Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

New study provides insight into mechanism behind breast cancer mutation

A new study sheds light on why individuals who inherit a particular family of mutations have a high risk of developing a very aggressive form of breast cancer. The research, published by Cell Press on February 4th in the journal Cell Stem Cell, shows that breast tissue cells from these individuals make abnormal cell-fate decisions even before cancer develops and provides exciting new insights into the mechanisms behind one of the most lethal types of breast cancer.

4 Feb 2011

More careful regulation of FDA's Humanitarian Device Exemption in psychiatric patients needed

Warning that patients could be at risk, an interdisciplinary group of multinational investigators is calling on the U.S. Congress and federal regulators to tighten a law that permits use of brain devices to treat rare neuropsychiatric disorders without supporting clinical trials or stringent patient oversight.

4 Feb 2011

Study: Pistachios may help reduce risk of heart disease

It's no coincidence that National Pistachio Day – February 26, 2011 – occurs during American Heart Month. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in America, and promising nutrition research shows that pistachios are a heart healthy snack choice. In honor of American Heart Month, TheGreenNut.org is offering simple tips encouraging all Americans to go green for a healthy heart this February.

4 Feb 2011

Ceregene initiates enrollment and dosing in CERE-120 Phase 2b trial for Parkinson's disease

Ceregene, a biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it is progressing with enrollment and dosing in its CERE-120 Phase 2b multi-center, sham-surgery, double-blinded controlled trial in Parkinson's disease.

3 Feb 2011

Nitto Denko announces acquisition of Avecia Biotechnology

Japan's leading diversified materials manufacturer, Nitto Denko Corporation, today announced that it has acquired Avecia Biotechnology, Inc. through Nitto Americas, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary in Teaneck, New Jersey.

3 Feb 2011

Genetic component to Parkinson’s disease discovered

Parkinson’s disease, a severely degenerative disease of the brain leading to tremors, muscle rigidity and finally immobility was until the 1990’s believed to be due to environmental factors, lifestyle and a person’s age. However, now scientists have discovered five more genes that influence its development.

3 Feb 2011

Rare new disease identified – calcium accumulates in blood vessels

A new rare disease has been identified. Louise Benge’s started having difficulty in walking when she was 25. She developed hardening and pain over her calves and hands. She worsened over the next 20 years. Her family physician in Mount Vernon, Ky., was at a loss, as were a vascular specialist, a hand specialist and a kidney specialist. Her two sisters and two brothers had the problem too, but no doctor could understand why.

3 Feb 2011

New England Biolabs expands line of reagents for sample preparation

New England Biolabs has expanded its line of reagents for sample preparation upstream of next generation sequencing to include NEBNext® Small RNA Sample Prep Set 1 for sequencing on the Illumina® platforms, and NEBNext Small RNA Sample Prep Set 3 for sequencing on LIFE's SOLiD™ platform. These new products offer a new and unique protocol, which results in higher yields and lower adaptor-dimer formation, as compared to other protocols.

From New England Biolabs 3 Feb 2011

Shionogi-ViiV Healthcare initiates 572-Trii fixed-dose combination therapy study for HIV

Shionogi-ViiV Healthcare, LLC announced today that the first patient has entered the clinical study, SINGLE (ING114467), designed to support a new fixed-dose combination (FDC) therapy for the treatment of HIV.

3 Feb 2011

Study reveals how MMSET gene enables disease-causing mutations to occur

For several decades, researchers have been linking genetic mutations to diseases ranging from cancer to developmental abnormalities. What hasn't been clear, however, is how the body's genome sustains such destructive glitches in the first place.

3 Feb 2011

International scientist team identifies gene mutation strongly linked to schizophrenia

In a major advance for schizophrenia research, an international team of scientists, led by Jonathan Sebat, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has identified a gene mutation strongly linked to the brain disorder - and a signaling pathway that may be treatable with existing compounds.

3 Feb 2011

DNAnexus announces new cloud-based tools for analyzing large-scale genomic variation datasets

DNAnexus, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based solutions for analyzing, visualizing, and managing next-generation sequencing data, today announced the availability of a comprehensive set of new informatics tools that enable life science researchers to efficiently analyze and manage large-scale genomic variation datasets in a cloud-based workflow.

