Genes News and Research

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Scientists employ new approach to understand metabolic changes of TB bacteria

The complex chain of metabolic events in bacteria that lead to fatal diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) may be better understood using mathematical models, according to an article published in the February issue of Microbiology Today.

5 Feb 2010

"Kin selection hypothesis" may explain homosexuality from an evolutionary point of view

Male homosexuality doesn't make complete sense from an evolutionary point of view. It appears that the trait is heritable, but because homosexual men are much less likely to produce offspring than heterosexual men, shouldn't the genes for this trait have been extinguished long ago? What value could this sexual orientation have, that it has persisted for eons even without any discernible reproductive advantage?

5 Feb 2010

Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute offers new blood test to predict heart disease

Just in time for American Heart Month, Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute is offering a new blood test that can predict if a patient is at high risk for heart disease. Vanderbilt is among the first institutions in the country, and the only one in Tennessee, to offer this test.

5 Feb 2010

iPSC technology for identifying agents that reprogram human somatic cells receives Notice of Allowance

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for U.S. Patent Application Number 10/997,146 entitled "Methods for Reprogramming Somatic Cells." Upon issuance, the patent will cover foundational induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology for identifying agents that enable the reprogramming of human somatic cells, including pluripotency genes, small molecules and biologics.

5 Feb 2010

Around seven in every thousand morbidly obese people are missing part of their DNA

A small but significant proportion of morbidly obese people are missing a section of their DNA, according to research published today in Nature. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London and ten other European Centres, say that missing DNA such as that identified in this research may be having a dramatic effect on some people's weight.

4 Feb 2010

Defective chromosome cause of severe obesity

A new cause of obesity due to a defect on chromosome 16 has just been discovered. It is thought to explain close to 1% of obesity cases. For carriers of the defect, the risk of becoming overweight is 50 times higher. This research is the result of close cooperation between the team of Professor Froguel, a CNRS researcher, in Lille, and colleagues at Imperial College in London and Vaudois University Hospital in Lausanne, with the support of ten other European research groups. The findings of the study are to be published in Nature on February 4, 2010.

4 Feb 2010

Mapping of human genome modification during embryonic development

Scientists at The Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) led an international effort to build a map that shows in detail how the human genome is modified during embryonic development.

4 Feb 2010

Study sheds new light on cancer metastasis

Some cells are natural rule-breakers. Neural crest cells for example, not only migrate throughout the body during development (most cells are more selective in their wandering), they are also more developmentally flexible than their predecessors (a no-no for nearly all cell types).

4 Feb 2010

Genes of mother and fetus linked to risk of preterm labor and birth

New evidence that genetics play a significant role in some premature births may help explain why a woman can do everything right and still give birth too soon.

4 Feb 2010

Study finds link between genes that regulate maternal inflammatory response, bacterial vaginosis and preterm delivery

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will show the use of haplotype tagging (hap-tag) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to study the relationship between genetic predispositions, an environmental factor - bacterial vaginosis, and preterm birth.

4 Feb 2010

Cancer Research UK opens Cambridge Cancer Centre

The launch of a centre today (Wednesday) puts Cambridge at the forefront of cancer research, bringing benefits to patients in the South East.

4 Feb 2010

DNA variants in mother and fetus can increase risk of preterm labor

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified DNA variants in mothers and fetuses that appear to increase the risk for preterm labor and delivery.

4 Feb 2010

Study could lead to non-surgical alternatives for tonsillectomies

Children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may one day be able to have an injection or use a throat spray instead of getting their tonsils removed to cure their snoring, according to a new study from the University of Chicago, which found that a specific gene product may be responsible for the proliferation of adenotonsillar tissue that can cause pediatric OSA.

4 Feb 2010

Canadian Institutes of Health Research awards $2.3M for study on integrative biology of inflammatory diseases

A research team led by Dr. John D. Rioux, a researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) and professor in the faculty of medicine at the Université de Montréal, has been awarded a grant of more than $2.3 million to finance a major research project on the integrative biology of inflammatory diseases. From among the roughly 70 applications submitted, Dr. Rioux's team is one of six selected by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to receive the Emerging Team Grant - From Genes to Proteins, Cells, Tissues and Patients.

4 Feb 2010

Findings provide potential new targets to combat malaria

Yale University researchers have found more than two dozen scent receptors in malaria-transmitting mosquitoes that detect compounds in human sweat, a finding that may help scientists to develop new ways to combat a disease that kills 1 million people annually.

4 Feb 2010

Court weighs patents for human genes

The American Civil Liberties Union has sued a genetics company that holds patents on breast- and ovarian-cancer-causing genes, saying their claims on the two genes hinders further research by other companies and scientists, the Associated Press/CBS News reports.

4 Feb 2010

Validation results of SmartChip Real-Time PCR System to be presented at CHI's conference

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc., a leading developer of state-of-the-art genetic analysis systems, today announced that WaferGen scientists will present validation results of the company's SmartChip™ Real-Time PCR System at Cambridge Healthcare Institute's 17th International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference.

3 Feb 2010

Gene variants protect sexually-abused victims from alcohol dependence, says study

Exposure to severe stress early in life increases the risk of alcohol and drug addiction. Yet surprisingly, some adults sexually abused as children - and therefore at high risk for alcohol problems - carry gene variants that protect them from heavy drinking and its effects, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

3 Feb 2010

Research opens new avenues for understanding genetic basis of type 2 diabetes

Together with colleagues in Barcelona, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have generated a complete map of the areas of the genome that control which genes are "turned on" or "off."

3 Feb 2010

TGen, Horizon Discovery partner in development of novel cancer cell-lines

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Horizon Discovery today announced plans to develop human disease models for use in TGen's cancer research.

3 Feb 2010

Genes News and Research

Scientists employ new approach to understand metabolic changes of TB bacteria

"Kin selection hypothesis" may explain homosexuality from an evolutionary point of view

Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute offers new blood test to predict heart disease

iPSC technology for identifying agents that reprogram human somatic cells receives Notice of Allowance

Around seven in every thousand morbidly obese people are missing part of their DNA

Defective chromosome cause of severe obesity

Mapping of human genome modification during embryonic development

Study sheds new light on cancer metastasis

Genes of mother and fetus linked to risk of preterm labor and birth

Study finds link between genes that regulate maternal inflammatory response, bacterial vaginosis and preterm delivery

Cancer Research UK opens Cambridge Cancer Centre

DNA variants in mother and fetus can increase risk of preterm labor

Study could lead to non-surgical alternatives for tonsillectomies

Canadian Institutes of Health Research awards $2.3M for study on integrative biology of inflammatory diseases

Findings provide potential new targets to combat malaria

Court weighs patents for human genes

Validation results of SmartChip Real-Time PCR System to be presented at CHI's conference

Gene variants protect sexually-abused victims from alcohol dependence, says study

Research opens new avenues for understanding genetic basis of type 2 diabetes

TGen, Horizon Discovery partner in development of novel cancer cell-lines

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