Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

How sexy we feel depends on our genes

According to researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, how sexy we feel depends on our genes.

31 May 2006

Genetic variations impact sexual desire

New evidence that individual differences in human sexual desire can be attributed to genetic variations has been revealed by a research group headed by a professor of psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

29 May 2006

Birthplace of AIDS found

After a 10-year search for the origin of HIV, scientists say they have finally traced the initial source of the global pandemic presently affecting more than 40-million people worldwide.

29 May 2006

WHO says Indonesian bird flu cluster does not show virus has mutated

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that despite the cluster of seven members from the same Indonesian family dying of bird flu this month, it does not signify that the virus has mutated and is being transmitted from human to human.

25 May 2006

EU ruling on breast drug Herceptin will end 'post code lottery' in Britain

The European Union has approved the use of the breast cancer drug Herceptin for use in patients with an early stage of the aggressive HER2-positive type of breast cancer.

24 May 2006

MRI cost-effective for some women at high-risk of breast cancer

A computer model simulation suggests that adding breast MRI screening may be cost-effective for women of certain ages who carry BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations.

23 May 2006

Body has more than one body clock

Research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University suggests that contrary to popular belief, the body has more than one "body clock."

23 May 2006

Gene expression becomes heterogeneous with age

In a study of the effects of aging on gene expression, researchers have found that variation in gene expression among individuals tends to increase with age.

23 May 2006

Cysteine containing tablets and chewing gum potential new way to prevent upper digestive tract cancers

Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, suggest that cysteine containing tablets and chewing gum can be a new way for the prevention of upper digestive tract cancers.

23 May 2006

New technique to deliver insulin genes to pancreas

Researchers at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and the Baylor Research Institute have developed a novel technique to deliver insulin genes to the pancreas, the organ that produces the body's insulin.

23 May 2006

Sperm donor passes rare dangerous disease on to four children

According to a new report in the U.S., a sperm donor may have unwittingly passed an extremely rare and dangerous genetic ailment to five children born to four couples.

22 May 2006

Increased number of twin births could be down to dairy rich diets

According to new research in the U.S., a diet high in dairy products can greatly increase a woman's chances of having twins.

21 May 2006

Genetic testing can improve newborn screening tests for hearing defects

Researchers have identified several changes that could be made to existing newborn screening tests for hearing defects that could advance the standard of care in detecting deaf infants, according to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine.

17 May 2006

MRI provides an early alert for polycystic kidney disease

A new method using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) accurately tracks structural changes that predict functional changes earlier than standard blood and urine tests in people with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD).

17 May 2006

Newly discovered gene MCPIP may lead to treatments for preventing inflammation that cause heart disease

A newly discovered gene known as MCPIP could provide scientists with the key to developing treatments for preventing inflammation that can cause heart disease, University of Central Florida researchers have discovered.

17 May 2006

Novel animal model of lung adenocarcinoma

Drs. Katerina Politi, Harold Varmus and colleagues at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York have developed a novel animal model of lung adenocarcinoma that will be of great use in testing the efficacy of targeted therapies against human lung cancer.

17 May 2006

Sulforaphane shown to inhibit the occurrence of hereditary colon cancer

Need another reason to eat vegetables? A new study at Rutgers shows that certain vegetables - broccoli and cauliflower, in particular - have natural ingredients that may reduce the risk of developing hereditary cancers.

17 May 2006

Signaling pathways required for expansion of insulin-producing beta cells

IDDM, which used to be referred to as Type 1 diabetes, results from selective destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic islet beta cells by the body's immune system.

17 May 2006

Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 may play role in infection and dry eye

Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor Type 2 (PAI-2), a protein found in various cell types including the skin, has been discovered in the tissue covering the eye and may have future clinical implications in various pathologies of the ocular surface such as eye infection or dry eye.

17 May 2006

Association between Pak1 expression and subcellular localization and tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer patients

A protein that activates estrogen receptors in breast cancer may play a role in resistance to therapeutic effects of anti-estrogen tamoxifen treatment, according to a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

17 May 2006