Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Alloantigen-specific Treg cells targeted for organ transplantation

An increased understanding of the role of the body's immune system in the development of diseases such as prostate cancer, squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer), type 1 diabetes, autoimmune liver disease, and in the rejection of transplanted organs by some transplant patients, has paved the way for a pioneering research programme which aims to develop 'enhanced' cells as therapies.

3 Sep 2009

Innovative way for culturing liver cells improves drug toxicity screening

A team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers has developed an innovative way to culture liver cells for drug toxicity screening. In a report to be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that has been released online, the investigators describe how liver cells grown in a high-oxygen environment and in a culture medium free of animal-derived serum quickly begin to function as they do within the liver.

2 Sep 2009

Neuromuscular disorders common among Canadians

September is Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month. There are more than 100 neuromuscular disorders and it is estimated more than 50,000 Canadians are affected by one form or another. Each form is caused by an error in a specific gene related to muscle function.

2 Sep 2009

Gene causing periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis identified

Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery, collaborating with researchers from other institutions, have contributed to the discovery that a gene called interferon regulator factor-8 (IRF-8) is involved in the development of diseases such as periodontitis (gum disease), rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. The study, which will be published online August 30, ahead of print, in the journal Nature Medicine, could lead to new treatments in the future.

2 Sep 2009

Future Alzheimer's treatments may be effective before the onset of symptoms

Memory lapses that occur with normal aging are a source of worry for many who fear Alzheimer's disease. Now a new Mayo Clinic-led study published in the July 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the carriers of a common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease begin to have memory declines in their mid-50s, far earlier than previously thought.

2 Sep 2009

LINGO1 variant responsible for essential tremors and Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida and their collaborators worldwide have discovered that a single gene promotes development of essential tremor in some patients and Parkinson's disease in others.

2 Sep 2009

Monsanto sings a non-exclusive research and commercial license agreement with Cellectis

Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) today announced a non-exclusive research and commercial license agreement with France-based Cellectis S.A. (Paris:ALCLS), a biotechnology company specialized in genome engineering, for broad use of its meganuclease technology in plants.

2 Sep 2009

Research on Ewing's sarcoma could lead to drugs for patients who do not respond to chemotherapy

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have shed new light on Ewing's sarcoma, an often deadly bone cancer that typically afflicts children and young adults. Their research shows that patients with poor outcomes have tumors with high levels of a protein known as GSTM4, which may suppress the effects of chemotherapy.

2 Sep 2009

Genes that regulate the energy consumption of cells have a different structure and expression in diabetics

Genes that regulate the energy consumption of cells have a different structure and expression in type II diabetics than they do in healthy people, according to a new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet published in Cell Metabolism.

2 Sep 2009

Nanodiamonds: A novel gene delivery technology

Gene therapy holds promise in the treatment of a myriad of diseases, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes, among many others. However, developing a scalable system for delivering genes to cells both efficiently and safely has been challenging.

2 Sep 2009

Pathogenic microbes can suppress immune system in newborns

Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a bacterial pathogen that causes sepsis and meningitis in newborn infants, is able to shut down immune cell function in order to promote its own survival, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

2 Sep 2009

Heidelberg neuropathologists detect astrocytomas that can deactivate the "death receptor"

Malignant brain tumors often fail to respond to promising new medication. Researchers in Heidelberg have discovered a mechanism and a tumor marker for the development of this resistance. A "death receptor" can possibly provide information as to how great the chances of success are for chemotherapy. At the same time, it offers a new approach for promising brain tumor therapy.

2 Sep 2009

Scientists shed light on the relationship between hypertension and obesity

Some of the first information about how fat causes hypertension have been identified by researchers who say the findings should one day help identify which obese people - and maybe some thin ones too - are at risk for hypertension and which drugs would work best for them.

2 Sep 2009

Michigan newborn blood spot data to help understand causes of celebral palsy

A statewide team of researchers led by a Michigan State University epidemiologist are hoping Michigan's archive of newborn blood spots will help them uncover the causes of cerebral palsy, the most common disabling motor disorder in children with annual health costs of $12 billion.

2 Sep 2009

Hexokinase 2 gene highly expressed in brain metastasis in breast cancer patients

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute have identified a gene that may play a role in breast cancer metastasis to the brain, according to a report in Molecular Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

2 Sep 2009

Statistics reveals that blacks experience higher rates of pancreatic cancer deaths than whites

Regardless of risk factors linked to pancreatic cancer, such as smoking and body mass index (BMI), blacks experienced higher rates of pancreatic cancer death than whites.

2 Sep 2009

New computer software capable of sifting through hundreds of cancer causing genetic mutations

Johns Hopkins engineers have devised innovative computer software that can sift through hundreds of genetic mutations and highlight the DNA changes that are most likely to promote cancer.

1 Sep 2009

Altered gene network interaction plays an important role in brain tumors

The interaction between a network of altered genes appears to play an important role in the development and progression of brain tumors, according to a study in the July 15 issue of JAMA.

1 Sep 2009

Correlation between overweight, smoking and breast cancer discovered

A recent study published in the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology has reinforced the correlation between being overweight, smoking and breast cancer. What makes this study unique is how test subjects were not diagnosed for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which predispose women to breast cancer.

1 Sep 2009

Oncolytics Biotech obtains 32nd U.S. Patent grant

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY) ("Oncolytics") today announced that it has been granted its 32nd U.S. Patent, # 7,582,289, entitled "Viruses for the Treatment of Cellular Proliferative Disorders." The patent claims cover methods of using modified parapoxvirus orf virus to treat Ras-mediated cancers.

1 Sep 2009

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Alloantigen-specific Treg cells targeted for organ transplantation

Innovative way for culturing liver cells improves drug toxicity screening

Neuromuscular disorders common among Canadians

Gene causing periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis identified

Future Alzheimer's treatments may be effective before the onset of symptoms

LINGO1 variant responsible for essential tremors and Parkinson's disease

Monsanto sings a non-exclusive research and commercial license agreement with Cellectis

Research on Ewing's sarcoma could lead to drugs for patients who do not respond to chemotherapy

Genes that regulate the energy consumption of cells have a different structure and expression in diabetics

Nanodiamonds: A novel gene delivery technology

Pathogenic microbes can suppress immune system in newborns

Heidelberg neuropathologists detect astrocytomas that can deactivate the "death receptor"

Scientists shed light on the relationship between hypertension and obesity

Michigan newborn blood spot data to help understand causes of celebral palsy

Hexokinase 2 gene highly expressed in brain metastasis in breast cancer patients

Statistics reveals that blacks experience higher rates of pancreatic cancer deaths than whites

New computer software capable of sifting through hundreds of cancer causing genetic mutations

Altered gene network interaction plays an important role in brain tumors

Correlation between overweight, smoking and breast cancer discovered

Oncolytics Biotech obtains 32nd U.S. Patent grant

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech