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Released: 18-Apr-2003 12:00 AM EDT
New Method IDs "Hidden Genes"
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

A class of regulatory genes found in humans called miRNAs have long gone undetected by traditional gene hunting methods because they do not code for proteins, the benchmark typically used to define genes within a genome. Now, scientists have developed a new, streamlined way to identify miRNAs in different animals.

18-Apr-2003 12:00 AM EDT
Process Triggered by Some Anti-Cancer Drugs Causes Tumors in Mice
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

It is well known that genetic mutations frequently cause some cancers. Research now points to another culprit in tumor formation, a process that can cause chromosomal instability through changes in the methylation of DNA. The findings are important as some anti-cancer drugs in clinical trials attack diseased cells by triggering the process under study.

Released: 2-Apr-2003 12:00 AM EST
Screening Technique Streamlines Search for Anticancer Drugs
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have developed a new strategy to identify chemical compounds that are active only in the presence of certain cancer-causing genes and proteins, and used the method to select nine compounds that fit that profile, including one previously unidentified compound that seems to kill cancer cells through a different mechanism than many conventional cancer drugs.

1-Apr-2003 12:00 AM EST
Prions Offer Nanotech Building Tool
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

The same characteristics that make misfolded proteins known as prions such a pernicious medical threat in neurodegenerative diseases may offer a construction toolkit for manufacturing nanoscale electrical circuits.

Released: 29-Mar-2003 12:00 AM EST
Strategy to Predict Mutations Involved in Cancer Drug Resistance
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have devised a way to identify genetic mutations that will cause resistance to targeted anti-cancer drugs, even before patients are treated -- a finding that will aid scientists involved in drug development and allow physicians to monitor patients for resistance problems before they occur.

Released: 29-Mar-2003 12:00 AM EST
Inactive Genes Contribute to Failure of Animals Cloned from Adult Cells
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Only 1 percent to 3 percent of animals cloned from adult cells survive to birth; many die mysteriously very early in development, around the time of implantation.

25-Oct-2002 12:00 AM EDT
Scientists Produce the Script for Life
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

The human genome project has provided researchers with a growing list of genes-- a cast of thousands of characters, running life inside the cell. But the key to understanding life, both in health and sickness, is the script that outlines how these cellular players interact, communicate, and cue each other. Whitehead Member Richard Young and MIT's David Gifford have developed the first comprehensive script describing how the yeast genome produces life.

18-Oct-2002 12:00 AM EDT
Mechanism Responsible for Neuronal Death in Prion Diseases
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Research from Whitehead Institute Director Susan Lindquist and Jiyan Ma, Ohio State University, suggests a unifying theory that can help explain how devastating prion diseases get started and how they kill. The results show that small amounts of PrP prion protein accumulating in the cellular space called the cytosol kill neurons in cultured cells and transgenic mice.

Released: 14-May-2002 12:00 AM EDT
Protein at the Intersection of Genetics, Development, and Environment
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Environmental stress can reveal hidden genetic variation in plants, resulting in novel traits that might provide an alternative to genetic modification of crops. They have linked this phenomenon to the actions of a particular molecule, the heat stress protein Hsp90.

Released: 8-Mar-2002 12:00 AM EST
Scientists Use Therapeutic Cloning to Correct a Genetic Defect in Mice
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists have used a mouse model to establish for the first time that a combination of nuclear transplantation, gene therapy, and embryonic stem cell differentiation can be used to create custom-tailored cellular therapies for genetic disorders.

11-Feb-2002 12:00 AM EST
Scientists Prove Mature Adult Cells Can be Cloned
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have proved for the first time that fully differentiated adult cells can form clones, but they found the process is extremely inefficient. It is more likely that elusive adult stem cells, which exist in tiny numbers along with the mature adult cells, are actually the ones to form clones. This finding tells us that adult cells are not very labile and difficult to clone, which is important for future therapeutic cloning research.

Released: 29-Jan-2002 12:00 AM EST
DNA Arrays Give Clues to Better Vaccines
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists in Richard Young's lab of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research are eavesdropping on the cross talk between invading microbes and the immune cells of our body, using DNA microarrays. They studied the response human macrophages have to a variety of bacteria, and as a result, discovered clues to making safer, more potent vaccines.

