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Scientists find 12 new genes with potential as drug targets

Scientists have identified 12 new genes that are somewhat strange bedfellows: Some link gallstones and blood cholesterol levels, others link melatonin and sleep patterns to small increases in glucose levels and larger jumps in the risk of diabetes.

8 Dec 2008

Scientists create infectious prion disease in mouse model

A worldwide group of scientists has created an infectious prion disease in a mouse model, in a step that may help unravel the mystery of this progressive disease that affects the nervous system in humans and animals.

8 Dec 2008

Calls for all pregnant women to be screened for Down syndrome

Experts say Australia needs a national screening policy for Down syndrome as research shows it could halve the number of babies born with the genetic condition.

8 Dec 2008

Genes for nine health indicators: Population study finds genetics clues

A new genome-wide study examines genetic variants associated with nine metabolic traits and is the first to draw out novel variants from a population unselected for current disease. The traits are indicators for common disease such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, inflammation and lipid levels.

7 Dec 2008

Study finds six genetic variants associated with 'bad' cholesterol

A new study presages a real aim of genetics: to look at whole populations to in order determine the significance of individual genetic variants for individual health. The research team, whose work is published in Nature Genetics, find six novel genetic variants that are associated with lipid levels, a common indicator of heart or artery disease.

7 Dec 2008

Body clock and sleep patterns linked to diabetes and high blood sugar

Diabetes and high levels of blood sugar may be linked to abnormalities in a person's body clock and sleep patterns, according to a genome-wide association study published today in the journal Nature Genetics.

7 Dec 2008

Breakthrough in understanding the phenomenon of nucleolar dominance

Since the machinery involved in nucleolar dominance is some of the same machinery that can go haywire in diseases such as cancer, Pikaard and his collaborators' research may have important implications for applied medical research.

5 Dec 2008

Discovery of groundbreaking technique for body to accept gene therapy

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY) have developed a groundbreaking technique to sneak therapeutic genes past the body's defenses, possibly clearing one of the largest hurdles to realizing the potentials of medically altering a patient's DNA.

5 Dec 2008

Model unravels rules that govern how genes are switched on and off

For years, scientists have struggled to decipher the genetic instruction book that details where and when the 20,000 genes in a human cell will be turned on or off.

5 Dec 2008

Genetic ancestry of African-Americans reveals new insights about gene expression

The amount of proteins produced in cells—a fundamental determinant of biological outcomes collectively known as gene expression—varies in African American individuals depending on their proportion of African or European genetic ancestry.

5 Dec 2008

Researchers focus on phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway in cancer research

Researchers are taking a closer look at the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) pathway as studies continue to demonstrate that inhibiting this biological route suppresses tumor growth, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN ).

5 Dec 2008

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis linked to heart attacks

Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are three times as likely to experience severe coronary events - including heart attacks - than people without the disease, according to a recent study that analyzed the risk of cardiovascular disease in nearly 1,000 patients with IPF and more than 3,500 matched controls.

5 Dec 2008

Dormant stem cells for emergencies

Many specialized cells, such as in the skin, intestinal mucosa or blood, have a lifespan of only a few days.

5 Dec 2008

Discovery of MEDNIK syndrome

Canadian researchers announce the discovery of MEDNIK Syndrome, a debilitating genetic syndrome.

5 Dec 2008

Moderate alcohol intake boosts amount of omega-3 fatty acids in our body

Moderate alcohol intake is associated with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells.

5 Dec 2008

Doing the math for membranes

Determining the mechanisms that shape biological membranes has long been a tricky business. Like a factory assembly line, eukaryotic cells are organized into membrane-bound, functional compartments called organelles.

4 Dec 2008

Mad Cow disease strain found to be more virulent than classical strain

An atypical prion strain of mad cow disease, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BS, is more virulent than the classical strain, according to a researcher who spoke Nov. 14 at Kansas State University.

3 Dec 2008

Potential new target for drugs to prevent HIV-associated dementia

A new study led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has clarified how two major variants of HIV differ in their ability to cause neurologic complications.

3 Dec 2008

Motor neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells provide insight into ALS

Two new research studies use motor neurons derived from human embryonic stem (hES) cells to demonstrate that multiple toxic pathways contribute to the devastating degeneration associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and that protective therapeutics will need to oppose the disease on multiple fronts.

3 Dec 2008

New guidelines for neuropathy

New guidelines developed by the American Academy of Neurology find a combination of blood tests and other specialized assessments appear to be the most helpful tests for finding the cause of neuropathy.

3 Dec 2008