Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

New RNA switch achieves gene activation thousands of times better than nature

If scientists could precisely regulate gene expression, they could turn off the genes responsible for illness and disease and turn on those that enhance health and the immune system.

19 Oct 2017

UCSD researchers discover how mutant gene amplifies inflammation to fuel cancer

A human gene called p53, which is commonly known as the "guardian of the genome," is widely known to combat the formation and progression of tumors. Yet, mutant forms of p53 have been linked to more cases of human cancer than any other gene.

19 Oct 2017

New research provides insights into role of key cancer gene

New research represents a promising step towards better understanding of a key cancer gene. A long-running collaboration between researchers at the Babraham Institute, Cambridge, and the AstraZeneca IMED Biotech Unit reveals new insights into how the PTEN gene may control cell growth and behavior and how its loss contributes to the development and advancement of certain cancers.

19 Oct 2017

Despite GOP efforts to corral Medicaid spending, states expand benefits

While congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump have been seeking major cuts in federal funding of Medicaid, 26 states this year expanded or enhanced benefits and at least 17 plan to do so next year, according to a report released Thursday.

19 Oct 2017

Cornell study reveals how UV radiation triggers melanoma

Melanoma, a cancer of skin pigment cells called melanocytes, will strike an estimated 87,110 people in the U.S. in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A fraction of those melanomas come from pre-existing moles, but the majority of them come from sources unknown – until now.

18 Oct 2017

Two studies set groundwork for new avenues to treat influenza and anthrax poisoning

Two recent studies led by biologists at the University of California San Diego have set the research groundwork for new avenues to treat influenza and anthrax poisoning

17 Oct 2017

Northwestern scientists discover 'wasabi receptor' for pain in flatworms

A Northwestern University research team has discovered how scalding heat and tissue injury activate an ancient "pain" receptor in simple animals. The findings could lead to new strategies for analgesic drug design for the treatment of humans.

17 Oct 2017

Scientists receive critical funding to study treatments for three deadly cancers

Immunotherapy for leukemia patients has been nothing short of a miracle. Now scientists hope to use that science and other forms of gene therapy to tackle three of the deadliest forms of cancer: glioblastoma (brain cancer), sarcoma (bone cancer) and ovarian cancer.

17 Oct 2017

UAB researchers report major advance in efforts to repair damaged heart after heart attack

University of Alabama at Birmingham biomedical engineers report a significant advance in efforts to repair a damaged heart after a heart attack, using grafted heart-muscle cells to create a repair patch.

17 Oct 2017

Cascade of costs could push new gene therapy above $1 million per patient

Outrage over the high cost of cancer care has focused on skyrocketing drug prices, including the $475,000 price tag for the country's first gene therapy, Novartis' Kymriah, a leukemia treatment approved in August.

17 Oct 2017

Novel gene expression signature assay could help enhance lymphoma management

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive cancer and the most frequently diagnosed non-Hodgkin lymphoma worldwide (nearly 40% of cases). Recent advancements indicate that both the prognosis and choice of treatment of DLBCL may depend on identifying its molecular subtype.

17 Oct 2017

Columbia scientists receive grant from CZI to construct atlas of cells in human spinal cord

Scientists at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute today received a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative donor advised fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, to construct an atlas of gene activity of all cells in the human spinal cord.

17 Oct 2017

CHOP researchers discover key differences among gene fusions in childhood brain tumors

Researchers investigating pediatric low-grade gliomas, the most common type of brain tumor in children, have discovered key biological differences in how mutated genes combine with other genes to drive this childhood cancer.

17 Oct 2017

Dietary combination transforms lethal breast cancers into highly treatable form

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have found a dietary combination that transforms the most lethal of all breast cancers into a highly treatable breast cancer.

17 Oct 2017

Scientists develop revolutionary blood screening test to diagnose breast cancer

In a potential major breakthrough in breast cancer research, scientists at the Center for Translational Cancer Research at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute of Christiana Care Health System have developed a revolutionary new blood test to diagnose breast cancer.

16 Oct 2017

Scientists discover new non-genetic cause of resistance to anti-cancer therapies

The targeted anti-cancer therapies cetuximab and panitumumab are mainstays of treatment for advanced colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

16 Oct 2017

Findings reveal how seizures can have lasting detrimental effects on memory

Although it's been clear that seizures are linked to memory loss and other cognitive deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease, how this happens has been puzzling. In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, a team of researchers reveals a mechanism that can explain how even relatively infrequent seizures can lead to long-lasting cognitive deficits in animal models.

16 Oct 2017

CHLA and Keck Medicine of USC develop new liquid biopsy for tumor of the retina

Retinoblastoma is a tumor of the retina that generally affects children under 5 years of age. If not diagnosed early, retinoblastoma may result in loss of one or both eyes and can be fatal. Unlike most cancers that are diagnosed using a biopsy, retinoblastoma tumors cannot be directly biopsied.

16 Oct 2017

Einstein scientists share $9 million NIH grant for longevity research

Scientists now believe that the Fountain of Youth flows from our genes, or at least from the genes of people who live healthy lives to age 100 or later.

16 Oct 2017

Investigating new cancer therapy candidates with live-cell imaging

There are two main things that we've worked on in the lab as regards to drug studies. One is identifying new combinations of drugs, and working on why a combination of drugs should work better than each alone.

From Sartorius 16 Oct 2017