Category: Genetics

Discovery of New Disease May Signal Hope for Patients with Brain-Aging Diseases

Scientists at the University of Sussex in England have discovered a new genetic disease which results in neurodegeneration – the progressive deterioration or death of brain cells. The researchers believe the discovery of this new disease could help increase our understanding of other rare neurodegenerative diseases, and also help develop more targeted treatments for the more common neurodegenerative and brain aging conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s.

Discovery of New Disease May Signal Hope for Patients with Brain-Aging Diseases

Scientists at the University of Sussex in England have discovered a new genetic disease which results in neurodegeneration – the progressive deterioration or death of brain cells. The researchers believe the discovery of this new disease could help increase our understanding of other rare neurodegenerative diseases, and also help develop more targeted treatments for the more common neurodegenerative and brain aging conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s.

Cancer Supportive Care Products Market Worth US $31.7 Billion by 2021

The global cancer supportive care products market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period . Cancer supportive care products are mainly used in the treatment of adverse effects associated with cancer therapy as well as for treatment of symptoms and signs of cancer, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, chemotherapy induced neutropenia and anemia, bone metastasis, hair loss, etc.

Discrimination interacts with certain genetic variants to negatively impact health

It’s no secret that discrimination is stressful for those who experience it, but turns out the issue is more than skin deep – these stressors can interact with our genetics to negatively impact our health, a new University of Florida study shows. Study researchers developed a novel measure of unfair treatment to study the effects of discrimination on health, particularly with respect to racial disparities in complex diseases, which are illnesses resulting from both genetic and environmental factors.

MedUni Vienna scientists show that addictive cravings can be detected after death

A protein known as FosB in the reward centre of the brain alters in chronically ill people suffering from an addictive disorder : it is genetically modified, split off and shortened. This modification under the stimulus of the drug results in the protein being more stable and therefore remaining longer in this part of the brain than in its original form – even as much as several weeks after withdrawal of the drug.

Genetic mutation may increase susceptibility to cytomegalovirus infection

Experimenting with human cells and mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have found that a genetic mutation that alters a protein called NOD1 may increase susceptibility to human cytomegalovirus infection. CMV is a common pathogen that infects almost 60 percent of adults in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , and can lead to devastating developmental defects in fetuses and severe disease in people with weakened immune systems.

Fluorescence In situ Hybridization: Cell-Based Genetic Diagnostic and Research Applications.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization is a macromolecule recognition technology based on the complementary nature of DNA or DNA/RNA double strands. Selected DNA strands incorporated with fluorophore-coupled nucleotides can be used as probes to hybridize onto the complementary sequences in tested cells and tissues and then visualized through a fluorescence microscope or an imaging system.

New Ovarian Cancer Drug Wins Speedy FDA Approval

U.S. health officials have approved a new option for some women battling ovarian cancer: a drug that targets a genetic mutation seen in a subset of hard-to-treat tumors. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the drug, Rubraca, from Clovis Oncology Inc. for women in advanced stages of the disease who have already tried at least two chemotherapy drugs.

Therapy Focus – Immunotherapy Closes In On Triple-Negative Tumors

Celgene admitted as much last week by saying it would not push a promising Abraxane-containing chemotherapy regimen into pivotal trials in this Several studies are already under way, most notably a large first-line phase III trial of Abraxane plus Roche’s anti-PD-L1 antibody Tecentriq. Early data are encouraging, and hopes are high that meaningful survival benefits will emerge in the next couple of years.

This drugmaker is taking an unprecedented approach to getting its cancer treatment approved

As researchers look for new approaches for tough-to-treat cancer, many are looking into genetics – more specifically, they’re looking at the type of genetic mutations found in cancerous tumors. One company in particular, called Loxo Oncology is building drugs that act on those mutations, so that the type of cancer someone has wouldn’t matter so much as the genetic information gleaned from sequencing the tumor.

Landmark Alzheimer’s prevention trial to evaluate third drug

An international team led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has selected a third investigational drug to be tested in a worldwide clinical trial – already underway – aimed at finding treatments to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The third drug is being developed by Janssen Research & Development, LLC, in New Jersey.