Genetic News and Research

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Families help identify new gene for motor neuron disease

Families suffering from a history of motor neuron disease have helped an international scientific team locate a new gene linked to the incurable disease.

22 Sep 2011

Researchers identify common genetic mutation for ALS, frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- two fatal neurodegenerative disease with distinct but sometimes overlapping symptoms -- are triggered by a common mutation in many cases, according to researchers who say they have identified the mutated gene.

22 Sep 2011

Scientists discover new genetic mutation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A team led by scientists from Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health has discovered a new genetic mutation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a related disease called frontotemporal dementia (FTD) that appears to account for more than a third of all inherited cases of these diseases.

22 Sep 2011

Three Johns Hopkins scientists receive NIH Director's New Innovator Awards

A pioneer in the field of epigenetics who has been spearheading the use of genome-wide technology for epigenetics research, a researcher who has revealed a weakness in the tuberculosis bacterium that makes it more susceptible to antibiotics, and a scientist who seeks to revolutionize new methods for toxicological testing to improve human health and reduce animal testing have received Director's Awards from the National Institutes of Health.

22 Sep 2011

John Theurer Cancer Center to join MMRF's Personalized Medicine Initiative

The John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, a top 50 U.S. News best hospital for cancer, is one of the first four clinical sites enrolling patients in a landmark study designed to uncover the molecular segments and variations of multiple myeloma.

22 Sep 2011

Converting genetic data into biomedical knowledge a true challenge for statisticians

Within a decade, a combination of advanced measurement techniques and statistics will enable scientists to develop methods to diagnose serious diseases caused by genetic defects. Ten years after that, there may be medicines available to repair these defects.

21 Sep 2011

Study examines link between gestational age at birth and mortality in young adulthood

In a study that included more than 600,000 individuals born in Sweden between 1973-1979, those born preterm had a higher risk of death during early childhood and young adulthood than persons born at term, according to a study in the September 21 issue of JAMA.

21 Sep 2011

Study reveals possible new treatment targets for diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas

Study led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists points to possible new treatment targets for diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas; may tip the scales in the current debate about tumor biopsies.

21 Sep 2011

Clinical trial to evaluate TAU's stem cell technology for ALS

The ability to produce neuroprotectors, proteins that protect the human brain against neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and ALS, is the holy grail of brain research. A technology developed at Tel Aviv University does just that, and it's now out of the lab and in hospitals to begin clinical trials with patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

21 Sep 2011

ASU scientists receive USDA grants to combat food-related illness

Roughly 1 in six Americans are sickened every year by food-borne ailments, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The effects of these illnesses range from acutely unpleasant to lethal, and the problem may be getting worse, as our food supply becomes more global, with an increasing number of antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

21 Sep 2011

Genetic differences play a role in prostate cancer disparities

Genetic differences in prostate cells seem to be a root cause of the prostate cancer disparities between African-American men and white men, according to findings presented at the Fourth AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities, held here Sept. 18-21, 2011.

21 Sep 2011

A code beyond DNA: Modified tRNA bases are characteristic of species

Our genetic code consists of four “letters” in the form of the nucleobases in our DNA and RNA. Three letters together form a “word” that are translated into an amino acid by tRNA and combined into proteins. Special markings subdivide the gene into active and inactive regions. A third possible level of information has so far received less attention: the chemical modification of tRNA nucleobases. In the journal Angewandte Chemie Thomas Carell and a team at the University of Munich have now demonstrated that tRNA modification profiles can be used for the characterization of species and the differentiation of pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacterial strains.

20 Sep 2011

Common DNA variations contribute to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

A team of over 250 researchers from more than 20 countries have discovered that common genetic variations contribute to a person's risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

20 Sep 2011

Immune system uses zinc to destroy tuberculosis bacillus, E. coli

A new natural defense mechanism against infections has been evidenced by an international team led by researchers from CNRS, Inserm, the Institut Pasteur and the Université Paul Sabatier - Toulouse III.

20 Sep 2011

Individuals without ubiquitin ligase Nedd4L more likely to develop CF

Cystic fibrosis (CF), a chronic disease that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections, is caused by a genetic defect in a chloride channel called cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductase regulator.

20 Sep 2011

Autopsy study reveals earliest 1918 pandemic influenza cases

Examination of lung tissue and other autopsy material from 68 American soldiers who died of respiratory infections in 1918 has revealed that the influenza virus that eventually killed 50 million people worldwide was circulating in the United States at least four months before the 1918 influenza reached pandemic levels that fall.

20 Sep 2011

Cardiff develops simple and effective wound test that could save NHS millions

Scientists in Cardiff are developing a simple but effective test to predict whether chronic wounds will respond to conventional treatment - which could save the NHS tens of millions of pounds annually.

20 Sep 2011

Scientists identify oldest known DNA regulatory region

A team of scientists has discovered the oldest known DNA regulatory region, as reported in an article in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

20 Sep 2011

Regular exercise also increases mitochondrial numbers in brain cells

Researchers have long known that regular exercise increases the number of organelles called mitochondria in muscle cells. Since mitochondria are responsible for generating energy, this numerical boost is thought to underlie many of the positive physical effects of exercise, such as increased strength or endurance. Exercise also has a number of positive mental effects, such as relieving depression and improving memory.

20 Sep 2011

Researchers identify 16 new genetic variations that affect blood pressure

High blood pressure is a well-known risk factor for heart disease. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have participated in an international study of 200,000 Europeans which has identified 16 new genetic variations that affect blood pressure. The discovery, presented in Nature, is an important step towards better diagnostics and treatment.

20 Sep 2011