Genetic News and Research

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First mouse model of schizophrenia

Johns Hopkins researchers have genetically engineered the first mouse that models both the anatomical and behavioral defects of schizophrenia, a complex and debilitating brain disorder that affects over 2 million Americans.

1 Aug 2007

Genomics study provides insight into the evolution of unique human traits

Researchers from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, along with colleagues from Stanford University, report the results of a large-scale, genome-wide study to investigate gene copy number differences among ten primate species, including humans.

1 Aug 2007

Shutting off a critical cancer gene causes cancers in mice to self-destruct

Killing cancerous tumors isn't easy, as anyone who has suffered through chemotherapy can attest.

1 Aug 2007

Disparities in infant mortality more to do with racism than with race

The cause of low birth weights among African-American women has more to do with racism than with race, according to a report by an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

1 Aug 2007

Chromosomes responsible for a critical enzyme's activation during cell division

In a dividing cell, chromosomes interact with cellular scaffolding - called spindle microtubules - in order to move themselves to opposite ends of the cell, ensuring that both daughter cells receive an exact copy of their parent cell's genetic material.

1 Aug 2007

Genome detectives discover culprits in multiple sclerosis

Genome detectives have done it again by revealing at least three genes which are implicated in the incurable nerve disorder Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

30 Jul 2007

New Australian centre for obesity, nutrition, exercise and public health

The Institute of Obesity, Nutrition & Exercise will draw together some of Australia's leading researchers, scientists and academics in four key divisions; Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise, and Public Health, Epidemiology and Policy.

27 Jul 2007

FOXP3 gene found to be involved in breast cancer

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a gene linked to the development of an aggressive form of breast cancer.

27 Jul 2007

Researchers watch bacteria and antibiotics at the atomic level

A new understanding of an enzyme important for the transfer of genetic information in bacteria may help scientists improve current antibiotics and also create antibiotics that are less vulnerable to resistance.

27 Jul 2007

Researchers track how a single molecule of RNA or DNA unwinds

The process by which genes are duplicated is mysterious and complex, involving a cast of characters with diverse talents and the ability to play well with others in extremely close quarters.

27 Jul 2007

Gene expression pattern could lead to improved treatment of pediatric septic shock

A consortium of researchers headed by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has discovered a gene expression pattern that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of pediatric septic shock , still a serious public health problem despite today's potent antibiotics and pediatric intensive care units.

27 Jul 2007

Women more prone to brain damage from alcohol abuse than men

Alcoholism has traditionally been considered a male disease because there are many more alcoholic males than females.

27 Jul 2007

Scientits devise dimmer swith to regulate gene expression in mammal cells

Three Boston University biomedical engineers have created a genetic dimmer switch that can be used to turn on, shut off, or partially activate a gene's function. Professor James Collins, Professor Charles Cantor and doctoral candidate Tara Deans invented the switch, which can be tuned to produce large or small quantities of protein, or none at all.

27 Jul 2007

New findings on gene-transcription machinery

For some time, scientists have been tracking down the sequence of biochemical steps required to attract and assemble at the head end of a gene the molecular machinery needed to transcribe that gene to put to work the information it encodes.

26 Jul 2007

New understanding of Sly Syndrome

The scientist who discovered “Sly Syndrome” nearly four decades ago and a team of colleagues at Saint Louis University are a step closer to finding an approach to treat the rare genetic disease.

26 Jul 2007

Combination of blood pressure-lowering drugs stops loss of kidney function in rare genetic disease

A combination of two types of blood pressure-lowering drugs, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) plus an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB), added to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with agalsidase-beta (Fabrazyme, Genzyme Corporation, Cambridge, MA) is the first treatment shown to stop progressive loss of kidney function in patients with severe kidney involvement due to the rare genetic disorder Fabry disease, reports a study in the September Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

26 Jul 2007