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Released: 24-Sep-2012 12:25 PM EDT
Cancer Researchers Show Why Genetic Risks Promote Breast Cancer
University Health Network (UHN)

Cancer researchers studying 44 known genetic variants associated with breast cancer have found the way to identify why they increase cancer risk, opening the door to future therapeutic applications based on personalized medicine.

Released: 24-Sep-2012 12:05 PM EDT
Study Explores Genetic Link Between PTSD and Respiratory Illness in 9/11 Responders
Stony Brook Medicine

A new study by Dr. Benjamin J. Luft of Stony Brook University School of Medcicine and colleagues will explore the role genetics may play in the development of PTSD and respiratory illness in 9/11 WTC responders.

Released: 24-Sep-2012 11:35 AM EDT
Discovery May Shed Light on Why Some HIV-Positive Patients Have More Virus
University of California San Diego

Biologists at UC San Diego have unraveled the anti-viral mechanism of a human gene that may explain why some people infected with HIV have much higher amounts of virus in their bloodstreams than others.

20-Sep-2012 2:30 PM EDT
Researchers Develop Editing Toolkit for Customizing Zebrafish Genomes
Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic researchers and an international team of scientists have developed a highly-efficient means of editing zebrafish genomes for research purposes, eliminating a bottleneck that has stymied biomedical scientists from using the fish as a model for human disease.

19-Sep-2012 9:00 AM EDT
New Mouse Model May Provide Insights Into Rare Genetic Syndrome
American Thyroid Association

ew mouse models can help scientists study a rare disease, called SECISBP2 syndrome, that causes abnormal thyroid hormone metabolism, delayed bone maturation, as well as other abnormal characteristics that vary by individual, according to new data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

   
19-Sep-2012 9:00 AM EDT
Genome-Wide Epigenomic Screening Reveals Role of Genes, Cellular Factors in Thyroid Disease
American Thyroid Association

Genome-wide epigenomic screening can pinpoint disease-associated variants and identify novel genetic–epigenetic interactions in autoimmune thyroid diseases, according to new data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

   
19-Sep-2012 9:00 AM EDT
New Mouse Model May Provide Inroads to Understanding Severe Genetic Disorder in Children
American Thyroid Association

New mouse models can help scientists study MCT8 deficiency, an inherited genetic disorder affecting children, according to new data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

19-Sep-2012 9:00 AM EDT
New Genetic Mutation Linked to Hypothyroidism Syndrome
American Thyroid Association

Loss of function in the X-linked immunoglobulin superfamily member 1 (IGSF1) gene causes central hypothyroidism, testicular enlargement, and variable prolactin deficiency, according to data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

19-Sep-2012 11:15 AM EDT
Genetic Mutation May Have Allowed Early Humans to Migrate Throughout Africa
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

A genetic mutation that occurred thousands of years ago might be the answer to how early humans were able to move from central Africa and across the continent in what has been called “the great expansion,” according to new research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Released: 17-Sep-2012 3:00 PM EDT
New Research Presents Most Extensive Pictures Ever of an Organism's DNA Mutation Processes
Indiana University

Biologists and informaticists at Indiana University have produced one of the most extensive pictures ever of mutation processes in the DNA sequence of an organism, elucidating important new evolutionary information about the molecular nature of mutations and how fast those heritable changes occur.

Released: 14-Sep-2012 8:00 AM EDT
Study Reveals How Common Gene Mutation Affects Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

In children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), a common gene mutation has been found to impact the network of connections between different areas of the brain involved in social behavior, such as recognizing the emotions shown on people’s faces.

Released: 14-Sep-2012 8:00 AM EDT
4th Annual Consumer Genetics Conference to Explore How Consumer Genetics Is Empowering the Patient and How Personalized Medicine Is Changing the Landscape of Clinical Care
Cambridge Innovation Institute

Advancements in sequencing and diagnostics technology are the underlying elements driving the genomic revolution. With the free-falling cost of sequencing, richer reference data and improved interpretation methods, the use of personal genomics is beginning to take greater root in clinical practice.

