Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Researchers identify a group of 39 genes linked with alcoholism

There is good evidence from studies of families and twins that genetics plays an important role in the development of alcoholism. However, hundreds of genes likely are involved in this complex disorder, with each variant contributing only a very small effect. Thus, identifying individual risk genes is difficult.

21 Nov 2013

Multiple sclerosis researchers receive NMSS drug development grant

A $500,000 drug development grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society was awarded to a partnership between a multiple sclerosis research team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company. Dr. Patrizia Casaccia, MD, PhD, Professor in the Departments of Neuroscience and Genetics and Genomics, at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will be the academic lead.

21 Nov 2013

Predicting a person's tall stature from DNA is feasible, shows new study

Predicting adult body height from genetic data is helpful in several areas such as pediatric endocrinology and forensic investigations. However, despite large international efforts to catalogue the genes that influence the stature of humans, knowledge on genetic determinants of adult body height is still incomplete. Now DNA-based prediction of taller-than-average body height is feasible, as reported by researchers from the Netherlands and Sweden in an article published in Springer's journal Human Genetics

21 Nov 2013

Parkinson's Institute, Population Diagnostics discover new genes relevant to Parkinson's disease

The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center announced today that they, in partnership with Population Diagnostics, Inc., have discovered a number of new genes relevant to the cause of Parkinson's disease.

20 Nov 2013

DNA-damaging drug and MK2 inhibitor combination could be effective against cancer

About half of all cancer patients have a mutation in a gene called p53, which allows tumors to survive and continue growing even after chemotherapy severely damages their DNA.

20 Nov 2013

Advanced cytotoxins help bacteria survive antibiotics treatment

In spite of the fact that the first antibiotics were discovered almost a century ago, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, encephalitis and meningitis are still serious diseases for humans in the twenty-first century. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are more than 8 million new cases of tuberculosis per year on a global scale, and that more than 300,000 of these are due to multidrug-resistant strains that are not only difficult to treat, but are also emerging rapidly in regions such as Eastern Europe.

20 Nov 2013

Many primary care pediatricians feel uncomfortable in providing care to patients with genetic disorders

Many primary care pediatricians say they feel uncomfortable providing health care to patients with genetic disorders. Also, many do not consistently discuss all risks and benefits of genetic tests with patients, according to research published today in the American Journal of Medical Genetics.

20 Nov 2013

Gene-based method for selecting doses of warfarin no better than standardized dosing methods

A new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has determined that a gene-based method for selecting patients' doses of the popular heart medication warfarin is no better than standardized dosing methods. The study was presented today at the 2013 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Nov 2013

Researchers discover new genetic risk factor for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Investigators at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered a new genetic risk factor for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder called NDST3. The findings are published online in Nature Communications.

20 Nov 2013

Scientists at Salk Institute develop novel platform to study kidney diseases

Diseases affecting the kidneys represent a major and unsolved health issue worldwide. The kidneys rarely recover function once they are damaged by disease, highlighting the urgent need for better knowledge of kidney development and physiology.

19 Nov 2013

Philipp E. Scherer honored with 15th Naomi Berrie Award for Outstanding Research in Diabetes

Columbia University Medical Center has honored Philipp E. Scherer, PhD, with the 15th Naomi Berrie Award for Outstanding Research in Diabetes, for his work that helped usher in a new understanding of fat and its role in diabetes and other metabolic diseases. His discovery of adiponectin, a hormone produced by fat, helped transform the scientific concept of fat as an inert storage depot to one of it as an endocrine "organ" that exerts control over the brain, muscles, and other organs. The award, given annually by CUMC's Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, is Columbia's top honor for excellence in diabetes research.

19 Nov 2013

Scientists use new method to draw map of cancer's family tree

A new method to take the DNA fingerprint of individual cancer cells is uncovering the true extent of cancer's genetic diversity, new research reveals.

19 Nov 2013

Mutations affecting immune system play important role in breast cancer

Mutations in the genes that defend the body against cancer-related viruses and other infections may play a larger role in breast cancer than previously thought, according to a study at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

19 Nov 2013

Habitual dietary intake of monozygotic twins associated with fecal microbiota composition

The establishment of microbial populations in the gastrointestinal-tract is a complex process, involving microbial and host interactions eventually resulting in a dense and stable population.

18 Nov 2013

Researchers identify genes that put children at high risk of serious asthma attacks

An international team spearheaded by researchers from the University of Copenhagen has identified the genes that put some children at particularly high risk of serious asthma attacks, including one not previously suspected of being implicated in the disease.

18 Nov 2013

Researchers explore how certain molecular signaling pathways control aging across all species

Fruit flies are notoriously short-lived but scientists interested in the biology of aging in all animals have begun to understand why some fruit flies live longer than others. They have documented a direct association between insulin and life span, for example, and have observed a tradeoff between prolific reproduction and longevity. A new study, which may have broad implications across species, ties those findings more closely together by tracing an insulin signaling cascade through to protein quality control in muscle tissue and shortened life span.

18 Nov 2013

Researchers develop novel system to image worm brain activity

A research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and The Rockefeller University in New York has developed a novel system to image brain activity in multiple awake and unconstrained worms. The technology, which makes it possible to study the genetics and neural circuitry associated with animal behavior, can also be used as a high-throughput screening tool for drug development targeting autism, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and other brain disorders.

18 Nov 2013

Researchers generate three-dimensional kidney structures from human stem cells

18 Nov 2013

Scientists discover gene associated with high risk of severe childhood asthma.

An international scientific team has discovered a gene associated with a high risk of severe childhood asthma. The specific gene variant may be an actual cause of this form of asthma, a leading cause of hospitalization in young children.

17 Nov 2013

Mount Sinai biologist wins NIH Director's New Innovator Awards for High-Risk, High Reward Research

Arvin Dar, PhD, structural and chemical biologist in oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is one of 41 national recipients of the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Awards for High-Risk, High Reward Research. The award will support Dar's research into Ras-dependent cancers, specifically investigating how to combat mutations in Ras, a protein implicated in at least one of every five cancers.

16 Nov 2013

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Researchers identify a group of 39 genes linked with alcoholism

Multiple sclerosis researchers receive NMSS drug development grant

Predicting a person's tall stature from DNA is feasible, shows new study

Parkinson's Institute, Population Diagnostics discover new genes relevant to Parkinson's disease

DNA-damaging drug and MK2 inhibitor combination could be effective against cancer

Advanced cytotoxins help bacteria survive antibiotics treatment

Many primary care pediatricians feel uncomfortable in providing care to patients with genetic disorders

Gene-based method for selecting doses of warfarin no better than standardized dosing methods

Researchers discover new genetic risk factor for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Scientists at Salk Institute develop novel platform to study kidney diseases

Philipp E. Scherer honored with 15th Naomi Berrie Award for Outstanding Research in Diabetes

Scientists use new method to draw map of cancer's family tree

Mutations affecting immune system play important role in breast cancer

Habitual dietary intake of monozygotic twins associated with fecal microbiota composition

Researchers identify genes that put children at high risk of serious asthma attacks

Researchers explore how certain molecular signaling pathways control aging across all species

Researchers develop novel system to image worm brain activity

Researchers generate three-dimensional kidney structures from human stem cells

Scientists discover gene associated with high risk of severe childhood asthma.

Mount Sinai biologist wins NIH Director's New Innovator Awards for High-Risk, High Reward Research

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