Brain cells made from skin cells, bypassing stem cell phase

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

Two RNA studies give clues to neurodegeneration

Two independent studies have suggested new targets for treating neurodegenerative diseases...[Read More]

Statins could treat breast cancer gene mutation

Mutations in a single gene could be used to identify breast cancer tumours that can be tackled with cholesterol-lowering statins, a recent study has found. Scientists identified a link between a cholesterol-building mechanism in the body and disorganised cell growth indicative of cancer...[Read More]

£5.8m boost for mitochondrial disease research

An experimental genetic technique to prevent serious diseases from passing between mother and child is to receive £5.8 million funding. The Wellcome Trust is contributing £4.4 million to the new Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University...[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]

Mouse sperm grown in lab

Researchers have successfully extracted germ cells - the cells that give rise to gametes - from the testes of mice, and used them to grow sperm in the lab...[Read More]

Gene therapy breakthrough for blood-clotting disease

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]

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]

Brain cells from embryos: two successful mouse implant studies

Two separate studies have successfully transplanted neurons into the brains of mice. The transplanted neurons are able to send and receive electrical impulses, and can be used to compensate for faulty brain cells, restoring normal function. Both studies sourced the transplanted neurons from embryos – mouse embryos in one case, human embryonic stem cells were used in the other...[Read More]

UK cancer charity launches project to develop personalised medicines

An initiative has been launched to collect genetic data from NHS cancer patients in the hope of developing new, personalised treatments....[Read More]

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

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]

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]

Gene knock-out creates diabetes-free, mighty mice

Mice that don't produce a certain protein in their fat cells do not develop type 2 diabetes despite an increase in weight, scientists report. In a separate study, the same research group also managed to double the physical performance of mice by removing the same protein from their muscle cells...[Read More]

Dead end for the 'longevity gene'?

A gene associated with increased lifespan in a number of organisms is now thought to have no effect on longevity after a second look revealed significant flaws in the original studies on which the assumptions were based. The findings will disappoint the manufacturers of many anti-ageing creams that claim to work by activating the gene, but are unlikely to put a stop to research...[Read More]

Chronic pain gene discovery may improve treatment

A single gene may play a major role in how we perceive pain, UK scientists have discovered. Research published in the journal Science, by a team from the University of Cambridge, shows that the HCN2 gene may be a vital target for future pharmacological research into pain relief...[Read More]

Nerve cells generated from Parkinson's patient

UK scientists have, for the first time, generated live nerve cells from a patient with a rapidly progressing form of Parkinson's disease...[Read More]

Genetic link found to resistance to the flu

Scientists have suggested there may be a genetic basis behind the way our body reacts to the flu virus, making some of us more vulnerable than others. A study published in PLoS Genetics has tracked the body's response to the H3N2/Wisconsin strain of the flu virus at the genetic level. The researchers injected the virus into 17 volunteers and analysed expression patterns from the time of injection to the onset of full-blown clinical symptoms...[Read More]

Common cancer gene may change chromosome numbers

Two US studies published this week have shed light on how a gene mutation can change the number of chromosomes present in the cells of more than 90 percent of cancers...[Read More]

Caffeinated suncream gives protection a boost

A new study has found that caffeine could help to block cancer formation in UV-sensitive mice by increasing the likelihood of damaged cells dying after sun exposure. The findings suggest caffeine could help protect against skin cancer by promoting the death of cells with damaged DNA....[Read More]

Artificial sperm made from stem cells

Scientists in Japan have successfully generated viable sperm cells from embryonic stem cells in mice. The sperm cells were able to fertilise eggs and for the first time this produced healthy, fertile offspring...[Read More]