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...
Tag: <span>Gene</span>
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A missing gene makes a big difference in patients’ recovery from mild stroke
Brain tissue reveals scar formation (at left) and inflammation (on right) in mice after stroke. Bottom images show less scarring and inflammation (in red) in animals treated with the drug maraviroc, which blocks the CCR5 gene. Credit: UCLA/Carmichael lab More than 6 million Americans live with disabilities following a stroke. Even mild strokes can leave...
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Yale-led team finds missing-in-action MS genes
New Haven, Conn. — An international collaboration led by scientists at Yale has cracked a tough nut in multiple sclerosis: Where are all the genes? Previous work by the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium (IMSGC) has identified 233 genetic risk variants. However, these only account for about 20% of overall disease risk, with the remaining genetic culprits proving elusive. To...
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The genomic crash: researchers could reclassify over 4000 genes as non
A new study suggests that 20% of the previously accepted human genome has been misinterpreted and actually consists of non-coding DNA. Recent research led by Michael Tress of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (Madrid, Spain), has discovered that up to 4234 genes previously characterized as exons, could actually consist of non-coding DNA. The research,...
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Clinical gene discovery program solves 30 medical mysteries
Brigham Genomic Medicine brings together scientists and clinicians to diagnose, discover genetic underpinnings of disease and shape treatment BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPITAL Boston, MA (September 17, 2018) A table in a recently published paper tells the story of 30 families who have, sometimes after years of searching, finally received an answer about the condition that...
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One in five human genes are not ‘real’
New research could change the face of biomedicine; the human genome is found to contain far fewer “real,” or protein-encoding, genes than it was previously believed. Our DNA may contain far fewer ‘real’ genes than we initially thought. In the early 1990s, scientists set out to map the entire DNA sequence of the human genome. The so-called Human...
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Researchers assemble ‘library of sugars’
UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN THE FACULTY OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES Most of us tend to think of sugar as a temptation that threatens our health. The reality is, however, that sugar is an essential component of the human body; it covers the surface of our cells and proteins and tunes the behavior and function of...
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New gene editing approach for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency shows promise
A new study by scientists at UMass Medical School shows that using a technique called “nuclease-free” gene editing to correct cells with the mutation that causes a rare liver disease leads to repopulation of the diseased liver with healthy cells. Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is an inherited disease that causes liver and lung damage; the Mueller...
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Compound discovered that targets cancer cells lacking the protective p53 ‘guardian gene’
Developed and tested at the University of Huddersfield, the compound, containing ruthenium, is attracted to the vulnerable cancer cells, whilst leaving healthy cells untouched UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD A NEW chemical compound with the potential to destroy hard-to-treat cancer cells has been developed and tested by scientists at the University of Huddersfield. Also, the compound causes...
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Genes drive aging, making normal processes damaging
Ageing in worms mainly results from the direct action of genes and not from random wear and tear or loss of function, and the same is likely to be true in humans, according to research by UCL, Lancaster University and Queen Mary University of London scientists. IMAGE: THE DETERIORATIVE PART OF AGEING, CALLED ‘SENESCENCE’, IS THE...