LONDON – The discovery of a gene that is mutated at a very low frequency in a range of cancers could lead to new therapeutic strategies to help treat many different cancers.

LONDON – Physicians will soon attempt to treat patients with liver diseases caused by single-gene defects, by performing highly specific gene therapy on single liver stem cells, then growing up the genetically engineered cells and transplanting them back into the liver via an injection in the portal vein.

LONDON – A study in mice has pinpointed a genetic basis for increased alcohol consumption, which – if a similar mutation also occurs in humans – may one day lead to new treatments for alcohol addiction.

LONDON – A genomewide association study has identified a new gene that may be responsible for some cases of asthma in childhood. Although many such studies link an increased risk of having a disease to a region of the genome, which may contain many genes, the researchers in this case said they believe they have actually pinpointed the gene involved.

LONDON – The mystery of how HIV manages to infect the very cells that should react to its presence by triggering an immune response has remained unsolved for decades. Now, a new study has shown how the virus “cloaks” itself with proteins from the host cells in order to avoid triggering the immune response.

LONDON – A composite molecule that targets the two primary hormones that are released by the gut following meals can reduce weight and lower blood sugar in animal models, raising hopes of new and more effective treatments for obesity and diabetes.

LONDON – A genomewide association study of people with Alzheimer’s disease has delivered a haul of 19 regions of the genome that are significantly associated with that disease, including 11 that have been linked with Alzheimer’s for the first time.

LONDON – A promising new strategy for treating multiple sclerosis is under investigation. An international team of researchers reported that they have identified a method of stimulating repair of nerve cells that have lost their protective lipid insulation, a process that occurs in multiple sclerosis.

LONDON – A promising new strategy for treating multiple sclerosis is under investigation. An international team of researchers reported that they have identified a method of stimulating repair of nerve cells that have lost their protective lipid insulation, a process that occurs in multiple sclerosis. The new approach is radically different from that used in existing therapies, which focus on preventing the damage to nerve cells caused by the immune system.

LONDON – Any signs of neurodegeneration in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease can be halted with a compound that can be taken by mouth, a new study has shown.