The genes are composed of DNA and are carried on the chromosomes. Genes direct the production of all the molecules that form the structures that of a cell. Genes determine the inherited characteristics that distinguish one individual from another. Each human has an estimated 90,000 genes.
Combined stem cell-gene therapy approach cures human genetic disease in vitro – A study led by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has catapulted the field of regenerative medicine significantly forward, proving in principle that a human genetic disease can be cured using a combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology.
Penn researchers discover genetic risk factor for testicular cancer. Gene is associated with a three-fold increase in risk. – Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have uncovered variation around two genes that are associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer.
Study finds unexpected bacterial diversity on human skin – Genomic research lays groundwork for new approaches for treating, preventing skin diseases. – The health of our skin – one of the body’s first lines of defense against illness and injury – depends upon the delicate balance between our own cells and the millions of bacteria and other one-celled microbes that live on its surface.
Scientists discover stem cell clue to lung cancer development – Cancer Research UK scientists have revealed that stem cells become ‘activated’ in severely damaged lungs and help to repair them, according to a study published in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences.
Identification of genetic variants affecting age at menopause could help improve fertility treatment – For the first time, scientists have been able to identify genetic factors that influence the age at which natural menopause occurs in women. Ms Lisette Stolk, a researcher from Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics that a greater understanding of the factors influencing age at menopause might eventually help to improve the clinical treatment of infertile women.
The pigmented cells in zebrafish help scientists tease out how oncogenes that are know to contribute to cancer, influence the formation and regulation of the aggressive human skin cancer, melanoma – In a new study published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, scientists use the zebrafish to gain insight into the influence of known cancer genes on the development and progression of melanoma, an aggressive form of human skin cancer with limited treatment options.
Scientists discover genetic defects linked with rare bearded lady — Congenital generalized hypertrichosis – New research provides exciting genetic insight into a rare syndrome that first appeared in the medical literature in the mid 1800s with the case of Julia Pastrana, the world’s most notorious bearded lady.
‘Happy hour’ gene discovery suggests cancer drugs might treat alcoholism – A class of drugs already approved as cancer treatments might also help to beat alcohol addiction. That’s the conclusion of a discovery in flies of a gene, dubbed happyhour, that has an important and previously unknown role in controlling the insects’ response to alcohol.
Patients with Down syndrome have a reduced risk for cancer focused on endostatin, an anti-angiogenic compound made by the body. – Most cancers are rare in people with Down syndrome, whose overall cancer mortality is below 10 percent of that in the general population.
Saffron has remarkable effects on the genes which regulate the performance of the eye?s key vision cells. – The herb saffron may hold one of the keys to preventing the loss of sight in old age ? and may even help to improve vision in people suffering certain blinding eye diseases.
Turmeric Extract Suppresses Fat Tissue Growth in Rodent Models – Curcumin, the major polyphenol found in turmeric, appears to reduce weight gain in mice and suppress the growth of fat tissue in mice and cell models.
Genetic variations contribute to depression in heart disease patients. – Individuals with heart disease are twice as likely to suffer from depression as the general population, an association the medical community has largely been unable to explain. Now, a new study by researchers at The Miriam Hospital, in conjunction with The Montr?al Heart Institute, University of Montr?al and McGill University, reveals there may be genetic variations that contribute to depression in heart disease patients.
