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New method may extend use of noninvasive prenatal testing to detect chromosomal abnormalities

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine developed a method to expand the types of chromosomal abnormalities that noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) can detect. The study, published November 9 by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses a semiconductor sequencing platform to identify small chromosomal deletions or duplications, such as occur in Cri du Chat Syndrome and DiGeorge Syndrome, with a simple blood test from the expectant mother.

10 Nov 2015

Disclosing genetic risk for CHD results in lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

A group of researchers led by Mayo Clinic has discovered that disclosing genetic risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) results in lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), also known as bad cholesterol. The findings of the Myocardial Infarction Genes (MI-GENES) Study were presented today at the annual American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2015 as a late-breaking clinical trial.

10 Nov 2015

UT Southwestern's Helen H. Hobbs named recipient of Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

UT Southwestern Medical Center geneticist Dr. Helen H. Hobbs is the 2016 recipient of the prestigious Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

10 Nov 2015

First comprehensive genomic and biologic study of top skin disease-causing microbes

An international team of scientists, led by researchers from A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), Institute of Medical Biology (IMB), and Bioinformatics Institute (BII), and P&G, have completed the first comprehensive genomic and biologic study of all species of Malassezia, one of the top skin disease-causing microbes.

9 Nov 2015

First male puberty timing study conducted

In the largest genomic analysis of puberty timing in men, new research conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and 23andMe* shows that the timing of puberty in males and females is influenced by many of the same-shared genetic factors. The study results are the first to quantify the strongly shared genetic basis for puberty timing between the sexes.

9 Nov 2015

Liquid biopsy provides physicians with up-to-date information about patient's cancer

A team of researchers, including scientists from the Translational Genomics Research Institute, has reported that analyzing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can track how a patient's cancer evolves and responds to treatment.

5 Nov 2015

Researchers identify mechanisms underlying postnatal organ maturation

Any expectant mother will tell you that she wants her baby's organs to develop properly in the womb. What she may not realize, however, is that a child's internal organs continue to develop for months and years after birth. This critical period is full of cellular changes that transform the organization and function of most tissues. But the exact mechanisms underlying postnatal organ maturation are still a mystery.

5 Nov 2015

Addressing quality of life needs in prostate cancer: an interview with Professor Louis Denis

Modern patient-directed management is based on optimal, individual medical treatment and holistic personalised patient-centred care. This is certainly true in prostate cancer where most patients are over 60 years of age. They face a negative physical and functional impact from the diagnosis as well as from the treatment with emotional and social challenges.

4 Nov 2015

Researchers use genomic techniques to show why different strains of Salmonella infect particular animal species

It's called bird flu for a reason. Particular characteristics about the influenza virus known as H5N1 allow it to primarily affect avifauna, though in some worrying cases the disease has been passed to humans.

3 Nov 2015

Cancer DNA in patient's bloodstream could help deliver personalized treatment for liver cancer

Fragments of cancer DNA circulating in a patient's bloodstream could help doctors deliver more personalized treatment for liver cancer, Japanese researchers report.

2 Nov 2015

Key protein controls stem cell properties that could make them useful in regenerative medicine

A key protein controls stem cell properties that could make them more useful in regenerative medicine, according to a study led by Mount Sinai researchers and published online today in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

31 Oct 2015

New clinical trial on breast cancer may help treat and control disease

A new clinical trial at Sanford Health is exploring how genetic changes that occur during breast cancer might help health care providers better identify, treat and control the disease.

30 Oct 2015

Certain drugs could be used to treat gastric cancers with particular pattern of mutations

Gastric cancer, otherwise known as stomach cancer, does not respond well to existing treatments and it is currently the third leading cause of cancer death in the world (after lung and liver cancer). Researchers have discovered that certain drugs, currently used to treat breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers, could also be used to treat certain gastric cancers with a particular pattern of mutations (genomic molecular fingerprint).

29 Oct 2015

First consensus guidelines on sharing genomic research findings on adults, children with family members

A blue-ribbon project group funded by the National Institutes of Health has published the first consensus guidelines on how researchers should share genomic findings in research on adults and children with other family members. The recommendations, published in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, offer direction on sharing information before and after the death of an individual research participant.

29 Oct 2015

Scientists identify key groups of bacteria responsible for majority of meningococcal cases in England, Wales

Scientists at Oxford University have identified the key groups of bacteria responsible for the majority of meningococcal disease cases in England and Wales over the past 20 years.

29 Oct 2015

Mount Sinai researchers provide a glimpse of precision medicine in action

A new publication from scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai offers a glimpse of precision medicine in action, with a massive data analysis project that identified clinically and genetically distinct subtypes of patients with type 2 diabetes. This work not only points to the possibility for more tailored diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes in the future, but also reveals a novel approach that can be applied to virtually any disease.

29 Oct 2015

New broad-spectrum antibiotic can kill bacteria by punching holes in their membranes

Bacteria have many methods of adapting to resist antibiotics, but a new class of spiral polypeptides developed at the University of Illinois targets one thing no bacterium can live without: an outer membrane.

29 Oct 2015

Researchers develop multiplexed screening approach to study cancer development in mice

In a novel use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, which can be deployed to switch genes off, researchers from Germany, the UK and Spain have developed a multiplexed screening approach to study and model cancer development in mice. The scientists mutated genes in the adult mouse liver uncovering their cancer-causing roles and determining which combinations of genes cooperate to cause liver cancer.

27 Oct 2015

New drug combination may be effective against malignant melanoma

A team of Massachusetts General Hospital investigators has discovered a new combination of drugs that may be effective against one of the deadliest cancers, malignant melanoma. The combination - pairing a drug targeted against mutations in the BRAF gene with a second drug that targets another important signaling pathway - was discovered through one of the largest screens of cancer drug combinations conducted to date.

27 Oct 2015

First computational method based on evolutionary principles developed to predict protein dynamics

Researchers from the Structural Biology Computational Group of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, led by Alfonso Valencia, in collaboration with a group headed by Francesco Gervasio at the University College London (UK), have developed the first computational method based on evolutionary principles to predict protein dynamics, which explains the changes in the shape or dimensional structure that they experience in order to interact with other compounds or speed up chemical reactions.

26 Oct 2015

Genomic News and Research

New method may extend use of noninvasive prenatal testing to detect chromosomal abnormalities

Disclosing genetic risk for CHD results in lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

UT Southwestern's Helen H. Hobbs named recipient of Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

First comprehensive genomic and biologic study of top skin disease-causing microbes

First male puberty timing study conducted

Liquid biopsy provides physicians with up-to-date information about patient's cancer

Researchers identify mechanisms underlying postnatal organ maturation

Addressing quality of life needs in prostate cancer: an interview with Professor Louis Denis

Researchers use genomic techniques to show why different strains of Salmonella infect particular animal species

Cancer DNA in patient's bloodstream could help deliver personalized treatment for liver cancer

Key protein controls stem cell properties that could make them useful in regenerative medicine

New clinical trial on breast cancer may help treat and control disease

Certain drugs could be used to treat gastric cancers with particular pattern of mutations

First consensus guidelines on sharing genomic research findings on adults, children with family members

Scientists identify key groups of bacteria responsible for majority of meningococcal cases in England, Wales

Mount Sinai researchers provide a glimpse of precision medicine in action

New broad-spectrum antibiotic can kill bacteria by punching holes in their membranes

Researchers develop multiplexed screening approach to study cancer development in mice

New drug combination may be effective against malignant melanoma

First computational method based on evolutionary principles developed to predict protein dynamics

Genetics & Genomics - Second Edition eBook

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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