Archive for June, 2006
« Previous EntriesIf All Scientists Worked Like Dr. Kochi
Thursday, June 29th, 2006An article this week in The New York Times highlighted the work of Dr. Arata Kochi, the Japanese chief of the World Health Organization’s global malaria program.
Dr. Kochi is, by all accounts, exactly the kind of role model that scientists around the world should look up to. He doesn’t soften his stance on combatting the [...]
Epigenomics to Use Affymetrix Platform
Wednesday, June 28th, 2006Epigenomics AG has announced that it will use Affymetrix microarray technology in its in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests for oncology and other indications. The Affymetrix technology, along with Epigenomics’ previously announced alliance with Qiagen for sample preparation, will allow for Epigenomics to provide a “complete platform” for its DNA methylation marker pathology tests.
The first use of [...]
Grand Rounds: The Latest in Medical Blogging
Tuesday, June 27th, 2006Grand Rounds, a medical carnival dedicated to highlighting some of the choice pieces of medicine-related posts from around the blogosphere, has a new edition available at Medviews. This edition includes a number of science-related posts, as well as some great commentary and stories from nurses, doctors, and other frontliners in clinical medicine.
I would like to [...]
Epigenetic Map of Human Chromosomes 6, 20, and 22 Released
Monday, June 26th, 2006Epigenomics AG and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have released new data mapping the epigenetic state of human chromosomes 6, 20, and 22, providing the first tangible product of the Human Epigenome Project (HEP).
The analysis was completed using 43 human samples, and examined the methylation patterns in 12 different tissues. This was done in part [...]
The U.S. Population Cohort Project on Genes, Environment, and Disease, Draft Report: Part I
Monday, June 26th, 2006The U.S. is investigating the viability of a project to study hundreds of thousands of Americans’ DNA, environment, and their susceptibility to disease. A new report provides insights into the controversial issues surrounding this large-scale project.
10 Best Things About Being an Undergraduate Researcher
Monday, June 26th, 20061. You get to do a lot of the work, and get none very little of the credit.
2. There’s no reason to worry about trying to get your papers in “high impact” journals.
3. Living from paycheck to paycheck is always exciting.
4. Undergraduates get to repeatedly run the same assays over and over again.
5. You get [...]
Hypermethylation of WRN Gene Promoter Linked to Human Cancer
Sunday, June 25th, 2006New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that increased methylation of the promoter sequence of the WRN gene is highly correlated with inactivation of the gene in human cancer cell lines.In this manuscript, we demonstrate that WRN undergoes CpG island promoter methylation-associated gene silencing in human cancer cells. The [...]
New Advances in Epigenetics and Cancer
Thursday, June 22nd, 2006Therapeutics Daily provides a summary of several recent research articles published involving new discoveries into the epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to the onset and spread of certain cancers. In one study, researchers report that epigenetically silenced tumor suppressors overcome resistance to apoptosis induction by interferons. The other studies probe for new insights into the [...]
Maternal vs. Paternal Imprinting: A Brief Review
Thursday, June 22nd, 2006The July edition of Nature Reviews Genetics contains a brief article summarizing recent research into the question, “Do mothers and fathers imprint differently?”
The Epigenetics of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Tuesday, June 20th, 2006Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), which is the most common form of lupus, affects one out of every 285 Americans (Lupus Research Institute). Lupus is characterized as an autoimmune disorder, in which the immune system becomes hyperactive and produces antibodies that attack normal tissues and organs, such as the skin, brain, kidney, heart, lungs, and blood. [...]
David Haig Talks Genomic Imprinting
Tuesday, June 20th, 2006David Haig, associate professor of organismic and evolutionary biology at Harvard University, is interviewed in ten questions with Razib at Gene Expression. The interview covers a number of topics on genomic imprinting, as well as the role of epistasis in evolutionary processes, maternally- and paternally-expressed genes, and the potential effects of deleterious mutations on the [...]
New Genetics Carnival: Mendel’s Garden
Monday, June 19th, 2006A new carnival devoted to covering the latest writing in the realm of genetics, Mendel’s Garden, has published its debut edition at The force that through…. Among the myriad of links included is one to a primer on a interference RNA (RNAi), including microRNA (miRNA), that may provide some helpful background information pertaining to the [...]
Links of Interest
Tuesday, June 13th, 2006I’ve come across some interesting posts over the past few days, and thought I would share:
Retrospectacle, written by a PhD candidate in neuroscience at the University of Michigan, has a great primer on how to get into a good graduate school in the sciences. As an undergraduate who is planning to pursue graduate work after [...]
microRNA Inhibits Cancer Gene in Human Cancer Cells
Monday, June 12th, 2006The June edition of Cancer Cell offers new research from Peter A. Jones and colleagues that “demonstrates that agents known to regulate gene expression can also impact regulatory RNAs that may function as tumor suppressors in normal cells and proposes a novel strategy for treating human cancers.”DNA methylation and histone deacetylation are epigenetic processes involved [...]
Endocrine Disruptors and Epigenetics in an Evolutionary Perspective
Monday, June 12th, 2006Evolutionary biologist David Crews and colleague John McLachlan have published an interesting paper in the endocrine disruptor supplement in the June edition of the journal Endocrinology entitled “Epigenetics, Evolution, Endocrine Disruption, Health, and Disease.” The paper takes a closer look at some of the key research findings made in the last year in the area [...]
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