Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Exposure to cigarette smoke can alter gene expression, study finds

In the largest study of its kind, researchers at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research have found that exposure to cigarette smoke can alter gene expression -- the process by which a gene's information is converted into the structures and functions of a cell. These alterations in response to smoking appear to have a wide-ranging negative influence on the immune system, and a strong involvement in processes related to cancer, cell death and metabolism.

14 Jul 2010

Skin cell samples may help discover factors behind Parkinson's disease

Researchers are applying new stem cell technology to use skin samples to grow the brain cells thought to be responsible for the onset of Parkinson's disease

14 Jul 2010

Susceptibility to Behcet's disease associated with genes involved in body's immune response

Researchers with the National Institutes of Health have found susceptibility to Behcet's disease, a painful, inflammatory condition, to be associated with genes involved in the body's immune response.

14 Jul 2010

UMMC receives $26M to identify risk factors for Alzheimer's disease

The University of Mississippi Medical Center and four collaborating academic medical centers have received $26 million from the National Institutes of Health to identify risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and related forms of cognitive decline, said Dr. Thomas Mosley, UMMC professor of geriatric medicine and one of the new study's lead investigators.

14 Jul 2010

Metamark Genetics closes $22M Series B financing

Metamark Genetics, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company addressing a major challenge in cancer medicine, has completed a $22 million Series B financing. Metamark's Prognosis Determinants platform has illuminated the genetic drivers governing the lethal metastatic progression of major cancers and is now focused on pivotal translational and commercialization efforts to bring these breakthrough discoveries to cancer patients worldwide.

14 Jul 2010

LSUHSC Professor awarded $2.1M grant to determine role of PCP

Dr. Jay Kolls, Professor and Chairman of Genetics at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine, has been awarded a $2.1 million grant over five years by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to determine the role and identify which T-helper cells fight the opportunistic infection, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, which can be a complication of HIV/AIDS.

14 Jul 2010

Predictors of an Asian diabetes epidemic: A study

Experts believe diabetes will be the leading disease in Asia mainly because of the rise in consumption of junk and high calorie foods in this region of the world.

13 Jul 2010

ABL signs international distribution agreement for Virco BVBA's HIV resistance interpretation system

Advanced Biological Laboratories (ABL) is pleased to announce its recent signature of a non-exclusive international distribution agreement (excluding United States, Australia, Canada and United Kingdom) of virco®TYPE HIV-1, Belgium-based Virco BVBA's HIV resistance interpretation system.

13 Jul 2010

Researchers discover single genetic mutation that accounts for disease

By inspecting the sequence of all 3 billion "letters" that make up the genome of a single person affected with a rare, inherited disorder, a Johns Hopkins and Duke University team ferreted out the single genetic mutation that accounts for the disease.

13 Jul 2010

Gene mutation that causes auditory neuropathy identified

Researchers have identified a gene mutation that causes a rare form of hearing loss known as auditory neuropathy, according to U-M Medical School scientists.

13 Jul 2010

GWAS suggests genetic variant with increased oncogene expression for cancer study

The study, published July 13th in Genome Research, showcases a new protocol for studying the activity of cancer-risk variants suggested by GWAS studies. The results also underscore the dramatic consequences of small genetic changes even in the vast stretches of DNA, known as "gene deserts," that do not code for proteins.

13 Jul 2010

Finalists for Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards announced

URAC announced today that a distinguished panel of judges has selected 30 finalists for its Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards. The competition drew entries from across the nation. The finalists will be honored during URAC's 11th Annual Quality Summit, October 5-7, 2010 in Chicago, IL. The awards honor programs in two areas: Consumer Decision-Making and Consumer Health Improvement.

13 Jul 2010

Early markers for metabolic syndrome in youth

Melinda Sothern, PhD, CEP, Professor of Public Health and Director of Health Promotion at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, will present evidence that supports relationships seen in adolescents between insulin sensitivity and fatty liver, belly fat, and total body fat and identifies additional potential early markers of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in healthy 7-9 year-old children, including fat in muscle cells, blood pressure, physical activity, and birth weight.

13 Jul 2010

CSHL scientists reverse symptoms of Type III SMA using ASOs

The devastating, currently incurable motor-neuron disease spinal muscular atrophy might soon be treated with tiny, chemically modified pieces of RNA called antisense oligonucleotides.

13 Jul 2010

New research shows head size helps measure brain reserve, brain growth

New research shows that people with Alzheimer's disease who have large heads have better memory and thinking skills than those with the disease who have smaller heads, even when they have the same amount of brain cell death due to the disease. The research is published in the July 13, 2010, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

13 Jul 2010

Researchers identify genetic variant associated with increased risk of AAA

Geisinger researchers are part of an international team that has identified a genetic variant more common in individuals with abdominal aortic aneurysms. This is one of the largest studies ever into the genetics of AAA. The results of the work will appear in this week's online edition of Nature Genetics.

13 Jul 2010

Larger heads may protect against Alzheimer’s disease: Study

A larger head may be offer natural protection against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease say researchers in a study conducted on 270 patients and published in the journal Neurology.

13 Jul 2010

Researchers discover gene mutation that causes auditory neuropathy

Researchers have identified a gene mutation that causes a rare form of hearing loss known as auditory neuropathy, according to U-M Medical School scientists. In the study published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, U-M's Marci Lesperance, M.D., and Margit Burmeister, Ph.D. led a team of researchers who examined the DNA of individuals from the same large family afflicted with the disorder.

13 Jul 2010

Study explores direct role of FTO gene on Alzheimer's and dementia risk in old age

A gene known as FTO, which appears to be correlated with obesity in humans, may also increase risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, according to new research presented today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010 in Honolulu, HI. And when a person has certain variants of both FTO and a recognized Alzheimer's risk gene known as APOE, the risk of Alzheimer's could be doubled.

13 Jul 2010

British Mycological Society announces 'The Biology of Fungi' programme at IMC9

The British Mycological Society, in association with Elsevier, the world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information, today announced the final programme for the 9th Mycological Congress IMC9: The Biology of Fungi. This congress takes place every 4 years at a different venue around the world.

12 Jul 2010