“Mutated gene found to lower 'bad cholesterol' in lucky few”
(March 23) Life Science News reports, “About 3 percent of the U.S. population has a genetic mutation that lowers so-called "bad cholesterol" and offers sharply higher protection against heart disease, scientists in Houston and Dallas report in a study published today.”
“Remaining 80% of breast cancer genes may soon be discovered”
(March 23) News Medical.net reports, “We are closer to finding the missing 80% of breast cancer genes than ever before thanks to the success of the COSMIC database (Catalogue Of Somatic Mutations In Cancer) the 5th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-5) was told today.”
“Looks like we've all inherited the messy gene”
(March 22) The Seattle Times reports, “It was a nice idea that we're all genetically 99.9 percent identical, but new research says it's not so simple.”
“Human genes may kill HIV”
(March 22) Advocate.com reports, “A study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that two key human genes may have the ability to destroy HIV genetic material inside immune system cells.”
“Quitting Smoking Strongly Decreases Risk Of Death And Preventive Strategies For Women With Gene Mutations That Increase The Risk Of Breast Cancer”
(March 22) Medical News Today reports, “1. New Large Study of Men and Women: Smoking Strongly Increases Risk for Death in Middle Age, Quitting Strongly Decreases Risk of Death, Even at Older Ages.”
“A Hunt for Genes That Betrayed a Desert People”
(March 21) The New York Times reports, “In a sky blue bedroom they share but rarely leave, a young sister and brother lie in twin beds that swallow up their small motionless bodies, victims of a genetic disease so rare it does not even have a name.”
“The role of evolutionary genomics in the development of autism”
(March 21) EurekAlert! reports, “Scientists at the London School of Economics, UK and Simon Fraser University, Canada have described the first hypothesis grounded in evolutionary genomics explaining the development of autism.”
“Tests can miss BRCA mutations”
(March 21) myDNA reports, “Despite a negative (normal) genetic test for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, about 12 percent of breast cancer patients from high-risk families carried previously undetected cancer-associated mutations, according to a study in the March 22/29 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a theme issue on women's health.”
“Eczema And Asthma Hope For Millions As Gene Defect Identified”
(March 21) Medical News Today reports, “Researchers, led by a team at Dundee University, UK, have identified a gene defect responsible for eczema and asthma.”
“Gene linked to impulsive violence weakens brain circuits that regulate thinking in humans”
(March 21) News Medical.net reports, “A version of a gene previously linked to impulsive violence appears to weaken brain circuits that regulate impulses, emotional memory and thinking in humans, researchers at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have found.”
“Gene, Smoking Combo Boosts Risk of Elderly Vision Loss”
(March 20) Medline Plus reports, “A combination of smoking plus a specific gene variant could account for a third of cases of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), researchers say.”
“Gene Influences Antidepressant Response”
(March 20) Medical News Today reports, “Whether depressed patients will respond to an antidepressant depends, in part, on which version of a gene they inherit, a study led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has discovered.”
“H5N1 influenza virus is undergoing genetic diversity expansion”
(March 20) News Medical.net reports, “An analysis of H5N1 influenza samples in Southeast Asia shows not only how the two strains that have caused human disease are related but also that they belong to two different, distinct genetic subgroups.”
“Molecule By Molecule, New Assay Shows Real-time Gene Activity”
(March 19) Medical News Today reports, “Chemists at Harvard University have developed the first technique providing a real-time, molecule-by-molecule "movie" of protein production in live cells.”
“Gene changes found in Vietnam's Agent Orange victims”
(March 17) China View reports, “Vietnamese scientists have found that genes of some local people affected by Agent Orange, defoliants sprayed by U.S. Army in the Vietnam War, have been altered, said a symposium delegate.”
“Targeted Genetics Amends tgAAC94 Clinical Protocol and Advances Ongoing Trial to Phase I/II; Amendment Potentially Accelerates Clinical Development Of Therapy”
(March 17) dBusiness News reports, “Targeted Genetics Corporation (Nasdaq:TGEN), a developer of molecular therapies for the prevention and treatment of acquired and inherited diseases, today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to amend the clinical protocol of its ongoing Phase I trial of tgAAC94 in patients with inflammatory arthritis.”
“Bioterror Agent Sarin Causes Long-Term Genetic Damage”
(March 16) Medline Plus reports, “The toxic chemical sarin, a potential bioterrorism agent, causes devastating, long-term damage to genes controlling memory, mood, thinking, muscle control and numerous other brain functions, U.S. researchers report.”
“Gene test helps predict lung cancer, study finds”
(last accessed 2/2008)
(March 16) Reuters reports, “A test that finds damaged genes in the lungs of people considered at high risk of lung cancer might be able to predict who actually develops the deadly disease, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.”
“U-M scientists identify major psoriasis susceptibility gene”
(March 16) Innovations Report reports, “University of Michigan scientists have found a common genetic variation in an immune system gene that makes people much more likely to develop psoriasis – a disfiguring inflammatory skin disease.”
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