| Scientists discover new way to reverse genetic defects |
| 20 June 2011 - by Dr Rebecca Hill |
| Scientists have discovered a way to bypass the type of mutation that causes about a third of human genetic diseases. Experiments in yeast have shown how chemical modifications can allow a cell's machinery to ignore mistakes in DNA known as nonsense mutations... [Read More] |
| Has personalised medicine arrived? Genome scan used to identify rare condition |
| 20 June 2011 - by Ruth Pidsley |
| US scientists have reported possibly the first example of using one person's genetic sequence to refine a diagnosis and provide personalised medical treatment. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) helped pinpoint defects in the DNA of 14-year-old fraternal twins Noah and Alexis Beery causing their rare neurological condition, dopamine-responsive dystonia (DRD)... [Read More] |
| Thinking of cheating? Don't blame it on your genes just yet |
| 20 June 2011 - by Dr Kimberley Bryon-Dodd |
| Female cheating may be a byproduct of genetic variants that promote cheating in males, according to a new study on zebra finches. Paired-up male finches who tried cheating with other females had the same genetic variants as female finches who were more prone to cheating.... [Read More] |
| Study finds new genes linked to migraine |
| 20 June 2011 - by Chris Chatterton |
| Scientists have carried out a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) looking into SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) potentially associated with migraine and have discovered three new genes that may be associated with the condition... [Read More] |
| Study highlights variation in human mutation rates |
| 20 June 2011 - by Dr Sarah Spain |
| In the first direct measure of new mutation rates in humans, researchers have found that when parents pass their genes down to their children an average of 60 mutations are introduced into the genetic code during the process... [Read More] |
| Going grey? Forget dyeing, reach for the stem cells |
| 20 June 2011 - by Antony Starza-Allen |
| A protein active in immature pigment-producing skin cells could be responsible for hair colouring, according to US scientists. The findings about melanocyte stem cells (MSCs) may explain why hair turns grey and could provide insight into melanocyte-related diseases, such as melanoma... [Read More] |
| Stem cell trial to treat blindness launched in US |
| 20 June 2011 - by Dr Rebecca Robey |
| Two clinical trials to test whether embryonic stem cells can treat two incurable eye disorders have been launched in the USA. Twenty-four patients will be treated during the trials at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)... [Read More] |
| Mother to donate womb to her daughter |
| 20 June 2011 - by MacKenna Roberts |
| A British woman has agreed to donate her womb to her daughter if selected for an experimental womb transplant surgery to be performed by doctors at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.... [Read More] |
