Department of Biomedical Genetics

Controversial Cancer Stem Cells Offer New Direction for Treatment

June 25, 2009 A University of Rochester Medical Center researcher sorts out the controversy and promise around a dangerous subtype of cancer cells, known as cancer stem cells. more...

Protein Regulates Movement of Mitochondria in Brain Cells

June 15, 2009 Scientists have identified a protein in the brain that plays a key role in the function of mitochondria – the part of the cell that supplies energy, supports cellular activity, and potentially wards off threats from disease. The discovery, which was reported today in the Journal of Cell Biology, may shed new light on how the brain recovers from stroke. more...

URMC Scientists Awarded $6.8 Million in Stem Cell Research Grants

March 18, 2009 Ten scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) have been awarded more than $6.8 million by the Empire State Stem Cell Board.The grants are for a wide range of research programs in the fields of neurological disorders, cancer, musculoskeletal diseases, the blood system, and efforts to understand the fundamental mechanics of stem cell biology. more...

Scientists Discover Why Teeth Form in a Single Row

A system of opposing genetic forces determines why mammals develop a single row of teeth, while sharks sport several, according to a study published February 26, 2009 in the journal Science. When completely understood, the genetic program described in the study may help guide efforts to re-grow missing teeth and prevent cleft palate, one of the most common birth defects. more...

Study of Placenta Unexpectedly Leads to Cancer Gene

University of Rochester Medical Center scientists discovered a gene mutation that impairs the placenta and also is influential in cancer development, according to a study published online December 16, 2008, in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology. more...

Fruit Flies All Aglow Light the Way to Cancer Prevention

A green glow from a fruit fly is giving researchers the green light when they are on the right path in their quest to develop compounds that help prevent cancer. more...

$2.7M Boosts Effort to Create the Big View of Cancer

Many scientists like to discuss how each form of cancer is a distinct disease with its own causes and its own treatments. But researcher Hartmut “Hucky” Land, Ph.D., takes the opposite approach: He is hunting for the most basic rules that all cancers share to make good cells go bad. more...

Researchers Find Roadmap to Next-Generation Cancer Therapies

Pinpointing new targets for cancer treatments is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack, yet a University of Rochester team has discovered an entire novel class of genes they believe will lead to a greater understanding of cancer cell function and the next generation of effective and less harmful therapies for patients. more...

If You Think Cancer Genes Are Simple, You Don't Know JAK

Cancer-causing genes can work in more powerful and sneaky ways than has been realized. Scientists have shown that a gene named JAK that is closely related to a common cancer-causing gene in people tips the scales toward cancer in an unexpected manner. JAK disrupts the activity of an organism’s DNA on a broad scale, thwarting a critical molecular event very early on in an embryo’s development. more...

 

 

 


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Department of Biomedical Genetics
University of Rochester
Box 633
601 Elmwood Ave.
Rochester, NY 14642

Main Office: MRB 2-9633
585-273-1441
Katie Scoville