Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Salk researchers move one step closer to unlocking how the brain functions

How the brain functions is still a black box: scientists aren't even sure how many kinds of nerve cells exist in the brain. To know how the brain works, they need to know not only what types of nerve cells exist, but also how they work together. Researchers at the Salk Institute have gotten one step closer to unlocking this black box.

17 Dec 2015

Mitochondrial variation and viable pregnancy: an interview with Dr Elpida Fragouli

Embryos require adequate amounts of energy so that they can successfully progress through each of their cell divisions.

16 Dec 2015

New study finds a reason for ethnic disparity in CF diagnoses

Cystic fibrosis (CF) occurs less frequently in nonwhites than in whites, and nonwhites tend to be diagnosed at a later age. This late diagnosis often comes only once they have become symptomatic, rather than through newborn screening programs or molecular diagnostic testing.

16 Dec 2015

Innovative brain imaging study reveals why ToM deficiencies present in children with ASD

The holidays can be difficult for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly because of new or different social situations. One reason scientists believe ASD causes impairment in social interactions is due to an inability to effectively infer other's thoughts and feelings through "theory of mind," or ToM -- the ability to understand the mental states of others and oneself.

16 Dec 2015

VCU Massey Cancer Center scientists reveal signaling process that leads to excessive growth of cancer

The gene p53 has been described as the "guardian of the genome" due to its prominent role in preventing genetic mutations. More than half of all cancers are thought to originate from p53 mutations or loss of function, and now a recent study by VCU Massey Cancer Center scientist Richard Moran, Ph.D., explains why.

15 Dec 2015

Using antidepressants during pregnancy greatly increases autism risk

Using antidepressants during pregnancy greatly increases the risk of autism, Professor Anick Bérard of the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine children's hospital revealed today. Prof. Bérard, an internationally renowned expert in the fields of pharmaceutical safety during pregnancy, came to her conclusions after reviewing data covering 145,456 pregnancies.

15 Dec 2015

New study describes a way to identify complex type of mutation in cancer genomes

New research shows that current approaches to genome analysis systematically miss detecting a certain type of complex mutation in cancer patients' tumors. Further, a significant percentage of these complex mutations are found in well-known cancer genes that could be targeted by existing drugs, potentially expanding the number of cancer patients who may benefit.

15 Dec 2015

Study may help reduce sugar consumption, improve nutritional health of children

Everyone knows that children love sweets, but ever wonder why some kids seem to want more sugary food than others? It could be because they need more sugar to get that same sweet taste. According to new research from the Monell Center, sensitivity to sweet taste varies widely across school-aged children and is in part genetically-determined.

15 Dec 2015

Stanford researchers develop novel technique for mapping diversity of gut bacteria

A collaboration between computer scientists and geneticists at Stanford University has produced a novel technique for mapping the diversity of bacteria living in the human gut.

15 Dec 2015

USC researchers find that colorectal cancer risk varies widely among Latino subgroups in California

In a first study of its kind, USC researchers have found that colorectal cancer risk in Californian Latinos vary widely depending on their country of origin.

14 Dec 2015

Commercialization of health and beauty can lead to Angelina Jolie syndrome

The politicization and commercialization of health issues in today's Western culture have led to growing healthism -- a peremptory idea of self-preserving behaviour. This approach criticizes everything that fails to fit into the glamorous standards of a beautiful, young and slim body.

13 Dec 2015

ICGC article lays foundation for the coming era of cancer genomic research

An eye-opening article from the International Cancer Genome Consortium was published today in the prestigious journal Nature Communications. It lays a foundation for the coming era of research in cancer genomics.

13 Dec 2015

Rutgers scientists uncover biological pathways that provide insight into tiny cell bubbles

Rutgers scientists have uncovered biological pathways in the roundworm that provide insight into how tiny bubbles released by cells can have beneficial health effects, like promoting tissue repair, or may play a diabolical role and carry disease signals for cancer or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

12 Dec 2015

CRISPR-Cas9 can help knock out genes in exotic animals

The simplicity of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing will soon make studying the genes of any organism, from the simplest slime mold to the octopus, as easy as it now is to study the genes controlling development in standard lab animals such as nematodes, fruit flies, frogs and mice.

12 Dec 2015

New biobank initiative may help unlock some of the mysteries linked to Down syndrome

Nationwide Children's Hospital and research advocacy group DownSyndrome Achieves have joined forces to create the first biobank in the country dedicated to collecting and managing blood samples from people with Down syndrome.

12 Dec 2015

Study reveals why anti-hormone therapy tamoxifen works better in some women than others

The anti-hormone therapy tamoxifen can reduce breast cancer recurrence by about half in women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer. But it works better in some women than others. Researchers are not sure why.

11 Dec 2015

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals pose threat to male reproductive health

The birth rate is declining in all industrialised countries, and socioeconomic factors and women's age are not solely to blame. Male reproductive health and environmental factors are also significant, as concluded in a new scientific review article.

11 Dec 2015

Vagus nerve stimulation prevents hemorrhagic complications following surgery

Stimulating the vagus nerve is a potentially efficacious and safe way to stop the flow of blood and prevent hemorrhagic complications following surgery and other invasive procedures, according to a researcher in the Center for Bioelectronic Medicine at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

11 Dec 2015

Environmental and lifestyle factors damage men's reproductive health

Environmental and lifestyle factors are damaging men's reproductive health and may be playing a large role in decreasing fertility rates in industrialized countries, a new study in Physiological Reviews reports. Socioeconomic influences and female reproductive health cannot solely be blamed for higher incidences of infertility, the study supports.

10 Dec 2015

Seeing alcohol abuse, drug use can make teens engage in antisocial behavior on the same day

Seeing others drink alcohol or use drugs makes it more likely that teenagers will engage in antisocial behavior on the same day, according to new findings from Duke University.

9 Dec 2015

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Salk researchers move one step closer to unlocking how the brain functions

Mitochondrial variation and viable pregnancy: an interview with Dr Elpida Fragouli

New study finds a reason for ethnic disparity in CF diagnoses

Innovative brain imaging study reveals why ToM deficiencies present in children with ASD

VCU Massey Cancer Center scientists reveal signaling process that leads to excessive growth of cancer

Using antidepressants during pregnancy greatly increases autism risk

New study describes a way to identify complex type of mutation in cancer genomes

Study may help reduce sugar consumption, improve nutritional health of children

Stanford researchers develop novel technique for mapping diversity of gut bacteria

USC researchers find that colorectal cancer risk varies widely among Latino subgroups in California

Commercialization of health and beauty can lead to Angelina Jolie syndrome

ICGC article lays foundation for the coming era of cancer genomic research

Rutgers scientists uncover biological pathways that provide insight into tiny cell bubbles

CRISPR-Cas9 can help knock out genes in exotic animals

New biobank initiative may help unlock some of the mysteries linked to Down syndrome

Study reveals why anti-hormone therapy tamoxifen works better in some women than others

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals pose threat to male reproductive health

Vagus nerve stimulation prevents hemorrhagic complications following surgery

Environmental and lifestyle factors damage men's reproductive health

Seeing alcohol abuse, drug use can make teens engage in antisocial behavior on the same day

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

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging