Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

$4.7million grant for research on neuroblastoma

Significant funding from Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council will enable researchers at Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA) for Medical Research to make progress on the treatment of one the most aggressive, drug-resistant childhood cancers - neuroblastoma - over the next five years.

28 Jul 2005

Bone marrow may be source of new egg-cell generation

Last year a group of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers announced surprising findings that female mice - contrary to longstanding theories of mammalian reproductive physiology - retained the ability to make new egg cells or oocytes into adulthood.

27 Jul 2005

Researchers make headway in mystery of migraines

The research, published in the new issue of the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reveals how gene mutations known to cause a form of inherited migraine target a cellular process involved in brain cell communication.

27 Jul 2005

If you're a worm, and stressed as well - its not good!

According to U.S. scientists how well you respond to stress predicts how long you will live, at least if you are a worm.

27 Jul 2005

Spotting that nasty taste could well have saved our lives

Being able to distinguish the sweetness of oranges from the bitter taste of lemons may have evolved as a protection against eating poisonous plants, according to new genetic research.

27 Jul 2005

Mate Choice and Friendship in Twins: Evidence for Genetic Similarity

How alike are you and your husband or wife - or, you and your best friend? Probably more alike than you realize. A study of twins shows that people's spouses and best friends are much more similar to them than was previously recognized - about as close as brothers and sisters. The research also suggested that the preference for partners who are similar to us is partly due to our genes.

26 Jul 2005

Methamphetamine users show symptoms similar to brain injury patients

Because today's methamphetamine is stronger, more potent and wreaks greater havoc on the brain, chronic users exhibit symptoms similar to patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to the Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ).

26 Jul 2005

Nerve-insulating substance called myelin can lead to functional improvements in animals with spinal cord injury

Combining partially differentiated stem cells with gene therapy can promote the growth of new "insulation" around nerve fibers in the damaged spinal cords of rats, a new study shows.

26 Jul 2005

Exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can be just as detrimental to a developing fetus as primary exposure through maternal smoking

In a study published in the online journal BMC Pediatrics, Stephen G. Grant, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental and occupational health, reports that both active maternal smoking and secondary maternal exposure result in similarly increased rates of genetic mutation that are basically indistinguishable.

26 Jul 2005

Single protein regulates secretion levels - helps stem cells become secretory cells

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a single protein regulates secretion levels in the fruit fly's salivary gland and its skin-like outer layer.

26 Jul 2005

Potential new treatment for nerve damage caused by diabetes

Research into a new treatment for nerve damage caused by diabetes could bring relief to millions of diabetic patients, say experts.

From The University of Manchester 26 Jul 2005

Molecular link between a viral infection and development of a common and fatal form of liver cancer

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered a crucial molecular link between a viral infection and development of a common and fatal form of liver cancer. In the process, they have identified a possible way to treat this disease as well as a number of other cancers.

26 Jul 2005

Neuroscientists identify how the brain processes and stores emotional experiences as long-term memories

The research, performed on rats, could help neuroscientists better understand why emotionally arousing events are remembered over longer periods than emotionally neutral events, and may ultimately find application in treatments for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

26 Jul 2005

Working class twins fare worse than their professional sibs on blood pressure, cholesterol and self-rated health

Nancy Krieger, professor of society, human development and health at the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues, compared the health status, education levels and adult occupational class among women who were identical twins and who lived together through adolescence, to demonstrate that adult socioeconomic conditions affect adult health, above and beyond genetics and early life conditions.

26 Jul 2005

First large-scale effort to sequence the flu genome

Multiple strains of the flu virus, circulating in a population at the same time, can reshuffle their genes and create a new virus, one capable of infecting many more people, according to a new study in the open-access journal PLoS Biology.

26 Jul 2005

More efficient genome-mining technique

An innovative new statistical method, described in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, streamlines the computation required to identify all the potential locations in the genome that influence a particular physical trait, or phenotype.

26 Jul 2005

Multi-species genome comparison sheds new light on evolutionary processes

An international team that includes researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has discovered that mammalian chromosomes have evolved by breaking at specific sites rather than randomly as long thought - and that many of the breakage hotspots are also involved in human cancer.

25 Jul 2005

Scientists have identified the first genetic mutations that cause the aorta to widen, tear and rupture

Finding biological markers that flag aneurysm, a bulging of the aorta that leads to dissection, a lengthwise separation of tissues in the artery wall, is critically important for early diagnosis.

25 Jul 2005

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome difficult to diagnose

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome can be difficult to diagnose and should have guidelines for diagnostic testing, according to a study in the July 26 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. A second study found chemotherapy aggravated symptoms in one woman's case.

25 Jul 2005

Gene that regulates normal embryonic development is found at high levels in virtually all forms of breast cancer

A gene that appears to help regulate normal embryonic development is found at high levels in virtually all forms of breast cancer, according to a new study led by Laszlo Radvanyi, Ph.D., associate professor of breast and melanoma medical oncology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

25 Jul 2005

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

$4.7million grant for research on neuroblastoma

Bone marrow may be source of new egg-cell generation

Researchers make headway in mystery of migraines

If you're a worm, and stressed as well - its not good!

Spotting that nasty taste could well have saved our lives

Mate Choice and Friendship in Twins: Evidence for Genetic Similarity

Methamphetamine users show symptoms similar to brain injury patients

Nerve-insulating substance called myelin can lead to functional improvements in animals with spinal cord injury

Exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can be just as detrimental to a developing fetus as primary exposure through maternal smoking

Single protein regulates secretion levels - helps stem cells become secretory cells

Potential new treatment for nerve damage caused by diabetes

Molecular link between a viral infection and development of a common and fatal form of liver cancer

Neuroscientists identify how the brain processes and stores emotional experiences as long-term memories

Working class twins fare worse than their professional sibs on blood pressure, cholesterol and self-rated health

First large-scale effort to sequence the flu genome

More efficient genome-mining technique

Multi-species genome comparison sheds new light on evolutionary processes

Scientists have identified the first genetic mutations that cause the aorta to widen, tear and rupture

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome difficult to diagnose

Gene that regulates normal embryonic development is found at high levels in virtually all forms of breast cancer

Sequencing & Genomics: Elevating Science and Healthcare eBook

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production