Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

People with high RBC folate levels more likely to have two tumor-suppressing genes

People with higher levels of folate in their red blood cells were more likely to have two tumor-suppressing genes shut down by methylation, a chemical off switch for genes, researchers report in the December issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

22 Dec 2010

Tekmira begins patient dosing in TKM-PLK1 phase 1 trail for cancer

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a leading developer of RNA interference therapeutics, announced today it has initiated patient dosing in a Phase 1 human clinical trial for its lead oncology product, TKM-PLK1. TKM-PLK1 targets polo-like kinase 1, or PLK1, a cell cycle protein involved in tumor cell proliferation and a validated oncology target.

22 Dec 2010

Study finds specially designed probiotic can prevent obesity

Specially designed probiotics can modulate the physiology of host fat cells say scientists writing in Microbiology. The findings could lead to specialised probiotics that have a role in the prevention or treatment of conditions such as obesity.

22 Dec 2010

Gene changes during brain development can lead to male genitalia formation in female embryo

Australian scientists have discovered that changes to a gene involved in brain development can lead to testis formation and male genitalia in an otherwise female embryo.

22 Dec 2010

Therapies to target self-renewing population of chemotherapy-resistant cells needed

Leukemia patients whose cancers express higher levels of genes associated with cancer stem cells have a significantly poorer prognosis than patients with lower levels of the genes, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is among the first to show that the cancer stem cell hypothesis - which posits that some cancers spring from and are replenished by a small, hardy population of self-renewing cells - can be used to predict outcomes in a large group of patients and one day to tailor treatments in the clinic.

22 Dec 2010

Researchers receive $100,000 NFL grant to study tissue engineering for spinal injuries

Researchers from Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College have been awarded $100,000 by NFL Charities, the charitable foundation of the National Football League owners, to research tissue engineering for spinal injuries.

22 Dec 2010

New research sheds light on how neurons make connections with one another

Newly published research led by Professor Z. Josh Huang, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory sheds important new light on how neurons in the developing brain make connections with one another.

22 Dec 2010

New online tool helps scientists to find gene promoters

Researchers at The Wistar Institute announce the release of an online tool that will help scientists find "gene promoters"—regions along a DNA strand that tell a cell's transcription machinery where to start reading in order to create a particular protein.

22 Dec 2010

UH scientist evaluates microRNAs as potential treatment strategy for ovarian cancer

The day when an ovarian cancer patient can treat her tumor with a single, painless pill instead of a toxic drug cocktail is the ultimate goal of the pioneering research of a University of Houston scientist.

22 Dec 2010

86.9% of adults express support for melanoma genetic testing in minors

The vast majority of parents who tested positive for a genetic mutation that increases the risk of melanoma support genetic testing of their children or grandchildren.

22 Dec 2010

High LSC scores associated with adverse outcomes in AML patients

In an examination of leukemic stem cells (LSC), researchers have found that patients with acute myeloid leukemia who had higher activity of certain LSC genes had worse overall, event-free and relapse-free survival, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

21 Dec 2010

New genetic alteration predisposes individuals to Cowden syndrome

Researchers have identified a new genetic alteration that predisposes individuals to Cowden syndrome, a rare disorder that is characterized by high risks of breast, thyroid and other cancers, according to preliminary research published in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

21 Dec 2010

Isis commences ISIS-APOCIIIRx Phase 1 trial in hypertriglyceridemia

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase 1 study of ISIS-APOCIIIRx, an antisense drug designed to lower triglycerides to treat a variety of diseases associated with elevated triglycerides. Hypertriglyceridemia, a condition characterized by elevated levels of triglycerides, is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is a component of numerous cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including metabolic syndrome.

21 Dec 2010

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Mount Sinai collaborate to evaluate anti-fibrotic effects of Galectin-targeting compounds

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading developer of Galectin therapeutics to treat cancer and fibrosis, today announced it has entered into a new research collaboration with Mount Sinai School of Medicine to evaluate in pre-clinical models, the anti-fibrotic effects of several of the Company's novel, Galectin-targeting compounds.

21 Dec 2010

Whites with mutations more likely to be susceptible to cocaine abuse

Nearly one in five whites could carry a genetic variant that substantially increases their odds of being susceptible to severe cocaine abuse, according to new research.

21 Dec 2010

Study provides evidence on prevalence of two separate mosquito species which carry malaria parasite

In notable back-to-back papers appearing in the prestigioous journal Science in October, teams of researchers, one led by Nora Besansky, a professor of biological sciences and a member of the Eck Institute for Global Health at the University of Notre Dame, provided evidence that Anopheles gambiae, which is one of the major mosquito carriers of the malaria parasite in Sub-Saharan Africa, is evolving into two separate species with different traits.

21 Dec 2010

Researchers present definitive explanation of how fibrotic cells destroy human liver

In the latest of a series of related papers, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in Austria and elsewhere, present a new and more definitive explanation of how fibrotic cells form, multiply and eventually destroy the human liver, resulting in cirrhosis. In doing so, the findings upend the standing of a long-presumed marker for multiple fibrotic diseases and reveal the existence of a previously unknown kind of inflammatory white blood cell.

21 Dec 2010

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation names first recipients of Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting innovative early career researchers, named the first recipients of the Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists. This new award provides additional funding to scientists completing a prestigious Damon Runyon Fellowship Award who have greatly exceeded the Foundation's highest expectations and are most likely to make paradigm-shifting breakthroughs that transform the way we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

21 Dec 2010

DNA sequence variations linked with heart's electrical rhythm in several surprising regions

A study among almost 50,000 people worldwide has identified DNA sequence variations linked with the heart's electrical rhythm in several surprising regions among 22 locations across the human genome. The variants were found by an international consortium, including Johns Hopkins researchers, and reported Nov. 14 in the Nature Genetics advance online publication.

21 Dec 2010

Genetic sequencing may serve as new diagnostic tool for unknown disease

A collaborative team of scientists and physicians at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin uses genetic sequencing to identify and treat an unknown disease.

21 Dec 2010

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

People with high RBC folate levels more likely to have two tumor-suppressing genes

Tekmira begins patient dosing in TKM-PLK1 phase 1 trail for cancer

Study finds specially designed probiotic can prevent obesity

Gene changes during brain development can lead to male genitalia formation in female embryo

Therapies to target self-renewing population of chemotherapy-resistant cells needed

Researchers receive $100,000 NFL grant to study tissue engineering for spinal injuries

New research sheds light on how neurons make connections with one another

New online tool helps scientists to find gene promoters

UH scientist evaluates microRNAs as potential treatment strategy for ovarian cancer

86.9% of adults express support for melanoma genetic testing in minors

High LSC scores associated with adverse outcomes in AML patients

New genetic alteration predisposes individuals to Cowden syndrome

Isis commences ISIS-APOCIIIRx Phase 1 trial in hypertriglyceridemia

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Mount Sinai collaborate to evaluate anti-fibrotic effects of Galectin-targeting compounds

Whites with mutations more likely to be susceptible to cocaine abuse

Study provides evidence on prevalence of two separate mosquito species which carry malaria parasite

Researchers present definitive explanation of how fibrotic cells destroy human liver

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation names first recipients of Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists

DNA sequence variations linked with heart's electrical rhythm in several surprising regions

Genetic sequencing may serve as new diagnostic tool for unknown disease

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer