Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Thiol peroxidase involved in S. pneumoniae defenses

The Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria defends itself from high levels of hydrogen peroxide with the help of thiol peroxidase, research shows.

22 Oct 2012

New approach to prevention of breast cancer wins $7.4M award

A new approach to possible future prevention of breast cancer and slowing the spread of tumours has won Austrian researcher Josef Penninger, director of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) in Vienna, a $7.4 million innovator's award to continue his research, from the USA's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.

22 Oct 2012

Epigenetic alteration associated with increased risk of breast cancer

Monozygotic twins have the same genome, that is, the same DNA molecule in both siblings. Despite being genetically identical, both twins may have different diseases at different times. This phenomenon is called "twin discordance". But how can people who have the same genetic sequence present different pathologies and at different ages? The explanation partly lies in the fact that the chemical signals added in the DNA to "switch off" or "switch on" genes can be different. These signals are known as epigenetic marks.

20 Oct 2012

UCI, Brown work advances quest for novel treatments for inherited disorder

UC Irvine and Brown University researchers have created a new fruit fly model of inherited epilepsy that's providing insights into the mechanisms underlying temperature-dependent seizures while establishing a platform from which to develop therapies for these disorders.

20 Oct 2012

Researchers identify how mosquito's immune system attacks specific infections

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have determined a new mechanism by which the mosquitoes' immune system can respond with specificity to infections with various pathogens, including the parasite that causes malaria in humans, using one single gene.

20 Oct 2012

Stem cell study may help to unravel how genetic mutation leads to Parkinson's symptoms

By reprogramming skin cells from Parkinson's disease patients with a known genetic mutation, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified damage to neural stem cells as a powerful player in the disease.

20 Oct 2012

New discovery could help revolutionize antibiotic treatment of bacteria

Three Simon Fraser University scientists are among six researchers who've made a discovery that could help revolutionize antibiotic treatment of deadly bacteria.

20 Oct 2012

Study shows children with low levels of gene activity develop anxious dispositions

Decreased activity of a group of genes may explain why in young children the "fear center" of the anxious brain can't learn to distinguish real threats from the imaginary, according to a new University of Wisconsin study.

20 Oct 2012

Childhood poverty, demographics associated with DNA methylation patterns

A University of British Columbia and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT) study has revealed that childhood poverty, stress as an adult, and demographics such as age, sex and ethnicity, all leave an imprint on a person's genes. And, that this imprint could play a role in our immune response.

20 Oct 2012

New study decodes complete epigenome of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Researchers of the University of Oviedo have contributed to decipher the first epigenomes of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

20 Oct 2012

Reprogrammed endothelial cells for treatment of vascular disorders

A research team at Weill Cornell Medical College has discovered a way to utilize diagnostic prenatal amniocentesis cells, reprogramming them into abundant and stable endothelial cells capable of regenerating damaged blood vessels and repairing injured organs.

19 Oct 2012

Two Chicago students develop novel treatment method for fetal alcohol syndrome

Two Chicago high school students have developed a novel treatment method to reduce the negative effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and a new understanding of genetics behind the disease.

19 Oct 2012

Weill Cornell Medical College researcher wins 2012 William B. Coley Award

Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University, is a winner of the 2012 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic Immunology from the Cancer Research Institute for her outstanding achievements in immunology and cancer research.

19 Oct 2012

BioResearch Open Access explores Cell-SELEX technology

SELEX is a rapid, efficient, and iterative high-throughput method for screening large libraries of molecules to identify those with the potential to be developed as drug compounds or research tools. Advances in SELEX technology that have enabled screening in live cells, called Cell-SELEX, are explored in a comprehensive Review article published in BioResearch Open Access, a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

19 Oct 2012

Novel insight into impact that Huntington's disease has on the brain

A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provides novel insight into the impact that Huntington's disease has on the brain.

19 Oct 2012

New way to image how brain cells coordinate with each other to control specific behaviors

A team led by MIT neuroscientists has developed a way to monitor how brain cells coordinate with each other to control specific behaviors, such as initiating movement or detecting an odor.

19 Oct 2012

Research to determine how genes contribute to Type 1 diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic, debilitating disease which affects nearly 26 million Americans. As many as three million people have Type 1 diabetes or juvenile diabetes that usually occurs in children or young adults.

19 Oct 2012

Personalized medicine research strikes early for heart genes

A landmark paper identifying genetic signatures that predict which patients will respond to a life-saving drug for treating congestive heart failure has been published by a research team co-led by Stephen B. Liggett, MD, of the University of South Florida.

18 Oct 2012

Research may lead to new ways to identify women with breast cancer risks from low-dose radiation

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have identified tissue mechanisms that may influence a woman's susceptibility or resistance to breast cancer after exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation, such as the levels used in full-body CT scans and radiotherapy.

18 Oct 2012