Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Discovery of important clue to the susceptibility of individuals to Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disorder of the intestinal tract that affects an estimated 0.15% of people in the developed world. Common symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea, but the disorder is often associated with debilitating clinical complications.

21 Apr 2007

M. D. Anderson wins $8.3-million to research environmental causes of major diseases

An $8.3-million federal grant to The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Science Park - Research Division addresses the complex interplay between such varied factors as genetics, diet, and environmental exposure to toxins that cause cancer, asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases.

21 Apr 2007

Significant genetic differences found in three types of chimpanzee

The largest study to date of genetic variation among chimpanzees has found that the traditional, geography-based sorting of chimps into three populations,western, central and eastern, is underpinned by significant genetic differences, two to three times greater than the variation between the most different human populations.

21 Apr 2007

Potential new test for breast cancer patients for abnormal reactions to radiotherapy

Medical scientists at the University of Leicester have announced a potentially unique advance in breast cancer research by identifying two genes associated with adverse reaction to cancer treatment.

20 Apr 2007

New research may help identify patients most likely to benefit from cisplatin treatment

Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center have identified a subgroup of hard-to-treat breast cancers that may be sensitive to the drug cisplatin, rarely used in the treatment of breast tumors.

20 Apr 2007

Australian researchers identify thousands with curable high blood pressure

Team of researchers led by Professor Richard Gordon and Associate Professor Michael Stowasser has found primary aldosteronism (PAL) , a type of high blood pressure that can be cured by surgery , to be ten times more common than was previously suspected.

19 Apr 2007

Understanding personal genetic risk for familial breast cancer eases anxieties

Services that help women understand the way that their inherited genetic make-up influences their risk of getting breast cancer ease distress and decrease their levels of cancer worry.

19 Apr 2007

New approach to cystic fibrosis treatment

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that an enzyme produced by lung-infecting bacteria further shuts down a protein that is defective in cystic fibrosis patients.

19 Apr 2007

New automated test for gene mutations causing fragile X syndrome

A new automated test could enable population screening to identify carriers of the gene mutations causing fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited form of mental retardation, reports a study in the April issue of Genetics in Medicine, published by the American College of Medical Genetics and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

19 Apr 2007

Lexicon-Genentech reveals potential therapeutic targets

Lexicon Genetics Incorporated has announced that data was presented highlighting potential therapeutic targets related to its collaboration with Genentech, Inc. at the Society for Biomolecular Sciences 13th Annual Conference & Exhibition in Montreal, Canada.

19 Apr 2007

New understanding of genetics behind Noonan Syndrome

Researchers have discovered that the genetic malfunction that causes a form of mental retardation called Noonan Syndrome (NS) produces an imbalance in the genesis of two types of cells in the developing embryonic brain.

19 Apr 2007

Cancer genetic risk assessment for individuals at risk of familial breast cancer

Since recent medical findings have revealed that some families have increased breast cancer risk, a number of people are turning to cancer genetic services to learn more.

19 Apr 2007

New discoveries about stem cells in leukemia, breast and colon cancer

Recent discoveries about the role of stem cells in cancer have altered the landscape of cancer research. With each new study, scientists are learning more about cancer-initiating properties of stem cells at organ sites and throughout the body.

19 Apr 2007

Method of mass-producing disease-fighting antibodies entirely within bacteria

The group led by Dr. George Georgiou developed the new antibody-production approach to improve upon processes used previously to identify new drugs.

19 Apr 2007

Scientists find genes involved in memory and learning

Researchers have long recognized that for learning and memory to take place, certain genes must be activated to alter neuron activity inside the brain.

19 Apr 2007

Vaccines to prevent or slow the growth of cancerous tumors

Mayo Clinic researchers have designed a new strategy in the promising field of cancer vaccine research that's proven to be successful in boosting T cells - the immune builders akin to a super defense force against cancer cells.

19 Apr 2007

Twin studies identify genes that influence human health in unexpected ways

Daniel O'Connor, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine has studied about 265 twin pairs over the past few years, which has led him to some surprising discoveries.

18 Apr 2007

Researchers use bacterium to obtain biopreservatives from food

The research group "Estudio de sustancias antagonistas producidas por microorganismos" (Antagonistic substances produced by microorganisms), part of the Microbiology Department of the University of Granada, has succeeded in isolating enterocin AS-48, which could have a medium-term use as food biopreservative.

18 Apr 2007