regulates the formation of these invaginations.

7 Aug 2015

University of Zurich professor recognized with 2015 Vallee Young Investigator Award

Martin Jinek, a professor at the University of Zurich's Department of Biochemistry, was presented with the 2015 Vallee Young Investigator Award. The international prize is awarded to young researchers for outstanding achievements in biomedicine and carries USD 250,000 in prize money.

6 Aug 2015

Penn researchers identify major genetic factor that keeps moles in non-cancerous, no-growth state

Moles are benign tumors found on the skin of almost every adult. Scientists have known for years that a mutation in the BRAF gene makes them start growing, but until now haven't understood why they stop. Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a major genetic factor that keeps moles in their usual non-cancerous, no-growth state.

6 Aug 2015

Genetic test may help identify better treatment option for HER2-positive breast cancer patients

A genetic test for PIK3CA mutations may help to identify patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who are less likely to benefit from combination anti-HER2 therapy, according to a study published in The Oncologist on August 5, 2015.

6 Aug 2015

Penn research reveals additional pathway for origin of colon cancer

Cancer researchers already know of some oncogenes and other factors that promote the development of colon cancers, but they don't yet have the full picture of how these cancers originate and spread. Now researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have illuminated another powerful factor in this process.

6 Aug 2015

Circadian factors, host gender could help understand microbiome and its effect on inflammatory bowel disease

By now, the old saw, "You are what you eat," has been well-used in describing the microbiome. However axiomatic that phrase may be, a new study has also found that who and when that consumption is done can affect microbiome make-up.

5 Aug 2015

CRI commits $29.3 million in new funds to accelerate development of cancer immunotherapies

The Cancer Research Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fueling the discovery and development of immunotherapies for all forms of cancer, announced that it has committed more than $29.3 million in new funds to accelerate cancer immunology research and cancer immunotherapy clinical development in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Sweden, Switzerland, and The Netherlands.

5 Aug 2015

Rice University scientists identify genetic mechanism that allows bacteria to resist antibiotics

Rice University scientists are developing strategies to keep germs from evolving resistance to antibiotics by heading them off at the pass.

5 Aug 2015

Research: Critical aspects of human genome's regulatory program encoded by genomic sequence elements

Since the classical studies of Jacob and Monod in the early 1960s, it has been evident that genome sequences contain not only blueprints for genes and the proteins that they encode, but also the instructions for a coordinated regulatory program that governs when, where and to what extent these genes and proteins are expressed.

4 Aug 2015

SGI-DNA recognized by Frost & Sullivan for BioXp 3200 System

SGI-DNA, a Synthetic Genomics, Inc. company, was recently recognized by Frost & Sullivan for its groundbreaking innovation in genomic technologies for the BioXp 3200 System, an instrument with the capacity to simultaneously build 32 unique, double-stranded DNA fragments to study gene function, pathways, and whole genomes.

4 Aug 2015

Study reveals new gene that plays crucial role in ASD

A study carried out by the Laboratoire Neurobiologie des Interactions Cellulaires et Neurophysiopathologie (CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université), in collaboration with clinicians from Marseilles Public Hospitals (AP-HM) and scientists from the Salk Institute in San Diego (US), has revealed a new gene that plays a crucial role during early development in humans and whose under-expression may induce certain autistic traits.

4 Aug 2015

Breakthroughs against Plasmodium falciparum pave way for latest advancement

When the highly-influential European Medicines Agency announced its recommendation to approve what could be the world's first licensed vaccine against malaria in infants and children, there was much celebrating in the research community at NYU Langone Medical Center.

4 Aug 2015

Study provides mechanism for EDNRB gene's role in adaptation to life at high altitudes

Ethiopians have lived at high altitudes for thousands of years, providing a natural experiment for studying human adaptations to low oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia. One factor that may enable Ethiopians to tolerate high altitudes and hypoxia is the endothelin receptor type B (EDNRB) gene.

4 Aug 2015

Penn Medicine devises new approach to develop vaccines against lethal diseases

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have devised an entirely new approach to vaccines - creating immunity without vaccination.

4 Aug 2015

BrightFocus announces recipients of 2015 research program grants

BrightFocus Foundation, which funds research worldwide on Alzheimer's disease, glaucoma, and macular degeneration, today announced that its 2015 research program grants have been awarded to 58 scientists in 20 states and 7 foreign countries. Part of an $11 million research investment, the grants reflect the largest annual research funding in the foundation's history.

4 Aug 2015

Stress responder plays critical, early step in repairing DNA damage

DNA damage increases the risk of cancer, and researchers have found that a protein, known to rally when cells get stressed, plays a critical, early step in its repair.

4 Aug 2015

MD Anderson scientists reveal role of metabolic enzyme fumarase in DNA repair

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the worst possible form of genetic malfunction that can cause cancer and resistance to therapy. New information published this week reveals more about why this occurs and how these breaks can be repaired.

4 Aug 2015

New Tel Aviv University study sheds light on precise trigger of deadly melanoma

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, and melanoma, which accounts for 2% of skin cancer cases, is responsible for nearly all skin cancer deaths. Melanoma rates in the US have been rising rapidly over the last 30 years, and although scientists have managed to identify key risk factors, melanoma's modus operandi has eluded the world of medical research.

4 Aug 2015

First biodegradable gene delivery system efficiently penetrates human airway mucus barrier of lung tissue

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil have designed a DNA-loaded nanoparticle that can pass through the mucus barrier covering conducting airways of lung tissue — proving the concept, they say, that therapeutic genes may one day be delivered directly to the lungs to the levels sufficient to treat cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and other life-threatening lung diseases.

4 Aug 2015

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

NFIX protein drives NSC differentiation toward oligodendrocytes

Lund University researchers discovered 'main switch' that regulates cell invaginations

University of Zurich professor recognized with 2015 Vallee Young Investigator Award

Penn researchers identify major genetic factor that keeps moles in non-cancerous, no-growth state

Genetic test may help identify better treatment option for HER2-positive breast cancer patients

Penn research reveals additional pathway for origin of colon cancer

Circadian factors, host gender could help understand microbiome and its effect on inflammatory bowel disease

CRI commits $29.3 million in new funds to accelerate development of cancer immunotherapies

Rice University scientists identify genetic mechanism that allows bacteria to resist antibiotics

Research: Critical aspects of human genome's regulatory program encoded by genomic sequence elements

SGI-DNA recognized by Frost & Sullivan for BioXp 3200 System

Study reveals new gene that plays crucial role in ASD

Breakthroughs against Plasmodium falciparum pave way for latest advancement

Study provides mechanism for EDNRB gene's role in adaptation to life at high altitudes

Penn Medicine devises new approach to develop vaccines against lethal diseases

BrightFocus announces recipients of 2015 research program grants

Stress responder plays critical, early step in repairing DNA damage

MD Anderson scientists reveal role of metabolic enzyme fumarase in DNA repair

New Tel Aviv University study sheds light on precise trigger of deadly melanoma

First biodegradable gene delivery system efficiently penetrates human airway mucus barrier of lung tissue

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research