3 Feb 2011

Cedars-Sinai receives California Institute grant to develop new technique for specific diseases

A team of scientists from the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to fund development of a new technique to aid pharmaceutical discoveries for specific diseases.

3 Feb 2011

SAGE Labs, Cofactor Genomics partner to sequence genomes for six widely used rat strains

Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and services business of Sigma-Aldrich®, today announced that its SAGE Labs initiative has partnered with Cofactor Genomics in an effort to sequence genomes for six of the most widely used strains of rat.

3 Feb 2011

Malarial drugs may help treat specific form of frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia is caused by a breakdown of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal region of the brain, which leads to, among other symptoms, a change in personality and behavior. The cause of some forms of frontotemporal dementia is a genetically determined reduction of a hormone-like growth factor, progranulin.

3 Feb 2011

Agilent introduces first commercial RNA target enrichment system

Agilent Technologies, Inc., today introduced SureSelect RNA Capture Kits, the first commercial RNA target enrichment system enabling geneticists to focus on specific genomic loci or transcripts of research interest. The RNA capture kits make it possible to precisely measure expression levels of genes of interest and detect allelic-specific expression, splicing events and gene fusions.

3 Feb 2011

Four-gene/protein signature more accurately predicts metastatic prostate cancer

Prostate tumors that carry a "signature" of four molecular markers have the potential to become dangerously metastatic if not treated aggressively, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report in a study published online today by the journal Nature. The discovery lays the groundwork for the first gene-based test for determining whether a man's prostate cancer is likely to remain dormant within the prostate gland, or spread lethally to other parts of the body.

3 Feb 2011

Study uncovers genetic hierarchy in plant sperm formation

Biologists at the University of Leicester have published results of a new study into the intricacies of sex in flowering plants.

3 Feb 2011

Positive results from Factor IX-CTP comparative study in hemophilic mice

PROLOR Biotech, today reported positive results from a comparative study of its biobetter longer-acting version of the hemophilia drug Factor IX in Factor IX-depleted hemophilic mice.

3 Feb 2011

EGEN receives 4-year, $1.6M FDA grant for EGEN-001 Phase II clinical study in ovarian cancer

EGEN, Inc. today announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded the company a four-year grant of $1,600,000 to assist in the Phase II clinical development of EGEN-001, the company's lead product. EGEN-001 is under clinical development for the treatment of advanced recurrent ovarian cancer.

2 Feb 2011

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

New study provides insight into mechanism behind breast cancer mutation

More careful regulation of FDA's Humanitarian Device Exemption in psychiatric patients needed

Study: Pistachios may help reduce risk of heart disease

Ceregene initiates enrollment and dosing in CERE-120 Phase 2b trial for Parkinson's disease

Nitto Denko announces acquisition of Avecia Biotechnology

Genetic component to Parkinson’s disease discovered

Rare new disease identified – calcium accumulates in blood vessels

New England Biolabs expands line of reagents for sample preparation

Shionogi-ViiV Healthcare initiates 572-Trii fixed-dose combination therapy study for HIV

Study reveals how MMSET gene enables disease-causing mutations to occur

International scientist team identifies gene mutation strongly linked to schizophrenia

DNAnexus announces new cloud-based tools for analyzing large-scale genomic variation datasets

Cedars-Sinai receives California Institute grant to develop new technique for specific diseases

SAGE Labs, Cofactor Genomics partner to sequence genomes for six widely used rat strains

Malarial drugs may help treat specific form of frontotemporal dementia

Agilent introduces first commercial RNA target enrichment system

Four-gene/protein signature more accurately predicts metastatic prostate cancer

Study uncovers genetic hierarchy in plant sperm formation

Positive results from Factor IX-CTP comparative study in hemophilic mice

EGEN receives 4-year, $1.6M FDA grant for EGEN-001 Phase II clinical study in ovarian cancer

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

Evolving spectrophotometry for modern biopharma workflows

Scaling B-cell cloning workflows for antibody development

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation