Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New optogenetic technology could turn on immune cells to attack melanoma tumors

A new optogenetic technology developed at UMass Medical School, called optogenetic immunomodulation, is capable of turning on immune cells to attack melanoma tumors in mice. Using near-infrared light, UMMS researchers have shown they can selectively activate an immune response by controlling the flow of calcium ions into the cell. This breakthrough could lead to less invasive, and more controlled and selective, immunotherapies for cancer treatment.

17 Feb 2016

Atlas io system allows infectious diseases to be detected in less than 30 minutes

University of Bath spin-out biotechnology company Atlas Genetics has won approval from the EU to sell a device that detects the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia.

17 Feb 2016

Co-parenting a child has bigger impact on the immune system than flu vaccine or gastroenteritis

Raising a child together has a greater effect on your immune system than the seasonal 'flu vaccine or travellers' gastroenteritis, a study by researchers at VIB and KU Leuven in Belgium and the Babraham Institute in the UK has found.

16 Feb 2016

Research findings identify potential genetics-guided precision medicine for leukemia patients

An international research team has determined how inherited gene variations lead to severe drug toxicity that may threaten chances for a cure in children with leukemia. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, results of which set the stage to expand the use of a patient's genetic make-up to tailor chemotherapy.

16 Feb 2016

GWAS can help pinpoint genetic variants that predict lifestyle risks for diseases

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) scan the entire genome in order to pinpoint genetic variants associated with a particular disease. The technique is employed to identify biological pathways - the series of actions and changes that have occurred in cells and genetic material - that can be linked to the causation of a disease.

15 Feb 2016

New approach could be used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Scientists at the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA have developed a new approach that could eventually be used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

14 Feb 2016

MGH study reveals effects of obesity on pancreatic and breast cancer

Massachusetts General Hospital investigators may have uncovered a novel mechanism behind the ability of obesity to promote cancer progression. In their report published online in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, the research team describes finding an association between obesity and an overabundance of a factor called PlGF (placental growth factor) and that PlGF's binding to its receptor VEGFR-1, which is expressed on immune cells within tumors, promotes tumor progression.

12 Feb 2016

Modulation of opioid system may improve effectiveness of drugs for treatment-resistant depression

A clinical trial of an experimental drug for treatment-resistant major depression finds that modulation of the endogenous opioid system may improve the effectiveness of drugs that target the action of serotonin and related monoamine neurotransmitters.

12 Feb 2016

Higher intake of food-based vitamin D during pregnancy linked to reduced risk of allergies in children

Higher intake of foods containing vitamin D during pregnancy - but not supplemental vitamin D intake - was associated with reduced risk of development of allergies in children, according to a study led by an investigator from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

11 Feb 2016

Researchers reveal inherited genetic mutations associated with ovarian cancer risk

Previous research has established a link between genetic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes to an increased risk of developing ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal cancer in women.

11 Feb 2016

UPMC uses simple gene test to personalize medications for patients undergoing heart catheterization

Patients who go to UPMC Presbyterian for heart catheterization and who receive a stent to treat clogged arteries are now being screened with a simple blood test to determine if they have a gene variant that makes them less likely to respond to a blood-thinning medication commonly prescribed after the procedure.

11 Feb 2016

Scientists propose use of mathematical models to find better treatment for bladder cancer

MIPT scientists together with their colleagues from St. Petersburg and Israel have analyzed more than 500 previously published scientific articles and proposed their own approach to the choice of methods used for the treatment of one of the most common cancers.

11 Feb 2016

SBP researchers identify molecular switch that controls genes needed to repair skeletal muscle

Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Institute (SBP) have conclusively identified the protein complex that controls the genes needed to repair skeletal muscle.

11 Feb 2016

Oral therapeutic drug shows promise against recurrent C. difficile infection

Results from a Phase 1b/2 trial suggest that an investigational microbiome-based, oral therapeutic drug is effective for the treatment of recurrent C. difficile infection. In a paper published online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, a multi-institutional research team reports that treatment with the preparation, containing the spores of approximately 50 species of beneficial bacteria, successfully prevented recurrence of C. difficile infection (CDI) in patients with a history of multiple recurrent disease.

10 Feb 2016

Penn investigators devise new method to map 'transcriptome'

A new way of mapping the "transcriptome" -- the collection of RNA read-outs that are expressed by a cell's active genes -- has been devised by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

10 Feb 2016

Temple team describes use of cadaver DNA to advance genetics learning in medical curriculum

Cadavers have long been one of the most important resources for anatomy teaching in medical school. Now, they are also at the forefront of cutting-edge genetics teaching, thanks to innovative thinking by professors at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

10 Feb 2016

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New optogenetic technology could turn on immune cells to attack melanoma tumors

Atlas io system allows infectious diseases to be detected in less than 30 minutes

Co-parenting a child has bigger impact on the immune system than flu vaccine or gastroenteritis

Research findings identify potential genetics-guided precision medicine for leukemia patients

GWAS can help pinpoint genetic variants that predict lifestyle risks for diseases

New approach could be used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

MGH study reveals effects of obesity on pancreatic and breast cancer

Modulation of opioid system may improve effectiveness of drugs for treatment-resistant depression

Higher intake of food-based vitamin D during pregnancy linked to reduced risk of allergies in children

Researchers reveal inherited genetic mutations associated with ovarian cancer risk

UPMC uses simple gene test to personalize medications for patients undergoing heart catheterization

Scientists propose use of mathematical models to find better treatment for bladder cancer

SBP researchers identify molecular switch that controls genes needed to repair skeletal muscle

Oral therapeutic drug shows promise against recurrent C. difficile infection

Penn investigators devise new method to map 'transcriptome'

Temple team describes use of cadaver DNA to advance genetics learning in medical curriculum

UC San Diego School of Medicine launches new NAFLD Research Center

Medical marijuana offers hope for kids with uncontrolled seizures

UM SOM researchers reveal genetic makeup of various strains of E. coli

Experimental nanoparticle therapy shows promise for fighting primary liver cancer

Sequencing & Genomics: Elevating Science and Healthcare eBook

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