Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Researchers develop novel technique to generate activated T cells to tackle advanced melanoma

T cells from patients with melanoma can trigger a protective immune response against the disease according to a new study out of University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

8 Jul 2015

Study looks at effects of three levels of vitamin D supplementation in overweight, obese blacks

The current recommended minimum daily dose of vitamin D is not sufficient to restore healthy vitamin D levels in overweight or obese blacks, researchers report.

8 Jul 2015

MGH-CEM researchers develop microfabricated device to analyze effects of pro-drugs on cancer cells

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine has developed a novel approach that dramatically simplifies the evaluation of the liver's drug-metabolizing activity and the potential toxic effects of the products of that activity on other organs.

8 Jul 2015

Georgia State University-led study identifies structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia patients

Structural brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia, providing insight into how the condition may develop and respond to treatment, have been identified in an internationally collaborative study led by a Georgia State University scientist.

7 Jul 2015

Discovery could pave way to new treatments for malaria

Scientists have discovered new ways in which the malaria parasite survives in the blood stream of its victims, a discovery that could pave the way to new treatments for the disease.

7 Jul 2015

City of Hope researchers to use patients' own modified T cells to treat advanced brain tumors

Already pioneers in the use of immunotherapy, City of Hope researchers are now testing the bold approach to cancer treatment against one of medicine's biggest challenges: brain cancer. This month, they will launch a clinical trial using patients' own modified T cells to fight advanced brain tumors.

7 Jul 2015

TCU, UNTHSC sign MOU to create new MD school in Fort Worth

Texas Christian University and the University of North Texas Health Science Center have entered into a memorandum of understanding to create a new MD school in Fort Worth. The school, planning to accept its first class in 2018, will be among the leading institutions in the nation in providing a team-oriented educational approach that benefits patients and shapes the future practice and business of medicine.

7 Jul 2015

LSD1 enzyme turns off genes needed to maintain cancer stem cell properties in glioblastoma

Cancer's ability to grow unchecked is often attributed to cancer stem cells, a small fraction of cancer cells that have the capacity to grow and multiply indefinitely. How cancer stem cells retain this property while the bulk of a tumor's cells do not remains largely unknown. Using human tumor samples and mouse models, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center discovered that cancer stem cell properties are determined by epigenetic changes -- chemical modifications cells use to control which genes are turned on or off.

7 Jul 2015

New portable system can produce life-saving NO from air by means of electrical spark

Treatment with inhaled nitric oxide (NO) has proven to be life saving in newborns, children and adults with several dangerous conditions, but the availability of the treatment has been limited by the size, weight and complexity of equipment needed to administer the gas and the therapy's high price.

7 Jul 2015

Breakthrough discovery could help young girls suffering from rare form of epilepsy

An international team, led by a University of Adelaide genetics expert, has made a breakthrough discovery which is expected to help thousands of young girls worldwide who are suffering from a rare yet debilitating form of epilepsy.

7 Jul 2015

Discovery reveals possibility of using water for finer analysis of the brain's functioning

To observe the brain in action, scientists and physicians use imaging techniques, among which functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the best known. These techniques are not based on direct observations of electric impulses from activated neurons, but on one of their consequences. Indeed, this stimulation triggers physiological modifications in the activated cerebral region, changes that become visible by imaging.

3 Jul 2015

Creating more effective vaccines against flu virus

Flu vaccines can be something of a shot in the dark. Not only must they be given yearly, there's no guarantee the strains against which they protect will be the ones circulating once the season arrives. New research by Rockefeller University scientists and their colleagues suggests it may be possible to harness a previously unknown mechanism within the immune system to create more effective and efficient vaccines against this ever-mutating virus.

