Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Children with apoE4 gene show reduced cognitive function

Children who possess a gene known to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease already show signs of reduced cognitive function, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.

6 Nov 2007

Breastfeeding boosts infants' IQs, but only if the babies have a specific genetic variant

This study looked at how long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAS), which are present in human milk but not in cow's milk or most infant formulas, are metabolized. LC-PUFAS in breast milk, the authors said, is believed to enhance cognitive development because the fatty acids are required for efficient neurotransmission and are involved in neuronal growth and regeneration.

6 Nov 2007

Osteopontin-c is a good biomarker of breast cancer.

Researchers have identified a molecule that may be more accurate than existing biological signposts used to predict which breast cancers will develop into advanced forms of the disease.

6 Nov 2007

Having two particular epilepsy genes protects against the disease

New research from the Baylor College of Medicine has found that inheriting two of the genes which both cause epilepsy might actually provide protection from the serious condition.

6 Nov 2007

When it comes to brain power for some babies breast is definitely best

According to a new British study breastfeeding when it is combined with certain genes can enhance the IQ of children.

6 Nov 2007

New view of lung cancer genome

An international team of scientists, supported in part by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have announced that its systematic effort to map the genomic changes underlying lung cancer has uncovered a critical gene alteration not previously linked to any form of cancer.

5 Nov 2007

Researchers identify gene behind rheumatoid arthritis

University of Manchester researchers have identified a genetic variant in a region on chromosome 6 that is associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common inflammatory arthritis affecting 387,000 people in the UK.

From The University of Manchester 5 Nov 2007

Comprehensive view of the abnormal genetic landscape in lung cancer cells

An international team of scientists has announced the results of a systematic effort to map the genetic changes underlying lung cancer, the world's leading cause of cancer deaths.

5 Nov 2007

Inheriting two genetic mutations that can individually cause epilepsy may cancel each other

Inheriting two genetic mutations that can individually cause epilepsy might actually be "seizure-protective," said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in a report that appears online in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

5 Nov 2007

Manipulation of MOF enzyme may make tumors more sensitive to radiation therapy

To make tumors more sensitive to the killing power of radiation is a key aspiration for many radiation oncologists. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered new information that leads them closer to that goal.

5 Nov 2007

Carnegie Mellon researchers to develop new stem cell-based drug delivery therapy

Carnegie Mellon University's Stefan F. Zappe is using adult neural stem cells to develop a new stem cell-based drug delivery therapy that may ultimately help treat a variety of inherited genetic disorders like Hunter syndrome.

5 Nov 2007

Family history of bipolar affects decision to have children

One in three people with a strong family history of bipolar disorder (manic depression) are reluctant to have children due to the hereditary nature of the illness and its perceived social stigma, new research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has found.

4 Nov 2007

SENP1 protein may provide a basis for future targeted cancer therapies

Researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found a protein that enables cellular survival during periods of low oxygen, or hypoxia, which also is key for development of many kinds of cancer.

2 Nov 2007

Regulation of TATA-less promoters

In their upcoming G&D paper, Dr. Robert Tjian (UC Berkeley) and colleagues reveal how histone gene expression is differentially regulated during Drosophila development.

2 Nov 2007

Discovery of master switch that regulates blood pressure

A team of Oregon Health & Science University researchers studying a rare form of hypertension has identified the mechanism by which they believe a protein complex in the kidney operates as a master switch that regulates blood pressure, a finding that has broad implications for the treatment of more common forms of hypertension.

2 Nov 2007