Genetics News And Research - July 2009 Archives

Researchers help push for standard DNA barcodes for plants (7/31/2009)

Two University of British Columbia researchers are part of an international team recommending standards for the DNA barcoding of land plants, a step they hope will lead to a universal system for identifying over 400,000 species, and ultimately boost conservation efforts. ...> Full Article

The 15-Minute Genome 2009 Industrial Physics Forum features faster, cheaper genome sequencing (7/30/2009)

In the race for faster, cheaper ways to read human genomes, Pacific Biosciences is hoping to set a new benchmark with technology that watches DNA being copied in real time. The device is being developed to sequence DNA at speeds 20,000 times faster than second-generation sequencers currently on the market and will ultimately have a price tag of $100 per genome. ...> Full Article

Researchers rapidly turn bacteria into biotech factories (7/29/2009)

Using a novel cell programming method that retools evolution to generate genetic diversity at an unprecedented rate, a research team turned self-serving bacteria into efficient factories for making a variety of compounds, accomplishing in just three days a feat that would take biotech companies many months -- or years. The transformed bacteria produced five times more lycopene (an anticancer antioxidant) than the original bacteria. ...> Full Article

Scientists track impact of DNA damage in the developing brain (7/28/2009)

Switching off a key DNA repair system in the developing nervous system is linked to smaller brain size as well as problems in brain structures vital to movement, memory and emotion, according to new research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists. ...> Full Article

Genetically engineered bacteria compute the route (7/27/2009)

US researchers have created "bacterial computers" with the potential to solve complicated mathematics problems. The findings of the research, published in BioMed Central's open-access Journal of Biological Engineering, demonstrate that computing in living cells is feasible, opening the door to a number of applications. The second-generation bacterial computers illustrate the feasibility of extending the approach to other computationally challenging math problems. ...> Full Article

GenWay Biotech obtains CLIA certification (7/26/2009)

GenWay has advanced from developing immunodiagnostic tests to also providing testing services with their own CLIA certified laboratory. GenWay's novel diagnostic assays for cancer biomarkers and sexually transmitted diseases will be some of the first tests offered. ...> Full Article

Nature or nurture? New epigenetic model blurs the line in the debate (7/25/2009)

A report published in the July 2009 issue of the journal Genetics complicates the debate over whether nature or nurture plays the most important role in complex diseases such as psychiatric disorders, heart disease and cancer. A University of California, Berkeley scientist explains how epigenetics (temporary changes in gene function) and gene mutations (permanent, heritable changes) contribute to disease risk within populations, and lays the foundation for public health interventions to reduce environmental epigenetic changes. ...> Full Article

Genetic tests advertised directly to the consumer (7/24/2009)

Genetic testing services have recently begun to be advertised directly to the patient, and the results of the consumers' response can affect public health, as well as the future adoption of pharmacogenetic/genomic testing, according to a position paper from the American College of Clinical Pharmacology to be published in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. The journal is published on behalf of the ACCP by SAGE. ...> Full Article

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis may pose neurological risks (7/23/2009)

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has helped many couples conceive healthy children and is generally considered a safe practice. However, a new long-term analysis of PGD in mice suggests that this procedure may increase risks of weight gain and memory decline in adulthood. ...> Full Article

Researchers develop process for 'surgical' genetic changes (7/22/2009)

Research led by scientists at Iowa State University's Plant Sciences Institute has resulted in a process that will make genetic changes in plant genes much more efficient, practical and safe. ...> Full Article

Sea lamprey jettison one-fifth of their genome (7/21/2009)

Growing lamprey embryoes discard millions of units of their DNA ...> Full Article

Complete fluke? Genome sequencers crack parasite genome (7/20/2009)

Researchers have today published the complete genome sequence of the Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic worm, which each year causes 280,000 deaths in sub-Saharan Africa alone. Amid fears that the parasite might develop resistance to the drug commonly used to treat the disease schistosomiasis, the international team has identified several potential new drug targets and the genome sequence will be invaluable to scientists searching for new methods to treat and eradicate the disease. ...> Full Article

Secrets of a life-giving amino acid revealed by Yale researchers (7/19/2009)

Selenium is a trace element crucial to life -- too little or too much of it is fatal. In the July 17 issue of the journal Science, researchers at Yale University and University of Illinois at Chicago detail the molecular mechanisms that govern its metabolism in the human body. ...> Full Article

Professor sheds light on DNA mechanisms (7/18/2009)

By manipulating individual atoms in DNA and forming unique molecules, a Georgia State University researcher hopes to open new avenues in research towards better understanding the mechanisms of DNA replication and transcription, and perhaps leading to new treatments for diseases. ...> Full Article

LincRNAs serve as genetic air-traffic controllers (7/15/2009)

Study helps answer the question, 'What does this new class of RNA genes do?' ...> Full Article

Telomeres resemble DNA fragile sites (7/12/2009)

Handle with care: Telomeres resemble DNA fragile sites A protein that sits at the ends of chromosomes, helps prevent DNA replication from stalling at telomeres ...> Full Article

Exploring standards to advance microbial genomics (7/11/2009)

Nikos Kyrpides, head of the DOE Joint Genome Institute's Genome Biology program, presents a perspective on microbial genomics in the journal Nature Biotechnology. ...> Full Article

New national genome center launched (7/7/2009)

A new UK national genome center is being officially opened today, July 3, by Nobel Laureate and genome pioneer Prof Sir John Sulston and the Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk. ...> Full Article

Study rewrites textbook on key genetic phenomenon (7/5/2009)

A new UNC study appearing online July 1 in the journal Nature disputes current scientific belief by showing that X-inactivation can occur even in the absence of a gene previously thought to be the trigger of the process. ...> Full Article

The tiny difference in the genes of bacteria (7/4/2009)

Researchers develop new method for better diagnostic of diarrhea-causing bacteria ...> Full Article

71 projects fill DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 pipeline (7/3/2009)

Seventy-one projects have been approved for the DOE Joint Genome Institute's 2010 Community Sequencing Program portfolio. ...> Full Article

Little-known marine decomposers attract the attention of genome sequencers (7/2/2009)

The US Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute announced today that they will sequence the genomes of four species of labyrinthulomycetes. These little-known marine species were selected for sequencing as the result of a proposal submitted to the competitive JGI Community Sequencing Program by a team of microbiologists led by Dr. Jackie Collier, assistant professor at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University. ...> Full Article

New test can detect both genetic and chromosomal abnormalities in embryos (7/1/2009)

One-step screening for both genetic and chromosomal abnormalities has come a stage closer as scientists announced that an embryo test they have been developing has successfully screened cells taken from spare embryos that were known to have cystic fibrosis ...> Full Article

Female human embryos adjust the balance of X chromosomes before implantation (7/1/2009)

Results have implications for in vitro fertilisation and embryonic stem cell research ...> Full Article