Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers characterize novel lysosomal PQ protein linked to cystinosis

Researchers at the Université Paris Descartes/CNRS and the Université libre de Bruxelles have made a major breakthrough in the study of cystinosis, a genetic disease that can lead to serious disorders, notably fatal kidney failure.

23 Nov 2012

Advances in genomic techniques help understand cancer at cellular and molecular level

Cancer is a complex disease and only thanks to advances in genomic techniques have researchers begun to understand, at a cellular and molecular level, the mechanisms which are disrupted in cancer cells. This knowledge is a key prerequisite for developing effective treatment strategies.

23 Nov 2012

Breakthrough in heart research

Breakthrough in heart research: The research team from Professor Katja Schenke-Layland of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart has discovered cell surface markers that enable the identification and isolation of living functional cardiovascular progenitor cells (CPCs).

22 Nov 2012

Smoking in pregnancy has adverse impact on children’s reading skills

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy may be putting their children at risk for having poor reading skills, say researchers.

22 Nov 2012

TGF-betaR inhibitors may counter drug resistance in cancer patients with MED12 mutations

Cancer therapies often have short-lived benefits due to the emergence of genetic mutations that cause drug resistance. A key gene that determines resistance to a range of cancer drugs has been reported in a study published by Cell Press November 21st in the journal Cell.

22 Nov 2012

Researchers define structure of Cdc13 protein in yeast

Chromosomes - long, linear DNA molecules - are capped at their ends with special DNA structures called telomeres and an assortment of proteins, which together act as a protective sheath. Telomeres are maintained through the interactions between an enzyme, telomerase, and several accessory proteins. Researchers at The Wistar Institute have defined the structure of one of these critical proteins in yeast.

22 Nov 2012

Methylome modifications offer new measure of a person's biological age

Women live longer than men. Individuals can appear or feel years younger - or older - than their chronological age. Diseases can affect our aging process. When it comes to biology, our clocks clearly tick differently.

22 Nov 2012

Iridoid synthase can make powerful chemicals from catnip to vinblastine

Scientists have discovered an enzyme used in nature to make powerful chemicals from catnip to a cancer drug, vinblastine. The discovery opens up the prospect of producing these chemicals cheaply and efficiently.

22 Nov 2012

Crucial link between protein synthesis and autism spectrum disorders

Researchers from McGill University and the University of Montreal have identified a crucial link between protein synthesis and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which can bolster new therapeutic avenues.

22 Nov 2012

Study provides new insight into human cognitive function and risk for neurological diseases

Short snippets of DNA found in human brain tissue provide new insight into human cognitive function and risk for developing certain neurological diseases, according to researchers from the Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The findings are published in the November 20th issue of PLoS Biology.

22 Nov 2012

Kidney tumors may be smarter than previously thought

New research has found there are several different ways that kidney tumours can achieve the same result - namely, grow.

22 Nov 2012

MicroRNAs in ovarian cancer cells promote tumor growth

Unraveling the mechanism that ovarian cancer cells use to change normal cells around them into cells that promote tumor growth has identified several new targets for treatment of this deadly disease.

22 Nov 2012

UPR pathway helps tumor cells escape apoptosis during development of lymphoma

A pathway called the "Unfolded Protein Response," or UPR, a cell's way of responding to unfolded and misfolded proteins, helps tumor cells escape programmed cell death during the development of lymphoma.

21 Nov 2012

Discovery of DKK1-WNT pathway reveals new drug targets for Alzheimer's

The discovery of the molecular pathway that drives the changes seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients is reported today, revealing new targets for drug discovery that could be exploited to combat the disease. The study gives the most detailed understanding yet of the complex processes leading to Alzheimer's.

21 Nov 2012

Scientists uncover new role for TLR4 in development of tissue fibrosis or scarring

An international multi-disciplinary research team led by Northwestern Medicine scientists has uncovered a new role for the protein toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the development of tissue fibrosis, or scarring.

21 Nov 2012

Acetylon's ective histone deacetylase inhibitors to be showcased at 54th ASH annual meeting

Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leader in targeted epigenetic drug discovery and development for enhanced therapeutic outcomes, today announced that its selective histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors will be featured in five posters and one oral presentation at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), taking place December 8-11, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia.

21 Nov 2012

Concord Medical third quarter 2012 total net revenues increase 65.2% to RMB206.1 million

Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited, a leading specialty hospital management solution provider and operator of the largest network of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers in China and the parent of Chang'an Hospital, today reported its unaudited consolidated financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012.

21 Nov 2012

Synthetic membrane channels can be constructed through DNA nanotechnology

As reported in the journal Science, physicists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) and the University of Michigan have shown that synthetic membrane channels can be constructed through "DNA nanotechnology."

21 Nov 2012

Psychiatric disorders reduce patient fecundity, especially in men

Findings published in the Archives of General Psychiatry show that patients with schizophrenia, autism, and anorexia nervosa have significantly fewer children compared with the general population, suggesting these conditions are under strong selection to be removed from the population.

20 Nov 2012

Glycoprotein gene flags up heart disease

The glycosylphosphotidylinositol-anchored membrane glycoprotein CD14 gene significantly predicts cardiovascular mortality in adults aged 65 years or over, research shows.

20 Nov 2012