Genes News and Research

RSS

Blue-eyed individuals may have greater chance of becoming alcoholics

People with blue eyes might have a greater chance of becoming alcoholics, according to a unique new study by genetic researchers at the University of Vermont.

1 Jul 2015

Sialic acid may play significant role in certain brain disorders

A new report published in the July 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal suggests that a common molecule found in higher animals, including humans, affects brain structure. This molecule may play a significant role in how brain cells communicate, possibly shedding light on the underlying causes of certain brain disorders.

1 Jul 2015

Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants may benefit people with Alzheimer's disease

Here's more evidence that fish oil supplementation and antioxidants might be beneficial for at least some people facing Alzheimer's disease: A new report published in the July 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal describes the findings of a very small study in which people with mild clinical impairment, such as those in the very early stages of the disease, saw clearance of the hallmark amyloid-beta protein and reduced inflammation in neurological tissues.

1 Jul 2015

Kalorama Information: NGS diagnostics can detect any number of genetic variants

Next generation sequencing may be able to bypass some of the downside of molecular testing and in doing so earn its place in clinical testing, according to Kalorama Information.

30 Jun 2015

Imperial College London researchers discover new inherited form of obesity, type 2 diabetes

Scientists have discovered a new inherited form of obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans. A large number of genes are involved in regulating body weight, and there are now over 30 genes known in which people with harmful changes in DNA sequence become extremely overweight. Similarly, there are a number of genes that can, when altered, cause type 2 diabetes. These conditions are inherited through families in exactly the same way as disorders such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington's disease.

30 Jun 2015

Bacterial ‘fight club’ approach effective for finding new drugs from natural sources

Creating bacterial "fight clubs" is an effective way to find new drugs from natural sources. That is the conclusion of a team of Vanderbilt chemists who have been exploring ways to get bacteria to produce biologically active chemicals that they normally hold in reserve. These compounds are called secondary metabolites.

30 Jun 2015

SLU's Center for Vaccine Development receives $2.9 million to study new vaccine to combat TB

Saint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development has received a $2.9 million award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study a new tuberculosis vaccine.

30 Jun 2015

Exhausted army of immune cells may damage the very body they are supposed to protect

An 'exhausted' army of immune cells may not be able to fight off infection, but if its soldiers fight too hard they risk damaging the very body they are meant to be protecting, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge.

30 Jun 2015

Study could point the way to new treatments for people with severe asthma

The immune response that occurs in patients with severe asthma is markedly different than what occurs in milder forms of the lung condition, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Those unique features could point the way to new treatments, they said in an article published online today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

30 Jun 2015

Canada's first human gene therapy trial for choroideremia now underway at Royal Alexandra Hospital

Canada's first human gene therapy trial for eyes -- the replacement of a faulty gene with a healthy one -- is now underway at the Royal Alexandra Hospital to preserve and potentially restore vision for people with a genetic disorder that leaves them blind by middle age.

30 Jun 2015

Kay E. Davies named recipient of ASHG's 2015 William Allan Award

The American Society of Human Genetics has named Kay E. Davies, DPhil, Dr. Lee's professor of anatomy, associate head of the medical sciences division; and director of the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit in the department of physiology, anatomy and genetics at the University of Oxford, the 2015 recipient of the annual William Allan Award.

30 Jun 2015

Researchers discover gene locations affecting wrist bones in children

Pediatric researchers have discovered gene locations affecting bone strength in wrist bones, the most common site for fractures in children. Children who have those genetic variants may be at higher-than-average risk of wrist fractures, and could especially benefit from activities and diets that promote bone strength.

30 Jun 2015

Researchers discover mechanism that regulates metabolism

The protein complex mTORC1 is a central regulator of cell metabolism. In the active state, it stimulates anabolic processes and increases the production and storage of proteins and lipids. Researchers from the German Leibniz Institute for Age Research in Jena and the Dutch Ageing Institute ERIBA in Groningen discovered a mechanism how mTORC1 regulates metabolism: It controls the expression of a specific variant of the transcriptional regulator C/EBPβ.

