Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

GATA-3 protein plays an important role in mammalian immune response

The protein GATA-3 plays an important role in mammalian immune response, but its overall function in cell development and cancer formation is not well understood. In an effort to further define the importance of GATA-3, researchers at the University of North Carolina have traced how the protein performs important functions in CD8+T-cell type of the immune system.

27 May 2013

Researchers identify mutations in new genes that might be associated with ALS disease

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified mutations in several new genes that might be associated with the development of spontaneously occurring cases of the neurodegenerative disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

27 May 2013

Calyx of Held: The largest synapse could shed light on neuropsychiatric disorders

Humans and most mammals can determine the spatial origin of sounds with remarkable acuity. We use this ability all the time -- crossing the street; locating an invisible ringing cell phone in a cluttered bedroom.

27 May 2013

Viewpoints: We need more 'socialism'; The IRS's 'unwelcome role'; 'Fog of Obamacare'

So this is what socialism looks like: Private companies competing for people's business in an open marketplace. Californians got their first glimpse Thursday of what insurers plan to charge for coverage to be offered next year to about 5 million state residents who don't receive health insurance from employers (David Lazarus, 5/23).

27 May 2013

Discovery highlights new method to make HIV vaccine that targets the virus

A new discovery at Oregon Health & Science University highlights an ingenious method to ensure the body effectively reacts when infected with the highly evasive HIV virus that causes AIDS.

26 May 2013

Study suggests possible way to halt cancer development in premalignant cells

Scientists have uncovered a survival mechanism that occurs in breast cells that have just turned premalignant-cells on the cusp between normalcy and cancers-which may lead to new methods of stopping tumors.

24 May 2013

TSRI scientists devise new technique to find therapeutic antibodies

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have devised a powerful new technique for finding antibodies that have a desired biological effect. Antibodies, which can bind to billions of distinct targets, are already used in many of the world's best-selling medicines, diagnostics and laboratory reagents.

24 May 2013

Potential new treatment approaches for liver diseases

By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the liver, UC Irvine endocrinologists have revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver diseases.

24 May 2013

New nano-sized needle can help study the effects of medicines on cells

Nano-sized needles developed by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim can force medicine into cells, even when the cell membranes offer resistance. The needles will make it easier to study the effects of medicines on cells.

24 May 2013

Weekend reading: Mental illness stigma, health insurance mazes and female libido

Linneah sat at a desk at the Center for Sexual Medicine at Sheppard Pratt in the suburbs of Baltimore and filled out a questionnaire. She read briskly, making swift checks beside her selected answers, and when she was finished, she handed the pages across the desk to Martina Miller, who gave her a round of pills.

24 May 2013

Findings highlight importance of IL-21 in the development of antiviral vaccines

Scientists at Emory Vaccine Center have shown that an immune regulatory molecule called IL-21 is needed for long-lasting antibody responses in mice against viral infections.

24 May 2013

EGFR gums up cell's miRNA-processing machinery under oxygen starvation conditions

Even while being dragged to its destruction inside a cell, a cancer-promoting growth factor receptor fires away, sending signals that thwart the development of tumor-suppressing microRNAs before it's dissolved, researchers reported in an early online publication at Nature.

24 May 2013

Novel multiplex immunoassay approach to capture HIV antibodies

Detection of HIV antibodies is used to diagnose HIV infection and monitor trials of experimental HIV/AIDS vaccines. New, more sensitive detection systems being developed use microspheres to capture HIV antibodies and can measure even small amounts of multiple antibodies at one time.

24 May 2013

Researchers explore targeted therapies for prostate cancer

Are certain drugs more effective against some types of prostate cancers than others? Researchers know that not all therapies work for all patients – the next question is to figure out how to match the right treatments with the right patients.

24 May 2013

Common type of childhood asthma is not related to allergens and inflammation

Little is known about why asthma develops, how it constricts the airway or why response to treatments varies between patients. Now, a team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, Columbia University Medical Center and SUNY Downstate Medical Center has revealed the roots of a common type of childhood asthma, showing that it is very different from other asthma cases.

24 May 2013

Researchers reveal roots of a common type of childhood asthma

24 May 2013

Cenix BioScience, Debiopharm partner to develop novel therapeutic drug candidates

Cenix BioScience, a leading preclinical contract research provider and technology developer specialized in RNAi-, miRNA- and high content-driven pharmacology, and Debiopharm Group, a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, including oncology and companion diagnostics, today announced that they have signed a research agreement to support Debiopharm in its ongoing efforts to develop novel therapeutic drug candidates.

23 May 2013

FDA gives Priority Review to Celgene's ABRAXANE sNDA for advanced pancreatic cancer

Celgene International Sàrl, a subsidiary of Celgene Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has assigned a Priority Review designation to the supplemental New Drug Application for the use of ABRAXANE (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) in combination with gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

23 May 2013

Immune system attacks beneficial bacteria in several chronic human diseases

The human gut is loaded with commensal bacteria - "good" microbes that, among other functions, help the body digest food. The gastrointestinal tract contains literally trillions of such cells, and yet the immune system seemingly turns a blind eye. However, in several chronic human diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, HIV/AIDS, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, the immune system attacks these normally beneficial bacteria, resulting in chronic inflammation and contributing to disease progression.

23 May 2013

Viewpoints: Mass. experience may not be true test for national health law; 'Dishonest' campaign by medical device makers

Massachusetts is often held up as a window into America's health insurance future, because it embarked on what came to be called the Romneycare reform six years ago. Like the Affordable Care Act provisions going into effect nationwide next year, Romneycare aimed to increase the fraction of the population with health insurance by imposing mandates on employers and employees and by subsidizing health insurance plans for middle-class families without employer plans.

23 May 2013

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

GATA-3 protein plays an important role in mammalian immune response

Researchers identify mutations in new genes that might be associated with ALS disease

Calyx of Held: The largest synapse could shed light on neuropsychiatric disorders

Viewpoints: We need more 'socialism'; The IRS's 'unwelcome role'; 'Fog of Obamacare'

Discovery highlights new method to make HIV vaccine that targets the virus

Study suggests possible way to halt cancer development in premalignant cells

TSRI scientists devise new technique to find therapeutic antibodies

Potential new treatment approaches for liver diseases

New nano-sized needle can help study the effects of medicines on cells

Weekend reading: Mental illness stigma, health insurance mazes and female libido

Findings highlight importance of IL-21 in the development of antiviral vaccines

EGFR gums up cell's miRNA-processing machinery under oxygen starvation conditions

Novel multiplex immunoassay approach to capture HIV antibodies

Researchers explore targeted therapies for prostate cancer

Common type of childhood asthma is not related to allergens and inflammation

Researchers reveal roots of a common type of childhood asthma

Cenix BioScience, Debiopharm partner to develop novel therapeutic drug candidates

FDA gives Priority Review to Celgene's ABRAXANE sNDA for advanced pancreatic cancer

Immune system attacks beneficial bacteria in several chronic human diseases

Viewpoints: Mass. experience may not be true test for national health law; 'Dishonest' campaign by medical device makers

Industry focus eBook - Cell and gene therapy (2nd edition) eBook

How Pulp Fixin Is Turning Paper into High-Performance Sustainable Labware

A new method to measure intracellular water in biological systems

Obesity, GLP-1s, and metabolic care