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]

New genetic screening test for rare diseases to be launched in US

A new genetic test screening for almost 450 rare childhood genetic diseases could be available in the US this year, reports the Beyond Batten Disease Foundation (BBDF)....[Read More]

Study finds new genes linked to anorexia

Several genetic markers associated with the psychiatric disorder anorexia nervosa (AN) have been identified. American researchers carried out the first, large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) for AN...[Read More]

Gene deletion creates lesbian mice

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

Dachshunds used by scientists to find genetic mutation in blindness

Scientists have used dogs with a particular form of genetic blindness to discover a clue as to how the disease works. The Norwegian and US researchers reported their findings in the journal Genome Research last week. Cone-rod dystrophies (CRDs) are relatively rare forms of blindness in humans...[Read More]

New human genome maps identify large regions of genetic variability

A new study, published in the journal Nature, has mapped the genome of eight individuals and revealed large regions of genetic variability. An international collaboration led by Evan Eichler at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute compared the genome of four African, two Asian, and two European individual...[Read More]

New findings may transform hunt for schizophrenia genes

Two independent studies published in the journal Science this week suggest that many rare gene mutations may be responsible for causing schizophrenia, challenging the widely held theory that combinations of several relatively common mutations are to blame. The researchers found that very rare genetic disruptions, often unique...[Read More]

Chromosome abnormality linked to autism

Researchers from the Boston-based Autism Consortium have discovered a rare chromosomal abnormality reported to be 100 times more common in children with autism. The study, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that in approximately 1 per cent of autism cases a small...[Read More]

Treatment hope for childhood muscle wasting disorder

The first trial of a new treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) will start later this year in the UK. The treatment, which has been developed by using human cells and mice experiments, hopes to overcome the effects of the genetic defect that causes the muscle wasting...[Read More]

Genes influence emotional memory

Neuroscientists in Switzerland have identified a gene that influences the recall of emotionally charged memories. Dominique de Quervain, and colleagues, at the University of Zurich published a study in Nature Neuroscience last week reporting that subjects with the gene variant ADRA2B performed better on recall tests for...[Read More]

Diabetes linked to male infertility

Researchers have found that diabetes may affect sperm quality, after a study comparing the DNA in sperm from diabetic and non-diabetic men found more DNA damage in the sperm cells of the diabetic men. The study, conducted by the research group at Queen's University Belfast, with findings...[Read More]

Missing genes linked to autism

Many cases of autism could be linked to spontaneous genetic changes that result in large chunks of missing DNA, according to a new US study. The research, published early online in Science, shows that so-called 'copy number variants' could be an important factor in the appearance...[Read More]

Gene clue to Down syndrome dementia

US scientists have discovered that a key gene could trigger the mental impairment and early onset Alzheimer's disease associated with Down syndrome. The findings, reported in two papers published in the journal Neuron, show that the over-production of a gene involved in nerve growth can kill...[Read More]

Study confirms schizophrenia gene link

A new study provides more evidence that a gene which affects levels of a key brain chemical is involved in schizophrenia. A team based at Stanford University in California, US, found that children with a single, 'low-activity' copy of a gene called COMT are at higher risk of developing psychotic...[Read More]

Chimp genome hope for human diseases

Scientists have unveiled a completed version of the entire chimpanzee genome, after publishing a rough draft in December 2003. The international team, which reported its findings in the latest issue of Nature, says that chimps share 96 per cent of their genetic material with humans. And the DNA that makes...[Read More]

Some ICSI sons could inherit fathers' infertility

Genetic studies at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have shown that some boys will be infertile as adults because they have inherited a genetic defect from their fathers through a commonly used method of assisted reproduction known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). It is known that many forms of...[Read More]