Polycomb-based gene silencing is a central chromatin-based mechanism for shutting off genes during cell fate decisions in development. The authors looked at the functions of regulatory elements controlling a developmental gene for wings in Drosophila, and how Polycomb controls its expression. They found that Polycomb works to activate this gene, which had been suspected but not confirmed from other studies.
If the world were to experience a replay of the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people, it could very likely involve a jump of ever-evolving avian flu strains from wild birds to domestic poultry to humans. Despite studies suggesting that just a few mutations in the genes of the bird flu virus could generate a new…
It might seem like a strange thing to hear, but if you have to have breast cancer, researchers say now is a good time. Science is making major strides treating the disease, but for that to keep happening, doctors say more patients need to step up and help. Teri Pollastro knows the importance of clinical trials to treat breast cancer.…
If you want to know what’s going on in your gut microbiome, the community of bacteria in our intestines that are tied to overall health, there are plenty of companies willing to help. You just have to pay them — and send in a poop sample. But it turns out that bottling feces isn’t the only way to gain insights…
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) and Leica Microsystems, Inc. have combined efforts to establish the Leica Microsystems Center of Excellence at Fred Hutch. The new Center will support a mission to drive new discoveries and insights from scientific research performed using the imaging systems. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) and Leica Microsystems, Inc. have combined efforts to establish the…
Type 1 Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the immune system attacks and kills the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas, known as beta-cells. People living with Type 1 Diabetes require daily injections of insulin to survive and are at risk of both life-threatening hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and lifelong cardiovascular and neurological health complications that include increased…
This publication made a key discovery about the structural and functional characteristics of T cells that cross-recognize HLA-DQ8 and HLA-DQ8 transdimer in complex with epitopes derived from important islet antigens. It also uncovered a molecular and functional paradigm whereby disease risk may be altered primarily by increased T cell promiscuity driven by disease-predisposing HLAIIs. The reported mechanism is distinct from selective presentation of autoimmune peptides or altered T cell repertoires by HLAIIs as the primary drivers of autoimmune pathology.
Dr. Cameron Turtle, a hematology oncologist and pioneering researcher into CAR T-cell therapy, is the inaugural recipient of the Anderson Family Endowed Chair for Immunotherapy at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Ric and Kaylene Anderson and their three children presented the chair to Turtle Aug. 28 during a luncheon at Fred Hutch. “My wife and I have proudly supported the…
Buoyed by a show of support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, more than 150 of the world’s leading experts in the use of gene therapy to cure HIV gathered in Seattle last week to vet their research and advance a bold idea: to make these potentially curative therapies low-cost and accessible to patients everywhere. Hosted by Fred Hutchinson…
The authors studied different new mouse models that have mitochondrial dysfunction only in specific groups of neurons. Using a combination of molecular, genetic, and physiological approaches, they have identified that glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons are the ones involved in the progression of the disease. In particular, glutamatergic neurons in the brainstem are responsible for the motor and respiratory alterations, while GABAergic neurons in the basal ganglia lead to severe epilepsy.
