Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

New stem cell gene, enzyme replacement treatment for Tay-Sachs disease

StemCellRegenMed, Inc. announces that a new stem cell gene and enzyme replacement treatment has been performed on a fourteen month old child with Tay-Sachs disease on November 2, 2010. Tay-Sachs is a devastating disease that afflicts children primarily of parents of Jewish heritage and in very rare cases families of Eastern European background and the Cajun region in the U.S.A.

10 Nov 2010

Epimutation in BRCA1 gene may cause early-onset of breast cancer

An Australian research team from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland has identified a new risk factor for developing breast cancer. This has been published online in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

10 Nov 2010

Lung cancer in smokers versus non-smokers shows different genetic mutations

A group of scientists at B.C. Cancer Agency have found that lung cancers in smokers have different genetic mutations and look different than lung cancer in non-smokers. According to senior scientist at the BC Cancer Agency Research Centre Wan Lam, this finding is significant because it means that from now on, research, treatments and diagnostics should be tailored to the distinct genetic variations in the different lung cancers instead of expecting that a one-size fits all approach will work. He said, “At the current time, treatment does not distinguish between these different types. The subtypes are all grouped together. But with this work, we are beginning to tease out the subtypes.” The study was presented Tuesday at a conference in Philadelphia of the American Association of Cancer Research.

10 Nov 2010

China Medical Technologies' EGFR PCR Assay for lung cancer targeted drugs receives Chinese SFDA approval

China Medical Technologies, Inc., a leading China-based advanced in-vitro diagnostic ("IVD") company, today announced that it has received approval for its real-time PCR-based Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Assay (the "EGFR PCR Assay") for the use of lung cancer targeted drugs from the State Food and Drug Administration of China (the "SFDA").

10 Nov 2010

Researchers identify molecular cascade that drives process of reconnection in adult brain after stroke

A stroke wreaks havoc in the brain, destroying its cells and the connections between them. Depending on its severity and location, a stroke can impact someone's life forever, affecting motor activity, speech, memories, and more.

10 Nov 2010

Low levels of growth hormone may contribute to growth defects in cystic fibrosis

A new study using a pig model of cystic fibrosis (CF) suggests that low levels of a growth promoting hormone at or before birth may contribute to growth defects in patients with CF.

10 Nov 2010

Researcher awarded Sylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation Fellowship

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researcher Dr Ross Dickins has been awarded a Sylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation Fellowship worth $AUD975,000 over five years.

10 Nov 2010

UC Davis researchers identify new pathway to repair oxidative-damaged DNA

UC Davis researchers have found a new pathway for repairing DNA damaged by oxygen radicals. The results are published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Nov 2010

MicroRNAs linked to failure of duct development in mammary glands

Max Planck researchers discover novel mechanism for vertebrate organ development. Hormones, growth factors and several proteins ensure that development occurs in the right way, at the right time. The components that cause breast development in mammals, for example, were thought to be largely known. However, as a team of scientists from Göttingen, Frankfurt and Hanover have now discovered, in the case of breast development, hormones and proteins do not account for the full story.

10 Nov 2010

Grand Challenges Explorations projects receive new grants for tuberculosis research

Weill Cornell Medical College announced today that it was awarded two $100,000 grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the next phase of Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to encourage bold and unconventional ideas for global health.

10 Nov 2010

Immunologix partners with Genscript to develop human antibody therapeutics

Immunologix, Inc, a Charleston, SC biotechnology company and a leader in fully human therapeutic antibodies for a variety of diseases and GenScript, a contract research organization (CRO) based in Piscataway, NJ and the industry leader in bio-reagent services, assay development & screening, lead optimization, and antibody drug development, announced today that the companies have formed a strategic partnership to offer a complete platform for producing human antibody therapeutics.

10 Nov 2010

Iris BioTechnologies awarded $245,000 grant under QTDP Program

Iris BioTechnologies Inc., a life sciences company focused on providing patients, doctors, and clinicians with improved methods of identifying effective treatment solutions, and recipient of the Frost and Sullivan 2008 Technology Innovation Award in Pharmacogenomics, is pleased to announce that the company has been awarded $245,000, the maximum amount given for a grant under the US Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) Program.

10 Nov 2010

Research report on current and evolving technologies in drug delivery

The drug delivery market is a rapidly evolving force in the pharmaceutical industry. Within this segment injectables have a significant role to play at present with the increasing use of proteins and peptides.

9 Nov 2010

Research may help develop new therapies for aggressive prostate cancer

A monoclonal antibody targeting a well known cell surface protein inhibited prostate cancer growth and metastasis in an aggressive form of the disease that did not respond to hormone therapy, according to a study by researchers with the UCLA Department of Urology and UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

9 Nov 2010

Innovative method for in-cell gene manipulation

A cross-disciplinary Small Medicine and Advanced Research Translation (SMART) team led by Prof. Dar-Bin Shieh of Institute of Oral Medicine in Medical College at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan, has announced a breakthrough in the precision in-cell gene scission at pre-designed sequence sites using Artificial Targeting Light Activated Nano Scissors (ATLANS) and a custom build photonic device.

9 Nov 2010

Blood 'metabolomics' study uncovers liver, heart, and kidney toxicity in healthy smokers

Examining the blood "metabolomics" profile of smokers immediately after they had a cigarette revealed activation of pathways involved in cell death, inflammation, and other forms of systemic damage, say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Georgetown University Medical Center.

9 Nov 2010

Researchers examine impact of gene mutation on Salmonella bacterium growth rate

Most mutations in the genes of the Salmonella bacterium have a surprisingly small negative impact on bacterial fitness. And this is the case regardless whether they lead to changes in the bacterial proteins or not.

9 Nov 2010

Study explains link between morbid obesity and metabolic syndrome

Scientists have found that the fat cells and tissues of morbidly obese people and animals can reach a limit in their ability to store fat appropriately. Beyond this limit several biological processes conspire to prevent further expansion of fat tissue and in the process may trigger other health problems.

9 Nov 2010

New approach to treat castration resistant prostate cancer

9 Nov 2010

Genetic region linked to survival in patients with advanced bowel cancer

Scientists have discovered a genetic region linked to survival in patients with advanced bowel cancer, according to a study being presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference today (Tuesday).

9 Nov 2010