Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study: Sufficient copies of SMN1 gene extend survival in animals with spinal muscular atrophy

To make up for insufficient amounts of SMN protein, the cause of the inherited neuromuscular disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), researchers have successfully delivered a replacement SMN1 gene directly to the spinal cords of animal models of SMA.

23 May 2014

Inovio Pharmaceuticals proposes 1-for-4 reverse split of common stock

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that at the Company's Annual General Meeting held May 22, 2014, the Company's shareholders approved the proposal of a reverse split of the Company's common stock.

23 May 2014

Immucor's PreciseType HEA test receives FDA approval to predict blood compatibility

Immucor, Inc., a global leader in transfusion and transplantation diagnostics, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for the company's PreciseType HEA test.

23 May 2014

EMA's CHMP gives positive opinion for PTC Therapeutics' Translarna

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that following its request for re-examination, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion regarding the company's application for a conditional marketing authorization of Translarna (ataluren) for the treatment of nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD) in ambulatory patients aged five years and older.

23 May 2014

Researchers discover how gene commonly linked to obesity contributes to weight gain

Researchers have discovered how a gene commonly linked to obesity—FTO—contributes to weight gain. The study shows that variations in FTO indirectly affect the function of the primary cilium, a little-understood hair-like appendage on brain and other cells.

23 May 2014

Researchers identify mutation in fat-storage gene that appears to increase risk for type 2 diabetes

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified a mutation in a fat-storage gene that appears to increase the risk for type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders, according to a study published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

23 May 2014

Researchers resolve long-standing mystery of enzyme's role in cell survival

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital solves mystery of enzyme's role in cell survival, offering clues of how immune system fights infection and possible strategies to treat problems ranging from heart attack to cancer.

23 May 2014

Researchers uncover potential vaccine that can stop malaria parasites from multiplying

Researchers have identified a substance, or antigen, that generates antibodies that can hinder the ability of malaria parasites to multiply, which may protect against severe malaria infection.

23 May 2014

New database allows researchers to match old drugs for new diseases

There are thousands of drugs that silence many thousands of cancer-causing genetic abnormalities. Some of these drugs are in use now, but many of these drugs are sitting on shelves or could be used beyond the disease for which they were originally approved.

23 May 2014

Pain receptors may hold key to treating obesity, diabetes and improving metabolic health

Blocking a pain receptor in mice not only extends their lifespan, it also gives them a more youthful metabolism, including an improved insulin response that allows them to deal better with high blood sugar.

23 May 2014

New antibody appears to block sensations of pain, itching in mouse model

Duke University researchers have found an antibody that simultaneously blocks the sensations of pain and itching in studies with mice.

23 May 2014

Sex cell determination requires maintenance throughout life

The way in which the sex of an organism is determined may require lifelong maintenance, finds new research from the University of Minnesota.

23 May 2014

EMA grants Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product classification for TxCell's Col-Treg

TxCell SA, a biotechnology company developing innovative, personalized cell-based immunotherapies using antigen specific regulatory T-cells (Ag-Tregs) for severe chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, announces today that Col-Treg, its second therapeutic candidate from its ASTrIA platform, has been granted Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) classification by the Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT) of the European Medicines Agency.

22 May 2014

Research findings could lead to new approach to Alzheimer’s prevention

In surprise findings, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that a protein with a propensity to form harmful aggregates in the body when produced in the liver protects against Alzheimer’s disease aggregates when it is produced in the brain. The results suggest that drugs that can boost the protein’s production specifically in neurons could one day help ward off Alzheimer’s disease.

22 May 2014

Study: RNAi silencing strategy blocks production of mutant huntingtin protein

A targeted gene silencing strategy blocks production of the dysfunctional huntingtin (Htt) protein, the cause of Huntington's disease, a fatal, inherited neurodegenerative disorder.

22 May 2014

Researchers discover atypical type of retina cell that plays more critical role in vision

A type of retina cell plays a more critical role in vision than previously known, a team led by Johns Hopkins University researchers has discovered.

22 May 2014

Drugs that boost protein's production in neurons could help ward off Alzheimer's disease

In surprise findings, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered that a protein with a propensity to form harmful aggregates in the body when produced in the liver protects against Alzheimer's disease aggregates when it is produced in the brain.

22 May 2014

Soil bacteria have strategies for fighting antibiotics

Drug-resistant bacteria annually sicken 2 million Americans and kill at least 23,000. A driving force behind this growing public health threat is the ability of bacteria to share genes that provide antibiotic resistance.

22 May 2014

New laser method provides a better understanding on how genes are controlled, regulated

Almost every one of our cells has an entire copy of our genome. But only differing subsets of genes are active and expressed in any given cell.

21 May 2014

A novel strategy to uncover new antibiotics

Resistance to antibiotics has been steadily rising, posing a threat to public health. Now, a method from Mohammad Seyedsayamdost, an assistant professor of chemistry at Princeton University, may open the door to the discovery of a host of potential drug candidates.

21 May 2014

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study: Sufficient copies of SMN1 gene extend survival in animals with spinal muscular atrophy

Inovio Pharmaceuticals proposes 1-for-4 reverse split of common stock

Immucor's PreciseType HEA test receives FDA approval to predict blood compatibility

EMA's CHMP gives positive opinion for PTC Therapeutics' Translarna

Researchers discover how gene commonly linked to obesity contributes to weight gain

Researchers identify mutation in fat-storage gene that appears to increase risk for type 2 diabetes

Researchers resolve long-standing mystery of enzyme's role in cell survival

Researchers uncover potential vaccine that can stop malaria parasites from multiplying

New database allows researchers to match old drugs for new diseases

Pain receptors may hold key to treating obesity, diabetes and improving metabolic health

New antibody appears to block sensations of pain, itching in mouse model

Sex cell determination requires maintenance throughout life

EMA grants Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product classification for TxCell's Col-Treg

Research findings could lead to new approach to Alzheimer’s prevention

Study: RNAi silencing strategy blocks production of mutant huntingtin protein

Researchers discover atypical type of retina cell that plays more critical role in vision

Drugs that boost protein's production in neurons could help ward off Alzheimer's disease

Soil bacteria have strategies for fighting antibiotics

New laser method provides a better understanding on how genes are controlled, regulated

A novel strategy to uncover new antibiotics

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

How Pulp Fixin Is Turning Paper into High-Performance Sustainable Labware

A new method to measure intracellular water in biological systems

Obesity, GLP-1s, and metabolic care