Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New whitepaper examines main strategies employed to optimise target enrichment for NGS assays

Oxford Gene Technology, provider of innovative genetics research and biomarker solutions to advance molecular medicine, has produced a free whitepaper titled ‘The importance of enrichment assay choice and optimisation for confident variant detection.’ The paper investigates the main strategies employed to optimise target enrichment for next generation sequencing assays, assisting researchers to make informed decisions when designing studies.

From Oxford Gene Technology 30 Nov 2013

Male roundworms shorten the lifespan of females, say Stanford researchers

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that males of the laboratory roundworm secrete signaling molecules that significantly shorten the lifespan of the opposite sex.

29 Nov 2013

Cedars-Sinai researchers design new procedure to treat stem cell-related corneal blindness

Researchers in the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute have designed and tested a novel, minute-long procedure to prepare human amniotic membrane for use as a scaffold for specialized stem cells that may be used to treat some corneal diseases.

27 Nov 2013

Novel micro-catheter fluorescent dye method to treat aneurysm in deep brain

In March 2013, Eric Wagner told his wife to call 9-1-1 because he was feeling the worst that he had ever felt. He was rushed by EMS to University Hospitals (UH) Ahuja Medical Center, and then airlifted to UH Case Medical Center, where brain scans showed that he had a ruptured aneurysm, a leaking blister on a blood vessel that was letting blood flow into his brain and causing a stroke.

27 Nov 2013

Genetics and cardiovascular drugs: an interview with Nancy Lurker, CEO of PDI and Paul Kinnon, CEO of Transgenomic, Inc.

People inherit different versions of any particular gene, and some genes affect how patients process and metabolize medicines. This especially holds true for people with cardiovascular (CV) disease. They may be fast, slow or non-metabolizers and might also react badly (with serious adverse events) to certain drug therapies or not at all.

27 Nov 2013

Alpha Biolaboratories launches first accredited next day DNA paternity testing service in UK

A Warrington-based DNA testing laboratory is offering the UK's first standard next day paternity results service and is on a recruitment drive to cope with the anticipated increase in demand.

27 Nov 2013

Viewpoints: Local political fallout from Obama insurance pledge; 'debunking' sob story; is single payer still a possibility?

Democratic state leaders have been some of ObamaCare's strongest advocates. To show his gratitude, President Obama is sticking them with political responsibility for the millions of insurance policies that are being cancelled because they don't comply with the law's minimum-benefits mandates. ... Renewing lapsed policies could weaken the state exchanges as healthy young people will want to keep their discontinued, lower-cost plans ... there are other political considerations. Namely, the criticism they'll face from both the right and left if they don't back the president's directive to allow policy renewals (Allysia Finley, 11/25).

27 Nov 2013

Study links genetic predisposition to childhood obesity

Research has suggested that a particular gene in the brain's reward system contributes to overeating and obesity in adults. This same variant has now been linked to childhood obesity and tasty food choices, particularly for girls, according to a new study by Dr. Patricia Silveira and Prof. Michael Meaney of McGill University and Dr. Robert Levitan of the University of Toronto.

27 Nov 2013

Women who test negative for family-specific BRCA2 mutations may have four times risk for breast cancer

Women who are members of families with BRCA2 mutations but who test negative for the family-specific BRCA2 mutations are still at greater risk for developing breast cancer compared with women in the general population, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

27 Nov 2013

CSHL identifies specific stretch of DNA that helps cancerous blood cells to proliferate in AML

A team of researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has identified a leukemia-specific stretch of DNA called an enhancer element that enables cancerous blood cells to proliferate in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a devastating cancer that is incurable in 70% of patients.

27 Nov 2013

UK researchers identify a gene that regulates alcohol consumption

UK researchers have discovered a gene that regulates alcohol consumption and when faulty can cause excessive drinking. They have also identified the mechanism underlying this phenomenon.

26 Nov 2013

Auditory processing disorder diagnosis: an interview with Dr Doris-Eva Bamiou, UCL Ear Institute

It is a listening or hearing disorder, which is due to the brain’s defective analysis of sounds, so that individuals who are affected with this disorder cannot make sense of what they hear.

