Department of Biomedical Genetics
URMC Researchers Exploring Keys to Melanoma Progression
July 19, 2011 Melanoma is devastating on many fronts: rates are rising dramatically among young people, it is deadly if not caught early, and from a biological standpoint, the disease tends to adapt to even the most modern therapies, known as VEGF inhibitors. University of Rochester researchers, however, made an important discovery about proteins that underlie and stimulate the disease, opening the door for a more targeted treatment in the future. more...
Early Pregnancy Iron Deficiency May Harm Brain
March 22 , 2011 A mother’s iron deficiency early in pregnancy may have a profound and long-lasting effect on the brain development of the child, even if the lack of iron is not enough to cause severe anemia, according to a Medical Center study. more...
Researchers Focus on Human Cells in Spinal Cord Injury Repair
March 2 , 2011 For the first time, scientists discovered that specific human cells, generated from stem cells and transplanted into spinal cord injured rats, provide tremendous benefit, not only repairing damage to the nervous system but helping the animals regain function as well. more...
Scientists Unlock One Mystery of Tissue Regeneration
February 4, 2011 Researchers from the Departments of Biology and Biomedical Genetics have identified a genetic switch that controls oxidative stress in stem cells and governs stem-cell function. more...
Molecular Biologist Gets Wilmot Cancer Center’s Top Scientific Honor
November 11 , 2010 Dirk Bohmann, Ph.D., an accomplished molecular biologist and geneticist, today received the 2010 Davey Memorial Award for outstanding cancer research. more...
Wilmot Obtains Nearly $2M in Cancer Stem Cell Funding
July 15 , 2010 Two large federal grants received this summer will allow researchers at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center to continue their work into stem cells that give rise to cancer. more...
Stem Cell Disruption Induces Skull Deformity, UR Study Shows
May 25, 2010 University of Rochester Medical Center scientists discovered a defect in cellular pathways that provides a new explanation for the earliest stages of abnormal skull development in newborns, known as craniosynostosis. more...
$3.3 million grant from the Empire State Stem Cell Board
May 24, 2010 The University of Rochester Medical Center has received a $3.3 million grant from the Empire State Stem Cell Board for the construction of a new facility that will enable scientists to produce human stem cells suitable for testing new therapies. more...
22nd Annual Genetics Day held May 7, 2010
Schedule, photo, poster prize winner and more...
In Journey from Maggot to Fruit Fly, a Clue about Cancer Metastasis
January 19, 2010 Scientists trying to understand how cancer cells invade healthy tissue have used the fruit fly’s metamorphosis from maggot to flying insect as a guide to identify a key molecular signal that may be involved in both processes. more...
Scientists Share Latest Research at National Conference
Scientists at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center who investigate lymphoma and leukemia were among the top presenters at the American Society of Hematology 51st Annual Meeting, Dec. 5-8, 2009, in New Orleans. more...
Controversial Cancer Stem Cells Offer New Direction for Treatment
June 25, 2009 A University of Rochester Medical Center researcher sorts out the controversy and promise around a dangerous subtype of cancer cells, known as cancer stem cells. more...
Protein Regulates Movement of Mitochondria in Brain Cells
June 15, 2009 Scientists have identified a protein in the brain that plays a key role in the function of mitochondria – the part of the cell that supplies energy, supports cellular activity, and potentially wards off threats from disease. The discovery, which was reported today in the Journal of Cell Biology, may shed new light on how the brain recovers from stroke. more...
URMC Scientists Awarded $6.8 Million in Stem Cell Research Grants
March 18, 2009 Ten scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) have been awarded more than $6.8 million by the Empire State Stem Cell Board.The grants are for a wide range of research programs in the fields of neurological disorders, cancer, musculoskeletal diseases, the blood system, and efforts to understand the fundamental mechanics of stem cell biology. more...
Scientists Discover Why Teeth Form in a Single Row
A system of opposing genetic forces determines why mammals develop a single row of teeth, while sharks sport several, according to a study published February 26, 2009 in the journal Science. When completely understood, the genetic program described in the study may help guide efforts to re-grow missing teeth and prevent cleft palate, one of the most common birth defects. more...
Study of Placenta Unexpectedly Leads to Cancer Gene
University of Rochester Medical Center scientists discovered a gene mutation that impairs the placenta and also is influential in cancer development, according to a study published online December 16, 2008, in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology. more...
Fruit Flies All Aglow Light the Way to Cancer Prevention
A green glow from a fruit fly is giving researchers the green light when they are on the right path in their quest to develop compounds that help prevent cancer. more...
$2.7M Boosts Effort to Create the Big View of Cancer
Many scientists like to discuss how each form of cancer is a distinct disease with its own causes and its own treatments. But researcher Hartmut “Hucky” Land, Ph.D., takes the opposite approach: He is hunting for the most basic rules that all cancers share to make good cells go bad. more...
Researchers Find Roadmap to Next-Generation Cancer Therapies
Pinpointing new targets for cancer treatments is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack, yet a University of Rochester team has discovered an entire novel class of genes they believe will lead to a greater understanding of cancer cell function and the next generation of effective and less harmful therapies for patients. more...
If You Think Cancer Genes Are Simple, You Don't Know JAK
Cancer-causing genes can work in more powerful and sneaky ways than has been realized. Scientists have shown that a gene named JAK that is closely related to a common cancer-causing gene in people tips the scales toward cancer in an unexpected manner. JAK disrupts the activity of an organism’s DNA on a broad scale, thwarting a critical molecular event very early on in an embryo’s development. more...
Contact Us
Department of Biomedical Genetics
University of Rochester
Box 633
601 Elmwood Ave.
Rochester, NY 14642
Main Office: MRB 2-9633
585-273-1441
Katie Scoville
