Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Brain chemistry finding suggests new target for addiction treatments

Ask anyone who has been addicted to drugs and they'll tell you that the mere sight of someone using their drug of choice - or even people, places, or objects associated with drug use - can trigger an intense desire for the drug.

14 Jun 2006

Stem cell breakthrough

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the University of Calgary have found that stem cells derived from adult skin can create neural cell types that can be transplanted into and function in mouse models of disease.

14 Jun 2006

AUA podium session on stone disease

2-phase randomized crossover study on a constant diet with calcium carbonate supplementation at 250 mg 4 times daily.

13 Jun 2006

New test identifies patients who benefit from targeted cancer drugs

New lab test accurately identified patients who would benefit from treatment with the molecularly-targeted anti-cancer therapies gefitinib (Iressa, AstraZeneca) and erlotinib (Tarceva, Genentech).

13 Jun 2006

Diabetes figures all set to blow out by 2050

Researchers who carried out a study of diabetes are predicting that by the year 2050 there will be 39 million with the disease in the United States.

12 Jun 2006

Mechanism for neurodenegerative diseases linked to transport proteins

Hampering the transport of proteins within cells may underlie several adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's, ALS and Kennedy disease. Understanding how this cell transport is blocked in these diseases may offer targets for future therapy.

9 Jun 2006

How cow warts, clergy sex surveys moved along cervical cancer vaccine

The creation of a successful vaccine against cervical cancer, approved today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is the culmination of research that occurred thanks not only to scientists and physicians, but also to generous farmers and veterinarians, priests and nuns willing to tell all - and some very patient cows.

9 Jun 2006

The antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin protects the urinary tract against invasive bacterial infection

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have succeeded in explaining how the body protects itself against urinary tract infections; with the help of an endogenous antibiotic.

9 Jun 2006

Protein called Elk-1appears to play role in neurodegeneration and schizophrenia

Pprotein called Elk-1 interacts with mitochondria, the energy storehouse of a cell, suggesting that this protein - typically active in the nucleus - could play a role in cell death and mitochondria-related diseases such as neurodegeneration and schizophrenia.

9 Jun 2006

University of Florida finding could lead to approaches to treat macular degeneration

University of Florida scientists conducting experiments with mice have found evidence that the body naturally replenishes small amounts of cells in the eye essential for healthy vision.

9 Jun 2006

Discovery of new defect in artery growth

From the beginning, arteries and veins are different in the way they branch into vascular networks, say Dartmouth heart researchers.

9 Jun 2006

Discovery of SLIRP gene could lead to cancer breakthroughs

Western Australian researchers have discovered a new gene that could lead to breakthroughs in breast and prostate cancer, as well as diabetes.

9 Jun 2006

"Mechanistic basis for understanding why we treat symptoms"

In the 1990s, the notion of "six degrees of separation" emphasized human linkages that connected people around the world.

9 Jun 2006

New football boots and toxic shock syndrome

As the World Cup kicks off, doctors in this week's British Medical Journal report an unusual condition that can develop in budding young footballers.

8 Jun 2006

Potentially ground-breaking treatment for nerve damage caused by diabetes

The University of Manchester team has discovered that injection of a novel therapeutic that works by stimulating a person's genes may prevent nerve damage - primarily to the hands and feet - caused by the disease.

From The University of Manchester 8 Jun 2006

Black women twice as likely to get aggressive breast cancer

New research has found that African-American women who contract breast cancer before reaching menopause are more than twice as likely as white women to have an aggressive, deadlier form of the disease.

8 Jun 2006

Black women twice as likely to get aggressive breast cancer

7 Jun 2006

Black women have fewer breast cancers than white women, but their mortality is worse

For decades, researchers have tried to understand why breast cancer in younger black women is such a significant public health problem.

7 Jun 2006

First analysis of the genes of a community of human microbes

Researchers have completed the first analysis of the genes of a community of human microbes, an accomplishment that has far-reaching implications for clinical diagnosis and treatment of many human diseases.

7 Jun 2006

Scientists describe elaborate system of gene control triggered by chemical damage to DNA

Scientists describe for the first time a web of inter-related responses that cells use to avoid becoming diseased or cancerous after being exposed to a powerful mutagen.

7 Jun 2006