Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

OSMR gene plays key role in driving growth of glioblastoma tumors

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of brain tumor in adults. Unfortunately, there are no effective treatments for the disease. On average, patients succumb just 16 months after diagnosis.

27 Apr 2016

First-ever vaccine to combat Leishmaniasis under development

As scientists scramble to get a Zika virus vaccine into human trials by the end of the summer, a team of researchers is working on the first-ever vaccine to prevent another insect-borne disease - Leishmaniasis - from gaining a similar foothold in the Americas.

27 Apr 2016

Researchers discover gene that plays vital role in inherited eye disorder

Researchers from the University of Liverpool have identified a specific gene that plays a key role in an inherited eye disorder.

26 Apr 2016

Low levels of vitamin D, methylation in black teens may increase cancer risk

Low levels of vitamin D in black teens correlates with low activity of a major mechanism for controlling gene expression that may increase their risk of cancer and other disease, researchers report.

26 Apr 2016

Salk scientists reveal how cellular fuel gauge plays unexpected role in development

Salk scientists have revealed how a cellular "fuel gauge" responsible for monitoring and managing cells' energy processes also has an unexpected role in development. This critical link could help researchers better understand cancer and diabetes pathways.

26 Apr 2016

Study identifies risk factors for asparaginase-induced pancreatitis in ALL patients

Researchers have identified a rare genetic variation associated with a dramatically increased risk of severe acute pancreatitis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients treated with the chemotherapy agent asparaginase. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital led the study, which appears today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

26 Apr 2016

UK charity Action on Hearing Loss funds new project to develop medicines for hearing loss

Today, UK charity Action on Hearing Loss announces a major investment to fund a new project to develop medicines to treat age-related hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss at BioTrinity 2016 – Europe’s Leading Investment and Biopartnering Conference.

26 Apr 2016

Same genetic changes responsible for gastrointestinal problems in children with autism

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have found evidence in mice that, for some types of autism, gastrointestinal difficulties may originate from the same genetic changes that lead to the behavioral and social characteristics of the condition. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

26 Apr 2016

Study shows canine AD shares significant features of human version

Atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory skin condition and the most common form of eczema, is estimated to afflict as much as 10 percent of the U.S. population, and is much more common now than it was 50 years ago. Veterinary clinical estimates also show that approximately 10 percent of dogs have atopic dermatitis.

26 Apr 2016

Changes in chromatin structure may promote cancer

Cancer development is a complex process involving both genetic and epigenetic changes. Genetic changes in oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes are generally considered as primary causes, since these genes may directly regulate cellular growth. In addition, it has been found that changes in epigenetic factors, through mutation or altered gene expression, may contribute to cancer development.

26 Apr 2016

Brain chemical dopamine plays key role in representing or encoding movement

Princeton University researchers have found that dopamine - a brain chemical involved in learning, motivation and many other functions - also has a direct role in representing or encoding movement. The finding could help researchers better understand dopamine's role in movement-related disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

26 Apr 2016

MALT1 inhibitors may be useful for treating psoriasis patients with CARD14 mutations

Psoriasis is a long-lasting autoimmune disease that is characterized by patches of abnormal and inflamed skin. It is generally thought to have a genetic origin, which can be further triggered by environmental factors. People with specific mutations in the CARD14 gene have a high probability of developing psoriasis.

25 Apr 2016

Newly identified molecular pathway could lead to new treatments for reflux, incontinence disorders

Researchers at UMass Medical School have identified a new molecular pathway critical for maintaining the smooth muscle tone that allows the passage of materials through the digestive system.

25 Apr 2016

Study on HDAC enzymes could lead to development of better drugs for treatment of cancer, Alzheimer’s

New knowledge about the mechanism of specific protein complexes in the body could help in the development of better drugs for the treatment of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, according to research led by the University of Leicester.

25 Apr 2016

Dopamine D2 receptor gene can prolong lifespan

Researchers at the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions have discovered how a gene in the brain's dopamine system can play an important role in prolonging lifespan: it must be coupled with a healthy environment that includes exercise.

25 Apr 2016

Fructose common in western diet can damage brain genes

A range of diseases -- from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, and from Alzheimer's disease to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- are linked to changes to genes in the brain. A new study by UCLA life scientists has found that hundreds of those genes can be damaged by fructose, a sugar that's common in the Western diet, in a way that could lead to those diseases.

25 Apr 2016

First breakthrough in gene therapy against aging

In September 2015, then 44 year-old CEO of BioViva USA Inc. Elizabeth Parrish received two of her own company's experimental gene therapies: one to protect against loss of muscle mass with age, another to battle stem cell depletion responsible for diverse age-related diseases and infirmities.

25 Apr 2016

Sleep loss influences cholesterol metabolism, study finds

Lack of sleep has previously been found to impact the activation of the immune system, inflammation, carbohydrate metabolism and the hormones that regulate appetite. Now University of Helsinki researchers have found that sleep loss also influences cholesterol metabolism.

22 Apr 2016

NASA's research program uses omics to look more closely at individual health

NASA's Human Research Program is releasing the first half of a video series entitled Omics: Exploring Space Through You to highlight its Twins Study, in conjunction with its National DNA Day Reddit Ask Me Anything event at 10 a.m. CDT/11 a.m. EDT, Monday, April 25, 2016. The series explores space through you by using omics to look more closely at individual health.

22 Apr 2016

Under-expressed miR-9 gene may contribute to schizophrenia risk

By turning skin cells into brain neurons, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified that certain tiny molecules aiding in gene expression, known as microRNAs (miRNAs), are under-expressed in the brains of the 14 schizophrenia patients they studied. Their findings, published online today in the journal Cell Reports, show that one of these molecules, a miRNA known as miR-9, is a risk factor that controls the activity of hundreds of genes.

22 Apr 2016

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

OSMR gene plays key role in driving growth of glioblastoma tumors

First-ever vaccine to combat Leishmaniasis under development

Researchers discover gene that plays vital role in inherited eye disorder

Low levels of vitamin D, methylation in black teens may increase cancer risk

Salk scientists reveal how cellular fuel gauge plays unexpected role in development

Study identifies risk factors for asparaginase-induced pancreatitis in ALL patients

UK charity Action on Hearing Loss funds new project to develop medicines for hearing loss

Same genetic changes responsible for gastrointestinal problems in children with autism

Study shows canine AD shares significant features of human version

Changes in chromatin structure may promote cancer

Brain chemical dopamine plays key role in representing or encoding movement

MALT1 inhibitors may be useful for treating psoriasis patients with CARD14 mutations

Newly identified molecular pathway could lead to new treatments for reflux, incontinence disorders

Study on HDAC enzymes could lead to development of better drugs for treatment of cancer, Alzheimer’s

Dopamine D2 receptor gene can prolong lifespan

Fructose common in western diet can damage brain genes

First breakthrough in gene therapy against aging

Sleep loss influences cholesterol metabolism, study finds

NASA's research program uses omics to look more closely at individual health

Under-expressed miR-9 gene may contribute to schizophrenia risk

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

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich