Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Promising new approach for combating colorectal cancer

Scientists at the University of York are working on a promising new approach for tackling colorectal cancer, the second most common cause of cancer-related death.

23 Sep 2014

Absence of thyroid hormone during development can cause congenital deafness

Fatigue, weight gain, chills, hair loss, anxiety, excessive perspiration - these symptoms are a few of the signs that the thyroid gland, which regulates the body's heart rate and plays a crucial role in its metabolism, has gone haywire.

23 Sep 2014

Research findings provide avenue for targeted therapy to treat AML

A novel study by the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore found that an increase in a gene known as Leo1 affects other genes that are directly implicated in acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML), increasing the incidence of cancer.

23 Sep 2014

Distinct patterns of gene expression identified in several groups of pancreatic CTCs

Analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer identified distinct patterns of gene expression in several groups of CTCs, including significant differences from the primary tumor that may contribute to the ability to generate metastases.

23 Sep 2014

Clontech Laboratories announces launch of DNA SMART ChIP-Seq Kit

Clontech Laboratories, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc., today announced the launch of the DNA SMART ChIP-Seq Kit. This kit adapts Clontech's patented SMART technology in an innovative manner for use with low-input samples, including both dsDNA and ssDNA templates, to generate ChIP-seq libraries for NGS.

23 Sep 2014

MIT engineers find new strategy to combat superbugs

In recent years, new strains of bacteria have emerged that resist even the most powerful antibiotics. Each year, these superbugs, including drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis and staphylococcus, infect more than 2 million people nationwide, and kill at least 23,000. Despite the urgent need for new treatments, scientists have discovered very few new classes of antibiotics in the past decade.

22 Sep 2014

New study sheds light on longstanding question about role of mitochondria in motor neuron diseases

A new study by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine sheds light on a longstanding question about the role of mitochondria in debilitating and fatal motor neuron diseases and resulted in a new mouse model to study such illnesses.

22 Sep 2014

Novel technique uses genetic tool and light to map neural networks

For years, neuroscientists have been trying to develop tools that would allow them to clearly view the brain's circuitry in action-from the first moment a neuron fires to the resulting behavior in a whole organism.

22 Sep 2014

Sequencing the Asian liver fluke genome: an interview with Dr Neil Young

Opisthorchis viverrini is a parasitic flatworm (or liver fluke) endemic throughout Thailand, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Vietnam and Cambodia. Humans are infected with this parasite when they eat a fluke encysted in inadequately cooked/preserved freshwater fish.

21 Sep 2014

New finding could accelerate research to regenerate damaged tissue

Scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have found a way to boost dramatically the efficiency of the process for turning adult cells into so-called pluripotent stem cells by combining three well-known compounds, including vitamin C.

19 Sep 2014

Genetic testing for breast cancer doubled due to 'Angelina Jolie effect'

In May 2013 Angelina Jolie, who was then Hollywood's highest-paid actress, underwent a double mastectomy after testing positive for a BRCA1 gene mutation that significantly increases the risk of developing breast cancer. A recent study, published by Breast Cancer Research has found that, public knowledge of her decision doubled NHS referrals for genetic testing for breast cancer risk.

19 Sep 2014

PCI acquires Biotec Services International

PCI is pleased to announce it has acquired Biotec Services International. Biotec is a leading provider of Clinical Trial Services and Temperature Controlled Pharmaceutical Services headquartered in Bridgend, Wales in the United Kingdom.

19 Sep 2014

Research findings provide more details about earliest stages of neurodegenerative disease

The link between a protein typically associated with Alzheimer's disease and its impact on memory and cognition may not be as clear as once thought, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center.

19 Sep 2014

Study suggests potential treatment for cardiovascular disease in people with apoE4 gene variant

Researchers at UT-Southwestern Medical Center have found that the most common variant of the circulating protein apolipoprotein E, called apoE3, helps repair the lining of blood vessels. Individuals with another variant, called apoE4, do not get the benefit of this repair, putting them at higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

18 Sep 2014

New approach to imaging metastatic tumors

Bioluminescence, nanoparticles, gene manipulation - these sound like the ideas of a science fiction writer, but, in fact, they are components of an exciting new approach to imaging local and metastatic tumors.

18 Sep 2014

Studies explore role of STXBP5 gene in development of cardiovascular disease

Two independent groups of researchers led by Sidney (Wally) Whiteheart, PhD, of the University of Kentucky, and Charles Lowenstein, MD, of the University of Rochester, have published important studies exploring the role that a gene called STXBP5 plays in the development of cardiovascular disease.

18 Sep 2014

Rosuvastatin promotes bone growth in mice with achondroplasia symptoms

Skeletal dysplasia is a group of rare diseases that afflict skeletal growth through abnormalities in bone and cartilage. Its onset hits at the fetal stage and is caused by genetic mutations.

18 Sep 2014

Sigma-Aldrich enters into new gene editing partnership with U-M Medical School's Vector Core

Sigma-Aldrich Corporation announced today it has entered into a new gene editing partnership with the University of Michigan Medical School's Vector Core. Under the partnership, Sigma-Aldrich will provide the Vector Core with Sigma CRISPR technology, experimental design consultation, and dedicated gene editing bioinformaticians.

18 Sep 2014

Catecholamine polymorphism influences opioid use

The catechol-O-methyltransferase rs4680 single nucleotide polymorphism could affect postoperative opioid consumption, study findings show.

17 Sep 2014

ICO-IDIBELL researchers identify 5 genes differentially expressed in colorectal tumors

Researchers at the Catalan Institute of Oncology-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, led by David Garcia-Mollev- have identified 5 genes differentially expressed in normal accompanying cells in colorectal tumors.

17 Sep 2014