Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Three gene variants discovered that help fight HIV

An international team of researchers has identified three gene variants in the DNA of 486 people infected with HIV that appear to have helped some of the patients fight off the virus and delay the onset of full-blown AIDS.

20 Jul 2007

Clearer picture of host responses to HIV virus

The first genome-wide association study of an infectious disease, conducted by an international group of researchers through the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI), has yielded a new understanding of why some people can suppress virus levels following HIV infection.

20 Jul 2007

Simple method to comb genomes

Instead of immutable proprietary software, any species, genetic information resembles open source code that is constantly tweaked and optimized to meet the users specific needs.

20 Jul 2007

Anti-cancer gene p53 doubles up as anti-ageing agent

The latest research suggests that one of the genes that protects us from cancer may also help delay the ageing process.

19 Jul 2007

Lubert Stryer wins National Medal of Science

Neurobiologist Lubert Stryer, MD, of the Stanford University School of Medicine, will receive the nation's highest scientific honor, the National Medal of Science, for his achievements in a wide range of fields that included the development of a DNA chip used in genetics.

19 Jul 2007

RNA essential for survival of mature neurons

There are lots of things that brain cells need to survive. Add to that list microRNAs.

19 Jul 2007

Restless legs gene found

An international team of researchers has identified the first gene associated with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), a common sleep disorder affecting tens of millions of people worldwide.

19 Jul 2007

C3 gene variant increases risk of blindness

Researchers have found a gene variant that can more than double the risk of developing the degenerative eye disease, age-related macular degeneration.

19 Jul 2007

Discovery of gene variant that increases risk for Crohn's disease

Pediatrics researchers have identified a gene variant that raises a child's risk of Crohn's disease, a chronic and painful condition attributed to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

19 Jul 2007

Protein kinase G holds promise for cancer treatment

An enzyme that cancer cells eliminate, apparently so they can keep proliferating, may hold clues to more targeted, effective cancer treatment, scientists say.

19 Jul 2007

New approach for restless legs syndrome

Scientists at deCODE genetics ( NASDAQ:DCGN ) in collaboration with colleagues from Emory University today report the discovery of the first variant in the sequence of the human genome ever linked to risk of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movements (PLMs).

19 Jul 2007

Researchers identify gene-regulating protein in the brain that triggers ability to cope with

Researchers have identified a gene-regulating protein in the brains of mice that triggers the animals' ability to cope with the "behavioral despair" caused by inescapable stress.

19 Jul 2007

Plumber protein uses different tools to turn on genes

St. Jude investigators have discovered how a single molecular "on switch" triggers gene activity that might cause effects ranging from learning and memory capabilities to glucose production in the liver.

18 Jul 2007

Genetic variation linked to premenstrual depression

A specific genetic variation may be tied to an increased risk for severe premenstrual depression, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the National Institute of Mental Health have found.

18 Jul 2007

New method for sequencing both chromosomes of an organism

The statistical method is significant because when researchers announce they have sequenced an organism's genome, they really mean that they have created a mosaic of two chromosomes, said USC computational biologist Lei Li.

18 Jul 2007

Suicide gene therapy for cancer

Cutting-edge research at South Dakota State University may yield a new therapy that targets only cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed.

18 Jul 2007

Lab-grown disease-free mosquito

A decade ago, scientists announced the ability to introduce foreign genes into the mosquito genome.

18 Jul 2007

Special patch improves heart function after heart attacks

Researchers in the U.S. have developed a special patch which regenerates cardiac cells after a heart attack; when the patch is placed on the damaged area of the heart it improves heart function.

17 Jul 2007

Protein km23 - potential target for ovarian cancer treatment

A traffic cop protein in the cell may have an even more important role: transporting a messenger protein that tells components in the nucleus to stop cell growth.

17 Jul 2007

Gene analysis and biostatistics

Three-stage procedures offer an optimal relationship between costs and benefits in analysing genetic influences in diseases and therapies, a fact that has major practical importance for the ever growing number of gene analyses.

17 Jul 2007