GARVAN INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH Developed by researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, this potential diagnostic method screens a cancer sample for ‘fusion genes’, estimated to be linked to one in five cancers, and may provide a more accurate snapshot of rearranged DNA found in cancer. The test could help connect cancer patients with personalised treatments...
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Help may be on the way for people with muscular dystrophy
by Marcia Heroux Pounds “The results look better than we could have imagined,” said Matthew Disney, the Scripps Florida scientist leading the research. The potential drug improved muscle defects with no apparent side effects in tests using mice, Scripps researchers say. Human trials still have to be conducted. The research targets the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults, myotonic dystrophytype 1,...
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A new drug promises to lower risks of asthma attack
by Himanshu Kaul, The Conversation A recent study shows that a gamechanger drug called Fevipiprant promises to lower patients’ risks of suffering an asthma attack and being admitted to a hospital. This is the first time a drug reducing airway smooth muscle mass—a key clinical indicator of disease severity that increases the likelihood of more frequent...
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Can music slow mental decline? Rice researchers aim to find out
Can music therapy slow the progression of degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia while promoting well-being? A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will fund a new lab at Rice University that will explore this possible new inroad in the fight against such disorders. Principal investigator Christopher Fagundes, an...
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Second male birth control pill passes human safety tests
A new male birth control pill passed tests of safety and tolerability when healthy men used it daily for a month, and it produced hormone responses consistent with effective contraception, according to researchers at two institutions testing the drug. The Phase 1 study results were presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in New Orleans. Stephanie Page,...
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Novel DNA repair mechanism maintains human genome
This news or article is intended for readers with certain scientific or professional knowledge in the field. University of Tokyo researchers and their collaborators have demonstrated that a special structure that forms when DNA is damaged helps to restore it. Human cells have a mechanism for recognizing this structure, consisting of DNA and RNA, which promotes accurate...
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Gene transfer improves diabetes-linked heart ailment
VETERANS AFFAIRS RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS Researchers with the VA San Diego Healthcare System and the University of California San Diego have shown that a gene transfer technique can combat heart dysfunction caused by diabetes. Working with mice, the researchers showed that a single injection to promote the expression of the hormone urocortin 2 (UCn2) increased left ventricle function and improved how...
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The case of a woman who feels almost no pain leads scientists to a new gene mutation
By JACQUELYN CORLEY Doctors in Scotland were amazed when a 66-year-old woman underwent what is normally a very painful operation on her hand for severe arthritis and required little to no pain medication afterward. Similarly, two years ago, she was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis in her hip with significant joint degeneration, yet she complained of no...
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Virtual reality could be used to treat autism
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO Playing games in virtual reality (VR) could be a key tool in treating people with neurological disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease. The technology, according to a recent study from the University of Waterloo, could help individuals with these neurological conditions shift their perceptions of time, which their conditions lead...
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U of T Mississauga study identifies ‘master pacemaker’ for biological clocks
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO What makes a biological clock tick? According to a new study from U of T Mississauga, the surprising answer lies with a gene typically associated with stem and cancer cells. In the first study of its kind for the field of circadian biology, UTM researchers used RNA sequencing to observe the expression of genes...