Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Analysis of Rhesus monkey genome provides new clues to primate biology

An international consortium of researchers has published the genome sequence of the rhesus macaque monkey and aligned it with the chimpanzee and human genomes.

12 Apr 2007

Study identifies clearest link yet to obesity risk

Scientists have identified the most clear genetic link yet to obesity in the general population as part of a major study of diseases funded by the Wellcome Trust, the UK's largest medical research charity.

12 Apr 2007

Massive gene screening points way to more effective chemotherapy

Using a technology that can quickly screen all 20,000-plus human genes for biological activity, scientists have isolated 87 genes that seem to affect how sensitive human cancer cells are to certain chemotherapy drugs.

12 Apr 2007

New research fails to verify gene variations as risk factors for acute coronary syndromes

New research has failed to confirm findings from smaller studies that 85 gene variations are associated with an increased risk for acute coronary syndromes (ACS), which includes heart attack and a type of angina, according to a study in the April 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Apr 2007

Genetic mutation that prevents sperm production found

Up to 15 percent of couples of childbearing age struggle with the heartache of infertility.

11 Apr 2007

Vitiligo gene linked to other autoimmune diseases

In a study appearing in the March 22 New England Journal of Medicine, scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) have discovered a connection between a specific gene and the inflammatory skin condition vitiligo, as well as a possible host of autoimmune diseases.

11 Apr 2007

Gene finding could lead to new pathways for development of Alzheimer's therapeutics

Scientists have known for more than a decade that individuals with a certain gene are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's disease.

11 Apr 2007

Scientists at Johns Hopkins discover Solitary protein

Working with fruit flies, scientists at Johns Hopkins have discovered a protein required for two neighboring cells to fuse and become one "super cell."

11 Apr 2007

Fragile X and Down syndrome appear to share common genetic cause

The two most prevalent forms of genetic mental retardation, Fragile X and Down syndromes, may share a common cause, according to researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine.

11 Apr 2007

Calories from fat, carbohydrate, and protein may interact with genes

We observed an interaction between APOA5 and dietary fat intake, but we did not see an interaction between APOA5 and carbohydrate or protein intake for any genetic variants of APOA5,” says Ordovas, who is corresponding author of the study.

10 Apr 2007

Associations between smoking, caffeine and NSAID use and Parkinson's disease

Individuals with Parkinson's disease are less likely to smoke or consume high doses of caffeine than their family members who do not have the disease, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

10 Apr 2007

Male births on the decline in the U.S. and Japan

A study published in this week's online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives reports that during the past thirty years, the number of male births has decreased each year in the U.S. and Japan.

10 Apr 2007

New insights into renal cell cancer

A new mouse model is providing valuable insight into the biochemical pathways that are associated with development of renal cysts and renal cell cancer.

10 Apr 2007

Scientists identify protein key to breast cancer spread

(PHILADELPHIA) Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have identified a protein that they say is key to helping a quarter of all breast cancers spread.

10 Apr 2007

China Medicine's ADTZ product highlighted at American Chemical Society's National Meeting

China Medicine Corporation has announced that the Company's proprietary ADTZ product was discussed as a viable means to reduce aflatoxins in the creation of ethanol based products from corn feed at the recent American Chemical Society, 233rd National Meeting Agricultural Biomass, Biobased Products, & Biofuels Symposium, which was held in Chicago, Illinois on March 25th through the 29th.

10 Apr 2007

Smoking and drinking lots of coffee may protect against Parkinson's disease

In what must be a rare example of smoking supposedly providing some benefit, researchers in the U.S. say in families with a history of Parkinson's disease, those who smoke cigarettes and drink lots of coffee appear to reduce their risk of developing the disease.

9 Apr 2007