Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers identify genetic cause of magnesium deficiency

Researchers and scientists of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, in cooperation with the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, and colleagues from the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and the Czech Republic have succeeded in identifying a genetic cause of magnesium deficiency.

16 Mar 2011

Global settlement agreement reached in Tuschl patents litigation

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, today announced the signing of a global settlement agreement among Alnylam, Max Planck Society ("Max Planck"), the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research ("Whitehead") and the University of Massachusetts ("UMass") resolving their ongoing litigation regarding the Tuschl patents.

16 Mar 2011

BRAF gene defect leads to pilocytic astrocytoma in children

Pilocytic astrocytoma, the most common brain tumor in children, is usually slow-growing and benign. However, surgeons often cannot completely remove the diffusely growing tumor.

16 Mar 2011

Researchers discover molecular switch for insulin secretion

16 Mar 2011

March of Dimes to honor fragile X syndrome researcher with Lifetime Achievement award

A world-renowned fragile X syndrome researcher, who was the first to identify the long-sought genetic abnormality responsible for this disorder, will be honored by the March of Dimes.

16 Mar 2011

Enzo Life Sciences introduces ELISA system to detect SMN protein

Enzo Biochem, Inc. and the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation today announced that Enzo's wholly owned subsidiary, Enzo Life Sciences Inc., has launched a unique immunoassay system which can be used for the identification and detection of Survival Motor Neuron protein.

16 Mar 2011

Human growth, height, size: Reasons to be small

Almost everybody these days thinks that it is best to be tall, meaning much taller than the average traditional height of Asian populations, and even taller than the current average height of populations in high-income countries. It is also often believed – though people might be shy to admit this – that tall people are intrinsically superior to short people. The expressions 'look up to' and 'look down on' are significant.

15 Mar 2011

Discovery of molecular switch for the secretion of insulin

Johns Hopkins researchers believe they have uncovered the molecular switch for the secretion of insulin — the hormone that regulates blood sugar — providing for the first time an explanation of this process. In a report published online March 1 in Cell Metabolism, the researchers say the work solves a longtime mystery and may lead to better treatments for type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease.

15 Mar 2011

Cellpraxis, USF Health, UNIFESP present and evaluate ReACT results at scientific meeting

Cellpraxis, USF Health and UNIFESP presented and evaluated the clinical results of an innovative therapy for Refractory Angina patients in a scientific meeting and workshop in São Paulo, Brazil.

15 Mar 2011

New findings help explain why toxoplasmosis causes serious disease

Providing clues into why the severity of a common parasitic infection can vary greatly from person to person, a new Johns Hopkins study shows that each one of three strains of the cat-borne parasite Toxoplasma gondii sets off a unique reaction in the nerve cells it invades.

15 Mar 2011

Oxford Biomedica’s TroVax(R) TRIST Phase III study results to be published in Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy

Oxford BioMedica plc, a leading gene therapy company, today announces that further analyses of the TroVax Renal Immunotherapy Survival Trial, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III study, have been accepted for publication in Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy, the official journal of the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy.

15 Mar 2011

Researchers develop novel system to show how specific mutations can induce glioblastoma

Mutations in three pathways important for suppressing tumors cooperate to launch glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor that strikes children and adults. But new research from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists shows those changes alone are not sufficient to cause cancer.

15 Mar 2011

New research: Fzd9 receptor can stimulate bone formation

New research shows that the Wnt receptor Frizzled-9 promotes bone formation, providing a potential new target for the treatment of osteoporosis. The study appears online on March 14 in The Journal of Cell Biology.

15 Mar 2011

Scientists identify strategy for targeted molecular therapy in liver cancer

In a research study appearing in the journal Cancer Cell on March 14, scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and four other institutions have identified a strategy for targeted molecular therapy in liver cancer, which currently has limited treatment options and one of the worst one-year survival rates of any cancer type.

15 Mar 2011

New animal model helps define molecular processes that lead to PA

Pilocytic astrocytoma is the most common pediatric brain tumor, and there are few medical therapies available to those patients for whom surgery is not curative.

15 Mar 2011

Gamida to distribute Health Robotics' CytoCare, i.v.STATION, i.v.SOFT technologies in Israel

Health Robotics today announced that it recently signed an exclusive distribution agreement for its CytoCare, i.v.STATION, and i.v.SOFT world-leading technologies with Israel-based medical technology leader Gamida MedEquip Ltd.

14 Mar 2011

Researchers discover new gene for Sensenbrenner syndrome

Dutch researchers of the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen found a new gene for Sensenbrenner syndrome (Journal of Medical Genetics, 2011 Mar 4). The mutation adds support to the hypothesis that defects in ciliar transport are the cause of the disease. Project leader Dr. Heleen H. Arts is supported by a Kolff Junior Postdoc Grant of the Dutch Kidney Foundation.

14 Mar 2011

WaferGen Biosystems 2010 revenue exceeds guidance

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc., a leading developer of state-of-the-art genomic analysis systems, today reported financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2010.

14 Mar 2011

New research: Rhodopsin pigment in Drosophila may detect temperature

New research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine has discovered that rhodopsin, a pigment of the retina that is responsible for the first events in the perception of light, may also be involved in temperature sensation. This detection had not been revealed in previous studies.

14 Mar 2011

EvaluatePharma data shows poor R&D productivity measures both in quality, quantity

Pharmaceutical R&D productivity is consistently undercounted. Most reports fail to fully count the number of new drugs that reach the market, missing out on billions of dollars of sales generated by R&D investment, an analysis of EvaluatePharma data shows.

14 Mar 2011