An SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) is a single chemical unit (base pair) variation in a stretch of DNA, present in more than 1% of the population. A common SNP is estimated to occur 1 in every 1000 base pairs between any two people.
A large-scale American study has pinpointed a number of new regions within the genome associated with the development of lung cancer: the world's biggest cancer killer. Researchers hope their findings will lead to new and improved treatments. The $1million multi-centre study, published online in Nature, screened the...
The International HapMap Consortium, a public-private effort to identify and catalogue genetic similarities and differences in humans, this month unveiled its second-generation version of the human genome; a map three times more detailed than the original version released in 2005. The new map will help scientists to...
The largest genome-wide study of the genetic origins of Alzheimer's disease is set to begin, thanks to a £1.3 million grant from the UK's largest charity, the Wellcome Trust. The researchers in the study will look at DNA samples from 6,000 sufferers of late-onset Alzheimer's disease...
A UK study, announced this week, aims to identify 20 genes involved in osteoarthritis (OA): the most common form of arthritis. Researchers are hopeful that their work will lead to a cheap diagnostic test and new targets for treatment for the disorder that currently has no cure...
The scientist who lead the private effort to sequence the human genome has revealed his own complete genetic make-up. The unveiling of J. Craig Venter's genome in the open access journal PloS Biology marks the first time that the complete DNA sequence of an individual has...
Icelandic and Swedish scientists have discovered two common single letter variations (SNPs) in the sequence of the human genome that appear to account for 99 per cent of cases of exfoliative glaucoma (XFG). The scientists from deCODE genetics and colleagues from the National University Hospital in Rekjavik...
After more than three decades of dead-ends and dismay for researchers and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) sufferers alike, two new genes have finally been identified that are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of MS: the most common neurological disease affecting young adults. Back in 1972, the...
A new gene variant has been found that leads to an increased risk of children developing asthma. A team at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London performed a 'genome-wide association' study, analysing 317,000 genetic variations (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) in 994 patients with childhood...
A team of UK scientists has published details of genetic variations associated with an increased risk of seven common illnesses. The Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) has confirmed several previously reported genetic influences on disease, as well as identifying ten new variants. The research, reported...
An international team of researchers has identified five new genetic variations that affect a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. Four of the variants are linked to genes that could play a role in the disease process, say the scientists, who published their findings in the...
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