Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Genetic mutations predict breast cancer relapse

A large genetics study has identified genetic mutations specific to recurrent breast cancer cells. Screening for these mutations in breast cancer tumours could therefore allow doctors to identify patients most at risk of their cancer returning. The relevant genes can then be targeted to prevent recurrence of the cancer.

27 Sep 2015

Researchers find mutated gene responsible for cardiac angiosarcoma in two brothers

A few years ago, Javier Benítez, director of the Human Genetics Group at the CNIO, received a call from Pablo García Pavía, from the Cardiology Unit of the Puerta de Hierro University Hospital. This cardiologist was treating two brothers with a rare form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma (CAS).

26 Sep 2015

Ocean cells contribute to contextual learning process, shows research

When we misplace something, retracing our steps often helps us remember where we put it because environmental contexts are strongly linked to memory formation.

26 Sep 2015

Discovery may lead to global battle against malaria

Tropical medicine experts from Tübingen have discovered malaria parasites of the Plasmodium brasilianum species in Yanomami indigenous Indians on the border between Venezuela and Brazil. These had only been found in monkeys in the past. The parasites are also described as quartan plasmodia, as they cause outbreaks of fever every four days. The infection can lead to complications and chronic sicknesses.

26 Sep 2015

CHOP scientist says that mitochondria play central role in human evolution, disease

Mitochondria are not only the power plants of our cells, these tiny structures also play a central role in our physiology. Furthermore, by enabling flexible physiological responses to new environments, mitochondria have helped humans and other mammals to adapt and evolve throughout the history of life on earth.

26 Sep 2015

NIH-supported study explores effects of substance use on adolescent brain development

The National Institutes of Health today awarded 13 grants to research institutions around the country as part of a landmark study about the effects of adolescent substance use on the developing brain.

26 Sep 2015

Smokers who have COPD may face increased risk of getting small cell lung cancer

Smokers who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) may face nearly twice the risk of getting small cell lung cancer (SCLC)--the deadliest form of lung cancer--than smokers who don't have COPD, according to a large worldwide study led by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

26 Sep 2015

Amgen gets positive CHMP opinions for Kyprolis (carfilzomib) and BLINCYTO (blinatumomab)

"We are pleased to receive positive CHMP opinions for Kyprolis and BLINCYTO as this is an important step in providing new treatment options for patients in Europe with rare forms of cancer," said Sean E. Harper, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen.

25 Sep 2015

CUMC's Laboratory of Personalized Genomic Medicine granted approval for Columbia Combined Cancer Panel

The Laboratory of Personalized Genomic Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center has been granted full approval by the New York State Department of Health for the Columbia Combined Cancer Panel, (CCCP). This panel queries 467 cancer-related genes and was designed in collaboration with Columbia University Medical Center oncologists.

25 Sep 2015

Matchmaker Exchange platform launched for uncovering rare disease genes

In a special issue of Human Mutation, a team including investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital has announced the launch of the Matchmaker Exchange - a way for the rare disease community to share information and find new connections. Matchmaker Exchange connects databases of genetic information and symptoms that physicians and investigators can "match" with a patient's rare disease.

25 Sep 2015

Protein-coding gene identified as tumor suppressor for acute myeloid leukemia

A protein-coding gene called hnRNP K has been identified as a tumor suppressor for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a finding that could be important for investigating how best to target treatment of a blood cancer striking mostly older individuals.

24 Sep 2015

New technique allows scientists to see blood-forming stem cells present in the bone marrow

A team of scientists at the Children's Research Institute at UT Southwestern has become the first to use a tissue-clearing technique to localize a rare stem cell population, in the process cracking open a black box containing detailed information about where blood-forming stem cells are located and how they are maintained.

24 Sep 2015

City of Hope receives gift to open new Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research

The Judy and Bernard Briskin Family Foundation has announced a gift to launch the new Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research at City of Hope, the third named center within City of Hope's new Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplantation Institute. The generous gift will enable the institution to further its already considerable accomplishments in the field of myeloma treatment and research.

24 Sep 2015

Discovery opens door to more targeted, effective treatments for cancer

In a discovery that could lead to more targeted and effective treatments for certain lung and prostate cancers, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified two new cancer-causing gene mutations - mutations that may be particularly susceptible to cancer-fighting drugs already approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. One of the gene mutations also may play a key role in early menopause.

24 Sep 2015

Research suggests potential drug targets to stop cancer spread

It only takes seconds: one cancerous cell breaks off from a tumor, slips into the bloodstream and quickly lodges elsewhere in the body. These colonizers may bloom into deadly metastatic cancer right away or lie dormant for years, only to trigger a recurrence decades after the primary tumor is removed.

24 Sep 2015

Study uses genome- and epigenome-editing tools to determine disease-causing variants

A paper receiving advance online release in Nature Medicine describes a strategy for meeting one of today's most significant challenges in genomic medicine - determining whether a specific DNA variant in the non-protein-coding genome is the actual disease-causing variant of an associated disease risk.

24 Sep 2015

MIT neuroscientists identify brain circuit critical in forming episodic memory

When you remember a particular experience, that memory has three critical elements -- what, when, and where. MIT neuroscientists have now identified a brain circuit that processes the "when" and "where" components of memory.

24 Sep 2015

New analysis shows rare gene mutations cause half of all ASD cases

A team led by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) this week publishes in PNAS a new analysis of data on the genetics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

23 Sep 2015

S. Lawrence Zipursky to receive 2015 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University

Columbia University will award the 2015 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize to S. Lawrence Zipursky, PhD, for discovering a molecular identification system that helps neurons to navigate and wire the brain. Zipursky is a professor of biological chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

23 Sep 2015

NeoGenomics introduces new NeoSITE Cervical FISH assay

NeoGenomics, Inc., a leading provider of cancer-focused genetic testing services, announced today an expansion of its comprehensive FISH (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization) testing menu to include a new NeoSITE Cervical assay to provide additional diagnostic information on abnormal Pap smears.

23 Sep 2015

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Genetic mutations predict breast cancer relapse

Researchers find mutated gene responsible for cardiac angiosarcoma in two brothers

Ocean cells contribute to contextual learning process, shows research

Discovery may lead to global battle against malaria

CHOP scientist says that mitochondria play central role in human evolution, disease

NIH-supported study explores effects of substance use on adolescent brain development

Smokers who have COPD may face increased risk of getting small cell lung cancer

Amgen gets positive CHMP opinions for Kyprolis (carfilzomib) and BLINCYTO (blinatumomab)

CUMC's Laboratory of Personalized Genomic Medicine granted approval for Columbia Combined Cancer Panel

Matchmaker Exchange platform launched for uncovering rare disease genes

Protein-coding gene identified as tumor suppressor for acute myeloid leukemia

New technique allows scientists to see blood-forming stem cells present in the bone marrow

City of Hope receives gift to open new Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research

Discovery opens door to more targeted, effective treatments for cancer

Research suggests potential drug targets to stop cancer spread

Study uses genome- and epigenome-editing tools to determine disease-causing variants

MIT neuroscientists identify brain circuit critical in forming episodic memory

New analysis shows rare gene mutations cause half of all ASD cases

S. Lawrence Zipursky to receive 2015 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University

NeoGenomics introduces new NeoSITE Cervical FISH assay

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