11-Sep-2012 12:10 PM EDT
In Lung Cancer, Smokers Have 10 Times More Genetic Damage Than Never-Smokers
Washington University in St. Louis

Lung cancer patients with a history of smoking have 10 times more genetic mutations in their tumors than those with the disease who have never smoked, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Released: 12-Sep-2012 8:00 AM EDT
Information Theory Helps Unravel DNA’s Genetic Code
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

“Superinformation,” or the randomness of randomness, can be used to predict the coding and noncoding regions of DNA.

Released: 12-Sep-2012 6:00 AM EDT
Genetic Make-Up of Children Explains How They Fight Malaria Infection
Universite de Montreal

Researchers from Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and University of Montreal have identified several novel genes that make some children more efficient than others in the way their immune system responds to malaria infection.

Released: 11-Sep-2012 11:10 AM EDT
Parents of Babies with Sickle Cell Trait Are Less Likely to Receive Genetic Counseling
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Physicians report parents of infants who are cystic fibrosis carriers are more likely to receive genetic counseling.

Released: 10-Sep-2012 5:45 PM EDT
Ants Have an Exceptionally ‘Hi-Def’ Sense of Smell
Vanderbilt University

The first complete map of the ants' olfactory system has discovered that the eusocial insects have four to fives more odorant receptors -- the special proteins that detect different odors -- than other insects.

Released: 10-Sep-2012 1:00 PM EDT
The Nose Knows: Gene Therapy Restores Sense of Smell in Mice
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A team of scientists from Johns Hopkins and other institutions report that restoring tiny, hair-like structures to defective cells in the olfactory system of mice is enough to restore a lost sense of smell. The results of the experiments were published online last week in Nature Medicine, and are believed to represent the first successful application of gene therapy to restore this function in live mammals.

Released: 10-Sep-2012 12:00 PM EDT
Cancer-Causing Gene Alone Doesn’t Trigger Pancreatic Cancer
Mayo Clinic

More than a cancer-causing gene is needed to trigger pancreatic cancer, a study led by Mayo Clinic has found. A second factor creates a “perfect storm” that allows tumors to form, the researchers say. The study, published in the Sept. 10 issue of Cancer Cell, overturns the current belief that a mutation in the KRAS oncogene is enough to initiate pancreatic cancer and unrestrained cell growth.

Released: 10-Sep-2012 8:00 AM EDT
Study Finds Pathways Governing Instability of GAA/TTC Repeats
Georgia Institute of Technology, Research Communications

A study of more than 6,000 genes in a common species of yeast has identified the pathways that govern the instability of GAA/TTC repeats. In humans, the expansions of these repeats is known to inactivate a gene – FXN – which leads to Friedreich’s ataxia, a neurodegenerative disease that is currently incurable.

Released: 6-Sep-2012 3:50 PM EDT
Genetic Test Will Help Dose Blood Thinner
University of Illinois Chicago

Patients suffering from dangerous blood clots will receive genetic testing to help health professionals at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System prescribe the proper dose of the blood-thinner warfarin.

Released: 5-Sep-2012 5:25 PM EDT
HIF Gene Mutation Found in Tumor Cells Offers New Clues about Cancer Metabolism
University of Utah Health

For the first time, a mutation in HIF2α, a specific group of genes known as transcription factors that is involved in red blood cell production and cell metabolism, has been identified in cancer tumor cells.

Released: 5-Sep-2012 2:50 PM EDT
Team Develops Method for Pinpointing Genetic Factors That Cause Disease
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Researchers from Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Duke University Medical Center have developed a computational method of identifying "causal" genetic variants that lead to particular diseases, with wide application for genome-wide association studies.

Released: 5-Sep-2012 1:55 PM EDT
Genome Wide Scan Maps Mutations in Deadly Lung Cancers; Reveals Embryonic Gene Link
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Scientists have completed a comprehensive map of genetic mutations linked to an aggressive and lethal type of lung cancer. Among the errors found in small cell lung cancers, the team of scientists, including those at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, found an alteration in a gene called SOX2 associated with early embryonic development.

Released: 4-Sep-2012 12:50 PM EDT
Gene Sequencing Project Builds the Foundation for Next Generation of Childhood Cancer Care
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

September spotlights childhood cancer, which remains the leading cause of death by disease of young Americans. At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, doctors and scientists are working to change that statistic.

