Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

OAC and Obesity PPM to launch long-term online educational initiative

In January 2012, the OAC and Obesity PPM will launch a long-term online educational initiative to increase understanding of the complexity of obesity and its many causes. The disease of obesity impacts individuals physically, emotionally, economically and socially. This initiative will look at various factors, both controllable and uncontrollable, impacting individuals affected by obesity.

29 Dec 2011

Research provides first proof of epigenetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes

Research carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has provided the first proof of molecular risk factors leading to type 2 diabetes, providing an "early warning" sign that could lead to new approaches to treating this and other human disease conditions.

28 Dec 2011

Pioneer in infectious disease medicine shares his perspectives in new podcast series

Beginning this month, the journal Medicine launches a series of podcasts featuring pioneering infectious disease physician John Bartlett, MD. Medicine is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

28 Dec 2011

NCC announces grant recipients of Childhood Cancer Research Coalition program

The National Cancer Coalition (NCC) is pleased to announce research grant recipients.

26 Dec 2011

AAA announces recipients of Young Investigator Awards

The American Association of Anatomist's (AAA) Young Investigator Awards combine three long-standing AAA awards-Bensley, Herrick, and Mossman-with the recently established Morphological Sciences Award, all recognizing investigators in the early stages of their careers who have made important contributions to biomedical science through their research in cell/molecular biology, developmental biology, comparative neuroanatomy, or the morphological sciences.

26 Dec 2011

Neuroscientists discover gene responsible for HDLS

A global team of neuroscientists, led by researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida, have found the gene responsible for a brain disorder that may be much more common than once believed. In the Dec. 25 online issue of Nature Genetics, the researchers say they identified 14 different mutations in the gene CSF1R that lead to development of hereditary diffuse leukoencephalopathy with spheroids.

26 Dec 2011

Genetic analysis revises treatment recommendations related to thyroid cancer

Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered three genes that increase the risk of thyroid cancer, which is has the largest incidence increase in cancers among both men and women.

23 Dec 2011

LincRNAs play key roles during embryonic brain development

Whitehead Institute scientists have identified conserved, long intervening non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) that play key roles during embryonic brain development in zebrafish. They also show that the human versions of the lincRNAs can substitute for the zebrafish versions, which implies that the functions of these non-coding RNAs have been retained in humans as well as fish.

23 Dec 2011

Researchers reveal what cells respond to anesthesia in C. elegans

Physicians use inhalation anesthetics in a way that is incredibly safe for patients, but very little is known about the intricacies of how these drugs actually work in children and adults. Now, researchers have uncovered what cells respond to anesthesia in an organism known as the C. elegans, according to a new study from the Seattle Children's Research Institute. C. elegans is a transparent roundworm used often in research.

23 Dec 2011

Researchers identify previously unknown gene fusion event in lung cancer

Smoking is a well-known risk factor for lung cancer, but nearly 25% of all lung cancer patients have never smoked. In a study published online today in Genome Research, researchers have identified a previously unknown gene fusion event that could explain a significant proportion of lung cancer cases in never-smokers, and might serve as a target for new therapies.

23 Dec 2011

CNVs appear to play a significant role in early onset bipolar disorder

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, reports that abnormal sequences of DNA known as rare copy number variants, or CNVs, appear to play a significant role in the risk for early onset bipolar disorder.

22 Dec 2011

Researchers discover how normal cells in tumors can drive cancer growth

•A new study published in the journal Nature Cell Biology has discovered how normal cells in tumors can fuel tumor growth.

22 Dec 2011

Virus with potential for bioterrorism created – Experts worried

Two major scientific journals are debating on whether to publish details of a man-made mutant flu virus that could kill billions, after a US government's science advisory committee advised them to withhold key details.

21 Dec 2011

Dieting and the youth of the brain may be linked: Study

Italian scientists have found that the mind can be kept young by eating less. They have discovered the molecular process by which a strict diet may save the brain from the ravages of age.

20 Dec 2011

Kessler Foundation researcher earns Humboldt award for brain and behavior study

Jordan Grafman, PhD, director of traumatic brain injury research at Kessler Foundation, has received a Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. This prestigious award encourages collaborative research between German scientists and renowned investigators like Dr. Grafman, who specializes in the study of the human prefrontal cortex and cognitive neuroplasticity.

20 Dec 2011

Math model reveals that spatial tissue structure delays tumor formation

Cancer growth normally follows a lengthy period of development. Over the course of time, genetic mutations often accumulate in cells, leading first to pre-cancerous conditions and ultimately to tumour growth. Using a mathematical model, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in G-ttingen, University of Pennsylvania and University of California San Francisco, have now shown that spatial tissue structure, such as that found in the colon, slows down the accumulation of genetic mutations, thereby delaying the onset of cancer.

20 Dec 2011

ALS TDI, Biogen Idec and UCB enter agreement to study anti-CD40L antibody for ALS

The ALS Therapy Development Institute today announced a research agreement with Biogen Idec and UCB Pharma SA to investigate the use of an anti-CD40L antibody as a potential therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's or Motor Neuron Disease.

19 Dec 2011