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.
US and Canadian researchers have identified a common genetic variation that can increase the risk of heart disease by up to 40 per cent. The study, published early online in the journal Science, suggests that two genes involved in controlling cell growth, aging and death could...
A series of newly released studies have made major inroads into the understanding of the genetic basis of type 2 adult onset diabetes. Four teams of researchers, from a mixture of academic and private institutions in the UK, America and Iceland, have uncovered seven genes thought to...
Three teams of scientists have uncovered a number of genetic variants, which can powerfully predict a carrier's risk of developing prostate cancer. One team based jointly at the University Of California and Harvard Medical School, one from the US National Institutes of Health and an Icelandic company...
US scientists hunting for possible causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have identified 34 possible genetic variations that may contribute to the disease. A team based at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore pinpointed the regions after studying DNA from 276 patients and 271...
A new study offers 'proof of principle' for a non-invasive pregnancy test that can detect conditions such as Down syndrome using samples of the mother's blood. The findings, published online in the Lancet journal, show that the technique correctly diagnosed 58 out of 60 samples, with...
Pharmacogenetics is not new. One of our authors famously can drink a bottle of wine with little effect. The other falls asleep after just one glass. Indeed, the speed at which alcohol is broken down in the body is partly genetically determined. This principle applies to most, if not all...
By Dr Laura Bell: Research published in the journal Nature Genetics last week showed that variation between different ethnic groups, such as susceptibility to certain diseases, may be explained by variable gene expression. Samples collected for the International HapMap Project were used in the study. The HapMap was published last...
New research from 13 different research centres in Britain and the US has revealed an unsuspected amount of variation between each individual's DNA. The research, published simultaneously in the journals Nature, Nature Genetics and Genome Research gives a much more comprehensive picture of human genetic variation...
Researchers in Belgium have linked fault in a specific gene to age-related hearing loss. Changes in a gene called KCNQ4 are responsible for some hearing loss in the elderly, according to the researchers. Hearing loss has often been thought of as an age-related process - linked to exposure to noise over...
Consumers' ability to obtain laboratory test services directly and without a medical order is increasing. Is this a good thing? Direct to consumer, otherwise known as direct access, clinical testing has been permitted for many years in some, but not in all states within the US. This disparity suggests that...
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