Epigenetics in psychiatric disorders: A guide for beginners

Mental health is a huge global concern, with one in four people experiencing some form of mental health problem at some point in their lives. Psychiatric disorders are sometimes difficult to study, as they are diagnosed on the basis of observed behaviours...[Read More]

Bushmen neighbours are genetically continents apart

Comparing the genomes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and !Gubi, a Khoisan elder from the Kalahari, reveals that, although they are geographical neighbours, their genomes are as different from each other as they are from European or Asian individuals. These findings, published in the journal Nature, reflect the extent of human genetic diversity on the African continent....[Read More]

Genetic variant may influence biological ageing

Scientists have identified a genetic variant that may influence the rate at which a person will age. The finding, published in last week's edition of the journal Nature Genetics, could help identify which individuals are most susceptible to common age-related conditions, such as heart disease and Alzheimer's disease....[Read More]

What happens when surrogacy goes wrong: The recent Indiana surrogacy case in wider context

A northern Indiana couple are the latest in a series of people to become embroiled in a legal battle in the US following the birth of a child conceived through surrogacy. They follow in the footsteps of a recent series of high profile and hard fought US legal parentage battles involving surrogate-born babies. As demand for surrogacy grows worldwide and its practice remains largely unregulated, surrogacy continues to raise difficult legal, ethical and emotional questions which a...[Read More]

Book Review: The Usborne Introduction to Genes and DNA

The media is filled with coverage of genes and genetics, ranging from new clinical developments to genetic advancements. But few biology textbooks/booklets offer a way of simplifying the topic to pupils. This is one of the advantages of this introductory book...[Read More]

New technique creates genetic disease models in human stem cells

Scientists at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), US, have developed a technique to transfer modified genes known to cause disease in humans into human embryonic stem (ES) cell cell lines. The modified ES cells behave like diseased cells and can be used to study human genetic diseases in the laboratory. The new technique provides an alternative approach to mouse 'knock out' models of disease....[Read More]

Book Review: The Rough Guide to Genes and Cloning

This book does what it says on the tin: it is filled to the brim with information on genes and cloning. The authors have managed to treat the basics of the subject without dumbing it down, venturing into specialist areas such as laboratory techniques for cloning and behavioural genetics and explaining the associated jargon along the way, and exploring links with philosophy, culture and psychology...[Read More]

IVF children may have altered gene activity, study finds

Differences in the pattern of gene activity between children conceived naturally and those conceived following IVF (in vitro fertilisation) have been identified, the Sunday Times newspaper resported last week...[Read More]

So are we making progress?

The contemporary media is increasingly flooded with stories where the cause, explanation or hope involves genetics. With all the reporting of genetic findings and its 'potential' to improve clinical care - has genetics really led to a marked improvement in our healthcare? And should genetic determinism be the focus of scientific research?...[Read More]

Tumour genes mapped in major milestone for cancer treatment

Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have sequenced the genomes of two cancers - malignant melanoma skin cancer and an aggressive form of lung cancer. Their findings were published in Nature last week and could transform cancer treatments....[Read More]

First synthetic biology code of conduct launched

There is a risk that advances in synthetic biology and low-cost DNA sequencing and synthesis could lead to the misuse of genetic technologies for bioterrorism purposes, where sequences of DNA could be ordered from a commercial gene synthesis provider and genetically engineered into a biological warfare agent....[Read More]

A link between male infertility and epigenetic disorders in ART babies?

The aim of assisted reproductive technology (ART) is to achieve a single most important goal, the birth of a healthy child. ART is responsible for the birth of over 200,000 children each year worldwide. In the most common form of infertility treatment - IVF (in vitro fertilisation) - the woman's eggs are collected and then combined with the man's sperm in a petri dish. The successfully fertilised eggs are then transferred into the woman's womb. In ...[Read More]

Rare gene mutation blamed for some childhood obesity

A rare gene mutation may explain the weight of some severely overweight young children, a study has found. The new findings have already affected when social workers judge children to be deliberately overfed or neglected...[Read More]

The new epigenetics

All cells in the body have the same complement of 25000 genes, yet different cells in different specific tissues - such as nerve, muscle or gut - have different characteristics (phenotype). It follows that different subpopulations of genes within cells of differing function must be active or silenced depending on requirements for function in a particular tissue. Obviously, there will be genes concerned with metabolism, growth, and cell division - the so-called...[Read More]

'Selfish' tumor cells point to link between older fathers and genetic diseases

Researchers from the University of Oxford and Copenhagen University Hospital have discovered a surprising link between the development of rare but benign testicular tumors and the genetic transmission of certain genetic diseases, such as achondroplasia (commonly known as dwarfism), Apert, Noonan and Costello syndromes, as well as some conditions causing stillbirth. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Danish Cancer Society, and published in the journal Nature Genetics, could help e...[Read More]

New DNA sequencing technology used to correctly diagnose genetic disease

A team of researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has become the first to successfully diagnose a patient through the use of a high-throughput DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) sequencing technology....[Read More]

Epigenetic link to autism

US scientists have identified a genetic trait that is strongly associated with autism. The genetic change does not involve a mutation within the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) sequence of a gene but instead involves an alteration in the physical structure of the DNA which affects the way a gene is turned on and off. The researchers hope that the new findings will lead to novel ways to diagnose and treat autism....[Read More]

Revealed at last: the epigenome

The first detailed map of the human epigenome has been published. The epigenome, sometimes described as the 'instruction manual' to the human genome, is a regulatory network of chemical switches that governs the activation of human genes, and is therefore ultimately responsible for how a person grows and develops. Scientists believe that this exciting work could lead to new treatments for a range of illnesses including mental conditions such as schizophrenia, and l...[Read More]

New light cast on genetic influences on autism

A large genetic study has uncovered a single 'letter' change in DNA which is associated with autism. The multi-national collaborative team, who published their findings in Nature, also identified two further regions of the genome which could contain other rarer genetic changes that have an even greater influence on the condition. Coinciding with these discoveries and publishing their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team led by Pro...[Read More]

Call to improve accuracy of predictive genetic tests

Companies offering 'direct-to-consumer' genetic tests to predict the risk of common conditions such as heart attack and rheumatoid arthritis should provide more information to consumers about the limitations of their services, say US scientists. Their recommendations follow the finding that several tests from two such companies gave different results for the same five individuals. Genome pioneer Craig Venter and colleagues also call for more research into the predictive power of genetic marke...[Read More]