The myth of the genomic revolution

'Building on our inheritance: Genomic technology in healthcare' is the latest in a long line of reports that have sought to assess the potential of genomic medicine and to outline how policy can best support its development....[Read More]

Gene survey: Do you want to know your future diseases?

The idea of whole genome sequencing is becoming ever more popular, but it could mean you end up with more information than you bargained for; from your resistance to certain drugs to your risk of developing a range of diseases. But would you want to know? The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute ethics team has launched a survey to find out what people really do (and don't) want to know about their genomes...[Read More]

Book Review: Ethical Issues of Human Genetic Databases - A Challenge to Classical Health Research Ethics?

DNA databanks - controversial yet exciting endeavours to collect and store individuals' DNA alongside other information - are the subject of Bernice Elger's latest book, which Gill Haddow describes as fundamental reading...[Read More]

Roche attempts $5.7bn takeover of DNA sequencing firm Illumina

Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche has made an unsolicited bid worth $5.7 billion to takeover US DNA sequencing firm Illumina....[Read More]

Report examines genomic medicine on the NHS

Genomic medicine will be at the forefront of the NHS, according to a report released last week by the Human Genomics Strategy Group (HGSG). The report highlights the UK's achievements in genomic technology to date and makes six recommendations to ensure future benefit of genomic innovation within the NHS...[Read More]

Genetic regions linked to timing of menopause

Thirteen genomic regions appear to influence the age at onset of menopause, according to a genetic study. These regions contain genes involved in DNA repair and immune responses, processes not previously linked to menopause...[Read More]

Chromosome analysis increases IVF success

A new method of looking for chromosomal abnormalities in embryos can increase the chance of successful IVF implantation, a recent study in the journal Fertilisation In Vitro has shown....[Read More]

Life-long intelligence isn't just down to your genes

Researchers from Scotland have found around one-quarter of changes in intelligence observed from childhood to old age may be due to our genes. Although the researchers accept the finding is not statistically significant, it is the first to estimate the contribution of genetic variations to cognitive ageing....[Read More]

Lifespan predicted by DNA test - in zebra finches

Analysis of person's DNA when they are still young could provide important clues about how long they will live, if a study on zebra finches is anything to go by. Research shows that the best indicator of the birds' longevity is the length of a section of genetic code at the end of their chromosomes, called the telomere...[Read More]

Desktop machine can sequence a genome in one day for £650

A US biotechnology firm has unveiled an automated desktop DNA sequencer that can decode the sequence of the human genome in one day for as little as $1000 (£650). Given its first public viewing at a consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, Life Technologies Corporation's Ion Proton sequencer uses microchips similar to those found in digital cameras...[Read More]

Personalised care one step closer as Mayo Clinic sequences patients' genomes

Personalised healthcare could be one step closer this year, as doctors from the prestigious US Mayo Clinic embark on a project to sequence the full genetic code of thousands of people...[Read More]

Multiple sclerosis and vitamin D linked by rare genetic variant

A rare genetic variant causing lower levels of vitamin D has been linked to multiple sclerosis (MS), according to scientists...[Read More]

Progress Educational Trust Conference: Introduction to the embryo and its out of body experience

Progress Educational Trust (PET)'s annual conference, 2011, 'The Best Possible Start in Life: The Robust and Responsive Embryo', started with two fantastic sessions chaired by Dr Virginia Bolton, consultant embryologist at the assisted conception unit at Guy's Hospital, London, UK....[Read More]

Innovative gene therapy protects mice from HIV infection

US scientists have induced long-lasting HIV protection in mice from a single injection. Their study, published in the journal Nature, uses gene therapy to stimulate production of antibodies against the virus...[Read More]

First genetic link to bone marrow cancer identified

Two new gene variants, which each increase the risk of bone marrow cancer by 30 percent, have been identified by scientists at the Institute for Cancer Research...[Read More]

Short people 'short' on genes

Short people can blame deleted sections of DNA for their diminutive stature, according to a study looking at variations in the genomes of over 12,000 children...[Read More]

Book Review: What's the Use of Race? Modern Governance and the Biology of Difference

The study of genetic diversity between ethnic groups can help explain the ways in which race influences our biology and susceptibility to disease. But what do we mean by 'race', exactly? These issues are considered in the collection of essays 'What's the use of race? Modern governance and the biology of difference', edited by Dr Ian Whitmarsh and Dr David Jones...[Read More]

UK Supreme Court upholds gene patent

In what appears to be the end of a long running legal saga, a ruling by the UK's Supreme Court has found in favour of a patent for a gene and the protein sequence it encodes. Lawyers say that the ruling will make it easier to patent discoveries which do not have a clear demonstrated application, a result that will largely please the private bioscience industry but may alarm many who believe that human genes should not be patentable....[Read More]

Genetic regions linked to schizophrenia by two Chinese studies

Two Chinese genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified genomic regions linked to the incidence of schizophrenia. The papers, published in Nature, are some of the first GWAS to look at Chinese as opposed to Western populations....[Read More]

Evidence found that Asian populations interbred with ancient ancestors

Present day humans in Southeast Asia have about one percent of DNA originating from Denisovans, an extinct species from the Homo genus...[Read More]