Genetic News and Research

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Paradigm failure is primary reason for lack of progress in cancer research, says cancer biologist

A recent publication, which received sustained media attention, claimed that most cancers are just “bad luck”. Its authors stated that only about one-third of cancer mutations are caused by known lifestyle or environmental factors.

6 Oct 2015

Songbirds may help researchers find cure for Huntington’s disease

Many neurological disorders can rob someone of the ability to speak clearly, causing them to stutter, mispronounce words, and struggle to put together coherent sentences. However, the molecular and neurological dysfunctions that cause these symptoms aren't well understood. Recent work at The Rockefeller University may give researchers a new tool to better study these vocal and speech impairments, particularly in Huntington's disease.

6 Oct 2015

Genetic polymorphisms may serve as prognostic markers for lung cancer

Genetic polymorphisms associated with cancer progression lead to variations in gene expression and may serve as prognostic markers for lung cancer. Researchers at the Hiroshima University and Saitama Medical University found that in patients with lung cancer, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) may regulate gene and protein expression and be associated with poor prognosis.

6 Oct 2015

Clinical data from spinal muscular atrophy program presented at 20th International WMS Congress

PTC Therapeutics, Inc., today announced that clinical data from the company's joint development program with Roche and the SMA Foundation in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) were presented at the 20th International Congress of the World Muscle Society (WMS) in Brighton, U.K.

5 Oct 2015

Preoperative MRI use increasing in breast cancer

A Canadian research team reports a substantial increase in the use of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging over a 10-year period in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.

2 Oct 2015

New test capable of detecting all viruses that affect people and animals

A new, super-sensitive test has been developed that can detect virtually any virus that causes illness in humans and animals, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

1 Oct 2015

Early genetic diagnosis in neonatal diabetes a ‘new framework for clinical care’

Early genetic testing of babies with suspected neonatal diabetes identifies the underlying cause in more than 80% of cases, say researchers.

1 Oct 2015

Minor infections, inadequate vaccinations increase stroke risk in children

Children who have suffered recent infections or have not received most or all of their vaccinations are at a higher risk for stroke, according to research published in the Sept. 30 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

1 Oct 2015

Researchers identify new gene locus that may protect children from developing malaria in Africa

Published today in Nature, the findings detail a new gene locus that can explain why, in communities where everyone is constantly exposed to malaria, some children develop severe malaria and others don't. Now, researchers can be sure that this particular stretch of our DNA plays a crucial role in the progression of the disease.

1 Oct 2015

Researchers discover five new genetic variants associated with brain cancer

The biggest ever study of DNA from people with glioma - the most common form of brain cancer - has discovered five new genetic variants associated with the disease.

1 Oct 2015

Scientists make progress toward finding new ways to 'smell' signs of cancer

Scientists have been exploring new ways to "smell" signs of cancer by analyzing what's in patients' breath. In ACS' journal Nano Letters, one team now reports new progress toward this goal. The researchers have developed a small array of flexible sensors, which accurately detect compounds in breath samples that are specific to ovarian cancer.

1 Oct 2015

Research shows why microgravity leads to muscle loss

People can easily feel the presence - or absence - of gravity. Our individual cells actually may be able to sense gravity, too, and that ability could play a role in the loss of muscle that occurs when humans spend time in space.

1 Oct 2015

Study suggests link between human endogenous retroviral genes and ALS

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health discovered that reactivation of ancient viral genes embedded in the human genome may cause the destruction of neurons in some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

1 Oct 2015

New reference catalogue may help guide future studies of genetics, evolution and disease

Missing a gene may be less problematic than you'd think. This is one of the conclusions that emerge from the most extensive catalogue of structural variations - changes in large sections of a person's DNA sequence - to date.

1 Oct 2015

New RNA tools for CRISPR/Cas9

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) will host an informative webinar, entitled ‘New RNA Tools for Optimized CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing’, on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. Ashley Jacobi, a scientist in the Molecular Genetics Applied Research Group at IDT, and an expert in the application of synthetic nucleic acids, will present the webinar at 9 am and 1 pm Central Standard Time.

From Integrated DNA Technologies 1 Oct 2015

Unlocking the genes behind antibiotic resistance: an interview with Professor Romesberg

Bacteria are very, very diverse. This is why their susceptibility to different antibiotics can be very different. It also makes the tools they have to evolve resistance in many cases different.

30 Sep 2015

Researchers reveal how varied genetic background influences tumour differences

Researchers from Uppsala University, Sweden, and the Broad Institute, USA, have identified both similarities and differences between a single tumour type in multiple dogs breeds; a finding they believe parallels the situation in the cancer of human patients.

30 Sep 2015

AMO Pharma raises $25 million in private equity financing

AMO Pharma Limited, a privately held biopharmaceutical company focusing on debilitating diseases with limited or no treatment options, announced today that the company has raised $25 million in private equity financing from Woodford Investment Management.

30 Sep 2015

Leading cancer researchers address eight 'big questions'

Leading cancer researchers address eight of the "big questions" facing the field as part of the inaugural issue of Trends in Cancer, published by Cell Press.

30 Sep 2015

New review article discusses benefits, limitations of current screening mammography practices

While screening mammography has a well-established history of reducing death from breast cancer and enabling earlier detection of breast disease, questions regarding overtreatment and overdiagnosis have entered the screening debate.

30 Sep 2015