Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New study shows that people may inherit intestinal bacteria that cause inflammatory bowel disease

A new study by an international team of researchers shows for the first time that people may inherit some of the intestinal bacteria that cause Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively know as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The study, recently published in Genome Medicine, also confirmed that antibiotics could worsen the imbalance in the gut microbes.

16 Dec 2014

Lung cancer in women: an interview with Harold Wimmer and Chuck Brynelsen

We at the American Lung Association know that lung cancer is the number one cancer killer among women, however, there is a startling lack of information available to the public regarding lung cancer.

16 Dec 2014

Joslin study could lead to improved anti-aging drugs

In a study published today by Nature, researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center used a microscopic worm (C. elegans) to identify a new path that could lead to drugs to slow aging and the chronic diseases that often accompany it--and might even lead to better cosmetics.

16 Dec 2014

Sensitive toxicity test aims to detect dangerous side effects in pharmaceutical development

Because of undetected toxicity problems, about a third of prescription drugs approved in the U.S. are withdrawn from the market or require added warning labels limiting their use. An exceptionally sensitive toxicity test invented at the University of Utah could make it possible to uncover more of these dangerous side effects early in pharmaceutical development so that fewer patients are given unsafe drugs.

16 Dec 2014

ARA 290 drug reduces neuropathic pain in type 2 diabetic patients

Molecular Medicine, a peer-reviewed biomedical journal published by the Feinstein Institute Press, published the results of a new study reporting clinically significant pain reduction in type 2 diabetic patients. In an exploratory study conducted by Araim Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company developing novel treatments for chronic diseases, investigators also observed improvements in metabolic control in patients administered ARA 290.

16 Dec 2014

UT Southwestern researchers identify cell signaling mechanism that plays vital role in brain cancer

UT Southwestern Medical Center neurology researchers have identified an important cell signaling mechanism that plays an important role in brain cancer and may provide a new therapeutic target.

16 Dec 2014

Sophia Genetics earns ISO 13485 and ISO 27001 certification for safe data handling and security

Sophia Genetics, the European leader in Clinical Genomics and Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS), has become the first company to achieve both ISO 13485 and ISO 27001 certification for its commitment to safe data handling and security.

16 Dec 2014

ADIPOQ gene variations linked to colorectal cancer risk, new study reveals

Adiponectin, a collagen-like protein secreted by fat cells, derives from the ADIPOQ gene. Variations in this gene may increase risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and various cancers. A new study that links specific variations in the ADIPOQ gene to either higher or lower colorectal cancer risk is published in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

15 Dec 2014

Revolutionising back pain treatments: an interview with Dr Kieran O’Sullivan

Back pain is exceptionally common. In fact, to not experience back pain at some point of your life would be thoroughly abnormal. Experiencing back pain is like becoming tired or becoming sad; we don’t necessarily like it, but it’s perfectly common.

14 Dec 2014

Maf1 protein that makes other proteins also controls fat levels in the body

Like a smart sensor that adjusts the lighting in each room and a home's overall temperature, a protein that governs the making of other proteins in the cell also appears capable of controlling fat levels in the body.

14 Dec 2014

Maintaining weight loss over long term can be a major challenge

A new report combining perspectives from a range of obesity experts identifies genetic, epigenetic and neuro-hormonal differences between individuals as one of the key challenges associated with weight loss and long-term weight control.

14 Dec 2014

Researchers assemble first high-resolution, 3-D maps of folded genomes

In a triumph for cell biology, researchers have assembled the first high-resolution, 3-D maps of entire folded genomes and found a structural basis for gene regulation -- a kind of "genomic origami" that allows the same genome to produce different types of cells. The research appears online today in Cell.

14 Dec 2014

Laurie T. Krug named Stony Brook University Discovery Prize Fellow

Laurie T. Krug, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Stony Brook University, is the first early career scientist to be named Stony Brook University Discovery Prize Fellow, a new philanthropically-sponsored award established to fund high-risk, high-reward basic research projects.

14 Dec 2014

GSA announces recipients of 2015 Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Travel Awards

The Genetics Society of America and the Drosophila research community are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2015 Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Travel Awards. These awards support travel costs for undergraduates engaged in research to attend the Annual Drosophila Research Conference sponsored by GSA.

14 Dec 2014

Pharmacyclics receives BayBio's 2014 Pantheon DiNA Award for Outstanding Company

Pharmacyclics, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded BayBio's 2014 Pantheon DiNA Award for Outstanding Company for its rapid development and commercialization of IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib). The award was presented at BayBio's 11th Annual Pantheon DiNA Awards ceremony in San Francisco.

13 Dec 2014

Research finding could lead to new therapies for malignant glioma

Targeted therapies are a growing and groundbreaking field in cancer care in which drugs or other substances are designed to interfere with genes or molecules that control the growth and survival of cancer cells. Now, scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) have identified a novel interaction between a microRNA and a gene that could lead to new therapies for the most common and deadly form of brain tumor, malignant glioma.

12 Dec 2014

IRCM researchers uncover mechanism that regulates dopamine levels in the brain

Researchers in Montréal led by Jacques Drouin, D.Sc., uncovered a mechanism regulating dopamine levels in the brain by working on a mouse model of late onset Parkinson's disease.

12 Dec 2014

Claritas, NextCODE Health partner to bring global leadership in pediatric medicine, sequence analysis

To rapidly expand the use and power of genomic sequencing for diagnosing and treating rare diseases, Claritas Genomics and NextCODE Health today announced a strategic partnership bringing together global leadership in pediatric medicine and sequence analysis. Claritas Genomics, affiliated with Boston Children's Hospital, is a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory serving the DNA-based diagnostic testing needs of children's hospitals that admit hundreds of thousands of patients with genetic disorders every year.

11 Dec 2014

Researchers pinpoint rare gene mutations that increase risk of heart attack early in life

A team of investigators from the Broad Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital and other leading biomedical research institutions has pinpointed rare mutations in a gene called APOA5 that increase a person's risk of having a heart attack early in life. These mutations disable the APOA5 gene and also raise the levels in the blood of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, a type of fat.

11 Dec 2014

Myriad Genetics highlights three new studies at SABCS 2014

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced results from a new study that demonstrated the ability of the myRisk Hereditary Cancer test to detect 105 percent more mutations in cancer causing genes than conventional BRCA testing alone. The Company also presented two key studies in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) that show the myChoice HRD test accurately predicted response to platinum-based therapy in patients with early-stage TNBC and that the BRACAnalysis molecular diagnostic test significantly predicted response to platinum-based drugs in patients with metastatic TNBC.

10 Dec 2014