University of Michigan Professors to Study Genetics of Drug Abuse on Rats

           The affects and aftermath of drug and alcohol abuse are extremely prevalent in modern day society. The media is shedding light on this issue on a large scale, especially in contrast to previous decades. Thus scientists are feeling inclined to study this phenomenon on a biochemical level to attempt to understand why drug abuse occurs, and ultimately how science can be a remedy for this terrible social blight. 

           Two University of Michigan professors were awarded approximately 1.5 million dollars as a grant to study drug addiction and abuse on a small scale with rats. Terry Robinson, the Elliot S. Valenstein Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Shelly Flagel, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, were given the five year grant. 

           This grant was awarded from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The two scientists will conduct studies to find out the basis for reward seeking behavior on a neurological level. This is the primary model that researchers are thinking will mimic human behaviors that correlate with substance abuse. Furthermore, the duo are looking for a genetic explanation as to why some people might be more susceptible to drug addiciton than others, and why some people who are trying to recover relapse back into their old vices. Although rats have different responses to stimuli than humans, this model is the best representation of an emulation of human drug abuse.

Main article: http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/10/15m_grant_awarded_to_u-m_profe.html

Related information: http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/10/13/university-michigan-rat-study-addiction-grant/17191173/

Biomarkers That Predict Chemotherapy Survival

According to Medical News Today, a "signature" of eight genes has been found that can predict a cancer patient's likelihood of surviving chemotherapy.  This print can also predict the amount of relapse-free survival time a patient has.  So, how is it done?

A team of investigators from Academia Sinica and the National Taiwan University College of Medicine identified genes that participate in cellular invasion, which is a large property of most cancer cells.  The reactions of these genes to 99 different anti-cancer treatments was observed and eight genes were found that could possibly affect the impact of chemotherapy.  It was found that there was a noticable variation between cells that did respond to chemotherapy treatment and cells that did not respond to chemotherapy treatment.  (There was some overlap.) 

Other clinical studies were done on breast cancer and lung cancer patients.  It was shown that the patients that had the eight gene signature that placed them in the low-risk category had a longer relapse-free period of survival than those in the high-risk group.