26-Oct-2001 12:00 AM EDT
Pathogen-Specific Gene Response in Human Immune Cells Identified
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Using DNA microarray technology, researchers have discovered that a type of human immune cell, known as a dendritic cell, initiates tailor-made immune responses depending on whether a bacteria, virus, or fungus attacks. By measuring gene activity in these cells as they respond to pathogens, researchers hope to gain information about the strengths and vulnerabilities of the microbes and our own immune response to infection.

4-Oct-2001 12:00 AM EDT
Scientists Build Case for Haplotype Map of Human Genome, Find New Gene for Crohn's Disease
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

In companion papers, researchers report findings that set the stage for the next steps in the Human Genome Project--mapping and identifying all the genes that predispose us to common diseases. One study suggests that large segments of the genome may be modular, with genetic variations traveling together as large blocks that come in very few varieties. The other study identifies a common haplotype wherein lies a gene for susceptibility to Crohn's disease.

Released: 29-Sep-2001 12:00 AM EDT
Researchers Build Diagram of Cell Cycle Clock
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

For the first time, researchers have mapped the complete circuit of one of life's most fundamental processes--the cell cycle, which tells cells when to divide. Important in all aspects of life, in all living organisms, dissecting the cell cycle is key to understanding the breakdowns in diseases such as cancer, where cells divide uncontrollably. Mapping the fundamental circuits involved in health and disease is one of the next steps of the Human Genome Project.

Released: 8-Aug-2001 12:00 AM EDT
New Director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Acclaimed molecular biologist Susan L. Lindquist was appointed director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

6-Jul-2001 12:00 AM EDT
Normal-Looking Clones May Be Abnormal
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists have found the first evidence to show that even seemingly normal-looking clones may harbor serious abnormalities in gene expression that may not manifest themselves as outward characteristics. The findings confirm the previous suspicion that reproductive cloning is not only inefficient, but may actually be unsafe.

18-May-2001 12:00 AM EDT
Insights into Evolutionary Origins of Life
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

In some of the strongest evidence yet to support the RNA world--an era in early evolution when life forms depended on RNA--scientists at the Whitehead Institute have created an RNA catalyst, or a ribozyme, that possesses key properties needed to sustain life in such a world.

Released: 11-May-2001 12:00 AM EDT
Scientists Track Down the Roots of Cloning Problems
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

A new study led by the Whitehead Institute traces the origin of two major problems plaguing the field of animal cloning. They report that poor survival rate of clones is influenced by the genetic background of the donor cell, and the gross overgrowth of clones results from the cloning procedure.

Released: 11-May-2001 12:00 AM EDT
New Finding Accelerates Discovery of Disease Genes and Human Population History
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists at the Whitehead Institute have found that SNPs -- the single letter DNA differences that underlie disease susceptibility and individual variation -- in northern Europeans travel together in blocks that are much larger than previously thought. The finding has major implications for mapping disease genes and dissecting human population history.

Released: 11-May-2001 12:00 AM EDT
Stem Cells and Cloning: Medicine and Controversy
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Today's rapid technology advance has raised concerns about its impact on society and environment. To help increase dialogue between scientists at the forefront of biology and senior policy makers throughout government, the Whitehead Institute and the Center for Strategic & International Studies are hosting a series of public forums.

30-Mar-2001 12:00 AM EST
The Masculinization of the X Chromosome
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists have found that nearly half of all genes related to the earliest stages of sperm production reside not on the male sex (Y) chromosome, but on the X chromosome, raising the possibility that infertility due to low sperm production may be X-linked, passed on to sons through their mothers. (Nature Genetics, 4-01)

Released: 29-Mar-2001 12:00 AM EST
Whitehead Press Seminar 2001: New Horizons in the Post-Genome World
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

The Whitehead Institute's sixth annual press seminar, "New Horizons in the Post-Genome World," will clue you in to the ones you should be watching.

