A team led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health is the first to systematically survey the landscape of the melanoma genome, the DNA code of the deadliest form of skin cancer. The researchers have made surprising new discoveries using whole-exome sequencing, an approach that decodes the 1-2 percent of the genome that contains protein-coding genes. The study appears in the April 15, 2011, early online issue of Nature Genetics.

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  1. Discovered gene causes Kabuki syndrome Using a new, rapid and less expensive DNA sequencing strategy, scientists have discovered genetic alterations that account for most cases of Kabuki syndrome, a rare disorder that causes multiple birth defects and mental retardation. Instead of sequencing the entire human genome, the new approach sequences just the exome, the 1-2 percent of the human genome […]...
  2. The Cancer Genome Atlas completes detailed ovarian cancer analysis An analysis of genomic changes in ovarian cancer has provided the most comprehensive and integrated view of cancer genes for any cancer type to date. Ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tumors from 500 patients were examined by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network and analyses are reported in the June 30, 2011, issue of Nature. MedicareCard.com […]...
  3. NHGRI funds development of revolutionary DNA sequencing technologies Researchers today received more than $14 million in grants to develop DNA sequencing technologies that will rapidly sequence a person’s genome for $1000 or less. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded the grants to enable the everyday use of DNA sequencing technologies by biomedical researchers and […]...
  4. Researchers extend use of gene therapy to treat a soft tissue tumor Researchers extend use of gene therapy to treat a soft tissue tumor...
  5. Researchers identify gene variant in Proteus syndrome A team of researchers has identified the genetic mutation that causes Proteus syndrome, a rare disorder in which tissue and bone grows massively out of proportion. The discovery, which has implications for potential drug therapies and even cancer, appears in the July 27, 2011, early online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The […]...
  6. National Cancer Control Month The chances of developing some form of cancer during your lifetime are high, but there are actions you can take to try to protect your health, including cancer screening, not smoking, engaging in physical activity, and eating healthy foods....
  7. NIH researchers link rare cancer to cell oxygen deficiency Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered that a rare cancer of the digestive tract is linked to a shutdown in an enzyme that helps supply oxygen to cells....
  8. The Most Common Form of Brain Cancer in Adults The most common form of malignant brain cancer in adults, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), has 4 distinct molecular subtypes, according to a new study. The finding may lead to more personalized approaches to treating GBM patients....
  9. Level of tumor protein indicates chances cancer will spread Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Hong Kong have discovered that high levels of a particular protein in cancer cells are a reliable indicator that a cancer will spread....
  10. Researchers design a light therapy that targets and destroys cancer cells in mice Researchers have designed a light-based therapy that allows the selective destruction of tumor cells in mice without harming surrounding normal tissue. This method of cancer therapy could theoretically work against tumors in humans, such as those of the breast, lung, prostate, as well as cancer cells in the blood such as leukemias, say scientists from […]...
  11. Medicare Card, Scientists Identify Markers, Human Breast Cancer Cells, Linked to Development of an Aggressive, But Less Common Form of Breast Cancer Scientists have identified a group of surface markers on cells linked to an aggressive type of breast cancer called estrogen receptor-negative cancer. In this preliminary study, estrogen-negative breast cancer developed when three markers, CD44+, CD49fhi, and CD133hi were present simultaneously on the surface of human cells taken from breast cancer patients and transplanted into a […]...
  12. Medicare Health Checkups – Comparing Models that Assess Breast Cancer Risk A new study found that models for assessing breast cancer risk perform only slightly better when they include common inherited genetic variants recently linked to the disease. For now, recommendations for breast cancer screening or treatments that are based on such models will remain unchanged for most women....
  13. Women exposed to DES in the womb face increased cancer risk A large study of the daughters of women who had been given DES, the first synthetic form of estrogen, during pregnancy has found that exposure to the drug while in the womb (in utero) is associated with many reproductive problems and an increased risk of certain cancers and pre-cancerous conditions. The results of this analysis, […]...
  14. Medicare, NIH scientists identify possible gene target for treating a form of lymphoma Researchers have identified a mutation in a gene that could lead to targeted therapies for certain lymphoma patients whose cure rates are currently poor. Mutation of the MYD88 gene was found to be one of the most frequent genetic abnormalities in a form of cancer known as diffuse large B cell lymphoma. MYD88 encodes a […]...
  15. Medicare Blog, New Study Implicates Healthcare Utilization Rates, More than Biology, in Colorectal Cancer Disparities Higher rates of colorectal cancer incidence and mortality experienced by African-Americans may be driven largely by differences in health care utilization, and less by biology, according to a new study led by researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health....