Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Diabetes gene linked to Alzheimer’s

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a gene that causes diabetes kills nerve cells in the brain, possibly resulting in Alzheimer’s disease.

20 Jul 2011

New insights into sleep difficulties among older people

A new study of the brain's master circadian clock - known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN - reveals that a key pattern of rhythmic neural activity begins to decline by middle age. The study, whose senior author is UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, may have implications for the large number of older people who have difficulty sleeping and adjusting to time changes.

20 Jul 2011

Scientists discover new dominant gene linked to Parkinson's

The newly discovered gene is known as VPS35, the sixth one which has been associated with Parkinson's disease and the third dominant gene.

20 Jul 2011

New transgenic mouse could predict toxicity of targeted cancer drugs

Only one in twenty cancer drugs makes its way from the laboratory to become an approved pharmaceutical product. The majority of new agents are only shown to be unsuitable in the later phases of clinical development which would explain the exorbitantly high development costs of 500 to 600 million euros per new cancer drug.

20 Jul 2011

Nuclear Factor I/B appears to drive progression of small cell lung cancer

A major challenge for cancer biologists is figuring out which among the hundreds of genetic mutations found in a cancer cell are most important for driving the cancer's spread.

20 Jul 2011

Altogen Labs introduces pyrosequencing services for hospitals, research institutions

Altogen Labs, a biology contract research organization and provider of pre-clinical research services, announced its launch of a pyrosequencing service today.

20 Jul 2011

Two key genes may help prevent childhood leukemia

Researchers at The University of Western Ontario have identified genes that may be important for preventing childhood leukemia. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the blood that occurs primarily in young children.

19 Jul 2011

Sigma introduces CompoZr Targeted Integration Kit – mRosa26

Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and services research business of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation today announced the launch of CompoZr Targeted Integration Kit – mRosa26, which can precisely and rapidly integrate transgenes into the mouse genome at the Rosa26 safe harbor locus.

19 Jul 2011

Food4Me project to investigate potential of personalised nutrition

When the human genome sequence was launched in 2000, it introduced the possibility of personalisation in health care. Such personalisation can be applied to nutrition, a key health determinant, to create a diet tailored specifically for an individual, according to their individual physical and genetic make-up. Food4Me is a new, EU (FP7) funded project investigating the potential of this personalised nutrition.

19 Jul 2011

Scientists identify new inherited form of Parkinson's disease

Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technische Universität München working in cooperation with the Medical University of Vienna have identified a mutation associated with a inherited form of late-onset Parkinson's disease.

19 Jul 2011

Researchers identify potential therapeutic target for ER-negative breast cancer

Using a new in vivo screening system, Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a protein in the serine biosynthesis pathway that is essential in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer—a notoriously difficult disease to treat associated with low five-year survival rates.

19 Jul 2011

IMD, BioFocus enter marketing collaboration to offer enhanced natural product discovery

BioFocus, an integrated drug discovery service partner, and InterMed Discovery GmbH (IMD), a natural product lead-discovery company, today announced a marketing collaboration to offer enhanced natural product discovery to the pharmaceutical, animal health, and agrochemical industries. No financial details were disclosed.

19 Jul 2011

Roche signs agreement to acquire mtm laboratories

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that Roche has signed an agreement under which it will acquire 100 percent of mtm laboratories AG (mtm), a privately-held company based in Heidelberg, Germany.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 19 Jul 2011

Novel approach for preventing HIV infection

Scientists at Osel Inc. and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed a new way to prevent HIV infection by genetically enhancing the ability of naturally occurring vaginal bacteria to block viral transmission.

19 Jul 2011

Researchers identify gene linked to muscle endurance

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a gene for endurance, or more precisely, a negative regulator of it.

19 Jul 2011

LLS awards new SCOR grants valued at $12.5M for research in lymphoma and myeloproliferative neoplasms

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) today announced it has awarded two new Marshall A. Lichtman Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) grants to Frederick W. Alt, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, and Anthony Green, M.D., Ph.D., University of Cambridge. Each SCOR is valued at $1.25 million a year for five years for a total of $6.25 million.

18 Jul 2011

Global research initiatives to standardize Alzheimer's biomarkers

As the Alzheimer's field moves closer to new and earlier tests for the disease, innovative global research initiatives are taking the first important steps to standardize Alzheimer's biomarkers, as evidenced by two presentations made today at the Alzheimer's Association(R) International Conference 2011 (AAIC 2011) in Paris.

18 Jul 2011

Scientists use two methods to manipulate disease-causing mutations in stem cells

Using two distinct methods, Whitehead Institute researchers have successfully and consistently manipulated targeted genes in both human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

16 Jul 2011

New study confirms key risk factors for heavy drinking among adolescents

A low level of response (LR) to alcohol is one of several genetically influenced characteristics that may increase an individual's risk for heavy drinking and alcohol problems. A new study has confirmed key elements of a LR-based model of risk through examination of a large sample of adolescent boys and girls in the United Kingdom, moving beyond smaller U.S.-based samples and to younger subjects.

16 Jul 2011

Retinal cells require vitamin C to function properly

Nerve cells in the eye require vitamin C in order to function properly - a surprising discovery that may mean vitamin C is required elsewhere in the brain for its proper functioning, according to a study by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

16 Jul 2011