Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Millionaire leaves millions for research into motor neuron disease

A self-made millionaire Peter Goodenough who died from motor neuron disease (MND) left more than $6 million to the University's Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) to help find a cure for MND.

19 Mar 2008

What change does prokineticin 2/Bv8 have in human hepatocellular carcinoma?

Liver hepatocarcinoma is a highly vascularized cancer, and more and more research is focused on the molecules controlling angiogenesis.

19 Mar 2008

Scans spot hidden tumors in Li-Fraumeni syndrome

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report that full-body PET/CT scanning detected unsuspected, treatable tumors in 3 of 15 patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), a rare genetic cancer syndrome for which no screening tests have been recommended.

19 Mar 2008

Research leads to innovative therapies against cystic fibrosis

New U of T research holds promise for developing innovative therapies against cystic fibrosis and may also serve as a model for future therapies against the HIV virus.

19 Mar 2008

Past child abuse plus variations in gene result in potent PTSD risk for adults

A traumatic event is much more likely to result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults who experienced trauma in childhood - but certain gene variations raise the risk considerably if the childhood trauma involved physical or sexual abuse, scientists have found.

19 Mar 2008

HDL-associated protein gene linked to heart disease risk

The gene for the HDL-associated protein paraoxonase 1 (PON1) appears to be associated with coronary artery disease and with the risk of developing adverse cardiac events, and variations in both the PON1 gene and its related enzyme activity may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease events, according to a study in the March 19 issue of JAMA , a theme issue on Genetics and Genomics.

19 Mar 2008

New method to determine the “selective signature” of a gene

Scientists at MIT have come up with a mathematical approach for analyzing a protein simultaneously in a set of ecologically distinct species to identify occurrences of natural selection in an organism's evolution.

19 Mar 2008

$Variants of the gene LRP5 associated with increased risk of bone fractures, low bone mineral density$

Variants of the gene LRP5 associated with increased risk of bone fractures, low bone mineral density

Results from a large study indicate that variants of the gene LRP5 are associated with a significant increase in the risk of fractures, by up to 20 percent, and lower levels of bone mineral density in the spine and hip, according to a study in the March 19 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Genetics and Genomics.

19 Mar 2008

Silencing gene in tobacco plants reduces harmful carcinogens

In large-scale field trials, scientists from North Carolina State University have shown that silencing a specific gene in burley tobacco plants significantly reduces harmful carcinogens in cured tobacco leaves.

19 Mar 2008

At home genomic tests for disease risk may be premature

The recent marketing of "at home" genomic tests for disease risk may be premature, according to Dr. Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

19 Mar 2008

Zebrafish enables cell regeneration studies to help understand, treat human disease

One aquarium fish's uncanny ability to regenerate essentially any cell type has given scientists a way to mimic cell loss that occurs in diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes then watch how the fish make more of them.

18 Mar 2008

New information on HIV genetic switch

If the battle against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is a chess match, then new research published today gives new insight into one of the virus' most important moves.

18 Mar 2008

Inbred Romanian community provides insight into genetic factors associated with vitiligo

An isolated, inbred Romanian community has a higher than average frequency of the skin disease vitiligo and other autoimmune diseases, suggesting a genetic variation that may indicate susceptibility to the condition in a broader population, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

18 Mar 2008

Researchers discover how stealthy HIV protein gets into cells

Scientists have known for more than a decade that a protein associated with the HIV virus is good at crossing cell membranes, but they didn't know how it worked.

18 Mar 2008

New understanding of rare immune disorder called Job's syndrome

Scientists have made another major breakthrough--the second in the past year--in understanding a rare immune disorder called Job's syndrome.

18 Mar 2008

National Institutes of Health launches center to study genomics and health disparities

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced the establishment of the NIH Intramural Center for Genomics and Health Disparities (NICGHD), a new venue for research about the way populations are impacted by diseases, including obesity, diabetes and hypertension.

18 Mar 2008

New insights into the diversity of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agents

Researchers from the United Kingdom and France have identified four separate biochemical subgroups in a selection of cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

18 Mar 2008

Potential new neuronal tumor suppressor

In a G&D paper published online ahead of its April 1 print publication date, Dr. William Kaelin (Dana Farber Cancer Institute) and colleagues identify a potential new neuronal tumor suppressor.

18 Mar 2008

Genetic counselors turn to unconventional counseling to meet demand for genetic testing

Imagine receiving genetic test results for a disease you could develop later in life without having anyone with whom to discuss your options for managing the risk.

18 Mar 2008

Breast cancer in black women may be connected to neighborhood conditions

Researchers at the University of Chicago are studying possible connections between living in disadvantaged neighborhoods and the development of early onset breast cancer in a path-breaking project led by Sarah Gehlert, Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Health Disparities Research.

18 Mar 2008

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Millionaire leaves millions for research into motor neuron disease

What change does prokineticin 2/Bv8 have in human hepatocellular carcinoma?

Scans spot hidden tumors in Li-Fraumeni syndrome

Research leads to innovative therapies against cystic fibrosis

Past child abuse plus variations in gene result in potent PTSD risk for adults

HDL-associated protein gene linked to heart disease risk

New method to determine the “selective signature” of a gene

Variants of the gene LRP5 associated with increased risk of bone fractures, low bone mineral density

Silencing gene in tobacco plants reduces harmful carcinogens

At home genomic tests for disease risk may be premature

Zebrafish enables cell regeneration studies to help understand, treat human disease

New information on HIV genetic switch

Inbred Romanian community provides insight into genetic factors associated with vitiligo

Researchers discover how stealthy HIV protein gets into cells

New understanding of rare immune disorder called Job's syndrome

National Institutes of Health launches center to study genomics and health disparities

New insights into the diversity of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agents

Potential new neuronal tumor suppressor

Genetic counselors turn to unconventional counseling to meet demand for genetic testing

Breast cancer in black women may be connected to neighborhood conditions

Sequencing & Genomics: Elevating Science and Healthcare eBook

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

From street to lab: Advancing controlled substance testing with handheld Raman and FTIR

Reimagining light scattering for biotherapeutics