Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

FDA expands approval of Vertex' cystic fibrosis medicine to treat children aged 12 to <24 months

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved KALYDECO® (ivacaftor) to include use in children with cystic fibrosis ages 12 to <24 months who have at least one mutation in their cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene that is responsive to KALYDECO based on clinical and/or in vitro assay data.

16 Aug 2018

Study provides new insight into how 'trash bag of the cell' traps and seals off waste

The mechanics behind how an important process within the cell traps material before recycling it has puzzled scientists for years. But Penn State researchers have gained new insight into how this process seals off waste, much like a trash bag.

16 Aug 2018

Trial shows PARP inhibitor as novel treatment option for patients with advanced breast cancers

In a randomized, Phase III trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the PARP inhibitor talazoparib extended progression-free survival (PFS) and improved quality-of-life measures over available chemotherapies for patients with metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer and mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes.

16 Aug 2018

Penn researchers develop first mouse model of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

The biggest hurdle to finding effective therapies for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) – a life-threatening condition in which the lungs become scarred and breathing is increasingly difficult – has been the inability to fully model the disease in animals, limiting the ability to observe and understand the disease.

16 Aug 2018

Mount Sinai study could transform treatment for patients with retinal degenerative diseases

Researchers at Mount Sinai have successfully restored vision in mice through activating retinal stem cells, something that has never been done before. Their study, published in the August 15 online issue of Nature, could transform treatment for patients with retinal degenerative diseases, which currently have no cure.

16 Aug 2018

Researchers develop novel statistical method to evaluate gene-to-gene interactions linked with cancer

Research led by Hui-Yi Lin, PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health, has developed another novel statistical method for evaluating gene-to-gene interactions associated with cancer and other complex diseases.

15 Aug 2018

Study shows efficacy, safety of AAV5-based gene therapy to treat sheep model of achromatopsia

A study of a large animal model of achromatopsia caused by a mutation in the CNGA3 gene that was treated with a single injection of CNGA3 gene therapy delivered using an AAV5 vector revealed findings reported long-term follow-up findings that show promise for the efficacy and safety of this therapeutic approach.

15 Aug 2018

Ablating the mutant p53 gene in mice with colorectal cancer inhibits tumor growth

By genetically manipulating and removing the most common mutant form of the p53 gene that promotes colorectal cancer in humans, an international team of scientists demonstrated that this therapy reduces tumor growth and tissue invasion.

15 Aug 2018

Scientists reverse congenital blindness in mouse model

A study funded by the National Eye Institute has shown that congenital blindness in mice can be reversed by regenerating rod photoreceptors in the retina.

15 Aug 2018

Researchers move closer to finding potential soft spot in drug-resistant tuberculosis

Antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis is a public health threat. TB and other bacteria become resistant to antibiotics by evolving genetic changes over time, which they can do quite quickly because bacterial lifecycles are short.

15 Aug 2018

Researchers focus on uncoupling obesity from diabetes

About 422 million people around the world, including more than 30 million Americans, have diabetes. Approximately ninety percent of them have type 2 diabetes. People with this condition cannot effectively use insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas that helps the body turn blood sugar into energy.

15 Aug 2018

“Zombie gene” protects elephants from cancer finds study

A new study has found that elephants do not get cancers as frequently as other animals because of a special gene that they carry.

14 Aug 2018

A class of proteins shown to be effective in reducing drug-seeking behaviors

A class of proteins that has generated significant interest for its potential to treat diseases, has for the first time, been shown to be effective in reducing relapse, or drug-seeking behaviors, in a preclinical study.

14 Aug 2018

Scientists reveal role of 'junk DNA' in cancer dissemination

The more scientists explore so-called "junk" DNA, the less the label seems to fit.

14 Aug 2018

Study reveals how immune cells in the brain influence sexual behavior

Researchers have found a surprising new explanation of how young brains are shaped for sexual behavior later in life.

14 Aug 2018

Magnetic gene in aquarium fish could open doors to treatment for epilepsy, Parkinson's

An aquarium fish that senses the Earth's magnetic field as it swims could help unlock how the human brain works and how diseases such as Parkinson's and other neurological disorders function.

14 Aug 2018

'Zombie' gene protects elephants from cancer, study finds

An estimated 17 percent of humans worldwide die from cancer, but less than five percent of captive elephants - who also live for about 70 years, and have about 100 times as many potentially cancerous cells as humans - die from the disease.

14 Aug 2018

Clinical study suggests new treatment direction for head and neck cancer in heavy smokers

Patients with a greater than 10 pack/year history of smoking tend to develop an especially dangerous form of head and neck squamous cell cancer for which prognosis remains poor and treatments have changed little during the past two decades.

14 Aug 2018

Study identifies potential guidance to treat gastric cancer patients

Researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital have discovered that gastric cancer tissue samples bearing mutation of a specific gene, MUC16, too are associated with higher tumor mutation loads.

14 Aug 2018

Researchers map sugar structures in 'library of sugars'

Most of us tend to think of sugar as a temptation that threatens our health. The reality is, however, that sugar is an essential component of the human body; it covers the surface of our cells and proteins, and tunes the behaviour and function of our tissues in both health and disease.

14 Aug 2018

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

FDA expands approval of Vertex' cystic fibrosis medicine to treat children aged 12 to <24 months

Study provides new insight into how 'trash bag of the cell' traps and seals off waste

Trial shows PARP inhibitor as novel treatment option for patients with advanced breast cancers

Penn researchers develop first mouse model of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Mount Sinai study could transform treatment for patients with retinal degenerative diseases

Researchers develop novel statistical method to evaluate gene-to-gene interactions linked with cancer

Study shows efficacy, safety of AAV5-based gene therapy to treat sheep model of achromatopsia

Ablating the mutant p53 gene in mice with colorectal cancer inhibits tumor growth

Scientists reverse congenital blindness in mouse model

Researchers move closer to finding potential soft spot in drug-resistant tuberculosis

Researchers focus on uncoupling obesity from diabetes

“Zombie gene” protects elephants from cancer finds study

A class of proteins shown to be effective in reducing drug-seeking behaviors

Scientists reveal role of 'junk DNA' in cancer dissemination

Study reveals how immune cells in the brain influence sexual behavior

Magnetic gene in aquarium fish could open doors to treatment for epilepsy, Parkinson's

'Zombie' gene protects elephants from cancer, study finds

Clinical study suggests new treatment direction for head and neck cancer in heavy smokers

Study identifies potential guidance to treat gastric cancer patients

Researchers map sugar structures in 'library of sugars'

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)