Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Ethnicity plays a significant role in non-small cell lung cancer genetics: Study

Clinical research out of University Hospitals Case Medical Center has found that African Americans with a common form of lung cancer have a lower frequency of drug-sensitizing genetic mutations, which may impact response to new cancer-fighting drugs.

8 Oct 2009

Researchers validate a technique capable of quick TB diagnosis

The team headed by Doctor Manuel Casal, head of Microbiology at Reina Sofia Hospital in Cordoba has validated in patients a technique, originally produced by a German company, capable of diagnosing tuberculosis in only one day and determining whether or not it is resistant to two of the drugs used to treat this disease.

7 Oct 2009

Daily doses of imatinib mesylate double survival rates in Ph+ ALL affected children

Results of a phase two clinical trial published October 5th in the Journal of Clinical Oncology show that adding continuous daily doses of a targeted drug called imatinib mesylate to regular chemotherapy more than doubled three-year survival rates for children with a high risk type of blood cancer called Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL).

7 Oct 2009

Call for new policies on access to biobanked children's DNA

Scientists look for clues about therapies and cures for life-threatening childhood illnesses in children's DNA -- it seems only logical to do so. But the decision as to who should have access to DNA samples from children provides a unique ethical conundrum, says a Tel Aviv University researcher in a recent publication for the esteemed journal Science, co-authored by colleagues from The Netherlands and Canada.

7 Oct 2009

Researchers show that DNA methylation plays a crucial role for cancer stem cells

During cell division, whether hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) will develop into new stem cells (self-renewal) or differentiate into other blood cells depends on a chemical process called DNA methylation.

7 Oct 2009

New study leads to the development of first prophylactic treatment for leishmania

Leishmania is a deadly parasitic disease that affects over 12 million people worldwide, with more than 2 million new cases reported every year. Until recently, scientists were unsure exactly how the parasite survives inside human cells. That mystery has now been solved according to a new study published in Science Signaling by a team led by Dr. Martin Olivier - a scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University.

7 Oct 2009

NIDCR announces research and technology grants to support new Facebase Consortium

The integration process just got a lot easier. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced today it has issued the first 11 research and technology grants of its new FaceBase Consortium.

7 Oct 2009

New findings on Alzheimer's disease suggest a possible way for treatment

The action of a small protein that is a major villain in Alzheimer's disease can be counterbalanced with another brain protein, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study.

7 Oct 2009

Kennedy Krieger Institute announces the results of largest ever twin study of ASDs

Kennedy Krieger Institute announced today new study results from the largest ever twin study that confirm the role genetics plays in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but also suggest that environmental factors play a role.

6 Oct 2009

Vivaldi receives US patent for live attenuated influenza vaccines

Vivaldi Biosciences Inc. (Vivaldi), a biotechnology company focused on development of vaccines for influenza, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent 7,588,768 covering live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) with modifications to the viral NS1 gene, and methods for producing the vaccines in cell culture systems.

6 Oct 2009

Key defence mechanism used by the immune system against Listeria identified

A team of University of British Columbia microbiologists has identified a key defence mechanism used by the immune system against Listeria with strong implications for the future development of vaccines.

6 Oct 2009

Winner of 2009 NAMS award

Michael Holick, PhD, MD, director of the Bone Healthcare Clinic and the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine BUSM recently received the 2009 NAMS/Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc.Vitamin D Research Award from the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

6 Oct 2009

IBM scientists to build nanoscale DNA sequencer to read human DNA

In an effort to build a nanoscale DNA sequencer, IBM scientists are drilling nano-sized holes in computer-like chips and passing DNA strands through them in order to read the information contained within their genetic code.

6 Oct 2009

New journal on cancer biology and genetics

SAGE announces Genes & Cancer, a monthly journal edited by Dr. Prem Reddy, founder and previous Editor-in-Chief of the prestigious and highly-ranked Oncogene.

6 Oct 2009

Pharmacogenomics Centre deploys the Isilon IQ to accelerate its next-generation genetic sequencing operations

Isilon® Systems (Nasdaq: ISLN), the proven leader in scale-out NAS, today announced that Pharmacogenomics Centre, a partnership between Genome Quebec and the Montreal Heart Institute focused on enhancing new and existing drug development research programs through the inclusion of genetic information, has deployed Isilon IQ to accelerate its next-generation genetic sequencing operations.

5 Oct 2009

Seattle Genetics discontinues its SeaGen MARINER clinical trial for large B-cell lymphoma

Seattle Genetics, Inc. announced today that it has discontinued the SeaGen MARINER clinical trial based on a determination that the trial would be unlikely to meet its primary endpoint of superior complete response rate in the dacetuzumab combination arm as compared to the placebo combination arm.

5 Oct 2009

New genetic alteration can cause familial cancers

Duke University Medical Center and National Cancer Institute scientists have discovered that a novel genetic alteration - a second copy of an entire gene - is a cause of familial chordoma, an uncommon form of cancer arising in bones and frequently affecting the nervous system.

5 Oct 2009

Researchers engineer antidotes for blood-thinner aptamers

Imagine a surgical patient on a blood-thinning drug who starts bleeding more than expected, and an antidote that works immediately - because the blood thinner and antidote were designed to work together. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have engineered a way to do this for an entire, versatile class of drugs called aptamers and published their findings in Nature Medicine.

4 Oct 2009

GeneMedRx software warns patients and physicians if tamoxifen benefit is at risk

One hundred eighty thousand women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Eighty thousand will start taking the drug tamoxifen to prevent the recurrence of their ER (estrogen receptor) positive breast cancers. The treatment is successful in two-thirds of the women who take it. Genelex Corporation (Seattle) is now offering Tamoxitest(TM) that could improve this success rate to greater than 90% by addressing both of the common causes of tamoxifen treatment failure.

3 Oct 2009

Study points to subtle differences between boys and girls' attitudes to multiple drugs

New research by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers looks at the specific ways parents and peers influence teenagers to smoke, drink and use marijuana in combination.

3 Oct 2009

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Ethnicity plays a significant role in non-small cell lung cancer genetics: Study

Researchers validate a technique capable of quick TB diagnosis

Daily doses of imatinib mesylate double survival rates in Ph+ ALL affected children

Call for new policies on access to biobanked children's DNA

Researchers show that DNA methylation plays a crucial role for cancer stem cells

New study leads to the development of first prophylactic treatment for leishmania

NIDCR announces research and technology grants to support new Facebase Consortium

New findings on Alzheimer's disease suggest a possible way for treatment

Kennedy Krieger Institute announces the results of largest ever twin study of ASDs

Vivaldi receives US patent for live attenuated influenza vaccines

Key defence mechanism used by the immune system against Listeria identified

Winner of 2009 NAMS award

IBM scientists to build nanoscale DNA sequencer to read human DNA

New journal on cancer biology and genetics

Pharmacogenomics Centre deploys the Isilon IQ to accelerate its next-generation genetic sequencing operations

Seattle Genetics discontinues its SeaGen MARINER clinical trial for large B-cell lymphoma

New genetic alteration can cause familial cancers

Researchers engineer antidotes for blood-thinner aptamers

GeneMedRx software warns patients and physicians if tamoxifen benefit is at risk

Study points to subtle differences between boys and girls' attitudes to multiple drugs

Genetics & Genomics - Second Edition eBook

Digital pathology and the PathoVerse: A conversation with Dr. Singh

Bioprocess Efficiency with Cell Density Monitoring

Exploring electron microscopy for plant and microbial imaging at the John Innes Centre