30-Aug-2012 11:35 AM EDT
Binding Sites for LIN28 Protein Found in Thousands of Human Genes
UC San Diego Health

A study led by researchers at the UC San Diego Stem Cell Research program and funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) looks at an important RNA binding protein called LIN28, which is implicated in pluripotency and reprogramming as well as in cancer and other diseases.

Released: 4-Sep-2012 11:40 AM EDT
Researchers Uncover New Genetic Clues to Why Most Bone Marrow Transplant Patients Develop Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

A team of scientists led by a bone marrow transplant researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has shed new light on why most bone marrow transplant patients who receive tissue-matched cells from unrelated donors still suffer acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The answer appears to lie in the discovery of previously undetected genetic differences in the DNA of patients and unrelated marrow donors.

Released: 4-Sep-2012 9:05 AM EDT
New Gene Variants Raise Risk of Neuroblastoma, Influence Tumor Progression
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Researchers have discovered two gene variants that raise the risk of the pediatric cancer neuroblastoma, as well as contributing to a tumor's progression. The findings may suggest future targets for new therapies.

31-Aug-2012 4:10 PM EDT
Can’t Smell Anything? This Discovery May Give You Hope
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Scientists have restored the sense of smell in mice through gene therapy for the first time -- a hopeful sign for people who can’t smell anything from birth or lose it due to disease. The achievement in curing congenital anosmia may also aid research on other conditions that also stem from problems with the cilia.

Released: 31-Aug-2012 2:00 PM EDT
Genetic Link to Prostate Cancer Risk in African Americans Found
University of Illinois Chicago

Prostate cancer in African-American men is associated with specific changes in the IL-16 gene, and by establishing the link in men of African as well as European descent, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine may have found a useful new biomarker for prostate cancer.

30-Aug-2012 8:00 AM EDT
Human and Soil Bacteria Swap Antibiotic-Resistance Genes
Washington University in St. Louis

Soil bacteria and bacteria that cause human diseases have recently swapped at least seven antibiotic-resistance genes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report Aug. 31 in Science.

27-Aug-2012 1:30 PM EDT
New Genetic Risk Factor for Inflammation Identified in African American Women
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

African Americans have higher blood levels of a protein associated with increased heart-disease risk than European Americans, despite higher “good” HDL cholesterol and lower “bad” triglyceride levels. This contradictory observation now may be explained, in part, by a genetic variant identified in the first large-scale, genome-wide association study of this protein involving 12,000 African American and Hispanic American women.

Released: 29-Aug-2012 5:00 AM EDT
Could a Cancer Drug Prevent Learning Disabilities in Some Kids?
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

A drug originally developed to stop cancerous tumors may hold the potential to prevent abnormal brain cell growth and learning disabilities in some children, if they can be diagnosed early enough, a new animal study suggests.

22-Aug-2012 2:00 PM EDT
UCSF, Mayo Team Discovers Genomic Variant That Increases Risk of Some Brain Tumors
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

People who carry a “G” instead of an “A” at a specific spot in the sequence of their genetic code have roughly a six-fold higher risk of developing certain types of brain tumors, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and Mayo Clinic.

22-Aug-2012 3:00 PM EDT
Mayo, UCSF Team Discovers Genomic Variant That Increases Risk of Brain Tumors
Mayo Clinic

People who carry a “G” instead of an “A” at a specific spot in their genetic code have roughly a six-fold higher risk of developing certain types of brain tumors (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/brain-tumor/DS00281), a Mayo Clinic and University of California, San Francisco (http://www.ucsf.edu) study has found.

Released: 24-Aug-2012 10:00 AM EDT
Researchers Identify PHF20, a Regulator of Gene P53
Moffitt Cancer Center

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues have identified PHF20, a novel transcriptional factor, and clarified its role in maintaining the stability and transcription of p53, a gene that allows for both normal cell growth and tumor suppression. PHF20, the researchers found, plays a previously unknown and unique role in regulating p53.

