Genetic News and Research

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Genes linked to cardiovascular disease more common among African Americans than those of European descent

Three gene variants that have been associated with heart attack risk in Japanese studies occur more frequently among African Americans than those of European descent

7 Jul 2004

Research could help disarm deadly retroviruses such as HIV or SARS

Taken to its ultimate outcome, the research that biology professor Dr. Steve Howard is working on could help disarm deadly retroviruses such as HIV or SARS.

7 Jul 2004

Gene responsible for the onset of aging

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a gene responsible for the onset of aging, including age-related disorders such as infertility, reproductive problems and cataracts.

7 Jul 2004

Combining targeted immunotherapy with chemotherapy and radiation therapy to successfully kill metastatic tumour cells

A successful, and novel, technique to kill metastatic breast cancer cells by circumventing their chemo and radioresistant mechanisms was by presented by Dr. John Giannios, Head of Radiotherapeutic Cancer Research at the IASO Hospital

7 Jul 2004

Key proteins that regulate neurofibromatosis could be targets for new drugs

More than 100,000 Americans suffer from the painful and debilitating genetic disorder known as neurofibromatosis, or NF, which causes tumors to grow in various types of nerve tissue throughout the body.

7 Jul 2004

UV exposure from sun tanning beds leads to pain relief and euphoric feelings

Frequent tanning bed users may be getting more out of the experience than darker skin. Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center say exposure to ultraviolet light may produce a “relaxing” effect that lures tanners back to the beds.

7 Jul 2004

£18m to upgrade genetic laboratories in England

Six areas in England are to receive a share of £18m to upgrade genetic laboratories and help patients get genetic test results quicker.

5 Jul 2004

Gene therapy may provide a treatment for a group of incurable, progressive neurological diseases called polyglutamine-repeat diseases

Researchers from the University of Iowa have have shown for the first time that gene therapy delivered to the brains of living mice can prevent the physical symptoms and neurological damage caused by an inherited neurodegenerative disease that is similar to Huntington's disease (HD).

5 Jul 2004

Best hospital in the United States for children

A U.S.News & World Report today ranked The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia the best hospital in the United States for children.

2 Jul 2004

No compulsory genetic testing for newborn babies in Europe

European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin today rejected stories in several media claiming he had called for genetic testing of all newborn babies in Europe.

2 Jul 2004

Relatively little is known about Lupus

Doctors have today launched an appeal for volunteers to take part in a new study into the widespread, yet largely unknown, autoimmune disease, SLE or Lupus.

1 Jul 2004

First strokes now bone health, moderate alcohol consumption good for women

Moderate drinking seems to keep brittle bones at bay in women, a new study of identical twins suggests.

1 Jul 2004

Mucus may be the key to new treatments for cystic fibrosis

The surprising finding that people with cystic fibrosis (CF) produce too little airway mucus – rather than too much, as it commonly believed

1 Jul 2004

Children cured of acute lymphocytic leukemia after chemotherapy have a 5-20 times greater risk of developing secondary malignant neoplasm's

The alterations in the children's gene sequence remain embedded within their chromosomes and may pose elevated risk for development of second malignancies and other diseases later in life, cautioned Barry A. Finette, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Vermont.

1 Jul 2004

A Center for Human Genetics/Genomics has been established at the University of California

Established in UCSD Health Sciences, which includes the School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Center brings together UCSD faculty from multiple campus departments and schools including medicine, pharmacy, biology, biostatistics and mathematics.

30 Jun 2004

New educational campaign on celiac disease

The Children's Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation (CDHNF) with the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) today announced the launch of a new educational campaign on celiac disease

30 Jun 2004

Ethical, social and legal aspects of human genetic testing

On 6th and 7th May 2004, the European Commission invited all interested parties to attend a European citizens' and stakeholders' conference, held in Brussels, to discuss the ethical, social and legal aspects of human genetic testing in research and healthcare applications.

30 Jun 2004

By altering a single gene you could live longer and be thinner

Imagine that by altering the function of a single gene, you could live longer, be thinner and have lower cholesterol and fat levels in your blood.

30 Jun 2004

Harmless form of the herpes virus may help create a vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease

Scientists have taken an important step toward creating a vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease, customizing the response of the immune system with unprecedented precision.

30 Jun 2004

Abnormalities observed in cloned mice help reinforce the need to continue to avoid the reproductive cloning of humans

Dr. Takumi Takeuchi, from Cornell University, New York, USA told a media briefing that he and Dr. Gianpiero Palermo's team had compared imprinting abnormalities (the process where specific genes inherited from both parents are silent) in mice embryos derived from assisted reproduction techniques and from cloning.

30 Jun 2004