Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

A single change in a person’s DNA can contribute to a range of life-shortening risk factors

A woman with hypertension, low magnesium levels, and a cooperative family allowed scientists to pinpoint the mutation, which affects the genes of the mitochondria — the energy-producing power plants of the cell that are passed from mother to offspring.

25 Oct 2004

Australian platypus research has implications for understanding the evolution of human sex determination

The mystery surrounding sex determination of the unique Australian platypus has yielded a surprising secret: it has 10 sex chromosomes.

25 Oct 2004

High levels of a protein called LRP6 can make cancer cells more aggressive

The protein's ability to enhance tumor development suggests that the gene that codes for LRP6 is an oncogene--a gene that contributes to tumor development when overactivated.

25 Oct 2004

Newly discovered gene could be a significant contributor to diabetes in Americans

A gene involved in the action of insulin is associated with type 2 diabetes and the body’s response to insulin, report scientists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

25 Oct 2004

Key gene that impacts the timing of puberty

Researchers at the OHSU Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have identified a key gene that impacts the timing of puberty and can shorten the time span for reproduction.

24 Oct 2004

Potential new protein marker for prognosis of breast and ovarian cancer

The researchers matched tumor samples to outcomes in about 100 patients diagnosed with either breast or ovarian cancer and found that a low level of Rab25 protein on a patient's cancer sample was associated with a better clinical outcome in both cancer types.

24 Oct 2004

Blocking gene opens avenues for treating prostate cancer

Cancer Research UK scientists in Oxford have found a new way to make prostate cancer succumb more readily to currently used treatments.

22 Oct 2004

Detecting diseases with no more to work with than a drop of blood

The dream of monitoring a patient's physical condition through blood testing has long been realized. But how about detecting diseases in their very early stages, or evaluating how they are responding to treatment, with no more to work with than a drop of blood!

22 Oct 2004

Discovery of new protein involved in regulating the second most commonly mutated tumor suppressor in human tumors

Scientists in Tokyo have discovered a new protein, named PICT-1, that is involved in regulating PTEN, the second most commonly mutated tumor suppressor in human tumors.

22 Oct 2004

Genes affect how asthma patients respond to albuterol

While a few weeks of regular use of albuterol improved overall asthma control in individuals with one form of the gene, stopping all use of albuterol eventually improved asthma control in those with another form of the gene. Albuterol is the most commonly used drug for relief of acute asthma symptoms, or “attacks.”

22 Oct 2004

Gene mutation causes Parkinson's disease in some families

An international research team, led by scientists at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), has discovered a gene, which when mutated, causes Parkinson's disease in some families.

22 Oct 2004

New evidence supports value of fruits and vegetables in reducing breast cancer risk

Fruits and vegetables are known to reduce the risk of some cancers. Their antioxidant properties have been found to inhibit the generation of reactive oxidant species (ROS) that can damage and change DNA and lead to cancer.

22 Oct 2004

Lag-3 gene dampens immune responses by controlling regulatory T-cell function

The discovery that the Lag-3 gene acts as a brake to prevent immune system responses from running out of control solves a mystery that has puzzled researchers since the gene was discovered 14 years ago.

22 Oct 2004

Discovery of the gene for a form of Joubert Syndrome

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have discovered the gene for a form of Joubert Syndrome, a condition present before birth that affects an area of the brain controlling balance and coordination in about 1 in 10,000 individuals.

21 Oct 2004

Researchers trim count of human genes to 20,000-25,000

Scientific description of the finished human genome sequence, reducing the estimated number of human protein-coding genes from 35,000 to only 20,000-25,000, a surprisingly low number for our species.

21 Oct 2004

Gene variations explain why people with type 2 diabetes are at much greater risk for coronary artery disease

New studies by an international team of scientists led by Joslin Diabetes Center have found variations in a gene that help explain why people with type 2 diabetes are at much greater risk for coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death for this group.

21 Oct 2004

Genetic research offers insight into Sjögren's syndrome and the general developmental machinery of the immune system

By knocking out a single gene in mice, immunologists at Duke University Medical Center have mimicked a little-understood autoimmune disorder in humans.

21 Oct 2004

Researchers identify a protein that could banish allergies

The suffering of millions of people with allergies could one day be eased thanks to new research from UK investigators. Findings from the University College London branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR), published in the Oct 2004 issue of Nature, detail how inactivating a key signalling molecule called p110delta reduced the effect of allergies on mice.

21 Oct 2004

Single nucleotide polymorphisms and forensic genetics, maybe not such a perfect combination

Forensic genetics is the branch of genetics that, through DNA analysis and comparison, deals with the resolution of legal problems such as paternity tests.

21 Oct 2004

Organic molecules spontaneously organize themselves into large spherical structures

A critical step in the emergence of life was the spontaneous self-organization of identical small units into large symmetrical structures.

21 Oct 2004

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

A single change in a person’s DNA can contribute to a range of life-shortening risk factors

Australian platypus research has implications for understanding the evolution of human sex determination

High levels of a protein called LRP6 can make cancer cells more aggressive

Newly discovered gene could be a significant contributor to diabetes in Americans

Key gene that impacts the timing of puberty

Potential new protein marker for prognosis of breast and ovarian cancer

Blocking gene opens avenues for treating prostate cancer

Detecting diseases with no more to work with than a drop of blood

Discovery of new protein involved in regulating the second most commonly mutated tumor suppressor in human tumors

Genes affect how asthma patients respond to albuterol

Gene mutation causes Parkinson's disease in some families

New evidence supports value of fruits and vegetables in reducing breast cancer risk

Lag-3 gene dampens immune responses by controlling regulatory T-cell function

Discovery of the gene for a form of Joubert Syndrome

Researchers trim count of human genes to 20,000-25,000

Gene variations explain why people with type 2 diabetes are at much greater risk for coronary artery disease

Genetic research offers insight into Sjögren's syndrome and the general developmental machinery of the immune system

Researchers identify a protein that could banish allergies

Single nucleotide polymorphisms and forensic genetics, maybe not such a perfect combination

Organic molecules spontaneously organize themselves into large spherical structures

Genetics & Genomics - Second Edition 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