Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

ChronTech initiates ChronVac-C DNA vaccine Phase IIb study against HCV

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that its partner, ChronTech Pharma AB, has initiated a Phase IIb clinical study of its ChronVac-C DNA vaccine for hepatitis C virus, delivered by Inovio's proprietary electroporation DNA vaccine delivery technology, in combination with standard of care.

14 Mar 2011

New study: Alcohol-related chronic pancreatitis is lower than other causes

The relative rate of alcohol-related chronic pancreatitis is lower when compared to other causes, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute.

14 Mar 2011

Peanut allergy has a genetic link: Study

A new study suggests that children with a certain gene defect are more likely to develop a peanut allergy. They studied the effect of changes in the gene filaggrin, which helps the skin block out allergens. They noted what has been seen before – the changes in the gene reduce the effectiveness of the barrier, increasing the risk for eczema and asthma.

14 Mar 2011

Combination therapy may overcome Herceptin-resistant breast cancer

Breast cancer tumors take numerous paths to resist the targeted drug Herceptin, but a single roadblock at a crucial crossroads may restore a tumor's vulnerability to treatment, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report on line at Nature Medicine.

14 Mar 2011

New analytic method suggests tumors grow in punctuated, staccato-like bursts

A new method of analyzing cancerous tumors developed by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suggests that tumors may not evolve gradually, but rather in punctuated or staccato-like bursts.

14 Mar 2011

Study to identify drug targets for rheumatoid arthritis patients not responding to anti-TNF therapies

GNS Healthcare, Inc., (GNS) the leading healthcare analytics company focused on enabling personalized medicine to improve human health, today announced the publication of results from a study focused on identifying novel drug targets for the one-third of rheumatoid arthritis patients who do not respond to leading anti-TNF therapies.

11 Mar 2011

New technique may find 'hidden' receptors in nerve cells

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and University of Pennsylvania have found a way to uncover potential drug targets that have so far remained hidden from researchers' view.

11 Mar 2011

Genetic variant contributes to higher risk of lung cancer, increases tendency to smoke more

Norwegian researchers have discovered genes that increase not only one's risk of lung cancer, but perhaps one's urge to smoke as well. Now these researchers are working on developing a blood test for lung cancer.

11 Mar 2011

CIC to host Scientific Colloquium on tumor immunotherapy in National Harbor, MD

The Cancer Immunotherapy Consortium, a program of the nonprofit Cancer Research Institute, will host its 2011 Scientific Colloquium March 17-19, 2011, at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD.

11 Mar 2011

FDA holds Senesco's SNS01-T clinical study due to delay of supplier's DMF updation

Senesco Technologies, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has informed the Company that its planned study in multiple myeloma is on hold until the Drug Master File of one of its suppliers is updated.

11 Mar 2011

Genentech announces positive outcomes from Lucentis Phase III trial against DME

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that two-year results from a pivotal Phase III trial showed patients with diabetic macular edema who received Lucentis experienced rapid and sustained improvement in vision compared to those who received a placebo injection.

11 Mar 2011

Researchers uncover new disease mechanism in patients with CGD

Infection researchers at Umeå University have uncovered a new disease mechanism in patients with Chronic Granulomatous Disease in an international clinical collaboration with the Children's Hospital in Zurich.

11 Mar 2011

Scientists discover four new genetic variants in humans linked with NAFLD

Five genetic variants in humans - four new - associate with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, according to a study published March 10 in PLoS Genetics.

10 Mar 2011

Wnt1 protein can improve function of endothelial progenitor cells

Circulating through the bloodstream of every human being is a rare and powerful type of cell, one that can actually create new blood vessels to bypass blockages that cause heart attacks and peripheral artery disease.

10 Mar 2011

Scientists develop new model for neurodegenerative disease

A team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco has developed a new model for how inherited genes contribute to a common but untreatable and incurable neurodegenerative disease.

10 Mar 2011

Research: CREBBP mutation may help cancer resist steroid treatment, fuel ALL's return

Despite dramatically improved survival rates for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, relapse remains a leading cause of death from the disease. Work led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators identified mutations in a gene named CREBBP that may help the cancer resist steroid treatment and fuel ALL's return.

10 Mar 2011

Experimental drug effectively shuts off MCL1 gene and induces apoptosis

Predictive Biomarker Sciences (PBS-Bio) has uncovered how the experimental drug UNBS1450, produced by Unibioscreen, kills cancer cells.

10 Mar 2011

Cedars-Sinai earns excellence in 2010 adult heart transplants

The Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and Comprehensive Transplant Center performed the most adult heart transplants of any U.S. medical center in 2010, according to government statistics released today.

10 Mar 2011

ITCs in vegetables appear to target and block p53 gene linked with cancer

Scientists are reporting discovery of a potential biochemical basis for the apparent cancer-fighting ability of broccoli and its veggie cousins. They found for the first time that certain substances in the vegetables appear to target and block a defective gene associated with cancer.

10 Mar 2011

Vascular disorder of the brain most frequently misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis

A devastating vascular disorder of the brain called CADASIL, which strikes young adults and leads to early dementia, often is misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis, Loyola University Health System researchers report.

10 Mar 2011