Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Moderate alcohol intake boosts amount of omega-3 fatty acids in our body

Moderate alcohol intake is associated with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells.

5 Dec 2008

SemBioSys begins phase I/II trial of insulin produced in plant seeds

SemBioSys Genetics Inc., a biotechnology company developing protein pharmaceuticals in crop plants, has announced that it has initiated a phase I/II clinical trial of its plant-produced insulin with the first injection of its drug in humans.

3 Dec 2008

Discovery of new enzyme in cancer growth

While studying the mechanics of blood clots, researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center discovered a new enzyme that not only affects the blood, but seems to play a primary role in how cancer tumors expand and spread throughout the body.

3 Dec 2008

Tobacco plants grown in novel mist bioreactor system provide new soure of interleukin-12

Interleukin-12 is a naturally occurring protein essential for the proper functioning of the human immune system.

3 Dec 2008

Motor neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells provide insight into ALS

Two new research studies use motor neurons derived from human embryonic stem (hES) cells to demonstrate that multiple toxic pathways contribute to the devastating degeneration associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and that protective therapeutics will need to oppose the disease on multiple fronts.

3 Dec 2008

Genetic breakdown in Fanconi anemia may have link to HPV-associated cancer

A genetic malfunction that causes DNA instability in people with the blood disorder Fanconi anemia may put them at high risk for squamous cell carcinomas linked to human papillomavirus (HPV), according to a study posted online ahead of print by Oncogene.

3 Dec 2008

Gene therapy used to alleviate sickle cell disease pathology

Using a harmless virus to insert a corrective gene into mouse blood cells, scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have alleviated sickle cell disease pathology.

3 Dec 2008

Discovery of gene variants that impact the placebo effect

It is a well-known fact in drug trials that individuals can respond just as well to placebos, sugar pills, as to the active drug.

3 Dec 2008

New insights into cellular senescence

Scientists have identified a molecular cause behind the ravages of old age and in doing so have also shown how a natural process for fighting cancer in younger persons can actually promote cancer in older individuals.

3 Dec 2008

Researchers develop human embryonic stem cell-based system for modeling ALS

Long thought of as mere bystanders, astrocytes are crucial for the survival and well-being of motor neurons, which control voluntary muscle movements.

3 Dec 2008

New evidence shows that the heart beats to its own drummer

They've uncovered some of the molecular circuitry within the cardiovascular system itself that controls the daily rise and fall of blood pressure and heart rate. The findings might also explain why commonly used diabetes drugs come with cardiovascular benefits, according to the researchers.

3 Dec 2008

Prototype blood scanner detects even faint indicators of cancer

A team led by Stanford researchers has developed a prototype blood scanner that can find cancer markers in the bloodstream in early stages of the disease, potentially allowing for earlier treatment and dramatically improved chances of survival.

3 Dec 2008

Young researcher identifies binocular vision gene

Dr Catherine Leamey from the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney has been awarded the 2008 Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund Prize for Medical Research for her work in identifying the gene that enables binocular vision.

3 Dec 2008

Discovery of a presbycusis related gene

Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, accounts for 30 percent of all hearing loss. So, why do some people lose their hearing as they get older but other people can still hear a pin drop?

3 Dec 2008

New technique provides closer look at DNA and mRNA

In a study in the advance online edition of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine describe a technique for looking more precisely at a fundamental step of a cell's life - a gene, DNA, being read into a message, mRNA.

3 Dec 2008

Link found between Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in healthy adults

A study published in the November issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease provides an insight into normal, physiological levels and association between proteins involved in development of Alzheimer's disease.

3 Dec 2008

Lapatinib benefits women with HER2-positive breast cancer

Findings published in the December 1, 2008, issue of Clinical Cancer Research , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, show lapatinib benefits women with HER2-positive breast cancer, while women with HER2-negative breast cancer or those who express EGRF alone derive no incremental benefit.

3 Dec 2008

Fruit flies provide better understanding of human heart disease

Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have shown in both fruit flies and humans that genes involved in embryonic heart development are also integral to adult heart function.

3 Dec 2008

Yeast provides new insight into cholesterol-lowering drugs

Having discovered how a lowly, single-celled fungus regulates its version of cholesterol, Johns Hopkins researchers are gaining new insight about the target and action of cholesterol-lowering drugs taken daily by millions of people to stave off heart attacks and strokes.

3 Dec 2008