Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists identify de novo mutations linked to schizophrenia

De novo mutations - genetic errors that are present in patients but not in their parents - are more frequent in schizophrenic patients than in normal individuals, according to an international group of scientists led by Dr. Guy A. Rouleau of the University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital.

11 Jul 2011

Environmental factors play a critical role in development of autism

A study published this week again confirms that environmental factors play a critical role in the development of autism. Genetic Heritability and Shared Environmental Factors Among Twin Pairs With Autism, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provides further confirmation that genes alone cannot explain the exponential rise in autism rates over the past two decades.

11 Jul 2011

New genetic research on Ankylosing Spondylitis

The team of researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Queensland, Oxford, Texas and Toronto, used a technique called genome-wide association where millions of genetic markers are measured in thousands of people that have the disease and thousands of healthy individuals.

11 Jul 2011

Scientists convert brain cells into cardiomyocytes

For the past decade, researchers have tried to reprogram the identity of all kinds of cell types. Heart cells are one of the most sought-after cells in regenerative medicine because researchers anticipate that they may help to repair injured hearts by replacing lost tissue.

11 Jul 2011

New genetic clues about ankylosing spondylitis

A study involving over 5,000 people living with the joint disorder ankylosing spondylitis has identified a series of genetic variants associated with increased susceptibility to the condition as well as providing new clues to how the condition may be treated in the future.

11 Jul 2011

Scientists discover seven new gene variants that increase risk of prostate cancer

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have taken a further step to identifying men at a greater risk of prostate cancer with the discovery of seven new variants in the human genome that increase the chances of developing the disease.

11 Jul 2011

Scientists probe 'atlastin,' a protein linked to hereditary spastic paraplegia

New research from Rice University and Italy's Eugenio Medea Scientific Institute is yielding clues about hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a group of inherited neurological disorders that affect about 20,000 people in the United States.

11 Jul 2011

AJMS summarizes developments related to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a common and severe lung disease of unknown cause and with no proven therapies. But researchers are pushing forward in investigating new clues to the development and effective treatment of IPF, according to a special symposium presented in The American Journal of the Medical Sciences (AJMS), official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (SSCI).

8 Jul 2011

Scientists discover mechanism that enables developing cancer cells to sustain abnormal growth

Scripps Research Institute scientists have discovered a basic mechanism that can enable developing cancer cells to sustain abnormal growth. The finding is expected to lead to the targeting of this mechanism with drugs and diagnostic techniques.

8 Jul 2011

Primary function of sex is not to promote diversity, but to maintain a species' identity

Biology textbooks maintain that the main function of sex is to promote genetic diversity. But Henry Heng, Ph.D., associate professor in WSU's Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, says that's not the case.

8 Jul 2011

New human syndrome features craniosynostosis, maxillary hyperplasia, delayed tooth eruption, extra teeth

Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, have described a new, recessively inherited human syndrome featuring craniosynostosis, maxillary hyperplasia, delayed tooth eruption and extra teeth. The researchers also identified causative mutations in a gene IL11RA.

8 Jul 2011

New technique may help scientists probe mysteries of many different stem cells

Researchers at the Salk Institute have been able to genetically incorporate "unnatural" amino acids, such as those emitting green fluorescence, into neural stem cells, which then differentiate into brain neurons with the incandescent "tag" intact.

8 Jul 2011

New strategy may combat age-associated infertility and birth defects

A strategy that has been shown to reduce age-related health problems in several animal studies may also combat a major cause of age-associated infertility and birth defects.

8 Jul 2011

Merck Serono announces recipients of second Grant for Fertility Innovation

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announces the recipients of its second Grant for Fertility Innovation.

8 Jul 2011

ACMG presents new guideline on genetic counseling, testing for AD

When is it appropriate to perform genetic testing for Alzheimer disease, and what information do patients need to understand their risk? The June issue of Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics presents a new practice guideline on genetic counseling and testing for AD.

8 Jul 2011

AHAF awards 22 new grants to scientists worldwide for innovative vision research

The American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF), a nonprofit organization with a history of funding cutting-edge research on age-related diseases, announced today that it has awarded 22 new grants totaling nearly $2.2 million to scientists worldwide who are studying glaucoma and macular degeneration. The two conditions are the leading causes of irreversible vision loss and blindness in the U.S.

8 Jul 2011

Allegro completes $5.4M Series A extension financing

Allegro Diagnostics today announced that it has closed a $5.4M Series A extension financing. The company's existing venture investors, Kodiak Venture Partners and Catalyst Health Ventures, participated in the round.

8 Jul 2011

Researchers identify cellular origin of malignant glioma

Using a mouse genetic system co-developed by researchers at the University of Oregon and Stanford University, a research team led by UO biologist Hui Zong has isolated the cellular origin for malignant glioma, a deadly human brain cancer.

8 Jul 2011

Oxford Gene Technology sequencing workshop attracts over 130 delegates

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), provider of innovative clinical genetics and diagnostic solutions to advance molecular medicine, recently announced details of its new targeted sequencing service as part of a workshop at the European Society of Human Genetics Conference (ESHG 2011) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

From Oxford Gene Technology 7 Jul 2011

Final Atlantis space trip may open new era of research into infectious diseases

On July 8, at approximately 11:26 a.m. EDT, the space shuttle Atlantis will streak skyward from the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A, for one last mission. While the STS-135 flight marks the end of the space shuttle's glory days, its final trip may open a new era of research into infectious diseases, thanks to space bound experiments conducted by Dr's. Cheryl Nickerson, and Roy Curtiss III, along with their colleagues at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute.

7 Jul 2011