Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Discovery of new genetic clues to breast cancer

Researchers at Cambridge University have identified five genetic clues for women who have a family history of breast cancer. The study brings up the number of common genetic variations linked to increased risk of breast cancer in women to 18. The study was published in Nature Genetics.

9 May 2010

Report: 34 C>G of PPAR-γ gene might be a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the major causes of cancer death in the developed countries. Accumulated evidences indicate that lipid metabolism, especially the one in the arachidonic acid -pathway, appears to play a critical role in the development of CRC.

7 May 2010

Spousal caregivers frequently show memory deficits: Study

Husbands or wives who care for spouses with dementia are six times more likely to develop the memory-impairing condition than those whose spouses don't have it, according to results of a 12-year study led by Johns Hopkins, Utah State University, and Duke University.

7 May 2010

Fragile X syndrome iPS cells and embryonic stem cells behave differently: Study

In the last three years, a new technique for reprogramming adult cells has given scientists an easier and less controversial way to harness the power of embryonic-like stem cells to study human disease from its earliest beginnings in hopes of gleaning new insights into the root causes of disease and developing new therapies.

7 May 2010

Gene patenting policies affect patient access to testing for disease-causing genes: Study

Policies allowing genes to be patented can make it more difficult for patients to access testing for important disease-causing gene mutations, according to a series of papers in a special online supplement published by Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics.

7 May 2010

Ohio scientists demonstrate existence of effective technology for nationwide newborn screening of SMA

Scientists in Ohio studying Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) have concluded that the technology now exists to carry out nationwide screening of newborn children and pregnant mothers. The study, published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics, reveals that effective screening may allow parents to find proactive treatments before the symptoms become irreversible.

7 May 2010

Inadvertent reprogramming of genes in peripheral nervous system may cause chronic pain

Chronic pain severely limits patients' quality of life and is among the cost drivers in U.S. health care. Patients can suffer pain without an apparent cause and often fail to respond to available treatments. Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators now report that chronic pain may be caused by the inadvertent reprogramming of more than 2,000 genes in the peripheral nervous system. The research findings appear in the current issue of the journal Genome Research.

7 May 2010

Movements of satellite cells could help patients with muscular dystrophy: MU researchers

When muscle tissue experiences trauma or disease, such as muscular dystrophy, stem cells in the muscle known as "satellite cells" respond to repair and regenerate the muscle. These cells are particularly important in neuromuscular diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, which affect muscle stability and repair.

7 May 2010

Neurons' complicated tree-like structure formation unravelled

A breakthrough about the formation and maintenance of tree-like nerve cell structures could have future applications in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and the repair of injuries in which neurons are damaged. The findings by the international team led by Prof. Benjamin Podbilewicz of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Faculty of Biology are published in the May 6th issue of Science Express.

7 May 2010

DNA sequence of amphibian genome sheds light on the study of embryonic development

A pair of University of Houston researchers contributed to the assembly of the first comprehensive DNA sequence of an amphibian genome, which will shed light on the study of embryonic development, with implications for preventing birth defects and more effectively treating many human diseases.

7 May 2010

Advances in genetic research could help develop personalized pain medications

In the not too distant future, it may be possible to discern an individual's genetic predisposition to chronic pain conditions and treat them proactively to prevent lifetime afflictions, according to research presented today at the American Pain Society's (www.ampainsoc.org) annual scientific meeting.

7 May 2010

The emerging science of epigenetics

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) possess remarkable properties of self-renewal and pluripotency, the ability to become almost any kind of cell within the body. And yet they share the same genome or set of genes with lineage-committed cells, cells fated to be or do one thing.

7 May 2010

Pfizer presents data on in vivo activity of PF-04523655 siRNA drug candidate at ARVO annual meeting

Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the world leader in clinical development of RNAi-based therapeutics, announced today that researchers from Pfizer, Inc. presented data on in vivo activity of PF-04523655 at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting, being held May 2-6, 2010 in Fort Lauderdale.

7 May 2010

Imprinted genes may be the root cause of gender specific diseases, says study

Pregnancy places competing demands on a mother's physiology: Her body wants to produce a strong healthy baby but not at the expense of her own health. Some of the genes that she passes on to her child therefore try to protect her own body from excessive demands from her child.

7 May 2010

Series Three of Percepta's Gene Expression Profiling Life Science Dashboard market research report

Percepta Associates Inc. announces the release of Series Three of its Gene Expression Profiling Life Science Dashboard market research report. Unique to the Percepta report, Series Three offers comparisons to the findings of Series One (February 2007) and Series Two (April 2008).

6 May 2010

Study aims to clarify expression patterns of CD24 in NSCLC

The May edition of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology features a study aimed to clarify expression patterns of a novel cancer biomarker, CD24, in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) and to correlate the findings to clinicopathologic variables, such as performance status, age, gender and prognostic significance.

6 May 2010

Scientists analyze genetic networks of microRNAs in tumors

Genes interact in complex networks that govern cellular processes, much like people connect a social network through relationships. Researchers are now discovering how biological networks change and are rewired in cancer.

6 May 2010

Neuroscientist Snyder presents annual Ellis S. Grollman Lecture at UMB

If a drug was developed to block a key protein linked to the onset of Huntington's Disease, it could have a clear path to the part of the brain most affected by the disease, while not bothering other parts of the brain and body, said distinguished neuroscientist Solomon H. Snyder, MD, to an audience of about 300 students and faculty at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB).

6 May 2010

Multistage nanovector system for siRNA delivery lengthens therapeutic effects of ovarian cancer treatment

New research by scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center could make it easier for patients to use a family of promising experimental cancer therapeutics known as small interfering RNA (siRNA).

6 May 2010

VEGF is key target for new anti-angiogenesis drugs, Spanish team reports

Analyzing the expression of particular genes in lung cancers could soon allow researchers to identify groups of patients who are likely to benefit most from treatment with angiogenesis-inhibitor drugs, a Spanish team reports.

6 May 2010

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Discovery of new genetic clues to breast cancer

Report: 34 C>G of PPAR-γ gene might be a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer

Spousal caregivers frequently show memory deficits: Study

Fragile X syndrome iPS cells and embryonic stem cells behave differently: Study

Gene patenting policies affect patient access to testing for disease-causing genes: Study

Ohio scientists demonstrate existence of effective technology for nationwide newborn screening of SMA

Inadvertent reprogramming of genes in peripheral nervous system may cause chronic pain

Movements of satellite cells could help patients with muscular dystrophy: MU researchers

Neurons' complicated tree-like structure formation unravelled

DNA sequence of amphibian genome sheds light on the study of embryonic development

Advances in genetic research could help develop personalized pain medications

The emerging science of epigenetics

Pfizer presents data on in vivo activity of PF-04523655 siRNA drug candidate at ARVO annual meeting

Imprinted genes may be the root cause of gender specific diseases, says study

Series Three of Percepta's Gene Expression Profiling Life Science Dashboard market research report

Study aims to clarify expression patterns of CD24 in NSCLC

Scientists analyze genetic networks of microRNAs in tumors

Neuroscientist Snyder presents annual Ellis S. Grollman Lecture at UMB

Multistage nanovector system for siRNA delivery lengthens therapeutic effects of ovarian cancer treatment

VEGF is key target for new anti-angiogenesis drugs, Spanish team reports

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