Genomics News and Research

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Genomics is the study of the complete genetic material, including genes and their functions, of an organism.

New explanation for how regulatory networks of genes evolved

When ancient retroviruses slipped bits of their DNA into the primate genome millions of years ago, they successfully preserved their own genetic legacy.

15 Nov 2007

Micro Petri dish allows unprecedented miniaturisation of the growth of micro-organisms

Scientists of Top Institute Food & Nutrition, Wageningen University and Research Centre, NIZO food research and the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology in the Netherlands have developed a new technology that allows unprecedented miniaturisation of the growth of micro-organisms.

13 Nov 2007

Overexpression of neuroglobin reduces severity of Alzheimer's disease in mice

Mice genetically engineered to both overproduce the protein neuroglobin and to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) had a much milder form of the disease when compared to mice engineered to have AD alone, researchers at the Buck Institute for Age Research have reported.

13 Nov 2007

New view of lung cancer genome

An international team of scientists, supported in part by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have announced that its systematic effort to map the genomic changes underlying lung cancer has uncovered a critical gene alteration not previously linked to any form of cancer.

5 Nov 2007

Researchers discover new gene responsible for Brugada syndrome

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified a new gene responsible for a rare, inherited form of sudden cardiac arrest, known as Brugada syndrome.

1 Nov 2007

Blood gene expression signatures predict exposure levels

In a new study, researchers found they could detect toxic levels of acetaminophen in laboratory animals by analyzing gene expression in the blood.

1 Nov 2007

Discovery of gene variant linked to prostate cancer in African Americans

Researchers report a newly identified genetic variation that is linked to higher incidence of prostate cancer in African American men.

1 Nov 2007

Scientists to map lethal bacteria in three dimensions

A scientist slides on a pair of plastic 3-D glasses and an unearthly blue multi-armed creature -- an image right out of a sci-fi horror flick -- seems to leap out of the computer screen into the laboratory.

1 Nov 2007

New genetic variant associated with prostate cancer in African-Americans

Two tiny genetic variations may provide the best clues yet for finding more precise ways to estimate prostate cancer risk and improve screening and early detection for men of African descent, report researchers from the University of Chicago and the Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, in the December 2007 issue of Genome Research, published early online.

1 Nov 2007

Lithium commonly used to treat bi-polar disorder increases lifespan in Nematode worms

Nematode worms treated with lithium show a 46 percent increase in lifespan, raising the tantalizing question of whether humans taking the mood affecting drug are also taking an anti-aging medication.

31 Oct 2007

New egg-specific gene, JY-1 offers clues to infertility

A newly identified gene that controls embryo development in cows may someday offer clues into the cause of infertility in women.

29 Oct 2007

Scientists use shared genome data to confirm SORL1 gene linked to Alzheimer's

Until recently, only one of the approximately 30,000 genes in the human genome has been linked to risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD).

29 Oct 2007

Public not so sure about 'personalized medicine'

Ordinary people worry about the extra, and often burdensome, responsibilities which could come with scientists' promises of 'personalised medicine', according to evidence to be presented at a major two-day showcase of groundbreaking social science research into the whole field of genomics, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

25 Oct 2007

Researchers discover genes linking stress, high blood pressure, alcoholism and tobacco addiction

A team led by a Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher has uncovered a series of genes linking mental stress, high blood pressure, alcoholism and tobacco addiction.

22 Oct 2007

New autism genetic data released by Johns Hopkins

Researchers at Johns Hopkins' McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine today are releasing newly generated genetic data to help speed autism research.

22 Oct 2007

Bacteria use plant defence for genetic modification

Bacteria that cause tumours in plants modify plant genomes by skilfully exploiting the plants' first line of defence.

22 Oct 2007

Sex hormone signature indicates gender rather than just chromosomes

Help with assigning gender could one day be at hand for intersex individuals whose genital phenotypes and sex chromosomes don't match, thanks to the discovery of a stable sex hormone signature in our cells.

18 Oct 2007

Massive microRNA scan uncovers leads to treating muscle degeneration

Researchers have discovered the first microRNAs - tiny bits of code that regulate gene activity - linked to each of 10 major degenerative muscular disorders, opening doors to new treatments and a better biological understanding of these debilitating, poorly understood, often untreatable diseases.

18 Oct 2007

Health Discovery receives notice of allowance of U.S. patent application covering kernel selection methods

Health Discovery Corporation has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a notice of allowance of HDC's patent application covering methods for selection of kernels, i.e., functions or algorithms that are used to transform input data into a different configuration, known as "feature space", which allows for easier recognition of patterns within the data.

18 Oct 2007

Phase II map of human genetic variation

The International HapMap Consortium today published analyses of its second-generation map of human genetic variation, which contains three times more markers than the initial version unveiled in 2005.

18 Oct 2007