Stem Cells
> Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) has taken over as the lead Republican co-sponsor of bipartisan embryonic stem cell legislation. The bill, whose Democratic sponsor is Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado, would give legislative backing to President Obama's 2009 executive order allowing federal funding for medical research using discarded embryos from fertility clinics. More from The Hill
> Vietnamese scientist Dr. Tran Le Bao Ha recalls how she cried with happiness when she achieved a break-through in her research work in developing stem cells from mice teeth. Story
> Scripps Translational Science Institute and Sangamo BioSciences will grow models of heart disease with induced pluropotent stem cells under a $7.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The study concerns an area of the human genome called 9p21, a section of genetic code that contains no genes, yet this "gene desert" are associated with heart disease. More here
Cancer Research
> Complete Genomics has launched a cancer research grant program. Release
> Treating neuroblastoma, a rare children's cancer, with a high dose of chemotherapy--something that is already the standard in Europe--appears to be the most effective in an 18-country study. More from Dow Jones
> Scientists have published what they are calling the most detailed genetic analysis of ovarian cancer to date. Story
Genetics
> Scientists have deciphered the protein structure of part of a key molecule in Mediator, which plays a vital role in regulating DNA transcription. The research adds an important link to discoveries that have enabled scientists to gain a deeper understanding of how cells translate genetic information into the proteins and processes of life, according to a news release. Release
> A genetic variant has been linked to development of liver cancer in hepatitis C virus carriers. The hepatitis C virus (HVC) is the main risk factor for Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in many western countries and in Japan, where of the more than 30,000 deaths each year from HCC, 70 percent involve HVC. More here
> 23andMe moves from a novelty company into serious genomic research. Report