Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Research on dystrophin gene sequence could lead to treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy is caused by the largest human gene, a complex chemical leviathan that has confounded scientists for decades. Research conducted at the University of Missouri and described this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has identified significant sections of the gene that could provide hope to young patients and families.

23 Jan 2013

UB scientists propose first genomic explanation for schizophrenia

New University at Buffalo research demonstrates how defects in an important neurological pathway in early development may be responsible for the onset of schizophrenia later in life.

23 Jan 2013

SLU team discovers molecular pathway that contributes to triple-negative breast cancer

In research published in the Jan. 17 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology, a team led by Susana Gonzalo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Saint Louis University, has discovered a molecular pathway that contributes to triple-negative breast cancer, an often deadly and treatment resistant form of cancer that tends to strike younger women.

23 Jan 2013

ParseCNV software can detect disease-causing copy number variations

A novel software tool, developed at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, streamlines the detection of disease-causing genetic changes through more sensitive detection methods and by automatically correcting for variations that reduce the accuracy of results in conventional software.

22 Jan 2013

Brown biology professor named Pew's Scholar of the Month

Biologist Erica Larschan, Ph.D., was named by The Pew Charitable Trusts as the "Scholar of the Month," for her innovative findings on chromosomal activity in fruit flies.

22 Jan 2013

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma in-licenses CETP inhibitor to Dezima Pharma

Dezima Pharma ('Dezima'), the biotechnology company developing innovative drugs in the field of dyslipidemia, announced today the in-licensing of a cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor DEZ-001 (formerly TA-8995) from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

22 Jan 2013

Family members with rare gene mutation at high risk of developing schizophrenia

Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a rare gene mutation in a single family with a high rate of schizophrenia, adding to evidence that abnormal genes play a role in the development of the disease.

22 Jan 2013

Gene therapy improves vision but does not halt progression of cell loss

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.

22 Jan 2013

Winning the genetic body odor lottery could save on deodorant

Research shows that people who have two copies of the minor allele of a single nucleotide polymorphism found in the ABCC11 gene could save money on deodorant as they are genetically odorless.

21 Jan 2013

Scientists discover role of OTUD7B enzyme as TRAF3's protector

Marked for death with molecular tags that act like a homing signal for a cell's protein-destroying machinery, a pivotal enzyme is rescued by another molecule that sweeps the telltale targets off in the nick of time.

21 Jan 2013

Scientists identify a possible lead in treatment of two childhood leukemia subtypes

Research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has identified a possible lead in treatment of two childhood leukemia subtypes known for their dramatic loss of chromosomes and poor treatment outcomes.

21 Jan 2013

Study refocuses on how neuroblastoma tumors evolve in response to medicine and other factors

An extensive genomic study of the childhood cancer neuroblastoma reinforces the challenges in treating the most aggressive forms of this disease. Contrary to expectations, the scientists found relatively few recurrent gene mutations—mutations that would suggest new targets for neuroblastoma treatment. Instead, say the researchers, they have now refocused on how neuroblastoma tumors evolve in response to medicine and other factors.

21 Jan 2013

Researchers identify clear role for tags in mediating genetic risk for rheumatoid arthritis

In one of the first genome-wide studies to hunt for both genes and their regulatory "tags" in patients suffering from a common disease, researchers have found a clear role for the tags in mediating genetic risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an immune disorder that afflicts an estimated 1.5 million American adults.

21 Jan 2013

G-quadruplexes also exist within the human genome

In 1953, Cambridge researchers Watson and Crick published a paper describing the interweaving 'double helix' DNA structure - the chemical code for all life.

21 Jan 2013

EMA adopts positive opinion for Pfizer’s bosutinib conditional approval in the EU

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion regarding the conditional marketing authorization of bosutinib in the European Union for the treatment of adult patients with chronic phase (CP), accelerated phase (AP), and blast phase (BP) Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myelogenous leukemia previously treated with one or more tyrosine kinase inhibitor(s) (TKIs) and for whom imatinib, nilotinib and dasatinib are not considered appropriate treatment options.

19 Jan 2013

New method can visualize aging and tumor growth in real-time

In a study published in the January 18 issue of Cell, researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a new method to visualize aging and tumor growth in mice using a gene closely linked to these processes.

18 Jan 2013

Stress in adolescence can cause severe mental illness in young adulthood

Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have established a link between elevated levels of a stress hormone in adolescence — a critical time for brain development — and genetic changes that, in young adulthood, cause severe mental illness in those predisposed to it.

18 Jan 2013

Sabutoclax appears to selectively target leukemia stem cells that are responsible for relapses

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that hard-to-reach, drug-resistant leukemia stem cells (LSCs) that overexpress multiple pro-survival protein forms are sensitive - and thus vulnerable - to a novel cancer stem cell-targeting drug currently under development.

18 Jan 2013

Rochester scientists propose new reason why acute myeloid leukemia is so difficult to cure

University of Rochester Medical Center scientists have proposed a new reason why acute myeloid leukemia, one of the most aggressive cancers, is so difficult to cure: a subset of cells that drive the disease appear to have a much slower metabolism than most other tumors cells.

18 Jan 2013

FDA approves Protein Sciences’ Flublok to prevent seasonal influenza

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Protein Sciences Corporation's vaccine Flublok for the prevention of seasonal influenza in adults 18 to 49 years of age. Diamyd Medical holds about 8 percent of the shares in Protein Sciences Corporation.

18 Jan 2013

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Research on dystrophin gene sequence could lead to treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

UB scientists propose first genomic explanation for schizophrenia

SLU team discovers molecular pathway that contributes to triple-negative breast cancer

ParseCNV software can detect disease-causing copy number variations

Brown biology professor named Pew's Scholar of the Month

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma in-licenses CETP inhibitor to Dezima Pharma

Family members with rare gene mutation at high risk of developing schizophrenia

Gene therapy improves vision but does not halt progression of cell loss

Winning the genetic body odor lottery could save on deodorant

Scientists discover role of OTUD7B enzyme as TRAF3's protector

Scientists identify a possible lead in treatment of two childhood leukemia subtypes

Study refocuses on how neuroblastoma tumors evolve in response to medicine and other factors

Researchers identify clear role for tags in mediating genetic risk for rheumatoid arthritis

G-quadruplexes also exist within the human genome

EMA adopts positive opinion for Pfizer’s bosutinib conditional approval in the EU

New method can visualize aging and tumor growth in real-time

Stress in adolescence can cause severe mental illness in young adulthood

Sabutoclax appears to selectively target leukemia stem cells that are responsible for relapses

Rochester scientists propose new reason why acute myeloid leukemia is so difficult to cure

FDA approves Protein Sciences’ Flublok to prevent seasonal influenza

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

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