Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Expanding gene panel beyond known breast/ovarian cancer genes does not add any clinical benefit

Running large, multi-gene sequencing panels to assess cancer risk is a growing trend in medicine as the price of the technology declines and more precise approaches to cancer care gain steam. The tests are particularly common among breast and ovarian cancer patients. However, questions remain about the growing list of mutations and their suspected, but unproven association with breast and ovarian cancer risk.

6 May 2016

Study sheds light on development of ILCs that play vital role in body's immune defense

Through the use of powerful genomic techniques, researchers at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases have found that the development of immune cells, called innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), gradually prepares these cells for rapid response to infection. This work, which appeared online today in Cell, sheds light on the development and function of a cell type that is increasingly recognized as having an important role in the body's immune defense. NIAMS is part of the National Institutes of Health.

6 May 2016

Globin gene transfer to treat beta-thalassemias shows promise in first clinical trial

Promising results from the first clinical trials of globin gene transfer to treat beta-thalassemias-inherited forms of anemia-have eliminated the need for blood transfusions in some individuals.

6 May 2016

Gene-replacement therapy could be potential treatment option for SMARD1

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a disease that causes progressive degeneration in the nerve cells that control muscles, thereby causing muscle weakness and eventually death.

6 May 2016

Researchers link global increase in type 1 diabetes to advances in medical care

Researchers from the University of Adelaide say the global increase in cases of type 1 diabetes is directly linked to advances in medical care, with the underlying genetics of the disease more likely to be passed from one generation to the next.

6 May 2016

New study finds genetic overlap between bipolar disorder and autism

A new study suggests there may be an overlap between rare genetic variations linked to bipolar disorder (BD) and those implicated in schizophrenia and autism.

5 May 2016

Study emphasizes benefits of newborn screening for CF patients

A new study led by a team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and Cystic Fibrosis Canada reinforces the benefits of newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients.

5 May 2016

Loyola researchers detect tumor gene that may help predict survival outcomes in mouth cancer patients

Loyola researchers have identified a tumor gene that may help to predict survival outcomes in patients with cancer of the mouth and tongue.

5 May 2016

Blend of pulverized natural bone and man-made plastic can create 3D printed replacement bones

To make a good framework for filling in missing bone, mix at least 30 percent pulverized natural bone with some special man-made plastic and create the needed shape with a 3-D printer. That's the recipe for success reported by researchers at The Johns Hopkins University in a paper published April 18 online in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.

5 May 2016

Research provides new insight into cellular composition of IDH1-mutant gliomas

Winner of the Preuss Research Award, Andrew Venteicher, MD, PhD, presented his research, Cellular Architecture of Human IDH1-mutant Gliomas Revealed Using Single-cell RNA Sequencing, during the 2016 American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Scientific Meeting.

5 May 2016

OGT launches Cytocell FISH probes for glial tumours

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), The Molecular Genetics Company, has launched its CE-IVD labelled Cytocell Aquarius® 1p36/1q25 and 19q13/19p13 Deletion Probe Kit*, a cost-effective fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) kit for the reliable investigation of glial tumours.

4 May 2016

Researchers find gene variants that predict adverse effects of hyperthyroidism drugs

Researchers and doctors at Uppsala University, along with Swedish and international collaboration partners, have found gene variants that predict the risk of a serious adverse reaction to drugs used for the treatment of hyperthyroidism. The results are published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

4 May 2016

Oral administration of Jakinibs reduces Parkinson's disease pathogenesis in rat model

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers report the first documentation that suppressing a key cell-signaling pathway in a rat model of Parkinson's disease reduces pathogenesis. Oral administration of AZD1480 — one of the JAK/STAT pathway inhibitors generally known as Jakinibs — lessened the destructive inflammation and nerve cell degradation in the area of the brain affected by Parkinson's.

4 May 2016

Researchers detect five new genes that increase endometrial cancer risk in women

An international collaboration of researchers has identified five new gene regions that increase a woman's risk of developing endometrial cancer, one of the most common cancers to affect women, taking the number of known gene regions associated with the disease to nine.

4 May 2016

LALES study analyzes risk, prevalence of early and late stage AMD among Latinos

The University of Southern California Roski Eye Institute researchers and clinicians published results of the largest population-based study of adult Latinos and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the National Eye Institute-funded "Los Angeles Latino Eye Study." The study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, is the first to analyze the risk and prevalence of early and late stage AMD and its impact on quality of life for older Latinos.

4 May 2016

Scientists identify novel way of synthesising promising new antibiotic

A novel way of synthesising a promising new antibiotic has been identified by scientists at the University of Bristol. By expressing the genes involved in the production of pleuromutilin in a different type of fungus, the researchers were able to increase production by more than 2,000 per cent.

4 May 2016

Study reveals new cell-signaling pathway that detects chromosome missegregation

A recent research study at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota is providing insight into the regulation of chromosome segregation and the mechanisms used by cells to prevent them from forming tumors.

4 May 2016

Long-term use of herbal remedies may not guarantee safety

Millions of people around the world use herbal health remedies, following a tradition that began millennia ago. Many believe that herbs are safe because they have been used for many years, but researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Stony Brook University are raising awareness that long-term use of herbal remedies is no guarantee of their safety. The invited commentary appears in EMBO reports.

4 May 2016

Researchers identify 43 specific genes associated with both autism and cancer

Autism and cancer share more than 40 risk genes, suggesting that common mechanisms underlying the functions of some of these genes could conceivably be leveraged to develop therapies not just for cancer but for autism as well, an extensive assessment by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute and Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.

4 May 2016

Riluzole drug can reverse key genetic changes linked to Alzheimer's disease

Aging takes its toll on the brain, and the cells of the hippocampus--a brain region with circuitry crucial to learning and memory--are particularly vulnerable to changes that can lead to Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline. With the hope of counteracting the changes that can lead to these two conditions, researchers at Rockefeller University and their colleagues have begun examining the effects of a drug known to affect this circuitry.

4 May 2016

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Expanding gene panel beyond known breast/ovarian cancer genes does not add any clinical benefit

Study sheds light on development of ILCs that play vital role in body's immune defense

Globin gene transfer to treat beta-thalassemias shows promise in first clinical trial

Gene-replacement therapy could be potential treatment option for SMARD1

Researchers link global increase in type 1 diabetes to advances in medical care

New study finds genetic overlap between bipolar disorder and autism

Study emphasizes benefits of newborn screening for CF patients

Loyola researchers detect tumor gene that may help predict survival outcomes in mouth cancer patients

Blend of pulverized natural bone and man-made plastic can create 3D printed replacement bones

Research provides new insight into cellular composition of IDH1-mutant gliomas

OGT launches Cytocell FISH probes for glial tumours

Researchers find gene variants that predict adverse effects of hyperthyroidism drugs

Oral administration of Jakinibs reduces Parkinson's disease pathogenesis in rat model

Researchers detect five new genes that increase endometrial cancer risk in women

LALES study analyzes risk, prevalence of early and late stage AMD among Latinos

Scientists identify novel way of synthesising promising new antibiotic

Study reveals new cell-signaling pathway that detects chromosome missegregation

Long-term use of herbal remedies may not guarantee safety

Researchers identify 43 specific genes associated with both autism and cancer

Riluzole drug can reverse key genetic changes linked to Alzheimer's disease

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