3-Mar-2001 12:00 AM EST
First Animal Model of Rett Syndrome Created
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers from the Whitehead Institute have created the long-awaited animal model for Rett syndrome, one of the most common causes of mental retardation in females. The transgenic mouse model sheds light on the underlying mechanism of the disease. (Nature Genetics, 3-01)

Released: 6-Feb-2001 12:00 AM EST
Weight-Loss Compound that Doesn't Affect Food Intake
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have found a new compound that controls weight gain in obese mice without affecting their food intake. The compound, administered in daily low doses, caused profound and sustained weight loss in chubby mice eating a cafeteria dietómeals high in fat and sugar and available in unlimited quantities. (Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, 2-01)

2-Feb-2001 12:00 AM EST
Dangerous Beauty: Fungal Flowers Offer Clues to Biofilm Formation on Medical Implants
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

A florid fungus can be a dangerous beauty, able to coat medical implants with thin films causing complications and even death in patients with medical implants. Researchers have found a gene that allows fungi to stick to plastic surfaces and form thin coatings called biofilms. (Science, 2-2-01)

2-Feb-2001 12:00 AM EST
Dangerous Beauty: Fungal Flowers, Biofilm Formation
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

A florid fungus can be a dangerous beauty, able to coat medical implants with thin films causing complications in patients with medical implants. Researchers have found a gene that allows fungi to stick to plastic surfaces and form thin coatings called biofilms. (Science, 2-01)

12-Jan-2001 12:00 AM EST
Scientists Discover Potent Protein that Prevents HIV Infection
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

In a promising advance in the war against AIDS, scientists have designed a potent, new protein that can prevent HIV infection by blocking its entry into human cells. The protein could therefore serve as the basis for a new class of broad-spectrum, injectible drugs against HIV. (ScienceExpress, 1-11-01)

22-Dec-2000 12:00 AM EST
DNA Arrays Decipher Genome's Master Switches
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers at Whitehead Institute and Corning Inc. have invented a powerful new microarray technique that can decipher the function of master switches in a cell by identifying the set of genes they control. The technique allows researchers to unravel in a week what takes years to achieve by conventional methods. (Science, 12-22-00)

24-Nov-2000 12:00 AM EST
Turning Back the Developmental Clock
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers from the Whitehead Institute and the University of Hawaii provide the first molecular evidence for the egg's ability to reprogram an adult cell back to its embryonic state showing X-inactivation in clones is similar to normal development. (Science, 11-24-00)

30-Jun-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Fruit Fly Model, How Mosquitoes Carry Malaria
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists have found a way to turn a fruit fly into a surrogate mosquito, able to carry malaria and infect chickens with the deadly disease. Their approach may pave the way for better anti-malarial, transmission-blocking vaccines, and engineered mosquitoes that are resistant to malaria (Science, 6-30-00).

29-Oct-1999 12:00 AM EDT
Tracing the Evolution of Sex Chromosomes
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

New research at the Whitehead Institute sheds light on how sex chromosomes evolved from an ordinary pair of autosomes. In a study published in Friday's Science, scientists report that they have reconstructed the stages of sex chromosome evolution and the time course over which these chromosomes were built.

1-Oct-1999 12:00 AM EDT
New Candidate Drugs for Treating HIV Infection
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Whitehead Institute scientists have achieved a major step toward finding a new class of oral drugs to treat HIV infection. They have identified a class of compounds that prevent HIV infection by stopping the virus at its port of entry into the cell.

28-Jul-1999 12:00 AM EDT
Transformation of Normal Human Cells into Cancer Cells
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers led by Dr. Robert A. Weinberg of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have made the first genetically defined human cancer cells, according to a report published in the July 29 issue of Nature. This achievement brings scientists one step closer to understanding the complex process by which human cells become cancerous.

1-Jul-1999 12:00 AM EDT
Transmitting Infertility from Father to Son
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Genetic studies at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have shown that some boys will be infertile as adults because they have inherited a genetic defect from their fathers through a commonly used method of assisted reproduction known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Released: 24-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
Demystifying Cancer Symposium
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

To help people decipher the bewildering maze of cancer information on the World Wide Web and to empower patients and families to work as effective partners with their health care providers, four Boston-based organizations are offering a unique two-day program called "Demystifying Cancer." This program will take place at Boston's Museum of Science on Friday and Saturday, April 9 and 1.

