Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Scientists use metabolomics to discover DMS linked with neuropathic pain

Millions of people worldwide suffer from a type of chronic pain called neuropathic pain, which is triggered by nerve damage. Precisely how this pain persists has been a mystery, and current treatments are largely ineffective. But a team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute, using a new approach known as metabolomics, has now discovered a major clue: dimethylsphingosine (DMS), a small-molecule byproduct of cellular membranes in the nervous system.

23 Jan 2012

Scientists discover finely tuned mechanism associated with CHD

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have identified a finely tuned mechanism by which fetal heart muscle develops into a healthy and fully formed beating heart-offering new insight into the genetic causes of congenital heart disease and opening the door to one day developing therapies to fight this chronic and potentially fatal disorder.

23 Jan 2012

Genes may predict maintenance of intelligence over lifetime: Study

A Scottish study that began 80 years ago has shown that genes may play a role in maintaining intelligence till old age. The study participants joined when they were 11 years old. Researchers have long been interested in understanding how cognition changes with age, and why these changes are more rapid in some people than in others. But, in the past, studies of age-related intelligence changes were often performed when the subjects were already elderly.

22 Jan 2012

Three-parent children may be born in near future in an effort to combat mitochondrial diseases

In the next couple of years the scientific community may witness creation of children with genetic material from three parents. British scientists want to start testing a new IVF technique to try to eradicate incurable genetic diseases such as muscular dystrophy. The concept took a leap forward yesterday after the Government announced a public consultation on whether the law should be changed to allow the technique.

22 Jan 2012

First genome-wide study of high-altitude adaptations in Ethiopians

Over many generations, people living in the high-altitude regions of the Andes or on the Tibetan Plateau have adapted to life in low-oxygen conditions. Living with such a distinct and powerful selective pressure has made these populations a textbook example of evolution in action, but exactly how their genes convey a survival advantage remains an open question. Now, a University of Pennsylvania team has made new inroads to answering this question with the first genome-wide study of high-altitude adaptations within the third major population to possess them: the Amhara people of the Ethiopian Highlands.

21 Jan 2012

UHCMC now offers HITEC for women with gynecologic cancers

Patients with gynecologic cancer have new hope in a novel technology now offered at the Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center. A team of cancer specialists, led by Robert DeBernardo, MD, is among the first in the nation to launch a dedicated program using Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) to treat ovarian, endometrial and select other cancers.

21 Jan 2012

Combination of gefitinib and miRNA-inhibitor might effectively treat NSCLC

New research published in Nature Medicine indicates that targeted drugs such as gefitinib might more effectively treat non-small cell lung cancer if they could be combined with agents that block certain microRNAs.

20 Jan 2012

New biomarkers can predict risk of kidney failure in patients with diabetes

Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified two novel markers that, when elevated in the blood stream, can predict accurately the risk of renal (kidney) failure in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

20 Jan 2012

Distal-less gene plays a critical role in development of fruit fly olfactory system

Fruit flies don't have noses, but a huge part of their brains is dedicated to processing smells. Flies probably rely on the sense of smell more than any other sense for essential activities such as finding mates and avoiding danger. UW-Madison researchers have discovered that a gene called distal-less is critical to the fly's ability to receive, process and respond to smells.

20 Jan 2012

Elsevier to publish The Ocular Surface that focuses on external eye and vision

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce newly acquiring The Ocular Surface, a peer-reviewed journal focusing on the external eye and vision. As per January 2012 Elsevier will continue the publication of the quarterly journal.

20 Jan 2012

Study explains gender-related incidence of liver cancer

Men are four times more likely to develop liver cancer compared to women, a difference attributed to the sex hormones androgen and estrogen. Although this gender difference has been known for a long time, the molecular mechanisms by which estrogens prevent -- and androgens promote -- liver cancer remain unclear.

20 Jan 2012

Birth weight plays a role in autism spectrum disorder

Although the genetic basis of autism is now well established, a growing body of research also suggests that environmental factors may play a role in this serious developmental disorder affecting nearly one in 100 children. Using a unique study design, a new study suggests that low birth weight is an important environmental factor contributing to the risk of autism spectrum disorder.

20 Jan 2012

Nurture plays an important role in cerebral cortex

Our visual systems allow us to appreciate the beauty of the world, but they were mainly evolved to help us survive, by avoiding predators and capturing prey. Central to that task is the ability to instantly determine whether objects are moving, and the direction of that movement.

19 Jan 2012

Earlier detection of Fragile X syndrome made possible

Now families children with fragile X syndrome may have a chance of earlier detection and intervention. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute breakthrough could allow newborn screening of the world's most common cause of inherited developmental disability. The research findings were published in the journal Clinical Chemistry.

19 Jan 2012

HOXB13 gene mutation linked to familial prostate cancer risk

The quest for genetic information in the fight against prostate cancer is nearly two decades long. While researchers and doctors have long accepted the hereditary nature of the disease, in that closer relatives are at a two-fold increased risk of developing prostate cancer, the genetic explanation remained a mystery. Last week geneticists shared news of a novel gene mutation linked to familial prostate cancer risk.

19 Jan 2012

New colorectal cancer screening test is highly accurate and more sensitive: Study

Results of two studies suggest that a new, investigational colorectal cancer screening test developed in a collaboration between Mayo Clinic and Exact Sciences Inc. of Madison, Wis., is highly accurate and significantly more sensitive than other noninvasive tests at detecting precancerous tumors (adenomas) and early-stage cancer.

19 Jan 2012

Study identifies mechanism that AML cells use to evade chemotherapy

A study published this week in the journal Leukemia identifies a mechanism that acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells use to evade chemotherapy - and details how to close this escape route.

19 Jan 2012

New genetic signature could cause bile duct cancer

Investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center have identified a new genetic signature associated with bile duct cancer, a usually deadly tumor for which effective treatment currently is limited.

19 Jan 2012

GSA honors researchers, educators for distinguished service in the field of genetics

The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce the 2012 recipients of its five awards for distinguished service in the field of genetics. The recipients of these awards were nominated and selected by their colleagues.

19 Jan 2012

Scientists crack genetic code for Schistosoma haematobium

Scientists have cracked the genetic code and predicted some high priority drug targets for the blood parasite Schistosoma haematobium, which is linked to bladder cancer and HIV/ AIDS and causes the insidious urogenital disease schistosomiasis haematobia in more than 112 million people in Africa.

19 Jan 2012