Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers identify novel gene involved in familial breast cancer

An international research consortium led by Dr Jordi Surrallés, director of the Genetics Service at the Hospital de Sant Pau and professor of Genetics at the UAB, and by Dr Miquel Àngel Pujana, director of the ProCURE Research Programme of the Catalan Institute of Oncology, has identified a novel gene involved in this type of cancer, known as EDC4.

14 Mar 2018

NIH researchers explore genetic clocks to understand role of aging in neurodegeneration

To understand the link between aging and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, NIH scientists compared the genetic clocks that tick during the lives of normal and mutant flies.

14 Mar 2018

Genetic counseling missed by some breast cancer patients, study finds

As new genes are linked to breast cancer occurring in families and as genetic testing becomes more important in directing treatment for newly diagnosed patients, a substantial number of those at the highest risk are not getting tested.

14 Mar 2018

African Americans with thyroid gene variation more likely to develop Alzheimer's

African Americans with a common genetic variation are at increased risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, while European Americans with the same variation are not, according to a study led by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

14 Mar 2018

Study highlights divergent molecular mechanisms contributing to depression in men and women

Men and women with major depressive disorder have opposite changes in the expression of the same genes, according to a new postmortem brain study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.

14 Mar 2018

New findings yield insights into factors that contribute to aggressive endometrial tumors

New research from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah indicates steroid and hormone receptors are simultaneously active in many endometrial cancer tissues.

13 Mar 2018

New guidelines intend to provide template for optimal, most up-to-date DMD care

Diagnostic and treatment advances are helping patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy - one of nine major types of muscular dystrophy that affects males - live into their 30s and beyond, raising challenges in such areas as education, vocation, levels of independence, personal relationships, emotional health, and intimacy.

13 Mar 2018

Extracellular vesicles may serve as drug delivery vehicles for cancer treatment

Creating enough nanovesicles to inexpensively serve as a drug delivery system may be as simple as putting the cells through a sieve, according to an international team of researchers who used mouse autologous -- their own -- immune cells to create large amounts of fillable nanovesicles to deliver drugs to tumors in mice.

13 Mar 2018

NIH-funded researchers use CRISPR to rapidly find new genetic suspects behind ALS, FTD

NIH-funded researchers at Stanford University used the gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to rapidly identify genes in the human genome that might modify the severity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia caused by mutations in a gene called C9orf72.

13 Mar 2018

Genetic link to insomnia found

A new study has found certain genes that predispose a person to develop insomnia or sleep problems. This was one of the largest genome wide studies undertaken on insomnia. The study led by psychiatrist Murray Stein from the University of California San Diego was published in the latest issue of the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

13 Mar 2018

Continuous tracking of melanoma cell invasion helps scientists explain key regulators of metastasis

A team of Italian scientists reported this week that blocking the interaction between urokinase receptor (uPAR) and formyl peptide receptor type 1 (FPR1) suppresses the ability of melanoma cells to migrate, invade through an extracellular matrix, and to burrow through a layer of endothelial cells.

13 Mar 2018

Novel oncolytic virus expressing BiTE molecule elicits T cell-mediated killing of tumor cells

In a research article published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, a group of scientists at the University of Oxford have described a new twist on cancer immunotherapy, combining two independent cell killing approaches in a single therapeutic with high potency and broad applicability.

13 Mar 2018

Precision oncology may improve overall survival, lower healthcare costs for advanced cancer patients

The use of advanced molecular diagnostic technologies, such as Next-Generation Sequencing-based gene panel testing, to select targeted therapies in advanced cancer patients is known as precision oncology.

13 Mar 2018

Study identifies two new biomarkers for common form of childhood cancer

Two new biomarkers for a type of cancer in children called neuroblastoma have been identified in a study published in the journal Cancer Cell. The findings are expected to have immediate significance for disease prognosis, and eventually also for treatment.

13 Mar 2018

International research consortium identifies 22 new genetic risk factors for stroke

An international research consortium studying 520,000 individuals from around the world has identified 22 new genetic risk factors for stroke, thus tripling the number of gene regions known to affect stroke risk.

13 Mar 2018

Scientists link 110 genes to increased risk of breast cancer

Scientists have linked 110 genes to an increased risk of breast cancer in the most comprehensive study ever to unpick the genetics of the disease.

13 Mar 2018

Study identifies gene that influences risk of obesity in adulthood

The importance of good nutrition in the early development of children has been recognized for many decades. Nutritional experiences in early life can have profound and long-lasting effects on body weight in later life.

13 Mar 2018

Study highlights potential of ASO therapy to treat Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy patients

A proof-of-concept study carried out at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology with funding from Fight for Sight has highlighted the potential of a targeted antisense oligonucleotide therapy to treat Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy patients with a mutation in the TCF4 gene.

12 Mar 2018

Researchers develop new method to increase life span of donated brain tissue samples

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a method that enables them to use donated brain tissue from people with epilepsy for 48 hours. Previously, the researchers only had 12 hours to test new treatments before the structure of the cells started to break down. The research has now been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

9 Mar 2018

Researchers show role for predictive biomarker in neonatal chronic lung disease pathogenesis

Extremely low birth-weight babies are at risk for a chronic lung disease called bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or BPD.

9 Mar 2018

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers identify novel gene involved in familial breast cancer

NIH researchers explore genetic clocks to understand role of aging in neurodegeneration

Genetic counseling missed by some breast cancer patients, study finds

African Americans with thyroid gene variation more likely to develop Alzheimer's

Study highlights divergent molecular mechanisms contributing to depression in men and women

New findings yield insights into factors that contribute to aggressive endometrial tumors

New guidelines intend to provide template for optimal, most up-to-date DMD care

Extracellular vesicles may serve as drug delivery vehicles for cancer treatment

NIH-funded researchers use CRISPR to rapidly find new genetic suspects behind ALS, FTD

Genetic link to insomnia found

Continuous tracking of melanoma cell invasion helps scientists explain key regulators of metastasis

Novel oncolytic virus expressing BiTE molecule elicits T cell-mediated killing of tumor cells

Precision oncology may improve overall survival, lower healthcare costs for advanced cancer patients

Study identifies two new biomarkers for common form of childhood cancer

International research consortium identifies 22 new genetic risk factors for stroke

Scientists link 110 genes to increased risk of breast cancer

Study identifies gene that influences risk of obesity in adulthood

Study highlights potential of ASO therapy to treat Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy patients

Researchers develop new method to increase life span of donated brain tissue samples

Researchers show role for predictive biomarker in neonatal chronic lung disease pathogenesis

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