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Glossary

Genetic condition

A condition or illness caused by changes in a gene or genes, affecting the way the body looks, develops or works.



Articles using this Glossary Item

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Brain cells made from skin cells, bypassing stem cell phase

06 February 2012 - by Cathy Holding

Mouse skin cells have been converted directly into neural precursor cells which go on to form the major cells in the brain...[Read More]

TV Review: Holby City - Butterflies

31 January 2012 - by Daniel Malynn

In between the epidemic of 'will they, won't they?' relationships spreading throughout Holby City, the show dealt with the genetic disorder epidermolysis bullosa (EB)...[Read More]

Crystal ball gazing: human embryonic stem cells in 2012

31 January 2012 - by Dr Dusko Ilic

In the last few months of 2011, a couple of stories on human embryonic stem cells hit the headlines. Both were bad news for stem cell researchers...[Read More]

Mice live up to three times longer after progenitor cell injections

16 January 2012 - by Ruth Saunders

Stem cell injections have been found to slow down the effects of aging in mice. Researchers have developed a stem cell treatment that significantly slows down aging and increases life span in mice with progeria, a rare genetic disease causing advanced aging...[Read More]

'High risk' prostate cancer gene found

16 January 2012 - by Linda Wijlaars

A rare gene variant that could increase the risk of prostate cancer has been identified by researchers in the USA. Although the variant accounts for only a small fraction of all prostate cancers, the study found it was more common in men with an inherited form of the cancer and in those who are diagnosed before the age of 55...[Read More]

Gene therapy breakthrough for blood-clotting disease

19 December 2011 - by Dr Zara Mahmoud

Scientists have successfully used gene therapy to alleviate the symptoms of the blood disease haemophilia B in six human volunteers, raising hope for a potential cure. The study has been hailed as a landmark trial for gene therapy...[Read More]

Mouse study offers hope for treating leading genetic cause of infant death

28 November 2011 - by Suzanne Elvidge

Researchers have made a step forward in the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, a serious genetic disorder, by using a stretch of RNA to trigger mice into producing a back-up version of a missing protein...[Read More]

Event Review: Field of Genes - DNA Testing to Find Future Olympic Champions

28 November 2011 - by Eleanor White

Would you let your 10-year-old child sit out of PE classes if they were not built for sport? Would it inspire you to do better if you found out your genes indicated that you're not likely to succeed at it? Or would it demoralise you to the point that you give up on something you love?...[Read More]

Progeria could be treated with existing drug

07 November 2011 - by Oliver Timmis

Progeria, an extremely rare genetic disease that is commonly used as model for ageing, could be treated with an existing drug...[Read More]

Gene therapy used in attempt to halt blindness

31 October 2011 - by Victoria Kay

A British man has become the first person to receive an advanced gene therapy treatment in a bid to save his sight. Jonathan Wyatt, aged 63, is the first of 12 patients to have the experimental procedure to try and halt the progression of his genetic eye disorder, choroideraemia. While he still has some sight, if left untreated, he would eventually become blind...[Read More]

Aspirin cuts hereditary bowel cancer risk by 60 percent

31 October 2011 - by Suzanne Elvidge

Taking a daily aspirin has been recommended for people with a high risk of an inherited form of bowel cancer. Results published in The Lancet suggested the risk for those with Lynch syndrome could be cut by 63 percent...[Read More]

Safeguarding consent and confidentiality in clinical genetic practice

26 September 2011 - by Professor Anneke Lucassen and Alison Hall

Suppose you have just had a genetic test for a condition that you suspect runs in your family. Aside from the possible implications for your own health, could – or should – your results be used to help to interpret tests done on other members of your family?...[Read More]

Racing ahead in the polls

26 September 2011 - by Sarah Norcross

Throughout 2011 the charity that publishes BioNews, the Progress Educational Trust, has been running a Wellcome Trust supported project entitled 'Genes, Ancestry and Racial Identity: Does It Matter Where Your Genes Come From?'. The project is now concluding with an online poll which we'd like to encourage all BioNews readers to complete...[Read More]

Book review: Ethical and Legal Requirements for Transnational Genetic Research

26 September 2011 - by Professor Sandy Raeburn

First, here is the bad news. Readers attracted by this title are in for a stormy and depressing journey. The writing, both in choice of language and sentence construction, is turgid. The problems of 'plain English' start in the six-page introduction, reach a low point in the ethical chapter and only improve slightly in the legal section...[Read More]

Reflections on the ethical debate surrounding non-invasive prenatal genetic diagnosis

12 September 2011 - by Vardit Ravitsky

An up-and-coming technology will soon allow genetic testing of a fetus with a simple maternal blood test early in the first trimester of the pregnancy by isolating cell-free fetal DNA in the mother's plasma. Currently, obtaining reliable diagnostic genetic information requires invasive testing with Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis. Both carry a risk of miscarriage and are performed between weeks 10 and 20 of the pregnancy...[Read More]

No immune system? No problem: Gene therapy found for 'bubble babies'

30 August 2011 - by Rosemary Paxman

Over a dozen children with 'boy in bubble' syndrome are alive and well, with functioning immune systems, nine years after undergoing gene therapy to correct their disorder, researchers report....[Read More]

Fertility treatment in Germany

19 August 2011 - by Dr Petra Thorn

Germany is said to have one of the most restrictive legislation in the area of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments. In contrast to the UK, both oocyte donation and surrogacy are prohibited by the Embryo Protection Act. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has only become permissible as of July this year – it can now be carried out if the child will be born with a severe genetic disease, or if the embryo is so severely impaired that the pregnancy...[Read More]

Changes to PGD regulation in Victoria, Australia

15 August 2011 - by Dr Malcolm Smith

The Australian state of Victoria was the first common law jurisdiction in the world to enact legislation to regulate assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). Victoria's legislative framework has been updated a number of times and the most recent legislation (the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008 (Vic)) came into effect on 1 January 2010...[Read More]

Genetic flaw leaves no trace – mutation causing a lack of fingerprints identified

08 August 2011 - by Suzanne Elvidge

Imagine getting to immigration and struggling to get into a country, not because you don't have a passport or legal status, but because you have no fingerprints. People with adermatoglyphia, also known as 'immigration delay disease', have missing fingerprints from birth, and have reduced levels of sweat glands in their skin. Researchers now think they have isolated the genetic mutation behind this rare disorder....[Read More]

Event Review: The Age of Personalised Medicine - Genes, Privacy and Discrimination

08 August 2011 - by Dr Rebecca Hill

'The age of personalised medicine: genes, privacy and discrimination?' was the last in BioCentre's 2010/2011 symposium series 'Revolution, Regulation and Responsibilities', and promised to 'appraise current developments and consider the current legal and regulatory position for their use before taking time to reflect and assess the future impact on society'...[Read More]

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Events using this Glossary Item

 

Genetic Testing in the 21st Century: Should We Screen the Human Embryonic Genome before Implantation?
08 March 2011 1.15pm-1.55pm Darwin Lecture Theatre, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
A presentation by Dr Joyce Harper to mark International Women's Day...[Read More]
Mutants and What to Do About Them
09 February 2011 7.30pm Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL, UK
The 2011 British Humanist Association/South Place Ethical Society Darwin Day Lecture, given by Armand Marie Leroi...[Read More]


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