Daily Archives: January 28, 2015

People who carry a gene variation associated with longevity have better brain cognition and are more resilient to aging, new research has found, paving the way for future treatments for brain aging and disease.

Using whole-brain analysis of healthy older adults, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found that those who had the gene variation, a single copy of the KLOTHO allele, called KL-VS, had larger volumes in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) of their brains and therefore slightly better cognitive function.

KL-VS codes for a protein, called klotho, that circulates in the body and is present throughout the animal kingdom. Its long been known that klotho, which is produced in the kidneys and brain, regulates aging.

The rDLPFC region, which interacts with many other brain regions, is most known for its role in executive function, higher-level cognitive skills used to control and coordinate cognitive abilities and behaviors, such as attention, working memory, and decision-making.

This type of cognition is really important in sophisticated and very simple types of thinking, first author Jennifer Yokoyama, an assistant professor of neurology at UCSF told FoxNews.com.

The rDLPFC is very vulnerable to aging and tends to get smaller, leading to lower cognition, Yokoyama added.

What our data means in the bigger picture is that people who carry the genetic code, one in five people, that confers a decade of resilience against expected decline in executive function and size of that region, senior author Dr. Dena Dubal, an assistant professor of neurology at UCSF, told FoxNews.com.

The team also found that two copies of KL-VS, about three percent of people, was associated with a shorter lifespan, increased cardiovascular risk, worsened cognitive function, and a smaller rDLPFC.

The findings are one of the first showing the positive effect of a genetic variant on brain aging, researchers said, adding to their previously published research that found that boosting the level of KL-VS in mice lead to longer lifespan and increased brain function. With this understanding, scientists are one step closer to predicting healthy brain aging and treatment for diseases affecting rDLPFC, such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons.

The question we are answering next is what does this mean for [brain] disease and how can this be translated into some kind of therapeutic to help people suffering? Dubal said.

Read more here:
Gene variant associated with better aging, cognitive function, study finds

DUBLIN, January 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/p54ckt/the_market_for) has announced the addition of the "The Market for Personalized Gene Therapy Treatments for Cancer" report to their offering.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769 )

The Market for Personalized Gene Therapy Treatments for Cancer

This report, The Market for Personalized Gene Therapy Treatments For Cancer provides an exhaustive review of the market potential for relatively new approach in cancer research. It involves modification of genes instead of using a surgical method or chemical drug product. Essentially, gene therapies replace an abnormal gene with a normal gene, or changes the response of a gene (turn on or off). Not all of the approaches to gene therapy are the same, and different cancers appear to respond better to different therapies.

Several gene therapy technologies have the ability to work in combination with other treatment options to enhance the effectiveness of a therapeutic regimen. Gene therapy is also designed to target specific cells making treatment much less damaging to healthy cells.

This report discusses those treatments and estimates market size and market potential for personalized medicine using gene therapy. As part of its data offering, the report provides disease incidence, gene therapy product developments and market forecasts for the following types of cancer:

In addition the report provides:

Historically, cancer treatments have been very invasive and detrimental process to the body. However, there are numerous new techniques available for those with cancer that are not as invasive and detrimental to the body as a whole. These treatments range from the severely alternative to the more traditional. Newer alternative treatments are more precise and much less invasive as some of the traditional methods. Gene therapy is the most prominent new form of these alternative treatments. It is being studied as a way to change how a cell functions, for example, by stimulating the cells of the immune system to attack cancer cells.

Companies discussed in this report include those which have registered trials in Phase I through Phase III development and have promising development activities.

Read more from the original source:
The Market for Personalized Gene Therapy Treatments for Cancer