Archive for April, 2006
Tangled Bank #52
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006The 52nd edition of The Tangled Bank, a collection of links to the science blogosphere’s choice pieces over the past two weeks, is now available at The Inoculated Mind. Among the highlights is a post covering some of the genetic diagnostics tests that are available today, the tendency of people to use genetics as [...]
Scientists in Training: The Experience Dilemma
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006I happened to be browsing the science blogosphere and came across a couple of interesting commentaries from Sandra Porter at Discovering Biology in a Digital World about the lack of opportunities for high school and college students to gain real world experience in the realm of biotechnology and lab research.
While I am in strong agreement [...]
QIAGEN Offers Kit for Epigenetics Researchers
Tuesday, April 25th, 2006QIAGEN has introduced a new kit that offers a complete solution for bisulfite conversion of DNA. The assay is routinely used in epigenetics research because the labelling process discriminates between cytosines that are methylated and those that are unmethylated. The new kit promises “high yields of completely converted, high-molecular-weight DNA…in less than six hours.” Link
Methylation “suburbs” implicated in colorectal cancer
Monday, April 24th, 2006Nature Genetics has published ahead of print a research article providing new insight into the role that epigenetics plays in the aetiology of colorectal cancer. A research group led by Dr. Susan J. Clark of Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia have correlated the global gene suppression of chromosome 2q.14.2, spanning four Mb, [...]
The History of Epigenetics Explored
Saturday, April 15th, 2006The second issue of the Journal of Epigenetics is now (partially) available online, with free online access to this new journal through the end of 2006. The issue contains an informative historical overview of the field of epigenetics, beginning with the coinage of the term “epigenetics” by Conrad Waddington to help merge the fields [...]
Tangled Bank Offers Latest Science Writing
Wednesday, April 12th, 2006Tangled Bank is a collection of writing from the past two weeks covering the most interesting and thought-provoking science writing around the Web. The 51st edition of Tangled Bank is now available at Discovering Biology in a Digital World.
The collection includes a number of links that may be of interest to Epigenetics News readers, [...]
Protein Plays Role in Hemoglobin Gene Silencing
Tuesday, April 11th, 2006Researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have identiifed the role of a protein, MBD2, that mediates silencing of the fetal gamma-globin gene through DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism.
The study employed a transgenic mouse model containing the human hemoglobin gene locus to show that MBD2 interprets the DNA methylation “signal” throughout the [...]
Biotech’s Most Important Ethical Concerns
Sunday, April 9th, 2006There is an interesting post from Sandra Porter at Discovering Biology in a Digital World about the disparity between the top “ethical issues” cited by biotechnology companies today, and the topics that are routinely covered in bioethics courses at colleges around the country. Link
Why Epigenetics News?
Sunday, April 9th, 2006From the moment that I let slip to other members of the lab that I had started a blog about epigenetics, the inevitable questions were, “Why? What’s the point? Who’s going to read it?”
Well, I’m going to answer those questions for everyone to read.
While I’ve only really been involved in research for a [...]
Science Writing Contest from Seed
Sunday, April 9th, 2006Seed Magazine is hosting a Science Writing Contest, open to U.S. residents, that calls for an essay of no more than 2,000 words on the following topic:
Amidst emerging competitive threats from abroad (China and India in particular) and heated debates over intelligent design, stem cells and climate change: What is the future of science in [...]
Predicting Recurrence of Prostate Cancer
Wednesday, April 5th, 2006A new study shows that a test checking for hypermethylation of a single gene can predict recurrence of prostate cancer in patients who have had their glands surgically removed. Epigenomics AG announced today that in a clinical study of 605 prostate cancer patients, those patients who tested positive for hypermethylation of the PITX2 gene [...]
Methylation marker for colorectal cancer detection
Monday, April 3rd, 2006New data shows that colorectal cancer can be detected early by a free-floating blood test looking for a methylated version of the septin 9 gene. Molecular genomics company Epigonomics AG announced that it has completed a set of studies showing that “presence of the methylated form of DNA encoding the so-called Septin 9 gene [...]
Thanks for checking us out
Sunday, April 2nd, 2006I would like to thank Razib and the readers of his great blog Gene Expression for checking out this very new blog offering news and information in the field of epigenetics. Please keep an eye out in the upcoming weeks as additional information and resources on epigenetics is being developed.
Update: Also thank you to [...]
Epigenomics Seeking Scientist in Seattle
Sunday, April 2nd, 2006Germany-based Epigenomics AG, which is at the forefront of developing assays for studying and diagnosing the link between epigenetic factors and disease, is looking for a qualified scientist for clinical assay development in its screening group in Seattle, WA.
