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New study to use genetic 'chips' for examining DNA from over 20,000 heart disease patients

New research at the University of Leicester will use the latest genetic techniques to examine DNA from over 20,000 patients with heart disease.

11 Jun 2010

Emerging science of epigenetics offers new insights at crossroads of genes and the environment: Article

An emerging arm of molecular biology is introducing a new interpretation of traditional concepts of human disease, explains an article published today in Nature. According to author Dr. Arturas Petronis at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the emerging science of epigenetics is offering new insights at the crossroads of genes and the environment, or nature and nurture. Dr. Petronis is head of the Krembil Family Epigenetics Laboratory at CAMH and an international expert in the field.

11 Jun 2010

UK scientists discover cancer-blocking activity in Down's syndrome chromosome

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered cancer-blocking activity for genes carried on chromosome 21 - an extra copy of which is carried by people with Down's syndrome, reveals research published in Nature.

11 Jun 2010

Interpretation of multiple gene function may hold clue to autism

Deciphering the functions of multiple rare genes may be at the core of understanding the genetic factors that cause autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), according to a new study published June 9 in the journal Nature by dozens of top autism researchers around the world, including Yale Child Study Center Director Fred R. Volkmar, M.D.

11 Jun 2010

Scientist succeeds in producing replica of human collagen from tobacco plants

A scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment has succeeded in producing a replica of human collagen from tobacco plants - an achievement with tremendous commercial implications for use in a variety of human medical procedures.

11 Jun 2010

Research may lead to better treatments for depression and substance abuse

In what has been hailed as a breakthrough, scientists from Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical College have outlined the molecular mechanism of membrane transport. The research shows how a protein transforms its shape to transport substances across the cell membrane in order to regulate transmission of the brain's messages across the synaptic gap from one neuron to another.

11 Jun 2010

Reprogrammed killer cells prevent metastasis

A team of researchers has developed a method to produce cells that kill tumour cells in the lab and prevent tumours forming in mouse models of cancer. Although the current work is in cells and mouse, if the research transfers to human biology, the new type of cell could be a new source for cell-based anticancer therapies.

11 Jun 2010

Study offers new insights into how brain chooses between behaviors that are critical for survival

A team of biologists has isolated genes that regulate the sleep-feeding conflict. The study, which appears in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology, offers new insights into how the brain chooses between behaviors that are critical for survival.

11 Jun 2010

Study identifies mechanism that interrupts normal p53 gene function leading to tumor development

The p53 gene has been a well-documented player in the prevention of tumors. It is considered the most frequently mutated gene in human tumors with more than half harboring p53 mutations (Bennett et al., 1999). These mutations often can be caused by disruption in normal p53 function.

11 Jun 2010

Gambling addiction can be inherited equally by sons and daughters: Study

Gambling is linked to a gene that is passed on through generations and a new study claims that it is passed on to both sons and daughters alike. The study published in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry says, that genes rule at least 50 percent of a persons propensity to gamble irrespective of sex. Genes have been linked earlier to gambling but this is the first time women are also said to inherit the trait.

10 Jun 2010

WaferGen announces microRNA, oncology gene panels for SmartChip Real-Time PCR System

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc., a leading developer of state-of-the-art genetic analysis systems, today announced the availability of two gene expression profiling panels for the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System that will enable microRNA and cancer pathway profiling capability.

10 Jun 2010

Researchers validate effectiveness of genome sequencing process for hereditary genetic diseases

A research team led by Dr. Nada Jabado at the MUHC Research Institute and Dr. Jacek Majewski at McGill University has proven for the first time that it is possible to identify any genetic disease in record time thanks to a powerful and reliable exome sequencing method. The exome, a small part of the genome ((less than) 2%), is of crucial interest with regard to research on genetic diseases as it accounts for 85% of mutations.

10 Jun 2010

Misinterpretation of genetic information may undermine efforts to promote behavioral changes for disease prevention

Does knowing that genes are partly responsible for your health condition mean you are less likely to be motivated to find out about the benefits of behavioral changes? According to Dr. Suzanne O'Neill from the National Human Genome Research Institute/National Institutes of Health, and her colleagues, people on the whole are still interested in how health habits affect disease risk.

10 Jun 2010

Brain stimulation with ultrasound may enhance cognitive function

The ability to diagnose and treat brain dysfunction without surgery, may rely on a new method of noninvasive brain stimulation using pulsed ultrasound developed by a team of scientists led by William "Jamie" Tyler, a neuroscientist at Arizona State University. The approach, published in the journal Neuron on June 9, shows that pulsed ultrasound not only stimulates action potentials in intact motor cortex in mice but it also "elicits motor responses comparable to those only previously achieved with implanted electrodes and related techniques," says Yusuf Tufail, the lead author from ASU's School of Life Sciences.

10 Jun 2010

Copy number variants may cause autism: Study

An international consortium of researchers from more than 70 universities, including the University of Utah, has reported that a study of nearly 2,300 people supports the growing consensus that autism is caused in part by rare genetic changes called copy number variants (CNVs).

10 Jun 2010

New genetic discoveries from Autism Genome Project

An international consortium of researchers working under the auspices of Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, has announced new genetic discoveries from the second phase of its collaborative study: the Autism Genome Project. The results were published today in the journal Nature, one of the world's most respected peer-reviewed scientific publications.

10 Jun 2010

World's largest DNA scan reveals new genetic changes in autistic children

The world's largest DNA scan for familial autism has uncovered new genetic changes in autistic children that are often not present in their parents. Identified in less than 1 percent of the population, these rare variants occur nearly 20 percent more in autistic children.

10 Jun 2010

Combination therapy appears to improve outcome of women with late-stage ovarian cancer

The combination of decitabine and carboplatin appears to improve the outcome of women who have late-stage ovarian cancer. In an upcoming issue of the journal Cancer (online today), Indiana University researchers report four of 10 patients who participated in a phase I clinical trial had no disease progression after six months of treatment. One patient experienced complete resolution of tumor tissue for a period of time.

10 Jun 2010

Autism is caused in part by CNVs: Study

10 Jun 2010

RCSI scientists make breakthrough in understanding human adaptation to high altitude environments

A group of top international scientists including geneticists from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland has made a breakthrough in understanding human adaptation to high altitude environments.

9 Jun 2010

Genes News and Research

New study to use genetic 'chips' for examining DNA from over 20,000 heart disease patients

Emerging science of epigenetics offers new insights at crossroads of genes and the environment: Article

UK scientists discover cancer-blocking activity in Down's syndrome chromosome

Interpretation of multiple gene function may hold clue to autism

Scientist succeeds in producing replica of human collagen from tobacco plants

Research may lead to better treatments for depression and substance abuse

Reprogrammed killer cells prevent metastasis

Study offers new insights into how brain chooses between behaviors that are critical for survival

Study identifies mechanism that interrupts normal p53 gene function leading to tumor development

Gambling addiction can be inherited equally by sons and daughters: Study

WaferGen announces microRNA, oncology gene panels for SmartChip Real-Time PCR System

Researchers validate effectiveness of genome sequencing process for hereditary genetic diseases

Misinterpretation of genetic information may undermine efforts to promote behavioral changes for disease prevention

Brain stimulation with ultrasound may enhance cognitive function

Copy number variants may cause autism: Study

New genetic discoveries from Autism Genome Project

World's largest DNA scan reveals new genetic changes in autistic children

Combination therapy appears to improve outcome of women with late-stage ovarian cancer

Autism is caused in part by CNVs: Study

RCSI scientists make breakthrough in understanding human adaptation to high altitude environments

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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