Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Stem-cell therapy opens new avenue of research against Huntington's disease

Paying close attention to how a canary learns a new song has helped scientists open a new avenue of research against Huntington's disease – a fatal disorder for which there is currently no cure or even a treatment to slow the disease.

26 Sep 2007

Mutation of the COX2 gene can double or treble a woman's risk of ovarian cancer

Researchers in Portugal have discovered that a specific mutation of the COX2 gene seems to play a role in the onset of ovarian cancer, increasing women's susceptibility to developing the disease.

26 Sep 2007

BRCA1 gene plays significant role in non-small cell lung cancer

Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have found that the breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA1, plays a significant role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

25 Sep 2007

Breast cancer death rate continues to drop

A report from the American Cancer Society finds the breast cancer death rate in the United States continues to drop more than two percent per year, a trend that began in 1990 and is credited to progress in early detection and treatment.

25 Sep 2007

Space flight makes bacteria more infectious

Space flight has been shown to have a profound impact on human physiology as the body adapts to zero gravity environments.

25 Sep 2007

The cell size problem

For more than 100 years, scientists have tried to figure out the cell size problem: How does a cell know when it is big enough to divide?

25 Sep 2007

African American and Latino diabetics far less likely to blood sugar under control

Despite decades of advances in diabetes care, African Americans and Latinos are still far less likely than whites to have their blood sugar under control, even with the help of medications, a new nationally representative study finds.

25 Sep 2007

Novel strategy to tackle acute myelogenous leukemia

A novel strategy to hopefully beat into oblivion one of the most aggressive forms of acute myelogenous leukemia combines the strengths of some of the newest leukemia agents, researchers say.

25 Sep 2007

Molecular fingerprint of breast cancer drug resistance can predict response to treatment

A way of predicting which patients will respond well to treatment with a common chemotherapy drug used in breast cancer was unveiled at the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14).

25 Sep 2007

Genetic influences on addictions - new findings

Previous research has extensively studied the association of the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) with alcoholism.

25 Sep 2007

Trop-2 new target for anti-tumour therapy in cancer

Italian scientists announced (Monday September 24) that they have found a new and promising target for anti-tumour therapy in cancer.

25 Sep 2007

Technique that measures human face from 3D facial images may help diagnose fetal alcohol syndrome

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most extreme expression of alcohol's adverse effects on the developing fetus, and is part of the wider fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

25 Sep 2007

BioNanomatrix issued new nanofluidics patent

The patent covers a novel technique for the integration of nanofluidic channels with sample delivery systems, enabling single molecules of DNA, RNA or other proteins to be separated out from standard laboratory samples for direct imaging and analysis.

25 Sep 2007

Social cheating in bacterial communication

Baseball had its steroids and Black Sox. Politics lived through Watergate. Wall Street has been riddled with insider trading scandals. And before we cast the first stone, who among us has never tried to get through an intersection on a yellow light?

25 Sep 2007

Discovery of two new proteins associated with colorectal cancer

Researchers at the Zhejiang University, Hangzhou have discovered that mimecan and Thioredoxin Domain-Containing Protein 5 (TXNDC5) were differentially expressed in colorectal adenoma.

25 Sep 2007

Research shows how genetic mutation causes epilepsy in infants

New research from the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne has shown why mutation in a single gene can cause epilepsy in infants.

24 Sep 2007

Discovery of 350 genes related to female fertility

These discoveries might lead the way to eventually allowing clinicians to test whether an infertile woman has problems with a specific gene, allowing for improved diagnostic tests and tailored therapy in the future, said Dr. Castrillon, a specialist in the diagnosis of infertility and other diseases of women.

24 Sep 2007

Scientists discover technique to help 'friendly bacteria'

There is currently a great deal of interest in the health-associated properties of probiotics, also known as 'beneficial' or 'friendly' bacteria, and prebiotics, the food needed for the growth of probiotic when inside our bodies.

24 Sep 2007

Genetic risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder identified

New research in primates suggests that infants and children who carry a certain gene variant may be more vulnerable to the ill effects of fetal alcohol exposure.

24 Sep 2007

Researchers pinpoint when a cell is ready to reproduce

For more than 100 years, scientists have tried to figure out the cell size problem: How does a cell know when it is big enough to divide, In research conducted in budding yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ), scientists at Rockefeller University have now identified the cellular event that marks the moment when a cell knows it is big enough to commit to cell division and spawn genetic replicas of itself.

24 Sep 2007