Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers initiate first gene therapy clinical trial for Fabry disease

Researchers in Calgary have launched the first gene therapy clinical trial in the world for Fabry disease, a rare inherited enzyme deficiency that can shorten the lifespan of people who have it by as much as 40 years.

24 Jan 2013

Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium to be held from Jan. 24-26 in San Francisco, CA

New research into the treatment and prognosis of gastrointestinal cancers was released today in advance of the tenth annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium being held January 24-26, 2013, at The Moscone West Building in San Francisco, CA.

24 Jan 2013

Tofacitinib improves disease activity and inhibits progression of joint damage in RA patients

A Phase 3 clinical trial demonstrates that tofacitinib improves disease activity and inhibits progression of joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who did not respond to methotrexate (MTX).

24 Jan 2013

Study may help predict which multiple myeloma patients will respond better to certain treatments

A study led by Robert G. Hawley, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of anatomy and regenerative biology at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), may help predict which patients with multiple myeloma will respond better to certain treatments.

24 Jan 2013

Boosting estrogen levels may help reduce urinary infections in menopausal women

Estrogen levels drop dramatically in menopause, a time when the risk of urinary tract infections increases significantly.

24 Jan 2013

Normalizing p62 protein levels in immune system cells could reduce infection in CF patients

New research suggests that lowering excessive levels of a protein in immune system cells could be a strategy to clear an infection that is deadly to patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

23 Jan 2013

World Cancer Day to focus on awareness and prevention, importance of research

Cancer takes the lives of some 7.6 million people worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization. And while the upcoming World Cancer Day will focus on a global message of cancer awareness and prevention, the importance of cancer research also will resonate.

23 Jan 2013

KLF6-SV1 gene variant drives the spread of breast cancer

A team of researchers led by Goutham Narla, MD, PhD, at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and collaborators at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Erasmus Medical Center, have discovered a gene variant that drives the spread of breast cancer.

23 Jan 2013

Scientists identify consistent epigenetic signatures in men with metastatic prostate cancer

In a genome-wide analysis of 13 metastatic prostate cancers, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center found consistent epigenetic "signatures" across all metastatic tumors in each patient.

23 Jan 2013

BH3-mimetics might be new option for treatment of autoimmune conditions

Melbourne researchers have discovered that the death of immune system cells is an important safeguard against the development of diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which occur when the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.

23 Jan 2013

Genentech receives FDA approval for new use of Avastin plus chemotherapy to treat mCRC

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new use of Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with fluoropyrimidine-based irinotecan or oxaliplatin chemotherapy for people with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

23 Jan 2013

Salk Institute to establish Helmsley Center for Genomic Medicine

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies has received a $42 million gift-the largest in the Institute's history-to establish the Helmsley Center for Genomic Medicine (HCGM), a research center dedicated to decoding the common genetic factors underlying many complex chronic human diseases.

23 Jan 2013

Tall, thin women face increased risk of infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria

Tall, thin women face a greater risk of infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), cousins of the organism that causes tuberculosis, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. Women with NTM infections also showed a weakened immune response associated with their fat cells, in a paper published in the Jan. 15, 2013, issue of The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care.

23 Jan 2013

Researchers pinpoint several inherited mutations in autism

While autism clearly runs in some families, few inherited genetic causes have been found. A major reason is that these causes are so varied that it's hard to find enough people with a given mutation to establish a clear pattern. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have pinpointed several inherited mutations—among the first to be identified—through an unusual approach: using whole-exome sequencing to study large Middle Eastern families with autism.

23 Jan 2013

SMO and AKT1 mutations appear to drive about 15% of meningiomas

Large-scale genomic sequencing has revealed two DNA mutations that appear to drive about 15 percent of brain tumors known as meningiomas, a finding that could lead to the first effective drug treatments for the tumors, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute.

23 Jan 2013

Gene therapy does not slow or halt progression of cell loss in Leber congenital amaurosis

Independent clinical trials, including one conducted at the Scheie Eye Institute at the Perelman School of Medicine, have reported safety and efficacy for Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a congenital form of blindness caused by mutations in a gene (RPE65) required for recycling vitamin A in the retina. Inherited retinal degenerative diseases were previously considered untreatable and incurable.

23 Jan 2013

CD98hc molecule appears to be necessary for rapid and effective skin renewal

These mechanisms, described in vivo in mice, engage molecule CD98hc, which is involved in epidermis renewal and could be an indicator of the skin's capacity for regeneration.

23 Jan 2013

Study details exactly how Her2 gene promotes progression and spread of breast cancer cells

Research led by Dr. Suresh Alahari, the Fred Brazda Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and its Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, details exactly how the Her2 cancer gene promotes the progression and spread of breast cancer cells.

23 Jan 2013

Novel way to engineer specialized immune cells targeted by the AIDS virus

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found a novel way to engineer key cells of the immune system so they remain resistant to infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

23 Jan 2013

Studies identify cellular pathways involved in governing day-night pattern of circadian rhythms

UC Irvine-led studies have revealed the cellular mechanism by which circadian rhythms - also known as the body clock - modify energy metabolism and also have identified novel compounds that control this action. The findings point to potential treatments for disorders triggered by circadian rhythm dysfunction, ranging from insomnia and obesity to diabetes and cancer.

23 Jan 2013

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers initiate first gene therapy clinical trial for Fabry disease

Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium to be held from Jan. 24-26 in San Francisco, CA

Tofacitinib improves disease activity and inhibits progression of joint damage in RA patients

Study may help predict which multiple myeloma patients will respond better to certain treatments

Boosting estrogen levels may help reduce urinary infections in menopausal women

Normalizing p62 protein levels in immune system cells could reduce infection in CF patients

World Cancer Day to focus on awareness and prevention, importance of research

KLF6-SV1 gene variant drives the spread of breast cancer

Scientists identify consistent epigenetic signatures in men with metastatic prostate cancer

BH3-mimetics might be new option for treatment of autoimmune conditions

Genentech receives FDA approval for new use of Avastin plus chemotherapy to treat mCRC

Salk Institute to establish Helmsley Center for Genomic Medicine

Tall, thin women face increased risk of infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria

Researchers pinpoint several inherited mutations in autism

SMO and AKT1 mutations appear to drive about 15% of meningiomas

Gene therapy does not slow or halt progression of cell loss in Leber congenital amaurosis

CD98hc molecule appears to be necessary for rapid and effective skin renewal

Study details exactly how Her2 gene promotes progression and spread of breast cancer cells

Novel way to engineer specialized immune cells targeted by the AIDS virus

Studies identify cellular pathways involved in governing day-night pattern of circadian rhythms

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