Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

AACR continues to increase focus on cancer clinical trials

The American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting continues to be a showcase for the most cutting edge science in cancer, and this year's meeting, held here April 2-6, will include an increased focus on clinical trials that will impact patient care.

4 Apr 2011

NAA joins with organizations worldwide to raise awareness about autism

The National Autism Association joins with organizations worldwide in recognizing April as Autism Awareness month. With one in 110 children now diagnosed with autism, and autism mortality rates doubling that of the general population, NAA is once again calling upon legislators and government health agencies to declare autism a national health emergency.

4 Apr 2011

Scientists identify five new genes that increase risk of developing Alzheimer's

A leading UK scientist's search for factors that increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's has uncovered five new genes to help pinpoint what's going wrong in the brain.

4 Apr 2011

Scientists sequence tumor genomes from 50 breast cancer patients

In one of the largest cancer genomics investigations reported to date, scientists have sequenced the whole genomes of tumors from 50 breast cancer patients and compared them to the matched DNA of the same patients' healthy cells.

4 Apr 2011

Researchers identify four new genes linked to Alzheimer's disease

In the largest study of its kind, researchers from a consortium of 44 universities and research institutions in the United States, including Rush University Medical Center, identified four new genes linked to Alzheimer's disease. Each gene individually adds to the risk of having this common form of dementia later in life.

4 Apr 2011

Life Technologies launches new TaqMan Mutation Detection Assays

Life Technologies Corporation today announced the launch of its TaqMan Mutation Detection Assays -- highly sensitive and novel molecular analysis research tools with the precision to detect a single mutant molecule hiding in a background of 1 million normal copies.

4 Apr 2011

Study: Antidepressants can thicken arteries and lead to heart disease

Antidepressant use has been linked to thicker arteries, possibly contributing to the risk of heart disease and stroke, in a study of twin veterans. The data is being presented Tuesday, April 5 at the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans.

4 Apr 2011

Breast cancer genome reveals potential therapeutic targets

Scientists have sequenced the entire genomes of tumors from 50 breast cancer patients and found more than 1,700 gene mutations, most of which were unique to individual patients. The researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the Siteman Cancer Center suggest that this variability and uniqueness made it difficult to predict outcomes of the cases.

3 Apr 2011

Discovery of 4 new genes associated with Alzheimer's

In the largest study of its kind, researchers from a consortium led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and the University of Miami identified four new genes linked to Alzheimer's disease. Each gene individually adds to the risk of having this common form of dementia later in life. These new genes offer a portal into what causes Alzheimer's disease and is a major advance in the field.

3 Apr 2011

Stem Cell Action Coalition issues urgent appeal to Minnesota Governor for SCNT research

The Stem Cell Action Coalition issued an urgent appeal to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton to veto any legislation that contains any impediment to lawful embryonic stem cell research in the state.

2 Apr 2011

Rsearchers define new step that controls programmed cell death in cancer cells

When cells find themselves in a tight spot, the cell cycle regulator p21 halts the cell cycle, buying cells time to repair the damage, or if all else fails, to initiate programmed cell death.

2 Apr 2011

Loss of SKIP sensitizes cancer cells to apoptotic effects of DNA damage-inducing anticancer drugs

When cells find themselves in a tight spot, the cell cycle regulator p21 halts the cell cycle, buying cells time to repair the damage, or if all else fails, to initiate programmed cell death. In contrast to other stress-induced genes, which dispense with the regular transcriptional entourage, p21Cip1 still requires SKIP, a transcription elongation factor that also helps with the editing of transcripts, to be expressed, found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

2 Apr 2011

Study findings about immune systems of smoke-inhalation patients released

An award-winning Loyola University Health System study includes some unexpected findings about the immune systems of smoke-inhalation patients.

1 Apr 2011

EPIDEMICS³ International Conference on Infectious Disease Dynamics to take place in Boston, in Nov 2011

Following the inaugural Epidemics¹ Conference in Asilomar, USA in 2008, and the second conference Epidemics² in Athens, Greece in 2009, both highly successful meetings with both more than 230 participants, the organizers are pleased to announce that the Third International Conference on Infectious Disease Dynamics - EPIDEMICS³ - will take place in Boston, USA, in November 2011.

1 Apr 2011

Closer to deciphering the 'language of the brain'

The moment we open our eyes, we perceive the world with apparent ease. But the question of how neurons in the retina encode what we "see" has been a tricky one. A key obstacle to understanding how our brain functions is that its components-neurons-respond in highly nonlinear ways to complex stimuli, making stimulus-response relationships extremely difficult to discern.

1 Apr 2011

DNA damage can lead to regulation of inflammatory responses

Researchers offer the first evidence that DNA damage can lead to the regulation of inflammatory responses, the body's reaction to injury. The proteins involved in the regulation help protect the body from infection.

1 Apr 2011

World Stem Cell Report to be published in Regenerative Medicine

The Genetics Policy Institute (GPI) and Future Medicine have announced that its 2011/12 World Stem Cell Report will be published as a special supplement to the award- winning, peer-reviewed journal Regenerative Medicine. It was also announced that Regenerative Medicine becomes the platinum media sponsor of the GPI’s 2011 World Stem Cell Summit that will take place in Pasadena, California, October 3-5.

31 Mar 2011

Adeona reports $3,164,512 net revenue for 2010

Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer of innovative medicines for serious central nervous system diseases, reported its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2010, as well as updates since the beginning of the 4th quarter.

31 Mar 2011

First transdisciplinary research center dedicated to identify causes of premature birth

The March of Dimes and Stanford University School of Medicine today launched the nation's first transdisciplinary research center dedicated to identifying the causes of premature birth. Prematurity is the number one reason for newborn death in the United States today, yet in nearly half of the cases of premature birth, there is no identifiable cause.

31 Mar 2011

ACR releases new guidelines for JA treatment

Several Canadian pediatric rheumatologists and health professionals played a prominent role in developing new guidelines for treating juvenile arthritis.

31 Mar 2011