29 Jun 2015

Scientists examine rates of secondary mutations in biomarker genes

Many tests for predictive biomarkers in tumors focus on selected known mutations or regions (e.g. hotspot panels). In a new study, scientists at Molecular Health examined the rates of secondary mutations in known biomarker genes and their potential impact on the diagnostic reliability of specific single-nucleotide variant (SNV) biomarker testing.

29 Jun 2015

People with specific gene variant at greater risk of developing depressions

People born with a particular gene variant have a greater risk of developing depressions, a recent study from the Department of Psychology at The University of Oslo shows.

29 Jun 2015

UC Riverside psychologist awarded NIA grant to study early influences on cognitive and physical health by middle age

University of California, Riverside psychologist Chandra A. Reynolds has been awarded a $7 million, five-year grant by the National Institute on Aging to study how early childhood influences versus recent influences affect cognitive and physical health by middle age.

27 Jun 2015

Texas Biomed, Take Off Pounds Sensibly establish new TOPS Nutrition and Obesity Research Center

Texas Biomedical Research Institute and Wisconsin-based non-profit Take Off Pounds Sensibly are establishing the new TOPS® Nutrition and Obesity Research Center with the goal of conducting research into the causes, health risks and treatment of human obesity. Studies at the Center will focus on the role of genetic predisposition to metabolic changes, nutritional preferences, appetite regulation, food intake and choice and incidence of obesity-related illnesses.

27 Jun 2015

Discovery sheds light on how the Hippo pathway maintains cellular balance

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a self-regulating loop in the Hippo pathway, a signaling channel garnering increased attention from cancer researchers due to its role in controlling organ size, cell proliferation and cell death.

27 Jun 2015

Special protein in the brain's smallest blood vessels may affect stroke risk

Studies on mice reveal that a special protein in the brain's tiniest blood vessels may affect the risk of stroke. Peter Carlsson, professor in genetics at the University of Gothenburg, and his research team are publishing new research findings in the journal Developmental Cell about how the blood-brain barrier develops and what makes the capillaries in the brain different from small blood vessels in other organs.

26 Jun 2015

Penn Medicine scientists identify stem-like 'progenitor' cell that produces heart muscle cells

Future therapies for failing hearts are likely to include stem-like cells and associated growth factors that regenerate heart muscle. Scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have just taken an important step towards that future by identifying a stem-like "progenitor" cell that produces only heart muscle cells.

26 Jun 2015

Genes News and Research

Blue-eyed individuals may have greater chance of becoming alcoholics

Sialic acid may play significant role in certain brain disorders

Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants may benefit people with Alzheimer's disease

Kalorama Information: NGS diagnostics can detect any number of genetic variants

Imperial College London researchers discover new inherited form of obesity, type 2 diabetes

Bacterial ‘fight club’ approach effective for finding new drugs from natural sources

SLU's Center for Vaccine Development receives $2.9 million to study new vaccine to combat TB

Exhausted army of immune cells may damage the very body they are supposed to protect

Study could point the way to new treatments for people with severe asthma

Canada's first human gene therapy trial for choroideremia now underway at Royal Alexandra Hospital

Kay E. Davies named recipient of ASHG's 2015 William Allan Award

Researchers discover gene locations affecting wrist bones in children

Researchers discover mechanism that regulates metabolism

Scientists examine rates of secondary mutations in biomarker genes

People with specific gene variant at greater risk of developing depressions

UC Riverside psychologist awarded NIA grant to study early influences on cognitive and physical health by middle age

Texas Biomed, Take Off Pounds Sensibly establish new TOPS Nutrition and Obesity Research Center

Discovery sheds light on how the Hippo pathway maintains cellular balance

Special protein in the brain's smallest blood vessels may affect stroke risk

Penn Medicine scientists identify stem-like 'progenitor' cell that produces heart muscle cells

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Latest eBooks

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (3rd edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Microbiome (1st edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition)

Advancing degrader and proximity-based drug development

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics