Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Study examines specific form of autism caused by duplication on chromosome 15

Identifying and understanding the combination of factors that leads to autism is an ongoing scientific challenge. This developmental disorder appears in the first three years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.

27 Mar 2013

Bladder cancer risk linked to genetic alterations

A new analysis has found that genetic alterations in a particular cellular pathway are linked with bladder cancer risk, recurrence, disease progression, and patient survival. Published early online in CANCER, a peer- reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings could help improve bladder cancer screening and treatment.

26 Mar 2013

Scientists find new mechanism for guiding growth of nerves

A new mechanism for guiding the growth of nerves that involves cell-death machinery has been found by scientists at the University of Nevada, Reno that may bring advances in neurological medicine and research.

26 Mar 2013

First multi-gene DNA sequencing test launched for cancer patients

The first multi-gene DNA sequencing test that can help predict cancer patients' responses to treatment has been launched in the National Health Service, thanks to a partnership between scientists at the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

26 Mar 2013

Researchers study gene variants that bear signature for inflammatory disease susceptibility

In new research published in the April 4, 2013 issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital demonstrate that some variants in our genes that could put a person at risk for inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease or rheumatoid arthritis, have been the target of natural selection over the course of human history.

25 Mar 2013

Research may offer clues to why esophageal adenocarcinomas rates have increased rapidly

During the past 30 years, the number of patients with cancers that originate near the junction of the esophagus and stomach has increased approximately 600 percent in the United States. The first extensive probe of the DNA of these esophageal adenocarcinomas has revealed that many share a distinctive mix-up of letters of the genetic code, and found more than 20 mutated genes that had not previously been linked to the disease.

25 Mar 2013

Study uncovers new relationship between nuclear architecture, gene activity

Every time a cell divides it makes a carbon copy of crucial ingredients, including the histone proteins that are responsible for spooling yards of DNA into tight little coils.

25 Mar 2013

Experts outline new agenda for inflammatory bowel disease research

Every five years, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America gathers top researchers in inflammatory bowel disease to set the research agenda for the next five years.

25 Mar 2013

Experts say age, ethnicity and genetics play a critical role in the development of prostate cancer

Genetics, age and ethnicity are risk factors for prostate cancer, while the evidence for obesity, smoking and diabetes as associated risks remains uncertain, according to prostate cancer experts.

24 Mar 2013

ACMG issues recommendations on handling of incidental findings in clinical genome, exome sequencing

In a highly anticipated report, landmark recommendations on the handling of incidental findings in clinical genome and exome sequencing are being issued from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.

22 Mar 2013

Last few meals before surgery may affect recovery after surgery, study says

According to a new study, the last few meals before surgery might make a difference in recovery after surgery. Fat tissue is one of the most dominant components that make up the body, and fat tissue is always traumatized during major surgery.

22 Mar 2013

Fralin Life Science Institute researchers use TALENS to alter mosquito genome

Virginia Tech researchers successfully used a gene disruption technique to change the eye color of a mosquito - a critical step toward new genetic strategies aimed at disrupting the transmission of diseases such as dengue fever.

22 Mar 2013

Salk scientists discover how brain keeps track of similar but distinct memories

Ever find yourself racking your brain on a Monday morning to remember where you put your car keys? When you do find those keys, you can thank the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for storing and retrieving memories of different environments-such as that room where your keys were hiding in an unusual spot.

22 Mar 2013

Gene LY86 identified as likely contributor to obesity

Food and environment can chemically alter your gene function and scientists have identified a gene that is consistently altered in obesity.

22 Mar 2013

TGen researcher explores latest findings about children born with limited mobility

Dr. Lisa Baumbach-Reardon, an Associate Professor at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, will lead a panel discussion about Arthrogryposis (ARGY) today at the 2013 American College of Medical Genetics Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting.

21 Mar 2013

Ralph J. Greenspan to speak on Brain Activity Map at UC Riverside

How the human brain, the most complex object in the known universe, does what it does remains a mystery. While it's true that scientists understand much about the composition of neurons (nerve cells) and how they send and receive electrical and chemical signals and how large bundles of neurons connect major areas of the brain to each other, a gap persists in our knowledge on how signals from individual neurons combine to produce activities such as walking, recognizing a melody, playing a musical instrument or understanding mathematics.

21 Mar 2013

Online database is speeding the search for diseases caused by rogue gene

A new online database combining symptoms, family history and genetic sequencing information is speeding the search for diseases caused by a single rogue gene.

20 Mar 2013

Hepatitis C and HIV co-infection treatment: an interview with Prof Boecher, Boehringer Ingelheim

Chronic hepatitis C infection is one of the most frequent chronic infectious diseases worldwide. The WHO estimates that 150 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

20 Mar 2013

Study explores new mechanism that may contribute to development of cancers

A study published today in the journal Nature Genetics explores a new mechanism that may contribute to the development of several tumours, including Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, a type of cancer that affects more than a thousand new patients in Spain each year.

20 Mar 2013