Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Liver cancer is likely caused by cycles of liver cell death and renewal

Research at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine shows that liver cancer is likely caused by cycles of liver cell death and renewal.

27 Jun 2006

Born gay or made gay? Or is it not that simple?

Born gay or made gay? Or is it not that simple? The nature-versus-nurture debate remains a hot topic in discussions of homosexuality, so the Dana Centre in London is bringing together leading scientists for the first time to reveal their opinions at a one-off evening debate.

27 Jun 2006

Having older brothers a factor in boys becoming gay

New research says that boys have a greater chance of becoming gay if they have older brothers.

27 Jun 2006

X-rays increase breast cancer risk

According to new research X-rays may significantly increase the risk of breast cancer in women who are genetically susceptible to the disease.

27 Jun 2006

Researchers identify gene used to recognize pathogens

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have identified a gene in the Anopheles gambiae mosquito's DNA that is central to the insect's ability to defend against infectious pathogens, including Plasmodium, the parasite that causes malaria in humans.

27 Jun 2006

3 new genes implicated in rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers continue to search for genetic clues into rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory joint disease.

27 Jun 2006

Structure of bacteriophage shown to resemble a human virus

New research has revealed that the structure of a bacteriophage, a virus infecting bacteria, resembles that of certain dangerous viruses that infect people.

26 Jun 2006

Stem cells contain immortal DNA

EuroStemCell scientists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris have demonstrated one of the body's most sophisticated ways of regulating the genetic material of stem cells.

26 Jun 2006

Extensive regulations make research difficult

According to Norway's functional genomics researchers, it has become more difficult in recent years to begin research projects based on genetic samples from patients from hospitals or participants in health surveys.

26 Jun 2006

Researchers identify gene used to recognize pathogens

Researchers have identified a gene in the Anopheles gambiae mosquito's DNA that is central to the insect's ability to defend against infectious pathogens, including Plasmodium, the parasite that causes malaria in humans.

20 Jun 2006

Two year wait for breast cancer test results drives women to consider radical surgery

Women in the UK being put under added stress because they are experiencing delays of two years or more for test results to see if they carry a gene associated with an increased likelihood of breast cancer.

20 Jun 2006

New genetic clue discovered about breast cancer

New research has discovered that women in Iceland with a particular gene that raises the risk of breast cancer were virtually certain to develop the disease if they also had a mutation in another gene.

20 Jun 2006

In vitro fertilisation could be causing genetic errors in embryo

The conditions in which embryos are cultured in the laboratory during in vitro fertilisation could be causing genetic errors that are associated with certain developmental syndromes and other abnormalities in growth and development, such as low birth weight.

19 Jun 2006

Common genetic prostate cancer variant identified

Prostate cancer (CaP) is a presumed result of both genetic and environmental events.

19 Jun 2006

New technique will screen embryos for almost 6,000 inherited diseases

A powerful new method of testing embryos for inherited diseases, has been developed by fertility specialists in Britain.

19 Jun 2006

AIDS might be an accident of evolution

The virulence characteristic of HIV-1 - the virus predominantly responsible for human AIDS - might amount to an accident of evolution, new evidence reveals.

18 Jun 2006

New hope for Huntington disease cure

Researchers provide ground-breaking evidence for a cure for Huntington disease in a mouse offering hope that this disease can be relieved in humans.

18 Jun 2006

Altered activity in receptor pair points to further complexity in schizophrenia pathology

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in collaboration with scientists at the City University of New York, have identified a striking dysregulation in neuronal receptor activity in the postmortem brain tissue from patients with schizophrenia.

18 Jun 2006

New roles for growth factors

During embryonic development, nerve cells hesitantly extend tentacle-like protrusions called axons that sniff their way through a labyrinth of attractive and repulsive chemical cues that guide them to their target.

18 Jun 2006

Sonic hedgehog may help overcome problems associated with FGF2 and VEGF therapy

The newest concept for treating coronary artery disease is to induce hearts to grow their own new blood vessels to bypass damaged tissue or clogged arteries.

18 Jun 2006