Released: 23-Aug-2012 1:45 PM EDT
More Clues About Why Chimps and Humans Are Genetically Different
Georgia Institute of Technology

In research published in September’s American Journal of Human Genetics, Georgia Tech's Soojin Yi looked at brain samples of each species. She found that differences in certain DNA modifications, called methylation, may contribute to phenotypic changes. The results also hint that DNA methylation plays an important role for some disease-related phenotypes in humans, including cancer and autism.

Released: 23-Aug-2012 1:30 PM EDT
Research on Wood Formation Sheds Light on Plant Biology
North Carolina State University

Scientists at North Carolina State University have discovered a phenomenon never seen before in plants while studying molecular changes inside tree cells as wood is formed.

21-Aug-2012 2:00 PM EDT
More Sophisticated Wiring, Not Just Bigger Brain, Helped Humans Evolve Beyond Chimps, UCLA Geneticists Find
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Researchers pinpoint uniquely human patterns of gene activity in the brain that shed light on how we evolved differently than our closest relative. Identifying these genes could deepen understanding of human brain diseases.

16-Aug-2012 6:00 AM EDT
Research Reveals Unique Solution to Gene Regulation
Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason

Research on a unique vertebrate called the sea lamprey shows that more than a thousand genes are shed during its early development and “sealed’ into a compartment so they cannot be misexpressed and create untoward problems. The study was done at Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason.

Released: 20-Aug-2012 9:00 AM EDT
Missing Gene May Drive More Than One in Four Breast Cancers
Cornell University

More than one out of every four cases of breast cancer is associated with a specific, missing gene – a finding that could have significant implications for chemotherapy treatments, according a recent study by Cornell University researchers.

13-Aug-2012 1:00 PM EDT
The Innocence Project: Science Helping Innocent People Proven Guilty
American Chemical Society (ACS)

A symposium that showcases chemistry’s pivotal role in righting some of the highest-profile cases of innocent people proven guilty unfolds today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. It features presentations by forensic scientists, attorneys and others who used science to right wrongs, freeing innocent people and saving the lives of prisoners on death row.

13-Aug-2012 1:00 PM EDT
Meddling with Male Malaria Mosquito "Mating Plug" to Control an Epidemic
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Using information about the unique mating practices of the male malaria mosquito - which, unlike any other insect, inserts a plug to seal its sperm inside the female - scientists are zeroing in on a birth-control drug for Anopheles mosquitoes, deadly carriers of the disease that threatens 3 billion people, has infected more than 215 million and kills 655,000 annually.

13-Aug-2012 1:00 PM EDT
"DNA Wires" Could Help Physicians Diagnose Disease
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Scientists have found that Mother Nature uses DNA as a wire to detect the constantly occurring genetic damage and mistakes that can result in diseases like cancer. That topic - DNA wires and their potential use in identifying people at risk for certain diseases - is the focus of a plenary talk here today during the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

16-Aug-2012 1:55 PM EDT
Artificial Intelligence Allows Automated Worm Sorting
Georgia Institute of Technology, Research Communications

Scientists have demonstrated an automated system that uses artificial intelligence and cutting-edge image processing to rapidly examine large numbers of individual nematodes -- a species widely used in biological research.

Released: 16-Aug-2012 3:25 PM EDT
New Jersey Medical School Researchers Develop DNA Sequencing Tests for Hereditary Diseases
Rutgers University

New Jersey Medical School researchers develop DNA sequencing tests for hereditary diseases. Reduces costs, improves effectiveness and turn-around time for diagnosis.

Released: 15-Aug-2012 12:50 PM EDT
'CYCLOPS' Genes May Serve as an Achilles' Heel in Tumor Cells
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard scientists have identified a new class of genes, dubbed CYCLOPS, that may serve as an Achilles' heel for many forms of cancer.

9-Aug-2012 1:00 PM EDT
Mutations Disrupt Cellular Recycling, Cause a Childhood Genetic Disease
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Researchers have identified a key gene that, when mutated, causes the rare multisystem disorder Cornelia deLange syndrome. Mutations in the HDAC8 gene disrupt genetic transcripton, impairing early development.

2-Aug-2012 10:00 AM EDT
Scientists Use Worms to Unearth Cancer Drug Targets
Genetics Society of America

Research published in the journal GENETICS implicates several genes that may stop certain types of cancer.



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