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Genes decide who you befriend--study

Tue, 01/18/2011 - 13:59 by Jaspreet Virk

You might share same interests and passions, but there is more to friendship than this, as a new study states that we choose our friends based on their genes.

Progress to lethal stage slow in pancreatic cancer--study

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 16:38 by Neka Sehgal

Contrary to popular belief that pancreatic cancer is an aggressive form of malignancy right from the onset and spreads to other organs very quickly, a new study claims that the ailment in fact progresses to the lethal stage slowly.

Genetic markers can predict longevity

Fri, 07/02/2010 - 23:56 by Pankaj Damin

Boston -- Genes can accurately predict how long a person will live, and they may provide clues to treat or prevent age-related diseases, a study says.

The study at Boston University identified a small set of DNA variations called genetic markers that can predict "exceptional longevity" with 77 percent accuracy, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

There's no one single "longevity gene," the study published in the journal Science said, but rather a cumulative effect of almost 150 markers, and different people show different markers.

"The study shows that there are different paths to becoming a centenarian," BU graduate student and co-author Nadia Solovieff said. "People age in different ways."

Rapid genetic sequencing technique created

Wed, 06/16/2010 - 09:54 by Pankaj Damin

Montreal -- Canadian scientists say they've created a powerful and reliable sequencing method that can identify any genetic disease in record time.

A research team led by McGill University Assistant Professors Nada Jabado and Jacek Majewski said their achievement, which involves an exome sequencing method, will revolutionize the screening and treatment of genetic diseases.

The scientists said the exome, a small part of the genome, is of crucial interest to research on genetic diseases since it accounts for 85 percent of mutations.

Genetic, behavioral health views studied

Wed, 06/09/2010 - 10:01 by Pankaj Damin

Bethesda, Md. -- A U.S. study suggests young adults view health habits as more important than genetic risk factors when considering what causes common diseases.

The study by the National Human Genome Research Institute and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit was based on a survey of adults ages 25 to 45 and is part of the Multiplex Initiative, a study of how healthy young people use genetic risk-susceptibility tests.

Multiplex genetic testing involves a single blood sample that is used to detect multiple genetic results, providing individuals with a comparative risk value for certain conditions compared with the general population.

Genetic link found between both ALS types

Thu, 05/06/2010 - 12:16 by Pankaj Damin

Chicago -- U.S. scientists say they've found a genetic link between sporadic and familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine found a protein called FUS forms characteristic skein-like cytoplasmic inclusion in spinal motor neurons in most cases of the neurodegenerative disease. Mutations in that gene have been previously linked to a small subset of familial ALS cases, so the scientists said their finding links the rare genetic cause to most cases of ALS, clearing the way for therapy research based on a known molecular target.

Gene breakthrough--a ray of hope for stuttering people

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 18:34 by Natalie James

Los Angeles, February 11 -- A new research claims to have solved a medical mystery that has baffled scientists for thousands of years. What predispose people to stuttering--a complex condition which affects the fluency of speech?

Surfing the Wave of the Future: Personalized Medicine

Fri, 02/05/2010 - 15:03 by Brian Orelli
More proof that the future of health care is a personalized approach based on the genetic makeup of the patient: Yesterday Medco Health Solutions (NYSE: MHS) said it's purchasing genetic-testing expert DNA Direct.

Law to prohibit genetic discrimination

Mon, 11/23/2009 - 13:00 by Arushi Chaudhary

Washington, November 23 - New Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prevents discrimination at workplace on basis of one’s genetic framework.

Mass. woman does home genetics testing

Mon, 05/11/2009 - 23:08 by Shruti Sharma

Cambridge, Mass -- A U.S. genetic researcher says she believes there's a market among hobbyists who'd want to buy equipment to test their own DNA sequences.

Katherine Aull, a 23-year-old graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is creating a start-up biotech company in her Cambridge, Mass., apartment to tap what she and others believe may be a market among non-scientists who would want to use home computers to probe the traits of their own DNA, The Boston Globe reported Monday.

Neanderthal genetic code revealed

Sun, 02/15/2009 - 11:22 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

Washington -- International researchers say they have completed a draft of the genetic blueprint of Neanderthals, humans' primitive cousin.

The scientists say their discovery shows Neanderthals made "very little, if any" contribution to human genes, USA Today reported Saturday.

Neanderthals occupied Europe from about 800,000 to 30,000 years ago, the newspaper noted.

Team chief Svante Paabo of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig said their findings provide a "good overview" of the Neanderthal genome.

"We see this as a tool for future biologists (looking for) what's really unique to modern humans," Paabo was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

For their research, scientists relied on a 37,000-year-old thigh bone found in Croatia, a 43,000-year-old bone from Spain, a 41,000 year-old-bone from Germany and a 70,000-year-old bone from Mezmaiskaya Cave in the Caucasus.