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Scientists uncover three new locations for Crohn's Disease genes

Three new locations for Crohn's Disease genes have been uncovered by scientists at UCL using a novel gene mapping approach.

9 Dec 2011

Considering varying extent to which genes are turned on or off can help develop personalised, predictive medicines

The vast majority of genetic disorders (schizophrenia or breast cancer, for example) have different effects in different people. Moreover, an individual carrying certain mutations can develop a disease, whereas another one with the same mutations may not. This holds true even when comparing two identical twins who have identical genomes. But why does the same mutation have different effects in different individuals?

8 Dec 2011

Federal officials push greater medical use of gene sequencing

Almost a year after researchers in Wisconsin published a groundbreaking paper describing their use of genetic sequencing to diagnose and treat a 4-year-old boy, a national health agency is shifting its focus to put $416 million into making the secrets of our genetic script part of standard medical practice.

8 Dec 2011

NIH, EPA and FDA collaborate to move science forward

A high-speed robotic screening system, aimed at protecting human health by improving how chemicals are tested in the United States, begins today to test 10,000 compounds for potential toxicity. The compounds cover a wide variety of classifications, and include consumer products, food additives, chemicals found in industrial processes, and human and veterinary drugs.

8 Dec 2011

New gene editing technique can heal sickle cell patients with their own cells

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed a way to use patients' own cells to potentially cure sickle cell disease and many other disorders caused by mutations in a gene that helps produce blood hemoglobin.

8 Dec 2011

Massive and consistent changes in inflammatory gene expression seen in trauma, burns

Serious traumatic injuries, including major burns, set off a "genomic storm" in human immune cells, altering around 80 percent of the cells' normal gene expression patterns. In a report to appear in the December Journal of Experimental Medicine, members of a nationwide research collaborative describe the initial results of their investigation into the immune system response to serious injury, findings which have overturned some longstanding assumptions.

8 Dec 2011

Research: lncRNA affects apoptosis and plays a role in RBC development

A long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) regulates programmed cell death during one of the final stages of red blood cell differentiation, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. This is the first time a lncRNA has been found to play a role in red blood cell development and the first time a lncRNA has been shown to affect programmed cell death.

8 Dec 2011

Researchers sequence entire transcriptome of mouse neural retina

The population of Eric Morrow's seminar "Neurogenetics and Disease" comprises mainly undergraduates who were skipping down the halls of their elementary schools when the first drafts of human genome sequences were published. When Morrow, assistant professor of biology, recently asked the class how to find the mutation behind a disease, a hand shot up in the back of the class to signal the answer: "Sequence the patient's genome."

8 Dec 2011

Next generation personal genomic testing now widely available

The era of widely available next generation personal genomic testing has arrived and with it the ability to quickly and relatively affordably learn the sequence of your entire genome. This would include what is referred to as the "exome," your complete set of protein-coding sequences.

7 Dec 2011

New NHGRI funding plan sharpens focus of Genome Sequencing Program on medical apps

A new funding plan by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) sharpens the focus of its flagship Genome Sequencing Program on medical applications. In addition to continuing on-going studies, the four-year, $416 million plan launches new efforts to find causes of rare inherited diseases and accelerate the use of genome sequence information in the medical care of patients.

7 Dec 2011

Report shows how mutant gene influences lipid metabolism

People who carry a malfunctioning copy of a particular gene are especially good at clearing fat from their systems. The report in the December Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, shows how the mutant gene influences metabolism in this way.

7 Dec 2011

Study reveals previously unseen details of SBP8a anthrax bacteriophage

A new study has shown previously unseen details of an anthrax bacteriophage - a virus that infects anthrax bacteria - revealing for the first time how it infects its host, and providing an initial blueprint for how the phage might someday be modified into a tool for the detection and destruction of anthrax and other potential bioterror agents.

6 Dec 2011

EMBL-EBI, BBSRC welcome UK funding announcement on behalf of life science community

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) warmly welcome today's announcement from the UK Government of a £75 million commitment from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' Large Facilities Capital Fund (LFCF) for the ELIXIR research infrastructure.

6 Dec 2011

Early stress of separation from biological parent impacts gene expression

Children who experience the stress of separation at birth from biological parents and are brought up in orphanages undergo biological consequences such as changes in their genome functioning, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study.

6 Dec 2011

Researchers identify ADHD gene variants involved in glutamate signaling

Pediatric researchers analyzing genetic influences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have found alterations in specific genes involved in important brain signaling pathways. The study raises the possibility that drugs acting on those pathways might offer a new treatment option for patients with ADHD who have those gene variants—potentially, half a million U.S. children.

5 Dec 2011

NIAAA awards Rutgers $10M grant to explore genetic links to alcoholism

Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository (RUCDR) has received a $10 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to provide DNA extraction, basic genetic testing, and repository services for more than 46,000 saliva samples, in support of national research efforts to determine the genetic and environmental factors that lead to alcoholism.

3 Dec 2011

Longer looks: Life of a Medicare demo project; Broken hearts; AIDS funding

Today's Medicare demonstration project might determine how physicians interact with the program tomorrow, so naturally such projects generate a lot of buzz in the health care community. Lately, some of that buzz has been about how demos might provide part of the solution for Medicare's payment problems.

2 Dec 2011

First results from whole-genome sequencing clinical trial on triple negative breast cancer

Triple negative breast tumors, which make up nearly 20 percent of breast cancers, do not respond to treatment with targeted therapies such as Herceptin-(trastuzumab).

2 Dec 2011

Study presents high-resolution genome-wide p53-binding map for normal human cells

Scientists investigating the interactions, or binding patterns, of a major tumor-suppressor protein known as p53 with the entire genome in normal human cells have turned up key differences from those observed in cancer cells. The distinct binding patterns reflect differences in the chromatin (the way DNA is packed with proteins), which may be important for understanding the function of the tumor suppressor protein in cancer cells.

1 Dec 2011

Combination of two techniques promises to improve effectiveness of experimental gene therapies

yeast or phages act not only to tag and target but also to exchange specific genes in DNA A combination of two techniques promises to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of experimental gene therapies, while also reducing potential side effects says a new research report published in the December 2011 issue of the FASEB Journal.

1 Dec 2011