Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Scientists find 23 new genetic variants that increase risk for prostate cancer

In an analysis of genetic information among more than 87,000 men, a global team of scientists says it has found 23 new genetic variants - common differences in the genetic code -- that increase a man's risk for prostate cancer. The so-called "meta-analysis," believed to be the largest of its kind, has revealed once hidden mutations among men in a broad array of ethnic groups comprising men of European, African, Japanese and Latino ancestry.

18 Sep 2014

Jacobsen syndrome linked to autism, find UCSD and SDSU researchers

A rare genetic disorder known as Jacobsen syndrome has been linked with autism, according to a recent joint investigation by researchers at San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego. In addition to suggesting better treatment options for people with Jacobsen syndrome, the finding also offers more clues into the genetic underpinnings of autism.

18 Sep 2014

Childhood psychiatric disorders linked to schizophrenia risk

Having a childhood psychiatric disorder increases people’s likelihood of being later diagnosed with schizophrenia, research shows.

17 Sep 2014

OGT to highlight NGS and FISH methods for tumour screening at BSGM 2014

Oxford Gene Technology, The Molecular Genetics Company, is inviting attendees of the British Society for Genetic Medicine annual conference to its seminar entitled ‘Approaches to tumour screening and therapy stratification: case studies in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer’ on Monday 22nd September, 13.10-13.50, room 2N.

From Oxford Gene Technology 17 Sep 2014

NIH awards grant to scientist to link drugs, genes and diseases

The National Institutes of Health wants to make the process of finding new drugs faster and better. The effort will help all 27 of its research institutes and centers. So, the nation's medical research agency awarded Tudor Oprea, MD, PhD, a 2-year $4.9 million grant to develop a tool scientists can use to link information about drugs, diseases and genes.

17 Sep 2014

New report outlines cholesterol-targeted approach to treat people at risk for cardiovascular disease

A recent guideline for using statins to reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease has wavered too far from the simple cholesterol goals that have saved thousands of lives in the past decade, and doesn't adequately treat patients as individuals, experts said today in a national report.

17 Sep 2014

Zebrafish may hold key to unlocking a leading cause of respiratory diseases

A small freshwater fish found in many tropical aquariums may hold the key to unlocking one of the leading causes of respiratory diseases in humans.

17 Sep 2014

Global study identifies another 23 new prostate cancer risk loci

Scientists could soon better predict a man's risk of getting prostate cancer after a worldwide team of researchers carried out the largest-ever analysis of the cancer's genetic biomarkers, reported in Nature Genetics today.

16 Sep 2014

Neuroscientists discover key gene linked to origins of speech

Neuroscientists have found that a gene mutation that arose more than half a million years ago may be key to humans' unique ability to produce and understand speech.

16 Sep 2014

New research shows schizophrenia comprises 8 genetically distinct disorders

New research shows that schizophrenia isn't a single disease but a group of eight genetically distinct disorders, each with its own set of symptoms. The finding could be a first step toward improved diagnosis and treatment for the debilitating psychiatric illness.

16 Sep 2014

Patients with particular genetic variation more prone to drug-induced pancreatitis

Doctors have discovered that patients with a particular genetic variation are four times more likely to develop pancreatitis if they are prescribed a widely used group of drugs.

16 Sep 2014

Assessing genetic variants can help identify men with increased risk of prostate cancer

Scientists can now explain a third of the inherited risk of prostate cancer, after a major international study identified 23 new genetic variants associated with increased risk of the disease.

16 Sep 2014

MU researchers make new breakthrough in spinal muscular atrophy drug

According to recent studies, approximately one out of every 40 individuals in the United States is a carrier of the gene responsible for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a neurodegenerative disease that causes muscles to weaken over time.

16 Sep 2014

Amgen announces phase 3 ivabradine data for treatment of chronic HF

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced data from the Phase 3 SHIFT (Systolic Heart failure treatment with the If inhibitor ivabradine Trial) study evaluating ivabradine in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) were presented at the 18th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) in Las Vegas.

15 Sep 2014

Research gives scientists new insight into evolution of gibbon genome

A team led by an Oregon Health & Science University researcher has sequenced and annotated the genome of the only ape whose DNA had yet to be sequenced - the gibbon, an endangered small ape that inhabits the tropical forests of Southeast Asia.

11 Sep 2014

Scientists crack genetic code of liver fluke parasite

Singapore-An international team of scientists from Singapore, Thailand, China and Australia has cracked the genetic code of the liver fluke parasite, Opisthorchis viverrini, using a unique DNA analysis technique developed at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS).

11 Sep 2014

Pollution in many cities threatens brain development in children

Pollution in many cities threatens the brain development in children. Findings by University of Montana Professor Dr. Lilian Calder-n-Garcidue-as, MA, MD, Ph.D., and her team of researchers reveal that children living in megacities are at increased risk for brain inflammation and neurodegenerative changes, including Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

11 Sep 2014

Dell, Terascala and TGen to install genomic data management solution at NCI

Dell, Terascala and the Translational Genomics Research Institute are installing state-of-the-art computing and programing specialized for human genome investigations at the National Cancer Institute.

10 Sep 2014

Study evaluates impact of myPath Melanoma diagnostic test

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today presented results from a pivotal clinical utility study of the Myriad myPath- Melanoma test at the 2014 College of American Pathologists (CAP) annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.

10 Sep 2014

NanoTracker™ Optical Tweezers system used at Leiden University to study the organisation of genomic DNA

JPK Instruments, a world-leading manufacturer of nanoanalytic instrumentation for research in life sciences and soft matter, reports on the use of the NanoTracker™ Optical Tweezers system in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics in the Leiden Institute of Chemistry at Leiden University.

9 Sep 2014