Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Progeria-derived iPS cells may treat aging-related disease in children

The current pace of population aging is without parallel in human history but surprisingly little is known about the human aging process, because lifespans of eight decades or more make it difficult to study. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have replicated premature aging in the lab, allowing them to study aging-related disease in a dish.

24 Feb 2011

New study suggests variation in PCLO gene can contribute to risk of bipolar disorder

Understanding the genetics of bipolar disorder could lead to new treatments, but identifying specific genetic variations associated with this disorder has been challenging.

24 Feb 2011

Biological pathways in PTSD revealed: Study

Up to 20% of the population exposed to a horror of a war, trauma or abuse may go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD, as it is better known, is a debilitating psychiatric disorder marked by flashbacks and nightmares. Till date the biological basis for PTSD was unclear. But a new study offers clues about why some people rebound from horrific events while others relive them, and may lead to predictive tests and even treatments.

23 Feb 2011

Genetic testing should be conducted by qualified health professionals

In a letter to theFood and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Medical Association (AMA) today called for genetic testing to be conducted under the guidance of a physician, genetic counselor, or other genetics specialist. The letter was sent to the Molecular and Clinical Genetics Panel of the FDA's Medical Devices Advisory Committee regarding direct to consumer genetic tests prior to the panel’s hearings on the topic, scheduled for March 8 and 9.

23 Feb 2011

Study: Mormon polygamy reduces strength of sexual selection on males by 58%

Polygamy practiced by some 19th century Mormon men had the curious effect of suppressing the overall offspring numbers of Mormon women in plural marriages, say scientists from Indiana University Bloomington and three other institutions in the March 2011 issue of Evolution and Human Behavior.

23 Feb 2011

Pretreatment with FDA-approved drug allows successful pregnancies in radiation-exposed rhesus monkeys

A strategy developed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers to shield the ovaries of female mammals from the damaging effects of radiation and chemotherapy has passed an important milestone. A collaborative study with investigators from Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU), published online in the journal Fertility and Sterility, reports that brief preexposure of the ovaries to an FDA-approved agent called FTY720 preserved the fertility of female rhesus monkeys exposed to potentially lethal doses of radiation.

23 Feb 2011

Brain reward center responds to good and bad experiences

The so-called reward center of the brain may need a new name, say scientists who have shown it responds to good and bad experiences. The finding, published in PLoS One, may help explain the "thrill" of thrill-seeking behavior or maybe just the thrill of surviving it, according to scientists at Georgia Health Sciences University and East China Normal University.

23 Feb 2011

Nationwide Children's Hospital joins Autism Speaks ATN to offer patient care

Nationwide Children's Hospital has been selected to join the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, connecting Columbus with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Missouri as the nation's only ATN institutions in the Midwest region.

23 Feb 2011

Mayo Clinic re-accredited as Advanced Primary Stroke Center by TJC

Mayo Clinic was awarded the Gold Seal of Approval for stroke care and re-accredited as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission following an on-site review conducted Friday, Feb. 18.

21 Feb 2011

Scientists decode DNA of parasitic worm that causes trichinosis

Scientists have decoded the DNA of the parasitic worm that causes trichinosis, a disease linked to eating raw or undercooked pork or carnivorous wild game animals, such as bear and walrus.

20 Feb 2011

Gene that causes rare breast cancer identified

Researchers have found that a rare but hard-to-treat form of breast cancer is driven by a newly discovered gene. The gene ZNF703 is the first oncogene to be discovered in five years, and it could lead to more effective treatments down the road, Cancer Research UK said.

20 Feb 2011

Salk receives $2 million gift to establish Endowed Chair in Vision Research

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies today announced a generous gift from Mr. Conrad Prebys, a Salk Trustee, to establish the Conrad T. Prebys Endowed Chair in Vision Research for Dr. Tom Albright. As part of their senior scientist endowed chair challenge, Joan and Irwin Jacobs will match the donor's gift with an additional $1,000,000 to establish the donor's named chair at $3,000,000.

19 Feb 2011

Experts caution against dangers of inflated expectations of genomic medicine

In the ten years since the human genetic code was mapped, expectations among scientists, health care industry, policy makers, and the public have remained high concerning the promise of genomics research for improving health.

19 Feb 2011

Life Technologies announces winners of European Ion Torrent PGM Sequencer Grants Program

Life Technologies Corporation, today announced Dr. Angel Carracedo and Dr. Mark Pallen as the winners of the European Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM™) Sequencer Grants Program.

19 Feb 2011

Biologist investigates CAPV-EAE population for hereditary breast and ovary cancer

Between 5 % and 10 % of breast cancer cases are hereditary, arising because the patient inherits from the father or mother a mutation in a gene that is susceptible to causing the illness. BRCA1 and BRCA2 have already been identified as two of the genes to be monitored. It is estimated that 30 % of hereditary breast cancer cases are due to mutations in one of these two genes.

19 Feb 2011

Medical students can bebefit from ACMG Summer Genetics Scholar Program

Medical students from around the country will have an opportunity to experience firsthand the new frontier of medicine in a revolutionary new genetics summer training program just announced by the American College of Medical Genetics Foundation, a prominent non-profit genetics foundation.

19 Feb 2011

Skeleton regulates fertility in males, but not females

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have discovered that the skeleton acts as a regulator of fertility in male mice through a hormone released by bone, known as osteocalcin.

17 Feb 2011

Positive preliminary data from ongoing PSMA ADC phase 1 study against prostate cancer

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported positive preliminary data from an ongoing phase 1 study of PSMA ADC, an antibody-drug conjugate designed to selectively deliver chemotherapy to cells that express prostate-specific membrane antigen.

17 Feb 2011

Benitec strengthens patent position in RNAi

Benitec Limited (ASX: BLT), (PINK:BNIKF), a world leader in expressed gene silencing for human therapeutics, is pleased to announce that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has today indicated that it is issuing the Re-examination Certificate, the formal final step in the USPTO’s confirmation of patentability of claims in the key ‘099 Graham Patent [US Patent No. 6,573,099] "Genetic Constructs for Delaying or Repressing the Expression of a Target Gene", the wide-ranging platform technology patent covering the use of expressed RNA interference (RNAi) in human therapeutic applications.

17 Feb 2011

Two researchers receive Brupbacher Prize for Cancer Research 2011

Today, the Charles Rodolphe Brupbacher Prize for Cancer Research 2011 goes to two researchers who have contributed to better understanding of the genetics underlying the growth of tumors.

17 Feb 2011