Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Women with ovarian cancer having BRCA2 gene mutations are more likely to survive

Women with ovarian cancer who have the BRCA2 gene mutation are more likely to survive the malignancy than women with the BRCA1 mutation, or women without either mutation.

5 Apr 2011

Heavy beer drinkers with specific genetic variant at increased risk of non-cardia gastric cancer

Heavy beer drinkers who have a specific genetic variant in the cluster of three genes that metabolize alcohol are at significantly higher risk of developing non-cardia gastric cancer, according to research presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held here April 2-6.

5 Apr 2011

Genetic factors can explain people's susceptibility to urinary incontinence

Much of the risk of developing incontinence before middle age is determined by our genes. Genetic factors can explain half of people's susceptibility to urinary incontinence, a study of twins at the University of Gothenburg and Karolinska Institutet reveals.

5 Apr 2011

New insight into Parkinson's disease

As Parkinson's Awareness Month gets underway, a Canadian-led international study is providing important new insight into Parkinson's disease and paving the way for new avenues for clinical trials.

5 Apr 2011

Breast cancer updates

According to the latest research human breast milk holds the potential to assess a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.

5 Apr 2011

Researchers identify new gene that can influence person's risk of developing epilepsy

Vanderbilt University researchers have identified a new gene that can influence a person's risk for developing epilepsy. The findings, reported in the March 29 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could improve molecular diagnostic tools and point to novel therapeutic targets for epilepsy.

5 Apr 2011

Morphotek acquires tumor targeting assets from TMI

Morphotek, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., announced today that it has acquired certain assets relating to a proprietary tumor targeting platform from TransMolecular, Inc. for an undisclosed upfront payment and future development milestones.

4 Apr 2011

Aflac announces $1.06 million scholarship awards for cancer research

Aflac, the company that helps employers enhance benefits offerings to employees, today announced it will donate a total of $1,060,000 to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) to help defray the costs facing cancer researchers. The three-year scholarship awards focus on career development, scholar-in-training; a special program for high school students, and a task force on pediatric oncology.

4 Apr 2011

OncoSec acquires certain assets of Inovio

OncoSec Medical Incorporated, a developer of innovative medical approaches to treat solid tumor cancers with unmet medical needs, announced today that on March 24, 2011 it completed its acquisition of certain assets of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and entered into a license agreement with Inovio, pursuant to the terms of an asset purchase agreement with Inovio entered into on March 14, 2011.

4 Apr 2011

Researchers pinpoint effects of enhanced adult neurogenesis in hippocampus

Adult mice engineered to have more newborn neurons in their brain memory hub excelled at accurately discriminating between similar experiences - an ability that declines with normal aging and in some anxiety disorders.

4 Apr 2011

Scientists identify five new genes that increase risk of developing Alzheimer's

A leading UK scientist's search for factors that increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's has uncovered five new genes to help pinpoint what's going wrong in the brain.

4 Apr 2011

Scientists identify new treatment target for squamous cell lung cancer

Scientists at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute have identified a mutation in the DDR2 gene that may indicate which patients with squamous cell lung cancer will respond to dasatinib.

4 Apr 2011

Scientists sequence tumor genomes from 50 breast cancer patients

In one of the largest cancer genomics investigations reported to date, scientists have sequenced the whole genomes of tumors from 50 breast cancer patients and compared them to the matched DNA of the same patients' healthy cells.

4 Apr 2011

Positive results from GDC-0449 Phase II data against basal cell nevus syndrome

A new hedgehog pathway inhibitor demonstrated efficacy in preventing and treating basal cell cancer among patients with basal cell nevus syndrome, a rare inheritable disease, according to Phase II data presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held April 2-6.

4 Apr 2011

Scientists identify novel gene markers for EGFR inhibition in patients

Scientists are continuing their work on the Biomarker-integrated Approaches of Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer Elimination trial — known more commonly as the BATTLE trial — and presented updated results at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held here April 2-6.

4 Apr 2011

Researchers identify four new genes linked to Alzheimer's disease

In the largest study of its kind, researchers from a consortium of 44 universities and research institutions in the United States, including Rush University Medical Center, identified four new genes linked to Alzheimer's disease. Each gene individually adds to the risk of having this common form of dementia later in life.

4 Apr 2011

Research offers first structural insights into 'client' protein shape in chaperone presence

In the constantly morphing field of protein structure, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute offer yet another surprise: a common "chaperone" protein in cells thought to help other proteins fold has been shown instead to loosen them.

4 Apr 2011

Scientists uncover genetic characteristic of metastatic prostate cancer

Scientists have uncovered a genetic characteristic of metastatic prostate cancer that defines a rare sub-type of this disease. These findings are published in Cancer Discovery, the newest journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, which will debut at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held April 2-6.

4 Apr 2011

Common genetic variation linked to bladder cancer risk and telomere length

A common genetic variation links to both bladder cancer risk and to the length of protective caps found on the ends of chromosomes, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported today at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting.

4 Apr 2011

Breast cancer genome reveals potential therapeutic targets

Scientists have sequenced the entire genomes of tumors from 50 breast cancer patients and found more than 1,700 gene mutations, most of which were unique to individual patients. The researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the Siteman Cancer Center suggest that this variability and uniqueness made it difficult to predict outcomes of the cases.

3 Apr 2011