Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Parkinson's-related mutations may also affect vision

The most common genetic cause of Parkinson's is not only responsible for the condition's distinctive movement problems but may also affect vision, according to new research by scientists at the University of York.

16 Feb 2013

Researchers identify mechanism through which mitochondria control breast tumor aggressiveness

Doctors currently struggle to determine whether a breast tumor is likely to shift into an aggressive, life-threatening mode-an issue with profound implications for treatment. Now a group from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has identified a mechanism through which mitochondria, the powerhouses of a cell, control tumor aggressiveness.

16 Feb 2013

Spherical nucleic acids could revolutionize biomedicine

Northwestern University's Chad A. Mirkin, a world-renowned leader in nanotechnology research and its application, has invented and developed a powerful material that could revolutionize biomedicine: spherical nucleic acids (SNAs).

16 Feb 2013

Study finds little long-term survival advantage for women with ovarian cancer and BRCA mutations

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues in Toronto and at Yale University studied the long-term survival of women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation who were diagnosed with invasive ovarian cancer. They found that the short-term benefit to having either mutation does not lead to a long-term survival benefit.

16 Feb 2013

New approach could make gene therapy dramatically more effective for HIV patients

A research team from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has discovered an approach that could make gene therapy dramatically more effective for patients.

16 Feb 2013

Canine Pompe disease can now be diagnosed with genetic test

Pompe disease, a severe glycogen storage disease appearing in Lapphunds is caused by a genetic defect in acid α-glucosidase gene. The same genetic mutation also causes the equivalent disease in humans. Based on this finding, canine Pompe disease can now be diagnosed with a genetic test.

16 Feb 2013

Cigarette smoke mediates epigenetic repression of miR-487b during pulmonary carcinogenesis

Recent studies have identified correlations between cigarette smoke-induced microRNA (miRNA) expression and different aspects of lung cancer; however, it is unclear how miRNA expression directly contributes to carcinogenesis.

16 Feb 2013

IKBKE gene plays a key role in tobacco-induced lung cancer

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have found a potential targeted therapy for patients with tobacco-associated non-small cell lung cancer. It is based on the newly identified oncogene IKBKE, which helps regulate immune response.

16 Feb 2013

Study identifies regions of genes linked to Beh-et's disease

Researchers don't know the exact cause of Beh-et's disease, a chronic condition that leads to oral and genital sores and serious complications such as blindness, but new research brings better understanding to what makes some people more susceptible to being affected.

16 Feb 2013

Researchers discover SCANR that helps protect a cell's genes against DNA interlopers

Gene wars rage inside our cells, with invading DNA regularly threatening to subvert our human blueprint. Now, building on Nobel-Prize-winning findings, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered a molecular machine that helps protect a cell's genes against these DNA interlopers.

15 Feb 2013

Genes activated for human speech are similar to ones used by singing songbirds

The genes activated for human speech are similar to the ones used by singing songbirds, new experiments suggest.

15 Feb 2013

Researchers show how gene mutations shift and evolve over time in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Tumors are not factories for the mass production of identical cancer cells, but are, in reality, patchworks of cells with different patterns of gene mutations. In a new study, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute show, more fully than ever before, how these mutations shift and evolve over time in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) - providing a strobe-like look at the genetic past, present, and future of CLL tumors.

15 Feb 2013

Castle Biosciences launches MyUvealMelanoma website

Castle Biosciences Inc., a leading developer of prognostic tests for rare cancers, announced today the launch of MyUvealMelanoma.com, a website created to educate newly diagnosed patients, their families and healthcare providers about the most common form of eye cancer. MyUvealMelanoma tells the story of this disease, its treatment and the importance of prognostic testing, through the experience of patients who recently faced this devastating diagnosis first-hand.

15 Feb 2013

ASGCT to honor UNC genetics professor with 2013 Outstanding New Investigator Award

Aravind Asokan, PhD, assistant professor of genetics in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, was selected by the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy to receive a 2013 Outstanding New Investigator Award.

15 Feb 2013

ADAMTS7 enzyme plays a crucial role in coronary heart disease

Scientists investigating how certain genes affect an individual's risk of developing coronary heart disease have identified a new therapeutic target, according to research published today in The American Journal of Human Genetics.

15 Feb 2013

DNA repair mechanisms tied to reproductive aging

Age-related decline in the efficacy of DNA repair may underlie reproductive aging, say researchers.

14 Feb 2013

Researcher to study ADAM12 gene in breast tumor initiating cells

A Kansas State University professor's research on breast cancer stem cells may help improve survival rates by preventing cancer recurrence and metastasis -- the major causes of death among breast cancer patients.

14 Feb 2013

Study shows importance of lncRNAs for regulation of adipogeneis

Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a previously unrecognized layer of genetic regulation that is necessary for the generation of undesirable white fat cells. When this regulation is disrupted, white fat cells are unable to accumulate lipid droplets or mature from their precursors.

14 Feb 2013

Stress and mental illness: an interview with Professor Akira Sawa

As a psychiatrist I am interested in how stress may play a role in the pathology of adult mental disorders. You may know that most of the major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, mood-disorder, substance abuse or even anxiety disorder, become prominent in early adulthood.

14 Feb 2013

Probiotics shows promise in reducing both incidence and severity of necrotizing enterocolitis

"Good" bacteria that live in our intestines have been linked with a variety of health benefits, from fighting disease to preventing obesity. In a new study, Kriston Ganguli of Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School and her colleagues have discovered another advantage to these friendly microscopic tenants: Chemicals secreted by good bacteria that typically live in the intestines of babies could reduce the frequency and severity of a common and often-lethal disease of premature infants.

14 Feb 2013

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Parkinson's-related mutations may also affect vision

Researchers identify mechanism through which mitochondria control breast tumor aggressiveness

Spherical nucleic acids could revolutionize biomedicine

Study finds little long-term survival advantage for women with ovarian cancer and BRCA mutations

New approach could make gene therapy dramatically more effective for HIV patients

Canine Pompe disease can now be diagnosed with genetic test

Cigarette smoke mediates epigenetic repression of miR-487b during pulmonary carcinogenesis

IKBKE gene plays a key role in tobacco-induced lung cancer

Study identifies regions of genes linked to Beh-et's disease

Researchers discover SCANR that helps protect a cell's genes against DNA interlopers

Genes activated for human speech are similar to ones used by singing songbirds

Researchers show how gene mutations shift and evolve over time in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Castle Biosciences launches MyUvealMelanoma website

ASGCT to honor UNC genetics professor with 2013 Outstanding New Investigator Award

ADAMTS7 enzyme plays a crucial role in coronary heart disease

DNA repair mechanisms tied to reproductive aging

Researcher to study ADAM12 gene in breast tumor initiating cells

Study shows importance of lncRNAs for regulation of adipogeneis

Stress and mental illness: an interview with Professor Akira Sawa

Probiotics shows promise in reducing both incidence and severity of necrotizing enterocolitis

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