Cisplatin, a cancer chemotherapy drug first approved by the FDA in 1978, revolutionized the treatment of many types of cancer.  Despite its effectiveness, in many cases doctors are forced to reduce the drug’s dose, or abandon it altogether, due to serious side effects on patients’ hearing.
Between 10-25% of adults and up to 60% of children [...]

Tags: chemotherapy, children, cisplatin, COMT, hearing loss, TPMT

“But we always go there!”
And so begins another Friday night.  When it comes to choosing where to go to dinner, my husband likes to stick with the tried and true. I like trying out new places.
A new study suggests that the roots of this conflict could spring partly from our genes. It suggests that a [...]

Tags: basal ganglia, COMT, DARPP-32, dopamine, drd2, exploration, learning, Nature Neuroscience, Parkinson's Disease, prefrontal cortex

SNPwatch gives you the latest news about research linking various traits and conditions to individual genetic variations. These studies are exciting because they offer a glimpse into how genetics may affect our bodies and health; but in most cases, more work is needed before this research can provide information of value to individuals. For that [...]

Tags: COMT, coronary bypass, heart, kidney, shock