news archive February 2004

• Lexicon Genetics Broadens Patent Portfolio with New Patent on Gene Targeting
  The patented technology encompasses a variety of methods of selecting desired genetic manipulations made by gene targeting, and specifically includes methods that are sometimes referred to as “positive-positive” selection.
  
• Researchers Gain Better Understanding of Mechanisms Compensating for Gene Dosage Differences Between Sexes
  Researchers have achieved new insights into how the global control of all genes on a single chromosome can be established and maintained throughout the lifetime of an organism.
  
• Study may improve gene therapy safety
  Viruses genetically engineered for use as delivery vehicles for transferring therapeutic genes into the body may alone influence gene expression, or which genes are turned on.
  

• A Promising Target For Heart Failure Treatment
  Scientists report a new strategy to treat heart disease by inhibiting the enzyme protein kinase C-alpha (PKC-alpha).
  
• DNA Vaccines From Polymer Time-Bombs
  These microparticles could be developed into more complex systems capable of multiple delivery at predefined times, and their use would be particularly advantageous in developing countries where safe injection practices are problematic.
  
• Influenza Virus Enhances Asthma
  Prior exposure to virus enhanced, rather than suppressed, allergy.
  
• Using The Human Genome To Design Drugs
  This discovery means that enormous numbers of chemical compounds can now be tested for their biological effects, using a single, largely automated technique.
  
• Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke Tied To Inflammation Gene
  Researchers report the identification of the first gene associated with a higher risk of both heart attacks and strokes, the diseases that result in the death of most people in developed countries.
  
• Immortalizing Cells For Brain And Spinal Cord Repair
  Such 'designer lines' of neuronal progenitor cells could be of great value in a wide variety of neurological diseases.
  
• Mouse Cloning Achievement
  Researchers have produced a new type of cloned mouse, using DNA from a mature olfactory neuron - a nerve cell involved in processing smell.
  
• Gene For Rare Vascular Disorder Identified
  Researchers have identified a gene that helps to regulate blood vessel growth. Mutations in the gene may contribute to the rare vascular disorder Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS).
  
• Mice Make Fish Oils For Healthy Hearts
  A worm gene engineered into mice enables them to produce omega-3 oils, compounds known to help prevent heart disease in humans.
  
• Understanding Vitamin K
  Researchers have discovered a key component of vitamin K metabolism.
  

• Protein ID Mapping Service Available
  Ariadne Genomics, Inc., today announced the availability of Protein ID Mapping, enabling biology researchers from academia and pharmaceutical industry to map protein IDs from one database source or microarray platform to another.
  
• Researchers Identify New Cause of Insulin Resistance
  Researchers have tracked the cause of insulin resistance in the offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes to abnormalities in their mitochondria.
  
• MIT team discovers memory mechanism
  MIT neuroscientists have discovered a new brain mechanism controlling the formation of lasting memories.
  
• Human Embryonic Stem Cells May Promise Medical Advances
  For the first time, researchers have reported the development of versatile "pluripotent" human embryonic stem cells, potentially capable of becoming any cell in the body, from a cloned human blastocyst.
  
• Yeast's Variety Show
  New research into a family of cell wall proteins shows how yeast can present a variety of "faces" to its environment.
  

• Bringing Nerve Cells Together
  The initial formation of the synaptic connections that enable neurons to communicate with each other is a complex process, with newly formed synapses helping to direct how a dendrite will grow.
  
• Anti-Obesity Drugs Could Increase Risk Of Colorectal Cancer
  Compounds being developed into drugs to treat atherosclerosis and obesity may put patients at risk for colorectal cancer.
  
• Tumor Treatment Blocks Blood Vessels
  Scientists highlight the effects of bevacizumab (Avastin), an antibody that inactivates VEGF, on blood vessels in rectal tumors.
  
• Cerebral Malaria Often Misdiagnosed
  The findings in this study will be important for correctly identifying cerebral malaria patients for future clinical trials and have new implications for diagnosing cerebral malaria.
  
• Protecting Baby
  A systemic change occurs in the immune systems of pregnant women that lessens the possibility of fetal rejection as well as other potentially harmful autoimmune reactions.
  
• Down Syndrome Gene Helps Brain Cells Connect
  Every one of the trillion cells in the brain may have a unique identity, assigned by a gene called Dscam, and the same gene in humans has been implicated in Down syndrome.
  
• Complete Picture Of A Human Immune Pathway
  This snapshot of the hundreds of interactions involved provides the most complete and realistic picture to date of how this regulatory system functions, and identifies many potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
  
• Maternal Diet Affects Offspring Longevity In Mice
  This finding may have implications for pregnant and breast-feeding human mothers.
  

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