Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Research finds gene bringing together animal and human research in alcoholism

An important genetic study conducted through Mayo Clinic has identified vital new information concerning alcoholism in subjects with European ancestry, according to a recent issue of Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.

23 Apr 2009

Proof-of-concept for a DNA-based therapeutic vaccination against chronic hepatitis C

The first-proof-of-concept for a DNA-based therapeutic vaccination against chronic hepatitis C was announced today at EASL 2009, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Copenhagen, Denmark.

23 Apr 2009

Discovery shows that different parts of chromosomes can have very different evolutionary histories

A new study reveals that - contrary to decades of evolutionary thought - chromosome regions that are prone to breakage when new species are formed are a rich source of genetic variation.

23 Apr 2009

Discovery of common genetic variation associated with colorectal cancer

Genetics plays a key role in determining risk for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

23 Apr 2009

Researchers discover that gene switches on during development of epilepsy

A discovery made by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine while studying mice may help explain how some people without a genetic predisposition to epilepsy can develop the disorder.

23 Apr 2009

Using combinatorial libraries to engineer genetic circuits advances synthetic biology

Streamlining the construction of synthetic gene networks has led a team of Boston University researchers to develop a technique that couples libraries of diversified components with computer modeling to guide predictable gene network construction without the back and forth tweaking.

22 Apr 2009

Discovery of new gene that stimulates the release of calcium in cells

International research collaborators have identified a new family of proteins, TPC2 (two-pore channels), that facilitates calcium signaling from specialized subcellular organelles.

22 Apr 2009

Scientists identify dozens of proteins the dengue fever virus depends upon

By painstakingly silencing genes one at a time, scientists at Duke University Medical Center have identified dozens of proteins the dengue fever virus depends upon to grow and spread among mosquitoes and humans.

22 Apr 2009

Scientists develop drugs to block skin cancer protein

Scientists have developed a potent group of potential drug candidates to treat skin cancer, according to a study in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry today (Thursday).

22 Apr 2009

Hormone therapy may lower colorectal cancer risk in women

In a large study, a national team of researchers led by Mayo Clinic scientists observed that self-reported use of hormone therapy was associated with a significantly lower colorectal cancer risk.

22 Apr 2009

Lymphocytes promote cancer spread

Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have new evidence that a type of immune system cell thought to be part of the first line of defense against breast cancer may also help promote its spread.

22 Apr 2009

Mitochondrial peptide Humanin linked to neuronal cell survival and regulation of glucose metabolism

Recent studies have shown that the mitochondrial peptide Humanin (HN) protects against neuronal cell death such as happens in Alzheimer's disease.

22 Apr 2009

New Dengue virus discovery could lead to development of anti-dengue drugs

Doctors have no specific drugs to treat dengue fever, a viral illness spread by mosquitoes that sickens 50 million to 100 million people worldwide each year. Instead, the only treatments they can recommend for this painful and sometimes fatal illness (20,000 deaths globally each year) are fluids, rest and non-aspirin pain and fever reducers.

22 Apr 2009