Month: January 2011

Trace amounts of germ-killing molecules predict disease survival

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Investigators at the National Institutes of Health have observed that the survival rate of people with a rare immunodeficiency disease called chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is greatly improved when even very low levels of microbe-killing molecules are present. Because production of these molecules, made by an enzyme called NADPH oxidase, can be predicted from genetic … Read more

Medicare, Scientists reveal how biological activity is regulated in fruit fly and roundworm genomes

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Scientists today published catalogs of the fruit fly and roundworm’s functional genomic elements: DNA sequences in the genome that carry the instructions and determine which genes are turned on and off at various times in different cells.

Medicare, NIH-led study identifies genetic variant that can lead to severe impulsivity

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A multinational research team led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health has found that a genetic variant of a brain receptor molecule may contribute to violently impulsive behavior when people who carry it are under the influence of alcohol. A report of the findings, which include human genetic analyses and gene knockout studies … Read more

Medicare, NIH scientists identify possible gene target for treating a form of lymphoma

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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 … Read more