Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study uncovers pathways by which yoga impacts biological processes

Six months ago, researchers at UCLA published a study that showed using a specific type of yoga to engage in a brief, simple daily meditation reduced the stress levels of people who care for those stricken by Alzheimer's and dementia. Now they know why.

25 Jul 2012

Insights into link between fat-hoarding genes and ancient diet

Why do Native Americans experience high rates of diabetes? A common theory is that they possess fat-hoarding "thrifty genes" left over from their ancestors - genes that were required for survival during ancient cycles of feast and famine, but that now contribute to the disease in a modern world of more fatty and sugary diets.

25 Jul 2012

Mice have different neural subsystem associated with instinctually important smells

A new study finds that mice have a distinct neural subsystem that links the nose to the brain and is associated with instinctually important smells such as those emitted by predators. That insight, published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, prompts the question whether mice and other mammals have specially hardwired neural circuitry to trigger instinctive behavior in response to certain smells.

25 Jul 2012

RhoC gene promotes breast cancer stem cell progression

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that a cancer gene linked to aggressive spread of the disease promotes breast cancer stem cells. The finding implies a new way to target the behavior of these lethal cells.

25 Jul 2012

New algorithm can help scientists predict gene and drug interactions

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a new computational method that will make it easier for scientists to identify and prioritize genes, drug targets, and strategies for repositioning drugs that are already on the market. By mining large datasets more simply and efficiently, researchers will be able to better understand gene-gene, protein-protein, and drug/side-effect interactions. The new algorithm will also help scientists identify fellow researchers with whom they can collaborate.

25 Jul 2012

Study identifies MDM4 protein as promising target for treatment of melanoma

A melanoma is a malignant form of skin cancer and is one of the most aggressive types of tumors there is. Treatment is particularly difficult, because melanomas are usually resistant against conventional chemotherapy treatments.

24 Jul 2012

Human brown fat may actually be beige

Beige fat cells are more closely related to white than brown fat cells, say researchers who found that brown fat deposits in humans appear to be composed of beige cells.

24 Jul 2012

Tumor necrosis factor may play a key role in how light at night leads to depression

Chronic exposure to dim light at night can lead to depressive symptoms in rodents -- but these negative effects can be reversed simply by returning to a standard light-dark cycle, a new study suggests.

24 Jul 2012

Pancreatic cancer risk may be lowered by high dietary antioxidant intake

Increasing dietary intake of the antioxidant vitamins C, E, and selenium could help cut the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by up to two thirds, suggests research published online in the journal Gut.

24 Jul 2012

Scientists demonstrate link between cancer and faulty differentiation of stem cells

Stem cells hold great promise for the medicine of the future, but they can also be a cause of disease. When these self-renewing, unspecialized cells fail to differentiate into diverse cell types, they can start dividing uncontrollably, leading to cancer. Already several decades ago, Weizmann Institute scientists were among the first to demonstrate the link between cancer and the faulty differentiation of stem cells. Now a new Weizmann Institute-led study, published in Molecular Cell, reveals a potential molecular mechanism behind this link.

24 Jul 2012

Synthetic triterpenoids block development of Parkinson's disease

A new and powerful class of antioxidants could one day be a potent treatment for Parkinson's disease, researchers report.

23 Jul 2012

Novel genomic sequencing method can help conduct in-depth analysis of single cells

Only by viewing a Georges Seurat painting at close range can you appreciate the hidden complexities of pointillism - small, distinct dots of color applied to form an image from a distance. Similarly, biologists and geneticists have long sought to analyze profiles of genes at the single cell level but technology limitations have only allowed a view from afar.

23 Jul 2012

Illumina sues IBS and Qiagen for infringement of three patents

Illumina, Inc. today announced that the company has sought leave to file counterclaims against Intelligent Bio-Systems, Inc. and Qiagen NV, which recently acquired IBS, in response to the patent lawsuit brought by Columbia University and IBS on March 26, 2012 in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware.

From Illumina, Inc. 23 Jul 2012

Protein associated with Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases has several brain-specific forms

A protein essential for metabolism and recently associated with neurodegenerative diseases also occurs in several brain-specific forms. This discovery emerged in the course of a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the findings of which have now been published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

23 Jul 2012

Genetic underpinnings of Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome identified

Researchers have identified a genetic underpinning of Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome.

23 Jul 2012

Research finds new gene involved in epilepsy

New research conducted by neuroscientists from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) published in Nature Medicine has identified a new gene involved in epilepsy and could potentially provide a new treatment option for patients with epilepsy.

23 Jul 2012

Researchers uncover protein structure that regulates blood cell formation and activity

A Finnish research team together with researchers from New York, USA, has uncovered a protein structure that regulates cell signalling and the formation of blood cells. The team's results, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, the most prestigious journal in the field, shed light on the mechanisms at play in haematological disorders and provide new opportunities for the design of disease-specific treatment.

23 Jul 2012

Foundation Fighting Blindness grants US$125,000 to Oxford BioMedica for UshStat Phase I/IIa trial

Oxford BioMedica plc, the leading gene-based biopharmaceutical company, today announces that the US non-profit organisation, the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB), has granted an award of US$125,000 to the Company via its translational research arm, the Foundation Fighting Blindness Clinical Research Institute (FFBCRI) formerly known as the National Neurovision Research Institute (NNRI).

23 Jul 2012

Researchers identify several gene mutations responsible for medulloblastoma

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital have identified several gene mutations responsible for the most common childhood brain tumor, called medulloblastoma, adding evidence to the theory that the diagnosis is a group of genetically distinct cancers with different prognoses. These and accompanying findings are likely to lead to less-toxic, better-targeted treatment approaches over the next two years, the researchers said.

23 Jul 2012

Yeast gene can increase ethanol production yield by up to 34%

iDiverse announced that it has discovered a yeast gene that when inserted into yeast and properly modulated can increase ethanol production yield by up to 34%.

23 Jul 2012

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study uncovers pathways by which yoga impacts biological processes

Insights into link between fat-hoarding genes and ancient diet

Mice have different neural subsystem associated with instinctually important smells

RhoC gene promotes breast cancer stem cell progression

New algorithm can help scientists predict gene and drug interactions

Study identifies MDM4 protein as promising target for treatment of melanoma

Human brown fat may actually be beige

Tumor necrosis factor may play a key role in how light at night leads to depression

Pancreatic cancer risk may be lowered by high dietary antioxidant intake

Scientists demonstrate link between cancer and faulty differentiation of stem cells

Synthetic triterpenoids block development of Parkinson's disease

Novel genomic sequencing method can help conduct in-depth analysis of single cells

Illumina sues IBS and Qiagen for infringement of three patents

Protein associated with Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases has several brain-specific forms

Genetic underpinnings of Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome identified

Research finds new gene involved in epilepsy

Researchers uncover protein structure that regulates blood cell formation and activity

Foundation Fighting Blindness grants US$125,000 to Oxford BioMedica for UshStat Phase I/IIa trial

Researchers identify several gene mutations responsible for medulloblastoma

Yeast gene can increase ethanol production yield by up to 34%

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Building quality into drug development for safer, faster medicines

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

A new method to measure intracellular water in biological systems