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Genetics
Genetic risk scores a poor measure to predict disease – UK study
A British study has found that polygenic risk scores, which estimate a person’s disease risk based on thousands or millions of common genetic variants,...
Global study decodes male sex chromosome for first time
The male sex chromosome has finally been decoded in a breakthrough that will help illuminate why some men are afflicted with certain conditions –...
Opening the genetics Pandora box
With the inclusion of genetic screening possibly becoming a routine test in infants in the future, experts warn that the results might not always...
Genetic link between blood sugar levels, headaches – Australian study
Recent research had shed light on the genetic basis of the link between migraine and certain blood sugar-related traits – like fasting insulin and...
Large UK study uncovers 60 new and rare genetic disorders
A massive British study has discovered and diagnosed around 60 new rare genetic disorders – including the little-known Turnpenny Fry syndrome – after more...
Beethoven’s DNA hair tests show genetic ailments, alcohol habits
Beethoven, who had a fondness for alcohol, probably had a genetic predisposition to liver disease, and a hepatitis B infection months before his death,...
Dyslexia link to 42 genetic variants in biggest study of its kind
Scientists have identified 42 genetic variants that might influence a person’s chance of having dyslexia, in the largest genetic study of the condition to...
Doppelgängers: yours is out there and you probably share DNA
That person who looks just like you is not your twin, but if scientists compared your genomes, they might find a lot in common,...
Dutch the worldʼs tallest people for 60 years but now shrinking — CBS data
The Dutch national statistics office (CBS) has confirmed that men and women of the Netherlands are the world’s tallest people, and have been for...
Landmark study of African genomes details human migration and health
A landmark study by University of Witwatersrand geneticists and partners that provides insights into ancient migrations of Bantu language-speaking populations, as well as environmental...
Genetic aspects of stroke in people of African descent
African-Americans have up to three times the risk of dying from strokes as people of European descent, yet there has been little investigation of...
Largest-ever study finds 102 genes responsible for autism
The largest genetic sequencing study of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ever conducted has found 102 genes associated with autism, a major step towards an...
Home genetic testing kits may deliver 'wrongly reassuring' results
Consumer genetic tests could be giving false reassurance to those at heightened risk of cancers, a study, by clinical genetic testing company Invitae, revealed....
African resistance to genetically modified mosquitoes
A not-for-profit research group has developed a mosquito that can kill off its own species by spreading a faulty gene. In Burkina Faso, the...
Human trial finds first hint that body's ‘biological age’ can be reversed
In a small human trial, drugs seemed to rejuvenate the body’s ‘epigenetic clock’, which tracks a person’s biological age, writes Alison Abbott for Nature....
Massive study concludes that there is no 'gay gene'
The largest study to date on the genetic basis of sexuality has revealed five spots on the human genome that are linked to same-sex...
Now a reference library of DNA mutation 'fingerprints'
Scientists from King College London and Cambridge University have developed a comprehensive catalogue of DNA mutation ‘fingerprints’ that could help doctors pinpoint the environmental...
Early rising linked to greater well-being — large genomic analysis
A large-scale genomic analysis has revealed some of the inner workings of the body clock, shedding new light on how it links to mental...
Genetic variants that increase ADHD risk discovered
A major international collaboration headed by researchers from the Danish iPSYCH project, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Massachusetts General Hospital, SUNY Upstate...
Cure for cocaine addiction in reach, say scientists
A radical gene therapy for drug addiction has been shown to dampen down cravings for cocaine and protect against overdoses of the substance that...
Higher cognitive function linked to wearing glasses
University of Edinburgh researchers have reported that a higher level of cognitive function is linked with wearing spectacles – the research identified 148 independent...
The genetic links to major depression
A global research project has mapped out the genetic basis of major depression, identifying 44 genetic variants which are risk factors for depression, 30...
Every extra kilo overweight cuts two months of life — UK longevity study
People who are overweight cut life expectancy by two months for every extra kilogram of weight they carry, a large UK genetic analysis of...
Genetic factors may explain most autism risk
Re-analysis of data from a previous study on the familial risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) estimates the heritability to be 83%, suggesting that...
Natural selection weeding out unfavourable genomes in Alzheimer's
In a study analysing the genomes of 210,000 people in the US and Britain, researchers at Columbia University find that the genetic variants linked...
Scientists identify protein that causes liver fibrosis
Scientists at Sydney’s Westmead Institute for Medical Research have identified a protein that causes liver fibrosis, paving the way for new treatments for liver...
Mtb diagnosis faster with new technology
The time needed to genetically sequence the bacteria causing mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) from patient samples has been reduced from weeks to days using a new technique.
Seasonal gene changes affect immunity
Immune systems vary with the seasons, according to a University of Cambridge study, which may be why certain conditions such as heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis are aggravated in winter whilst people tend to be healthier in the summer.
Telomeres help with cancer diagnostics
A distinct pattern in the changing length of blood telomeres, the protective end caps on our DNA strands, can predict cancer many years before actual diagnosis, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine in collaboration with Harvard University.
Glioblastoma brain tumour review
Led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute and University of California, a comprehensive genetic review of treatment strategies for glioblastoma brain tumours has been published.
Gene therapy success with immune condition
Patients with the most severe form of the immune condition Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome have been successfully treated using gene therapy at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London.
Using genetics to discover drug sensitivity
Patients with a genetic sensitivity to warfarin have higher rates of bleeding during the first several months of treatment and benefited from treatment with a different anticoagulant drug.
Autism could be in the genes
Researchers at King's College London have found that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more heritable than recent studies have suggested, with genetic influences on the disorder estimated to fall between 74-98%.
Look to the genes in gut microbiome – study
Recent studies have linked the gut microbiome to obesity. But Gladstone Institutes scientists have found no significant relationship between body mass index and gut microbe types and postulate that it is the genetics of the bacteria that is important.
New genetic variants found in breast cancer
A worldwide study of the DNA of 100,000 women has discovered two new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
Gene associated with lung cancer discovered
Researchers of the Genetic Epidemiology of Lung Cancer Consortium, have identified the PARK2 gene mutation as being associated with lung cancer, implicating it as a genetic susceptibility factor for the disease.
Cats – human's ally in the battle to fight disease
Researchers have launched a genome sequencing project called 99 Lives, which should provide data that could generate new medicines for treating cats and humans for some diseases to which both are susceptible, such as asthma, diabetes and some forms of blindness.
Human protein interactive map launched
The Human Protein Atlas, a major multinational research project, recently launched an open source tissue-based interactive map of the human protein. The first major analysis gives a detailed picture of the proteins that are linked to cancer, the number of proteins in the bloodstream, and the targets for all approved drugs on the market.
Gene helps muscle to repair itself
In a first proof of concept study, researchers, have successfully improved the ability of muscle to repair itself by artificially increasing levels of the BMI1 gene in the muscle-specific stem cells of mice with muscular dystrophy.
Environment plays 'starring role' in immunity
A study of twins at Stanford University shows that environment, more than heredity, plays the starring role in determining the state of the immune system, especially, as one ages.