Harvard: Cancer may evolve from simple gene mutation; Citizens' initiative aims at European stem cell research funding;

Genetics

> Scientists at UCLA have identified a genetic mutation that stunts infants' growth. The same gene can also cause them to grow too fast. Release

> Detailed knowledge about your genetic makeup isn't necessarily enough to influence development of a plan to prevent or treat disease, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and others have determined. Story

> Scottish scientists have discovered a key gene that's crucial to developing sperm, opening up the door to developing a male birth control pill that would target the gene, CBS News reports. Story

Stem Cells

> Five scientists at the University of California-San Diego and its School of Medicine have nailed own $12 million in new stem cell research grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Article

> A "European Citizens Initiative" would block funding for stem cell research in European Union member countries, BBC News reports. Story

> Using the Stimuvax vaccine, which targets cancer cells, combined with standard breast cancer hormone therapy, led to a major boost in survival time in mice, University of California-Davis researchers have determined. Release

Cancer

> Cancer may grow from a more simple genetic mutation than previously thought, according to new Harvard Medical School research. Blog

> A research team at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem has determined that a drug known as BKT140 helped block a key receptor and protein from adhering to each other, killing cancerous cells and reducing tumor size as a result. Story