Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Research points to new target for treating periodontitis

T cells help fight off infection, but they can go overboard. A new study led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and the National Institutes of Health shows that a subset of T cells contributes to the problematic inflammation and bone loss that is associated with periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease.

17 Oct 2018

Targeting immune checkpoints in microglia could reduce out-of-control neuroinflammation

A group of Massachusetts General Hospital investigators is proposing that targeting immune checkpoints - molecules that regulate the activity of the immune system - in immune cells called microglia could reduce the inflammatory aspects of important neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

17 Oct 2018

Sleeping Beauty technique helps identify genes responsible for NAFLD-associated liver cancer

With an estimated twenty-thousand protein-coding genes in the human genome, pinpointing a specific gene or pathway responsible for a particular disease can be like finding a needle in the proverbial haystack.

17 Oct 2018

FDA grants Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for Immusoft’s Iduronicrin genleukocel-T

Immusoft Corporation, a Seattle-Wash.-based cell therapy company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted it Rare Pediatric Disease Designation (RPDD) for Iduronicrin genleukocel-T, Immusoft's Sleeping Beauty transposon-engineered autologous plasmablasts for the expression and delivery of alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA) to treat Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I).

17 Oct 2018

Researchers demonstrate epigenetic memory transmission via sperm

A new study suggests that if the epigenetics of sperm chromosomes are altered by the environment a father experiences, then this could affect offspring’s health.

17 Oct 2018

Researchers to develop new stem cell-based strategies for treating vision disorders

A team from the University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and University of Wisconsin--Madison are launching a project to develop new strategies for treating vision disorders using cells implanted in the retina.

17 Oct 2018

Researchers discover why heart contractions are weaker in individuals with HCM

When a young athlete suddenly dies of a heart attack, chances are high that they suffer from familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Itis the most common genetic heart disease in the US and affects an estimated 1 in 500 people around the world.

17 Oct 2018

Down syndrome may hold important clues to onset of Alzheimer's disease

At first glance, Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease, two severe brain abnormalities, may seem to have little in common. Down syndrome is a hereditary disease, the source of which has long been recognized--a triplication of chromosome 21.

17 Oct 2018

Study of Nigerian breast cancer patients reveals prevalence of aggressive molecular features

A study comparing DNA and RNA data from Nigerian breast cancer patients to patients in a United States database found that certain aggressive molecular features were far more prevalent in tumors from Nigerian women than in black or white American women.

16 Oct 2018

New findings reveal potential cellular players in tumor microenvironment

New findings presented today by CytoReason reveals possible new cellular players in the tumor microenvironment that could impact the treatment process for the most in-need patients - those who have already failed to respond to ipilimumab (anti-CTLA4) immunotherapy.

16 Oct 2018

Age-related estrogen increase may be the culprit behind inguinal hernias in men

An age-related increase in estrogen may be the culprit behind inguinal hernias, a condition common among elderly men that often requires corrective surgery, according to a Northwestern Medicine study was published Oct. 15 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

16 Oct 2018

Study uses novel approach to investigate genetic origins of mental illnesses

A study in Biological Psychiatry has established a new analytical method for investigating the complex genetic origins of mental illnesses using brain cells that are grown in a dish from human embryonic stem cells.

16 Oct 2018

Study uncovers important role of PRMT1 in dilated cardiomyopathy

In a study published in iScience, Professor Akiyoshi Fukamizu of the Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (University of Tsukuba, JAPAN) and the research group reported a new work on discovery of the important role of PRMT1 in dilated cardiomyopathy.

16 Oct 2018

Zebrafish study uncovers molecular 'brake' that helps control eye lens development

How different cells in a multicellular organism acquire their identities remains a fundamental mystery of development. In the eye, for example, the lens contains two cell types - lens epithelial cells and lens fiber cells -- the first of which differentiates into the second as an animal matures.

16 Oct 2018

Rice University chemist wins big award to study small surfaces

It's one thing to start a chemical reaction and get a result, but it's quite another thing to watch it in progress. Rice University chemist Matt Jones wants to see it happen.

16 Oct 2018

Study pinpoints new marker that can predict Crohn’s disease subtype

Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the intestinal tract, has emerged as a global disease, with rates steadily increasing over the last 50 years.

16 Oct 2018

Researchers sequence two selfish genes in the fungus Neurospora intermedia

Selfish genes are genes that are passed on to the next generation but confer no advantage on the individual as a whole, and may sometimes be harmful.

15 Oct 2018

Yale researchers develop way to attack RNA with small-molecule drugs

Yale researchers have developed a way to target RNA with small-molecule drugs, creating a new method for tapping into a vast number of biological mechanisms critical to metabolism and gene expression.

15 Oct 2018

Breastfeeding reduces the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in infant gut

A new study from the University of Helsinki shows that babies that are breastfed for at least six months have less antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their gut compared with infants breastfed for a shorter time. In addition, antibiotic use by mothers increases the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in infants.

15 Oct 2018

Scientists shed light on roles of transcription factors, TP63 and SOX2, in squamous cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinomas are aggressive malignancies arising from squamous epithelium of various organs, such as esophagus, head and neck, lung and skin. Previous studies demonstrated that two master transcription factors, TP63 and SOX2, effect genomic activation in SCCs.

15 Oct 2018

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Research points to new target for treating periodontitis

Targeting immune checkpoints in microglia could reduce out-of-control neuroinflammation

Sleeping Beauty technique helps identify genes responsible for NAFLD-associated liver cancer

FDA grants Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for Immusoft’s Iduronicrin genleukocel-T

Researchers demonstrate epigenetic memory transmission via sperm

Researchers to develop new stem cell-based strategies for treating vision disorders

Researchers discover why heart contractions are weaker in individuals with HCM

Down syndrome may hold important clues to onset of Alzheimer's disease

Study of Nigerian breast cancer patients reveals prevalence of aggressive molecular features

New findings reveal potential cellular players in tumor microenvironment

Age-related estrogen increase may be the culprit behind inguinal hernias in men

Study uses novel approach to investigate genetic origins of mental illnesses

Study uncovers important role of PRMT1 in dilated cardiomyopathy

Zebrafish study uncovers molecular 'brake' that helps control eye lens development

Rice University chemist wins big award to study small surfaces

Study pinpoints new marker that can predict Crohn’s disease subtype

Researchers sequence two selfish genes in the fungus Neurospora intermedia

Yale researchers develop way to attack RNA with small-molecule drugs

Breastfeeding reduces the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in infant gut

Scientists shed light on roles of transcription factors, TP63 and SOX2, in squamous cell carcinoma

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Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

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