Released: 16-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
Grant from National Human Genome Research Institute
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Medical Research will receive approximately $35 million from the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, to participate in the first year of the definitive, full-scale effort to sequence the human gen

Released: 10-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
Building High-Speed Sequencing Machines
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research has received a three-year, $7 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute to develop chip- based genome sequencing machines that can sequence 7 million DNA letters per day, or 2 billion letters per year.

Released: 10-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
New Gene, Understanding How the Body Grows
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Genetics Institute, Inc. have identified a new gene called derriere that plays a key role in the development of the frog embryo from the neck down, including the neural tube and the muscles flanking the spinal cord.

Released: 16-Sep-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Existence of Ancient RNA World
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Research over the past 15 years, including studies at the Whitehead Institute, has been lending credence to the notion of a so-called "RNA world," an era in early evolution when all life forms were based on RNA.

Released: 3-Sep-1998 12:00 AM EDT
DNA Methylation and Stability of DNA
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have established for the first time that DNA methylation, a chemical process by which cells alter how genes are read without changing the basic text, may also be responsible for maintaining the integrity of the genome

23-Jul-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Putting Down Your Roots: How Plants Know To Do It
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

A new study of root growth in a tiny weed called Arabidopsis thaliana suggests that genetics could help scientists save valuable time and money in developing better herbicides for the future.

Released: 5-Jun-1998 12:00 AM EDT
Whitehead Holds Press Seminar on Brain and Psyche
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Researcher will hold its third annual press seminar, ìBrain and Psyche: The Neurobiology of the Self,î June 11 and 12, 1998. The event is being co-sponsored by the Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital.

Released: 19-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
The Human Genome Project: Science, Law, and Social Change in the 21st Century
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

More than 300 physicians, nurses, lawyers, scientists, ethicists, consumers, and journalists will gather in Cambridge, Mass., for a conference on the medical, legal, and social impact of new genetic technologies. The conference is sponsored by the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, and the George Washington University Medical Center.

Released: 24-Nov-1997 12:00 AM EST
Recombinant Protein Immunizes Mice, Promises New Strategy Against Infection and Cancer
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Solving a long-standing problem in vaccine development, scientists have crafted a new way to deliver foreign proteins into the body such that the immune system is primed to attack virus-infected cells and cancer cells. Because this kind of an immune response is key to vaccine development, the findings have profound implications for developing safe vaccines to immunize against AIDS and other infectious diseases, and for creating new cancer therapies.

23-Oct-1997 12:00 AM EDT
New Picture Of Y Chromosome as a Safe Haven for Male Fertility Genes
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

New research reverses the unflattering picture of the Y chromosome and reveals it as a crucial player in the evolution of sex chromosomes and also as a safe haven for male fertility genes.

Released: 23-Oct-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Whitehead Symposium 1997 Tackles Infectious Disease --A Press Invitation
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

At the fifteenth annual Whitehead Symposium, nearly two dozen of the world's leading experts on infectious diseases will join keynote speakers Dr. Clarence J. Peters of the Centers for Disease Control and Dr. Stanley Falkow of Stanford University School of Medicine to discuss the state of the knowledge in this field and report the latest results from their laboratories.

12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
First Images of Key Viral Protein Could Lead to New Strategies for Human Gene Therapy
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

New images of an L-shaped molecule on the surface of a mouse leukemia virus could help scientists realize the promise of human gene therapyãthe effort to cure disease by inserting genes directly into human cells. The images, published in the September 12 issue of Science, show the crystal structure of a piece of the virusπs envelope proteinãthe piece required to recognize and bind to receptors on the surface of a mammalian cell.

5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Discovery of Genetic Pathways May Provide New Ways to Combat Candida Infections
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

A new study has uncovered the genetic wiring diagram underlying the infectiousness of Candida albicans, a fungus that causes thrush in babies, vaginal infections in women, and life-threatening infections in chemotherapy and AIDS patients. The study, led by Dr. Gerald R. Fink, Director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, reveals that one key to Candidaís infectiousness lies in its ability to switch from a rounded form to filamentous forms. When the wiring diagram underlying this switch is inactivated, Candida infections are no longer deadly in mice.

Released: 14-Aug-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Newly Discovered Human Protein Provides Important Target for Cancer Therapy
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have isolated and cloned the gene for the long-sought catalytic subunit of human telomerase, a molecule believed to play a major role in the transition from normal to cancerous growth.


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