3 Jul 2015

Study: Genes may not trigger heart disease in people suffering from migraine with aura

A new study suggests that genes may not be to blame for the increased risk of heart disease some studies have shown in people with migraine, especially those with migraine with aura. The research is published during Headache/Migraine Awareness Month in the inaugural issue of the journal Neurology Genetics, an open access, or free to the public, online-only, peer-reviewed journal from the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Jul 2015

Penn study suggests future precision medicine approach to treating diabetes, other metabolic disorders

In the first study of its kind, Penn researchers have shown how an anti-diabetic drug can have variable effects depending on small natural differences in DNA sequence between individuals. Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Raymond Soccio, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, aim to apply this knowledge to develop personalized approaches to treating diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

3 Jul 2015

Review article provides in depth survey of studies focusing on retinoblastoma protein's role in apoptosis

Retinoblastoma protein RB1, which is named after a form of pediatric tumor of the eye, is among the most common genetically regulated cellular proteins to malfunction in human cancer. RB1 was also the first tumor suppressor gene to be identified and its modes of inactivation in retinoblastoma tumors provided the basis for the ground-breaking two-hit hypothesis by the geneticist Alfred G. Knudson in the 70s, according to which cancer is due to the accumulation of multiple 'hits' or mutations in certain genes.

3 Jul 2015

DTC genetic testing has negative consequences in children

A woman coping with the burden of familial breast cancer can't help but wonder if her young daughter will suffer the same fate. Has she inherited the same disease-causing mutation? Is it best to be prepared for the future, or to wait? During the last decade, genetic tests have been through a sea change, both in their availability and the technologies behind them. Today there are at least 34 companies that offer direct to consumer (DTC) DNA testing, some of which return health results. And now it is possible to sequence someone's entire genetic code for the price of a laptop.

3 Jul 2015

Afamelanotide treatment improves quality of life in people with erythropoietic protoporphyria

A novel synthetic hormone that makes certain skin cells produce more melanin significantly increases pain-free sun exposure in people with erythropoietic protoporphyria, a rare, genetic disorder resulting in excruciating pain within minutes of sun exposure.

3 Jul 2015

Researchers discover link between acute liver failure and specific gene mutations in young children

Acute liver failure is a rare yet life-threatening disease for young children. It often occurs extremely rapidly, for example, when a child has a fever. Yet in around 50 percent of cases it is unclear as to why this happens. Now, a team of researchers working on an international research project headed by Technische Universität München, the Helmholtz Zentrum Munich and Heidelberg University Hospital have discovered a link between the disease and mutations in a specific gene.

3 Jul 2015

Researchers establish link between NBAS gene and acute liver failure

Acute liver failure is a rare yet life-threatening disease for young children. It often occurs extremely rapidly, for example, when a child has a fever. Yet in around 50 percent of cases it is unclear as to why this happens. Now, a team of researchers working on an international research project headed by Technische Universität München (TUM), the Helmholtz Zentrum Munich and Heidelberg University Hospital have discovered a link between the disease and mutations in a specific gene.

2 Jul 2015

UTHealth researchers discover new light-activated proteins that work as 'off switches' for brain cells

Light switches for neurons have made enormous contributions to brain research by giving investigators access to "on switches" for brain cells. But, finding "off switches" has been much more challenging.

2 Jul 2015

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Researchers develop novel technique to generate activated T cells to tackle advanced melanoma

Study looks at effects of three levels of vitamin D supplementation in overweight, obese blacks

MGH-CEM researchers develop microfabricated device to analyze effects of pro-drugs on cancer cells

Georgia State University-led study identifies structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia patients

Discovery could pave way to new treatments for malaria

City of Hope researchers to use patients' own modified T cells to treat advanced brain tumors

TCU, UNTHSC sign MOU to create new MD school in Fort Worth

LSD1 enzyme turns off genes needed to maintain cancer stem cell properties in glioblastoma

New portable system can produce life-saving NO from air by means of electrical spark

Breakthrough discovery could help young girls suffering from rare form of epilepsy

Discovery reveals possibility of using water for finer analysis of the brain's functioning

Creating more effective vaccines against flu virus

Study: Genes may not trigger heart disease in people suffering from migraine with aura

Penn study suggests future precision medicine approach to treating diabetes, other metabolic disorders

Review article provides in depth survey of studies focusing on retinoblastoma protein's role in apoptosis

DTC genetic testing has negative consequences in children

Afamelanotide treatment improves quality of life in people with erythropoietic protoporphyria

Researchers discover link between acute liver failure and specific gene mutations in young children

Researchers establish link between NBAS gene and acute liver failure

UTHealth researchers discover new light-activated proteins that work as 'off switches' for brain cells

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