26 Nov 2013

Asparagine found in meat, eggs and dairy products is important for normal brain development

Asparagine, found in foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products, was until now considered non-essential because it is produced naturally by the body. Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital found that the amino acid is essential for normal brain development.

26 Nov 2013

Principal investigators at Nationwide Children's Hospital elected as AAAS Fellows

Brian K. Kaspar, PhD, and Veronica J. Vieland, PhD, principal investigators in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

26 Nov 2013

Genetic variation linked to increased levels of triglycerides associated with heart disorders

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have found that a genetic variation that is linked to increased levels of triglycerides -- fats in the blood associated with disorders such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and stroke -- is far more common than previously believed and disproportionally affects people of African ancestry.

26 Nov 2013

Director of Scheie Eye Institute honored with WIO's Suzanne Veronneau Troutman Award

Joan M. O'Brien, MD, the George E. de Schweinitz and William F. Norris Professor of Ophthalmology, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and director of the Scheie Eye Institute at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, was recently presented with the Women in Ophthalmology's Suzanne Veronneau Troutman Award.

26 Nov 2013

Cleveland Clinic researchers elected as AAAS Fellows for excellent contributions to science

Cleveland Clinic researchers Richard A. Padgett, Ph.D., and Edward F. Plow, Ph.D., have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This year's AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on Nov. 29, 2013.

26 Nov 2013

High intake of sugar-sweetened beverages reports increased risk of endometrial cancer

Postmenopausal women who consumed sugar-sweetened beverages were more likely to develop the most common type of endometrial cancer compared with women who did not drink sugar-sweetened beverages, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

25 Nov 2013

Researchers identify immune cell protein that sets off body's initial response against viral infection

A Massachusetts General Hospital-led research team has identified an immune cell protein that is critical to setting off the body's initial response against viral infection. The report that will be published in an upcoming issue of Nature Immunology and is receiving early online release describes finding that a protein called GEF-H1 is essential to the ability of macrophages - major contributors to the innate immune system - to respond to viral infections like influenza.

25 Nov 2013

Researchers identify two gene mutations associated with increased risk of eating disorders

Eating disorders are disturbing and often-heartbreaking ailments that are relatively common, mostly among younger women.

25 Nov 2013

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New whitepaper examines main strategies employed to optimise target enrichment for NGS assays

Male roundworms shorten the lifespan of females, say Stanford researchers

Cedars-Sinai researchers design new procedure to treat stem cell-related corneal blindness

Novel micro-catheter fluorescent dye method to treat aneurysm in deep brain

Genetics and cardiovascular drugs: an interview with Nancy Lurker, CEO of PDI and Paul Kinnon, CEO of Transgenomic, Inc.

Alpha Biolaboratories launches first accredited next day DNA paternity testing service in UK

Viewpoints: Local political fallout from Obama insurance pledge; 'debunking' sob story; is single payer still a possibility?

Study links genetic predisposition to childhood obesity

Women who test negative for family-specific BRCA2 mutations may have four times risk for breast cancer

CSHL identifies specific stretch of DNA that helps cancerous blood cells to proliferate in AML

UK researchers identify a gene that regulates alcohol consumption

Auditory processing disorder diagnosis: an interview with Dr Doris-Eva Bamiou, UCL Ear Institute

Asparagine found in meat, eggs and dairy products is important for normal brain development

Principal investigators at Nationwide Children's Hospital elected as AAAS Fellows

Genetic variation linked to increased levels of triglycerides associated with heart disorders

Director of Scheie Eye Institute honored with WIO's Suzanne Veronneau Troutman Award

Cleveland Clinic researchers elected as AAAS Fellows for excellent contributions to science

High intake of sugar-sweetened beverages reports increased risk of endometrial cancer

Researchers identify immune cell protein that sets off body's initial response against viral infection

Researchers identify two gene mutations associated with increased risk of eating disorders

Sequencing & Genomics: Elevating Science and Healthcare eBook

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)