Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

BDNF gene shows promise as target for treating obesity

With obesity reaching epidemic levels, researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Center are studying a potentially long-term treatment that involves injecting a gene directly into one of the critical feeding and weight control centers of the brain.

10 Mar 2009

Diabetes and elevated levels of cholesterol linked to faster cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients

A history of diabetes and elevated levels of cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, are associated with faster cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study from Columbia University Medical Center researchers.

10 Mar 2009

Diabetes and elevated levels of cholesterol linked to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's

10 Mar 2009

Breakthrough improves effectiveness of tuberculosis vaccine

A breakthrough strategy to improve the effectiveness of the only tuberculosis vaccine approved for humans provided superior protection against the deadly disease in a pre-clinical test, report scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in Nature Medicine 's Advance Online Publication March 1.

8 Mar 2009

Synthetic biology extends anti-malaria drug artemisinin's effectiveness

In addition to providing a simple and much less expensive means of making artemisinin, the most powerful anti-malaria drug in use today, synthetic biology can also help to extend the effectiveness of this drug.

8 Mar 2009

Advances in stem cell research

Scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston are on the forefront of stem cell research, developing novel therapies designed to generate heart cells, repair traumatic lung injuries, grow new bone and stanch the spread of cancer cells.

8 Mar 2009

Too much sugar linked to aging

We know that lifespan can be extended in animals by restricting calories such as sugar intake.

8 Mar 2009

Genes more important in cleft lip and palate than previously thought

Comparing 500,000 snippets of human DNA put scientists from the University of Bonn on the right track.

8 Mar 2009

Breakthrough method produces Parkinson's disease patient-specific stem cells free of harmful reprogramming genes

Whitehead Institute researchers have developed a novel method to remove potential cancer-causing genes during the reprogramming of skin cells from Parkinson's disease patients into an embryonic-stem-cell-like state.

8 Mar 2009

Drug therapy for brain tumors shows promise

The combination of two drugs produces a critical improvement in the treatment of certain brain tumours.

8 Mar 2009

Blood test predicts chance of frontal lobe dementia

Frontal lobe dementia (Frontotemporal Dementia, FTD) strikes people at an earlier age. After Alzheimer's disease, FTD is the form of dementia that occurs most frequently in patients younger than 65.

8 Mar 2009

Long-defunct gene comes back to life in humans

Researchers have discovered that a long-defunct gene was resurrected during the course of human evolution.

8 Mar 2009

Detailed diagnosis boosts child cancer survival

More accurate disease classification now means some young children with neuroblastoma will have less intensive treatment with better survival, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

5 Mar 2009

Virus-free embryonic-like stem cells made from skin of Parkinson's disease patients

Researchers reporting in the March 6th issue of the journal Cell , a Cell Press publication, have developed a new way to produce human embryonic-like stem cells that are free of the viruses used to insert the key ingredients.

5 Mar 2009

Important step toward in understanding the biology of stem cells

Researchers have found the factor that makes the difference between a stem cell in the intestine and any other cell.

5 Mar 2009

Stem cell breakthrough gives new hope to sufferers of myopathy and muscular dystrophy

An experimental procedure that dramatically strengthens stem cells' ability to regenerate damaged tissue could offer new hope to sufferers of muscle-wasting diseases such as myopathy and muscular dystrophy, according to researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

5 Mar 2009

Discovery of new gene associated with Lou Gehrig's disease

A collaborative research effort spanning nearly a decade between researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT, the Broad Institute, King's College London (KCL) and other institutions has identified a novel gene for inherited amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease).

5 Mar 2009

Pulmonary hypertension in children may result from reduced activity of gene regulator

Too little activity by gene regulators called PPARs appears to be a major player in the irreversible lung damage that can occur in children with heart defects, researchers say.

5 Mar 2009

Genome scanning system used to uncover suspect mutations in normal inherited genes

Scientists at the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have used "personalized genome" sequencing on an individual with a hereditary form of pancreatic cancer to locate a mutation in a gene called PALB2 that is responsible for initiating the disease.

5 Mar 2009

For first time scientists determine structure of a protein in the living cell

The function of a protein is determined both by its structure and by its interaction partners in the cell.

5 Mar 2009

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

BDNF gene shows promise as target for treating obesity

Diabetes and elevated levels of cholesterol linked to faster cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients

Diabetes and elevated levels of cholesterol linked to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's

Breakthrough improves effectiveness of tuberculosis vaccine

Synthetic biology extends anti-malaria drug artemisinin's effectiveness

Advances in stem cell research

Too much sugar linked to aging

Genes more important in cleft lip and palate than previously thought

Breakthrough method produces Parkinson's disease patient-specific stem cells free of harmful reprogramming genes

Drug therapy for brain tumors shows promise

Blood test predicts chance of frontal lobe dementia

Long-defunct gene comes back to life in humans

Detailed diagnosis boosts child cancer survival

Virus-free embryonic-like stem cells made from skin of Parkinson's disease patients

Important step toward in understanding the biology of stem cells

Stem cell breakthrough gives new hope to sufferers of myopathy and muscular dystrophy

Discovery of new gene associated with Lou Gehrig's disease

Pulmonary hypertension in children may result from reduced activity of gene regulator

Genome scanning system used to uncover suspect mutations in normal inherited genes

For first time scientists determine structure of a protein in the living cell

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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