Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

ABCD4 and CblF proteins responsible for hereditary vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B12 is vital for cell division, the synthesis of red blood cells and the functioning of the nervous system. Unable to produce the vitamin itself, the human body has to obtain it via animal proteins. So far it has been known that on its way into the cell vitamin B12 is absorbed by little organelles, so-called lysosomes. From there, the vitamin enters the cell interior with the aid of the transport protein CblF, which was discovered by the same research team three years ago.

28 Aug 2012

More than 40 plant-based compounds can turn on genes that slow the spread of cancer

More than 40 plant-based compounds can turn on genes that slow the spread of cancer, according to a first-of-its-kind study by a Washington State University researcher.

28 Aug 2012

Control of siRNA could aid regenerative medicine, cancer therapy

Some of the body's own genetic material, known as small interfering RNA (siRNA), can be packaged then unleashed as a precise and persistent technology to guide cell behavior, researchers at Case Western Reserve University report in the current issue of the journal, Acta Biomaterialia.

28 Aug 2012

Allegro Diagnostics announces results from BronchoGen genomic test trial on lung cancer

Allegro Diagnostics today announced that results from its AEGIS (Airway Epithelium Gene Expression In the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer) clinical trials, to determine the accuracy of the BronchoGen genomic test, have been accepted for an oral presentation during the late-breaking abstract session at CHEST 2012 on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. The abstract will also be published in a supplement of the October 2012 issue of CHEST.

28 Aug 2012

Alder’s initiation of ALD518/BMS-945429 Phase 2 trial triggers $3.5M milestone payment

Alder Biopharmaceuticals Inc. today announced it has received a $3.5 million milestone payment from Bristol-Myers Squibb for the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial of ALD518/BMS-945429, an investigational antibody therapeutic that blocks interleukin-6 (IL-6), in Crohn's disease.

28 Aug 2012

Morphotek commences MORAb-004 Phase II metastatic soft tissue sarcoma trial

Morphotek, Inc. announced today that it has commenced a multi-center, Phase II study evaluating the safety and efficacy of MORAb-004 when combined with gemcitabine and docetaxel in the treatment of metastatic soft tissue sarcoma.

28 Aug 2012

BioTime amends license agreement with University of Utah for HyStem technology

BioTime, Inc. announced that the company has amended its license from the University of Utah to expand the field of use for which BioTime is licensed to produce and market products covered by the core patents underlying HyStem technology.

27 Aug 2012

CardioDx completes two-tranche equity financing

CardioDx, Inc., a pioneer in the field of cardiovascular genomic diagnostics, today announced the completion of a $58 million two-tranche equity financing.

27 Aug 2012

New blood test can predict which heart failure patients would benefit from ICDs

A novel blood test that predicts sudden death risk in heart failure patients is set to help physicians decide which patients would benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

27 Aug 2012

Healthy intake of micronutrients may boost sperm DNA quality in older men

A new study led by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) found that a healthy intake of micronutrients is strongly associated with improved sperm DNA quality in older men.

27 Aug 2012

Profilin-1 gene influences survival time in Lou Gehrig's disease

A team of scientists, including faculty at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), have discovered a gene that influences survival time in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease).

27 Aug 2012

People with guanine version of rs55705857 SNP more likely to develop gliomas

People who carry a "G" instead of an "A" at a specific spot in their genetic code have roughly a six-fold higher risk of developing certain types of brain tumors, a Mayo Clinic and University of California, San Francisco study has found. The

27 Aug 2012

New molecular mechanism plays a crucial role in inhibiting TGF-beta signaling

Researchers headed by Maria Macias an ICREA researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and Joan Massagu-, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, have identified a new molecular mechanism that plays a crucial role in the control of the activation of certain genes associated with cancer.

27 Aug 2012

Researchers discover new genetic disease related to vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B12 is essential to human health. However, some people have inherited conditions that leave them unable to process vitamin B12. As a result they are prone to serious health problems, including developmental delay, psychosis, stroke and dementia. An international research team recently discovered a new genetic disease related to vitamin B12 deficiency by identifying a gene that is vital to the transport of vitamin into the cells of the body.

27 Aug 2012

SUMO1 protein may treat and/or prevent heart failure

A promising new drug target for the treatment and prevention of heart failure has been discovered by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, NY, US. The study was presented at the ESC Congress 2012 by principal investigator Professor Roger J. Hajjar, MD.

26 Aug 2012

Creighton University research to improve patient care and outcomes in CAD treatment

Since 1990, Creighton University School of Medicine professor and researcher Devendra K. Agrawal, Ph.D., has been awarded more than $20 million in research grants to study coronary artery heart disease. He is determined to eradicate the impact of this heart disease—the number one killer of men and women in the United States.

26 Aug 2012

Personalized colon cancer therapy based on genetics of specific cancer

University of Minnesota Medical School and Masonic Cancer Center researchers have partnered with geneticists from Genentech, Inc., to discover how some proteins may cause the development of some forms of colon cancers.

24 Aug 2012

ALDH enzyme marks melanoma stem cells

Cancer stem cells are defined by three abilities: differentiation, self-renewal and their ability to seed a tumor. These stem cells resist chemotherapy and many researchers posit their role in relapse. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the journal Stem Cells, shows that melanoma cells with these abilities are marked by the enzyme ALDH, and imagines new therapies to target high-ALDH cells, potentially weeding the body of these most dangerous cancer creators.

24 Aug 2012

Abnormalities in mitochondrial length promote development of neurodegenerative diseases

Goldilocks was on to something when she preferred everything "just right." Harvard Medical School researchers have found that when it comes to the length of mitochondria, the power-producing organelles, applying the fairy tale's mantra is crucial to the health of a cell. More specifically, abnormalities in mitochondrial length promote the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

24 Aug 2012

Study demonstrates how DBP production is modulated by daily variations of temperature

Numerous processes in our body fluctuate in a regular pattern during the day. These circadian (or daily) variations can be driven by local oscillators present within our cells or by systemic signals controlled by the master pacemaker, located in the brain. Ueli Schibler, professor at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, unveils a molecular mechanism by which body temperature rhythms influence the expression of 'clock genes' and synchronize local oscillators.

24 Aug 2012

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

ABCD4 and CblF proteins responsible for hereditary vitamin B12 deficiency

More than 40 plant-based compounds can turn on genes that slow the spread of cancer

Control of siRNA could aid regenerative medicine, cancer therapy

Allegro Diagnostics announces results from BronchoGen genomic test trial on lung cancer

Alder’s initiation of ALD518/BMS-945429 Phase 2 trial triggers $3.5M milestone payment

Morphotek commences MORAb-004 Phase II metastatic soft tissue sarcoma trial

BioTime amends license agreement with University of Utah for HyStem technology

CardioDx completes two-tranche equity financing

New blood test can predict which heart failure patients would benefit from ICDs

Healthy intake of micronutrients may boost sperm DNA quality in older men

Profilin-1 gene influences survival time in Lou Gehrig's disease

People with guanine version of rs55705857 SNP more likely to develop gliomas

New molecular mechanism plays a crucial role in inhibiting TGF-beta signaling

Researchers discover new genetic disease related to vitamin B12 deficiency

SUMO1 protein may treat and/or prevent heart failure

Creighton University research to improve patient care and outcomes in CAD treatment

Personalized colon cancer therapy based on genetics of specific cancer

ALDH enzyme marks melanoma stem cells

Abnormalities in mitochondrial length promote development of neurodegenerative diseases

Study demonstrates how DBP production is modulated by daily variations of temperature

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