“Researchers identify gene mutation as major cause of Parkinson's in Ashkenazi Jewish patients”
(January 25) EurekAlert! reports, “Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and its Manhattan hospital affiliate, Beth Israel Medical Center, have found that a specific mutation in a single gene is a major cause of Parkinson's disease among Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jews.”
“UW scientists unravel critical genetic puzzle for flu virus replication”
(January 25) EurekAlert! reports, “Like any other organism, an influenza virus's success in life is measured by its genetic track record, its ability to pass on genes from one generation to the next.”
“Carbon nanotubes that detect disease-causing mutations developed by Pitt researcher”
(January 25) EurekAlert! reports, “University of Pittsburgh researcher Alexander Star and colleagues at California-based company Nanomix, Inc., have developed devices made of carbon nanotubes that can find mutations in genes causing hereditary diseases, they report in the Jan. 16 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.”
“Cigarettes, Our Genes Decide How Many We Smoke A Day”
(January 25) Medical News Today reports, “A study to be published in the European Respiratory Journal (ERJ) demonstrates that most Japanese smokers' cigarette consumption is conditioned by their genetic heritage.”
“All-in-one Remote Control Gene Expression Tool, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale De Lausanne”
(January 24) Medical News Today reports, “In an article appearing online today in the journal Nature Methods, researchers at the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) unveil a powerful new tool that will facilitate genetic research and open up new avenues for the clinical treatment of genetic disease.”
“Depression more genetic for women”
(January 23) Times Dispatch reports, “Genes contribute more to women's risk of depression than to men's, and different genes may be at work in affected women than in men, a study of more than 42,000 Swedish twins concludes.”
“Genetic technology offers insight into diseases”
(January 23) The Chronicle Online reports, “A physician is faced with the tough decision of whether or not to place a catheter in an elderly patient with a partially clogged artery.”
“Mayo Clinic Collaboration Discovers Protein Amplifies DNA Injury Signals - Cues Genetic Repair Mechanism To Prevent Tumors”
(January 23) Medical News Today reports, “A Mayo Clinic-led research collaboration has discovered that the protein MDC1 amplifies weak DNA injury signals so genetic repair can begin.”
“U of MN researchers identify ataxia gene”
(January 22) EurekAlert! reports, “Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have discovered the gene responsible for a type of ataxia, an incurable degenerative brain disease affecting movement and coordination.”
“Scientists Find Unusual Lung-cancer Tumor-suppressor Gene”
(January 21) Medical News Today reports, “Researchers have identified a new and unusual tumor suppressor gene that may be important in cancers of the lung and head and neck.”
“Study Examines IGF1 Gene, HNPCC, and Colorectal Cancer Risk”
(January 20) Medical News Today reports, “A new study has shown that having a low number of specific sequences of the IGF1 gene called CA-repeats is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer in people with the disorder hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC).”
“Researchers at Orion Genomics and University of Glasgow Collaborate to Identify Epigenetic Biomarkers for Early Cancer Diagnosis and Personalized Therapy Selection“
(January 20) myDNA reports, “Orion Genomics announced today that it has initiated a collaboration with leading researchers at University of Glasgow to discover novel epigenetic biomarkers for the development of tests that screen for cancer at an early stage and provide personalized information about how tumors are most effectively treated.”
“Birth defect gene discovered”
(January 20) myDNA reports, “One out of every 33 babies is born with a birth defect, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”