Early life factors may impact genes of Glasgow's poorest, study claims

Unhealthy lifestyles associated with social deprivation may have detrimental effects on DNA before birth, say scientists. A study of adults living in Glasgow shows a correlation between deprivation and DNA methylation - a normal process that occurs mainly during embryonic development and regulates gene activity...[Read More]

Gene therapy to treat HIV shows promise

The success of a new gene therapy trial represents a significant step towards a 'functional cure' for HIV, US researchers announced this week. By mimicking the effects of a naturally occurring gene mutation that makes an individual resistant to infection, this therapy aims to reduce or eliminate the dependency of HIV patients on antiretroviral drugs....[Read More]

Turning up the volume on silenced genes

Researchers at the Fox Chase Cancer Centre, Philadelphia, USA, have elucidated the mechanism behind one form of gene silencing, which may open up a new route to cancer treatment....[Read More]

US Undiagnosed Diseases Program identifies new genetic condition

The genetic basis for a previously unexplained medical condition which causes a painful hardening of the arteries has been identified by the US Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP)....[Read More]

Book Review: Drawing the Map of Life - Inside the Human Genome Project

The quest to sequence the first human genome has all the ingredients of a good thriller. Privately funded maverick scientist Dr Craig Venter raced the government-sponsored Human Genome Project (HGP) to be the first to sequence the human genetic code. When the draft code was finally published in 2001, it became one of the landmark scientific advances of the last decade...[Read More]

Event Review: Nature, Nurture or Neither? The View from the Genes

Overweight families have overweight cats, Detroit has a higher murder rate than the UK and a flock of goldfinches is called a charm. All these effects are evidently mainly environmental. They're caused by overfeeding, more gangs and guns, and the standard and focus of education, respectively. But Steve Jones, professor of genetics at University College London, UK, argued last week these factors are often overlooked because of our obsession with genetics...[Read More]

Genetic clue to holding your drink

Scientists have found a genetic link to how easily people feel the effects of alcohol. The team led by researchers from the University of North Carolina tracked alcohol tolerance to the end of chromosome 10...

Epigenetic changes linked to obesity

Chemical modifications to genes over a person's lifetime may influence their weight without changing their inherited DNA sequence, a new study has found. This is the first time long-standing chemical alterations to genes have been linked to body weight and obesity... [Read More]

Gene deletion creates lesbian mice

Geneticists claim that female mice can be turned 'lesbian' by a single gene deletion...[Read More]

Genetic variant may influence biological ageing

Scientists have identified a genetic variant that may influence the rate at which a person will age. The finding, published in last week's edition of the journal Nature Genetics, could help identify which individuals are most susceptible to common age-related conditions, such as heart disease and Alzheimer's disease....[Read More]

First gene clue to epilepsy in mice

UK scientists have identified a genetic cause of epilepsy in mice. If the same Mutation proves to be associated with forms of human epilepsy, then this discovery could one day lead to the development of improved treatments or even a cure for the disorder....[Read More]

Gene-environment interaction linked to asthma

Traffic fumes may trigger asthma in children who are genetically susceptible to the disease, according to a study published in the journal Thorax last week. The researchers, based at the University of Southern California, found that children who carried variations in the gene GSTP1, coupled with elevated...[Read More]

Calls for more regulation of direct to consumer genetic tests

By Katy Sinclair: The US Genetics and Public Policy Center at John Hopkins University, has called for increased regulation of direct to consumer genetic tests by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The recommendation follows a policy analysis, the results of which were published in the journal Science last week...[Read More]

Concerns over decreasing male fertility rates

Two new studies have identified factors that could be causing a decline in male fertility. Research published in the journal Fertility and Sterility on the anti-impotence drug Viagra concluded that men taking the drug could be damaging their sperm and lowering their ability to conceive. Another study...[Read More]

'Sleeping Beauty' pancreatic stem cells woken in fight against diabetes

Researchers this week have reported that the much debated and 'elusive' insulin-producing stem cells really do exist in the pancreas. Despite scepticism over their actual existence, stem cells that can produce beta cells were found within the pancreas of adult mice during a study at the Diabetes...[Read More]

Mouse gene studies hint at autism treatment

New research, published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last week, shows that blocking the activity of a gene in the brain - which regulates the enzyme p21-activated kinase (PAK) - can reverse symptoms of mental retardation and autism in mice with Fragile...[Read More]

First brain disease gene therapy trial shows promise

A US study, published in the journal The Lancet last week, reported that all twelve Parkinson's patients who took part in the world's first gene therapy trial for brain disease improved markedly without experiencing side-effects. Under the care of Dr Michael Kaplitt and colleagues of the New...[Read More]

Genome-wide search finds genes linked to bipolar disorder

A new study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, has identified new genes involved in bipolar disorder. The work may one day lead to better treatments for the disease.None of the genes discovered by researchers from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with...[Read More]

Newborn babies to be screened for rare metabolic disorder

All newborn babies in England will be offered screening for the rare metabolic disorder Medium Chain Acyl CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (MCADD). MCADD is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder that is caused by a lack of an enzyme that converts fat into energy, affecting blood sugar levels. The...[Read More]

Pharmacogenetics in assisted reproduction: optimising response to ovarian stimulation

Pharmacogenetics is not new. One of our authors famously can drink a bottle of wine with little effect. The other falls asleep after just one glass. Indeed, the speed at which alcohol is broken down in the body is partly genetically determined. This principle applies to most, if not all...[Read More]