Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Oskar gene emerged far earlier in insect evolution than previously believed

Harvard scientists have solved the long-standing mystery of how some insects form the germ cells - the cellular precursors to the eggs and sperm necessary for sexual reproduction - and the answer is shedding new light on the evolutionary origins of a gene that had long been thought to be critical to the process.

2 Nov 2012

Apolipoprotein E plays a major role in maintaining arterial softness

Arterial stiffening has long been considered a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Keeping arteries soft and supple might reduce disease risk, but the mechanisms of how arteries stave off hardening has remained elusive.

2 Nov 2012

Study explores impact of IL1β on brain function alterations associated with schizophrenia

There are a growing number of clues that immune and inflammatory mechanisms are important for the biology of schizophrenia. In a new study in Biological Psychiatry, Dr. Mar Fatjó-Vilas and colleagues explored the impact of the interleukin-1β gene (IL1β) on brain function alterations associated with schizophrenia.

2 Nov 2012

Genetic underpinning of placebo effect identified

US researchers have identified a gene that appears to be responsible for the placebo effect.

1 Nov 2012

CSHL scientists discover new way to specifically target and kill cancer cells

Cancer cells grow fast. That's an essential characteristic of what makes them cancer cells. They've crashed through all the cell-cycle checkpoints and are continuously growing and dividing, far outstripping our normal cells. To do this they need to speed up their metabolism.

1 Nov 2012

Ischemic stroke: an interview with Dr Gregory Ford

A stroke is a sudden interruption of blood flow to the brain which deprives the brain of oxygen and nutrients. Approximately two millions brain cells die each minute during a stroke. This can lead to brain damage, physical and mental disability and death.

1 Nov 2012

Exosomes alone could protect infants' lungs from dangerous inflammation

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have found that microscopic particles containing proteins and nucleic acids called exosomes could potentially protect the fragile lungs of premature babies from serious lung diseases and chronic lung injury caused by inflammation.

1 Nov 2012

Proposing standards and guidelines for Rett syndrome research

There is an urgent need for new drugs to treat Rett syndrome, a rare and severe neurological disease mainly affecting girls. A bottleneck in drug development for this syndrome is a lack of clarity at the level of preclinical research. Key researchers in this field now tackle this issue, proposing standards and guidelines for Rett syndrome research, in an Open Access review article published on Oct. 31, 2012 in Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM).

1 Nov 2012

Advaxis updates preliminary data from ADXS-HPV Phase 2 trial on cervical cancer

Advaxis, Inc., a leader in developing the next generation of immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases, updated preliminary data from an ongoing randomized 110 patient Phase 2 trial of ADXS-HPV being conducted in India in women with recurrent/refractory cervical cancer who have failed previous cytotoxic therapy.

1 Nov 2012

Gene variant predicts lymphoma treatment response

German researchers have identified a gene variant that significantly influences the outcome of methotrexate therapy for primary central nervous system lymphoma.

31 Oct 2012

Technology creates 3-D map of stresses linked to malformed structures

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have found a way to create three-dimensional maps of the stress that circulating blood places on the developing heart in an animal model - a key to understanding triggers of heart defects.

31 Oct 2012

Researchers decode software instructions that drive 3 different forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

30 Oct 2012

C allele of rs1329650 may increase risk of both ADHD and smoking

A variation of a particular gene may link the behaviours typical of childhood attention hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD for short, and those associated with smoking, suggests research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

30 Oct 2012

Oxidative stress occurs in genetic models of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency

A team of researchers under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Teckman in the Department of Pediatrics at St. Louis University, have demonstrated that oxidative stress occurs in a genetic model of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency.

30 Oct 2012

Canadian Cardiovascular Society issues new pediatric heart failure guidelines

The Canadian Cardiovascular Society is the first in Canada to issue guidelines aimed at helping primary care and emergency physicians, as well as specialists, recognize and manage heart failure in children. The guidelines were released today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.

30 Oct 2012

New hope for mitochondrial disease sufferers

Scientists have succeeded in replacing mitochondrial DNA in human oocytes, which they hope will lead to the procedure being developed for use in patients with mitochondrial diseases.

29 Oct 2012

Aspirin improves colorectal cancer survival in tandem with gene mutation

Aspirin significantly improves survival in colorectal cancer patients who have a mutation in a carcinogenesis-associated signaling pathway, the results of a US and Japanese study indicate.

29 Oct 2012

Positive interim data from XBiotech monoclonal antibody Phase II study for type 2 diabetes

XBiotech, a privately held biotechnology company, announced positive interim analysis results today from a Phase II study using a True Human monoclonal antibody (MABp1) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Results from this study continue to reinforce the role of IL-1α as a master regulator of chronic inflammation in multiple disease states, and the therapeutic benefits of neutralizing antibodies produced from the XBiotech platform.

29 Oct 2012

Scientists decode epigenetic programming of three virulent forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A team of national and international researchers, led by Weill Cornell Medical College scientists, have decoded the key "software" instructions that drive three of the most virulent forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). They discovered ALL's "software" is encoded with epigenetic marks, chemical modifications of DNA and surrounding proteins, allowing the research team to identify new potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

29 Oct 2012

Botanical treatment holds hope for triple-negative breast cancer

A unique formula made from medicinal mushrooms, traditional Chinese herbs and other natural ingredients inhibits aggressive, human triple-negative breast cancer and breast-to-lung metastasis in mice. This is the third peer-reviewed study to demonstrate the botanical formula's anticancer effects.

29 Oct 2012