Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Babies who develop leukemia appear to inherit strong genetic predisposition to disease

Babies who develop leukemia during the first year of life appear to inherit an unfortunate combination of genetic variations that can make the infants highly susceptible to the disease, according to a new study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Minnesota.

20 Feb 2014

Deficiency in SNX27 explains learning impairment in Down's syndrome

Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have identified the precise role of the protein, SNX27, in the pathway leading to memory and learning impairment.

20 Feb 2014

How do people become depressed? An interview with Anna Watters and Professor Lea Williams, University of Sydney

A clinical diagnosis of depression (i.e. major depressive disorder) is currently defined on the basis of reported symptoms.

19 Feb 2014

UH Case Medical Center cardiologists perform TAVR procedure under twilight

University Hospitals Case Medical Center cardiologists Marco Costa, MD, and Dan Simon, MD, are among the first in the country to perform transaortic valve replacements (TAVR) while the patient is in a "twilight" sedation, awake and communicating with them during the procedure.

19 Feb 2014

Matching the right tumor with the right drug

There are three common drugs for advanced ovarian cancer: paclitaxel, cyclophosphamide, and topotecan. Like a shell game, if you pick the right drug a patient is likely to respond. And, unfortunately, picking the wrong drug can lead to treatment failure. As reported in this month's issue of the journal PLoS ONE, a University of Colorado Cancer Center and University of Virginia study used a sophisticated model of ovarian cancer genetics to match the right tumor with the right drug. Patients who were matched in this way lived an average 21 months longer than patients who were not matched.

19 Feb 2014

Tel Aviv University researchers win two prestigious melanoma research awards from MRA

Tel Aviv University researchers won two out of three prestigious melanoma research awards granted this year by The Melanoma Research Alliance and The Saban Family Foundation. The Team Science Awards are the centerpiece of the MRA research fund, which seeks to promote transformational melanoma research for swift clinical implementation.

18 Feb 2014

Discovery could lead to improved early detection, prevention strategies for sudden cardiac death

UC Irvine researchers have found a specific genetic flaw that is connected to sudden death due to heart arrhythmia - a leading cause of mortality for adults around the world.

18 Feb 2014

Pathway Genomics announces launch of Hereditary Colorectal Cancer DNA Insight genetic test

Pathway Genomics Corporation, a San Diego-based CLIA and CAP accredited clinical laboratory that offers genetic testing services worldwide, today announced the launch of Hereditary Colorectal Cancer DNA Insight, the company's premier hereditary cancer genetic test. Based on a simple saliva sample, the test uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to identify gene alterations or mutations that increase a patient's risk of developing certain types of cancer.

18 Feb 2014

Samoa Island harbors a global health mystery that could predict obesity crisis

The South Pacific archipelago of Samoa and American Samoa harbors a global health mystery that may seem both remote and extreme but could foretell trends in obesity and related conditions across much of the developing world.

18 Feb 2014

Discovery opens door for more targeted treatments for cancer patients

Cancer patients could one day experience fewer side effects from chemotherapy following a discovery that opens the door for more targeted treatments.

16 Feb 2014

Research provides new insight into the effect of misfolded proteins in neurodegenerative disorders

Research by the University of Southampton has provided new insight into the consequence of accumulated 'misfolded proteins' in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Prion and Alzheimer's disease.

16 Feb 2014

Researchers receive funding to develop treatments for Rett Syndrome

Researchers from Scotland and the US are taking a step towards reversing the effects of a debilitating genetic disease and bring hope to tens of thousands of sufferers worldwide.

14 Feb 2014

Researchers find 'missing' genetic risk in cancer

A new study could help to answer an important riddle in our understanding of genetics: why research to look for the genetic causes of common diseases has failed to explain more than a fraction of the heritable risk of developing them.

14 Feb 2014

Researchers personalize drug treatments for cholangiocarcinoma using genomic sequencing

Physicians at Mayo Clinic's Individualized Medicine Clinic and researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have personalized drug treatments for patients with cholangiocarcinoma using genomic sequencing technologies.

14 Feb 2014

New theory for how stem cells decide whether to become liver or pancreatic cells

Harvard stem cell scientists have a new theory for how stem cells decide whether to become liver or pancreatic cells during development. A cell's fate, the researchers found, is determined by the nearby presence of prostaglandin E2, a messenger molecule best known for its role in inflammation and pain.

14 Feb 2014

FDA-approved drug pregabalin effectively treats RLS symptoms with less side effects

A report in the Feb. 13 New England Journal of Medicine confirms previous studies suggesting that long-term treatment with the type of drugs commonly prescribed to treat restless leg syndrome (RLS) can cause a serious worsening of the condition in some patients.

14 Feb 2014

Scientists identify network of genes that controls human brain activity, memory and schizophrenia

Many psychiatric disorders are accompanied by memory deficits. Basel scientists have now identified a network of genes that controls fundamental properties of neurons and is important for human brain activity, memory and the development of schizophrenia.

14 Feb 2014

Scientists take steps to identify genetic component to bipolar disorder

Scientists know there is a strong genetic component to bipolar disorder, but they have had an extremely difficult time identifying the genes that cause it. So, in an effort to better understand the illness's genetic causes, researchers at UCLA tried a new approach.

13 Feb 2014

Albert Einstein College professor receives AAAS 2013 Newcomb Cleveland Prize

A study describing the complete wiring diagram for the part of the nervous system that controls mating behavior in male roundworms was chosen as the most outstanding paper published in Science in the year June 2012 to May 2013.

13 Feb 2014

UMMS launches Voyager Therapeutics to develop life-changing treatments for fatal diseases

UMass Medical School (UMMS) recognizes the launch today of Voyager Therapeutics, a gene therapy company founded by four world leaders in the fields of AAV gene therapy, RNA biology and neuroscience, to develop life-changing treatments for fatal and debilitating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS).

13 Feb 2014

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Babies who develop leukemia appear to inherit strong genetic predisposition to disease

Deficiency in SNX27 explains learning impairment in Down's syndrome

How do people become depressed? An interview with Anna Watters and Professor Lea Williams, University of Sydney

UH Case Medical Center cardiologists perform TAVR procedure under twilight

Matching the right tumor with the right drug

Tel Aviv University researchers win two prestigious melanoma research awards from MRA

Discovery could lead to improved early detection, prevention strategies for sudden cardiac death

Pathway Genomics announces launch of Hereditary Colorectal Cancer DNA Insight genetic test

Samoa Island harbors a global health mystery that could predict obesity crisis

Discovery opens door for more targeted treatments for cancer patients

Research provides new insight into the effect of misfolded proteins in neurodegenerative disorders

Researchers receive funding to develop treatments for Rett Syndrome

Researchers find 'missing' genetic risk in cancer

Researchers personalize drug treatments for cholangiocarcinoma using genomic sequencing

New theory for how stem cells decide whether to become liver or pancreatic cells

FDA-approved drug pregabalin effectively treats RLS symptoms with less side effects

Scientists identify network of genes that controls human brain activity, memory and schizophrenia

Scientists take steps to identify genetic component to bipolar disorder

Albert Einstein College professor receives AAAS 2013 Newcomb Cleveland Prize

UMMS launches Voyager Therapeutics to develop life-changing treatments for fatal diseases

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

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting