NIH researchers tackle thorny side of gene therapy
National Institutes of Health researchers have uncovered a key factor in understanding the elevated cancer risk associated with gene therapy. They conducted research on mice with a rare disease similar to one in humans, hoping their findings may eventually help improve gene therapy for humans. Researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of NIH, published their research in the Jan. 20, 2015, online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - January 20, 2014 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
NIH grants aim to decipher the language of gene regulation
The National Institutes of Health has awarded grants of more than $28 million aimed at deciphering the language of how and when genes are turned on and off. These awards emanate from the recently launched Genomics of Gene Regulation (GGR) program of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of NIH. (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - January 5, 2014 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
NIH awards $17 million in grants to augment genomics research in Africa
The National Institutes of Health has awarded 10 new grants totaling up to $17 million over the next four years to support genomics research in Africa, as part of the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) program. This set of grants is the second disbursement of H3Africa awards and brings the total amount of funding since the 2010 launch of the program to about $74 million. (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - September 30, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
Media Availability: NIH Launches First Phase of Microbiome Cloud Project
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched the first phase of the Microbiome Cloud Project (MCP), a collaboration with Amazon Web Services that aims to improve access to and analysis of data from the Human Microbiome Project (HMP). (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - September 27, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
New NIH-funded resource focuses on use of genomic variants in medical care
Three grants totaling more than $25 million over four years will help three research groups to develop authoritative information on the millions of genomic variants relevant to human disease and the hundreds that are expected to be useful for clinical practice. The awards are from the National Institutes of Health. (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - September 25, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
New NIH grants to investigate disease-related variations in genetic makeup
Five research teams have received new four-year awards to study the genomics of disease susceptibility in ethnically diverse populations. The projects aim to unravel the subtle variations in genetic makeup among groups - including African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics and more - that may account for differences in risks for conditions such as high blood pressure and high blood lipids, in addition to common diseases such as cancer and heart disease. These research teams are receiving support - more than $3.8 million in fiscal year 2013, and nearly $14 million over four years, based on the availability of funds - thr...
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - September 6, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
New NIH awards focus on nanopore technology for DNA sequencing
The use of nanopore technology aimed at more accurate and efficient DNA sequencing is the main focus of grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The grants - nearly $17 million to eight research teams - are the latest awarded through the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)'s Advanced DNA Sequencing Technology program, which was launched in 2004. NHGRI is part of NIH. (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - September 6, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
NIH program explores the use of genomic sequencing in newborn healthcare
Can sequencing of newborns' genomes provide useful medical information beyond what current newborn screening already provides? Pilot projects to examine this important question are being funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), both parts of the National Institutes of Health. Awards of $5 million to four grantees have been made in fiscal year 2013 under the Genomic Sequencing and Newborn Screening Disorders research program. The program will be funded at $25 million over five years, as funds are made avail...
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - August 31, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
NIH researchers identify therapy that may curb kidney deterioration in patients with rare disorder
A team led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health has overcome a major biological hurdle in an effort to find improved treatments for patients with a rare disease called methylmalonic acidemia (MMA). Using genetically engineered mice created for their studies, the team identified a set of biomarkers of kidney damage — a hallmark of the disorder — and demonstrated that antioxidant therapy protected kidney function in the mice. (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - July 29, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
NIH funds new grants exploring use of genome sequencing in patient care
The National Institutes of Health has awarded four grants for up to four years to multidisciplinary research teams to explore the use of genome sequencing in medical care. The awards total approximately $6.7 million in the first year and, if funding remains available, approximately $27 million in total. (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - July 23, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
Kidney cancer progression linked to shifts in tumor metabolism
Investigators in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network have uncovered a connection between how tumor cells use energy from metabolic processes and the aggressiveness of the most common form of kidney cancer, clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Their findings demonstrate that normal metabolism is altered in ccRCC tumor cells, and involves a shift from using one metabolic pathway to another. This change - termed a metabolic shift - correlates with tumor stage and severity in some cases. (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - June 23, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
New exhibition makes genome accessible to public
The Smithsonian Institution's first state-of-the-art exhibition about genome science, Genome: Unlocking Life's Code, opens Friday, June 14, 2013, at the National Museum of Natural History in partnership with the National Human Genome Research Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health. The exhibition examines the complexities of the genome - the complete set of genetic or hereditary material of a living organism - and chronicles the remarkable breakthroughs that have taken place since the completion of the Human Genome Project a decade ago. (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - June 13, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
NIH researchers conduct first genomic survey of human skin fungal diversity
In the first study of human fungal skin diversity, National Institutes of Health researchers sequenced the DNA of fungi at skin sites of healthy adults to define the normal populations across the skin and to provide a framework for investigating fungal skin conditions. The study appears in the May 22, 2013 early online issue of Nature. (Source: NHGRI Press Releases)
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - May 22, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
Study establishes basis for genomic classification of endometrial cancers
A comprehensive genomic analysis of nearly 400 endometrial tumors suggests that certain molecular characteristics - such as the frequency of mutations - could complement current pathology methods and help distinguish between principal types of endometrial tumors, as well as provide insights into potential treatment strategies. The findings represent the most comprehensive characterization of the molecular alterations in endometrial cancers available to date. They were published May 2, 2013, in the journal Nature. TCGA is funded and managed by the National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute, b...
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - May 1, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
TCGA researchers identify potential drug targets, markers for leukemia risk
Investigators for The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network have detailed and broadly classified the genomic alterations that frequently underlie the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a deadly cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Their work paints a picture of a cancer marked by relatively few mutations compared to other types of cancer occurring in adults. The findings�- which appeared online May 1, 2013�- in the New England Journal of Medicine set the stage for identifying potential new drug targets and treatment strategies for AML. They may also offer better guidance for predicting the severity of d...
Source: NHGRI Press Releases - May 1, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news
