Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Researchers look at how the host reacts to a flu virus infection

"Where there are many scientific works dealing solely with the flu virus, we have investigated how the host reacts to an infection," says Klaus Schughart, head of the Experimental Mouse Genetics research group.

29 Mar 2009

Salk Institute forms strategic alliance agreement with sanofi-aventis

The Salk Institute has announced that it has signed a strategic alliance agreement with sanofi-aventis, establishing a joint program that supports cutting-edge research and promotes an exchange of discoveries focused on scientific advances and therapeutic applications.

29 Mar 2009

Genetic variations may determine lung function and susceptibility to maternal smoking

A tiny variation within a single gene can determine not only how quickly and well lungs grow and function in children and adolescents, but how susceptible those children will be to exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, even in utero, according to researchers from the University of Southern California.

29 Mar 2009

Evolutionary origin of bacterial chromosomes revealed

Researchers have unveiled the evolutionary origin of the different chromosomal architectures found in three species of Agrobacterium.

29 Mar 2009

Mutations in a gene may stunt lung development in children

Mutations in a gene may cause poor lung development in children, making them more vulnerable to diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) later in life, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and the German Research Center for Environmental Health.

29 Mar 2009

Nanoparticles deliver gene therapy, killing tumors

Given that cancer is ultimately a genetic disease, it has long been the hope of researchers to use gene therapy to attack tumors where they might be most susceptible.

26 Mar 2009

Should all women be screened for domestic violence?

A screening programme which would require doctors and nurses to ask all women whether they have experienced domestic violence, whatever their reason for seeking medical attention, is not justified, according to a new report by researchers at the University of Bristol, funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme.

26 Mar 2009

Discovery of new biomarker for prostate cancer

Researchers at Wayne State University have identified a new marker for prostate cancer progression that may one day lead to new treatments.

26 Mar 2009

Facial flushing in East Asians who consume alcohol linked to esophageal cancer risks

About one-third of people of Chinese, Japanese and Korean descent have an enzyme deficiency that causes their face to flush when they drink alcohol, a trait that puts them at a higher risk for developing esophageal cancer, according to a study published in the journal PLoS Medicine, Reuters Health reports.

25 Mar 2009

Discovery of a protein link to wound healing

Diabetes and eczema may appear to be two completely unrelated diseases.

24 Mar 2009

Recently identified genetic heart disorder often deadly for young patients

A study that included young patients with a recently recognized rare type of cardiomyopathy (a disorder of the heart muscle) linked to a genetic mutation finds that progression of this disease may be rapid and often results in early death, according to a study in the March 25 issue of JAMA.

24 Mar 2009

Ovarian cancers detected early may be less aggressive, questioning effectiveness of screening

The biology of ovarian cancers discovered at an early stage may render them slower growing and less likely to spread than more aggressive cancers, which typically are discovered in an advanced stage, according to a study led by investigators in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.

24 Mar 2009

Omega-3 fatty acids appear protective against advanced prostate cancer

Omega-3 fatty acids appear protective against advanced prostate cancer, and this effect may be modified by a genetic variant in the COX-2 gene, according to a report in Clinical Cancer Research , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

24 Mar 2009

Discovery of major new risk factor for melanoma in young women

Researchers may have found a more potent risk factor for melanoma than blistering sunburns, freckling, or family history of the deadly skin disease.

24 Mar 2009

Discovery of 'master regulator' gene for skin development

Researchers at Oregon State University have found one gene in the human body that appears to be a master regulator for skin development, in research that could help address everything from skin diseases such as eczema or psoriasis to the wrinkling of skin as people age.

24 Mar 2009

Experimental Parkinson's therapy may have robust weight-loss effect

A growth factor used in clinical experiments to rescue dying brain cells in Parkinson patients may cause unwanted weight loss if delivered to specific areas of the brain, according to University of Florida researchers in the March online edition of Molecular Therapy.

24 Mar 2009

Childhood soy consumption may reduce breast cancer among Asian women

American women who ate higher amounts of soy during childhood had a 58 percent reduced risk of breast cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

24 Mar 2009

Researchers develop system to culture normal and cancerous pancreatic tissue isolated from resection specimens obtained from patients

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with a very poor prognosis.

24 Mar 2009

Ethnic minorities more likely than whites to develop type 2 diabetes regardless of weight

Native Hawaiians, Hispanics, blacks and Japanese-Americans are significantly more likely than whites to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes regardless of weight, even though the disease is closely linked with obesity, according to a recent study in Ethnicity and Disease, Reuters Health reports. The findings suggest that genetics might play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

24 Mar 2009