Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

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

New study discovers master switch that drives heart cell maturation process

A molecular switch that seems to be essential for embryonic heart cells to grow into more mature, adult-like heart cells has been discovered.

13 May 2015

Novel insights into the genetics of autism

A study of 2,377 children with autism, their parents and siblings has revealed novel insights into the genetics of the condition.

12 May 2015

New study identifies gene that causes potentially fatal Adams-Oliver syndrome

A new study has separately confirmed and significantly built on recent research, identifying mutations of a gene that causes the uncommon but potentially fatal Adams-Oliver syndrome.

12 May 2015

Brain protein plays key role in controlling binge drinking

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that a brain protein has a key role in controlling binge drinking in animal models. They found that deleting the gene for this protein in mice ramped up alcohol consumption and prevented the brain from signaling the rewarding properties of alcohol.

12 May 2015

Researchers identify three genes involved in choroid plexus carcinoma

Researchers have identified three genes that play a pivotal role in the brain tumor choroid plexus carcinoma (CPC), a discovery that lays the groundwork for more effective treatment of this rare, often fatal cancer. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, which appears today in the journal Cancer Cell.

12 May 2015

MD Anderson researchers discover link between telomere degeneration and MDS

A study revealing fresh insight about chromosome "tails" called telomeres may provide scientists with a new way to look at developing treatments or even preventing a group of blood cell disorders known as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

12 May 2015

Study: Disrupting cancer pathway could extend benefits of new immunity-boosting drugs

Understanding how to overrule a signaling pathway that can cause treatments to fail in metastatic melanoma patients should help physicians extend the benefits of recently approved immunity-boosting drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors to more patients.

12 May 2015

DNMT1 gene essential to maintain breast and cancer stem cells

The gene and hormone soup that enables women to breastfeed their newborns also can be a recipe for breast cancer, particularly when the first pregnancy is after age 30.

12 May 2015

World renowned surgeon evaluates parallels between Prostate cancer, Breast cancer

World renowned robotic prostate cancer surgeon, Dr. David Samadi, evaluates the parallels between Prostate cancer and Breast cancer. Prostate cancer is just as common in men as breast cancer is in women with over 233,000 cases diagnosed each year.

12 May 2015