Jul
23
2009
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: follicular lymphoma, Hodgkin, SNP
Jul
21
2009
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: atrial fibrillation, SNP, stroke
Jun
29
2009
Much to the surprise of many scientists, a lot of the SNPs identified in genomewide association studies have not been in the parts of genes that encode the molecular machinery of a cell.
Instead, many SNPs have been found on the edges of genes, in regions of DNA that control when the genes get turned on [...]
Tags: cancer, colorectal, gene desert, GWAS, MYC, SNP, Wnt
Jun
18
2009
It’s no secret that obesity rates are rising — quickly. Between 2000 and 2005 the prevalence of obesity rose by 24%. Extreme obesity increased by more than 50%. If current trends continue, more than half of all Americans will be clinically obese by the year 2030.
Rapid changes in the prevalence of a disorder suggest that [...]
Tags: copy number variant, environment, epigenetics, Nature, Nature Genetics, nurture, obesity, sequencing, SNP
Dec
16
2008
In the current issue of Nature Genetics, two teams of researchers identify nine new genetic locations associated with obesity. Almost all of them are within or close to genes that are expressed in the brain, especially the part that regulates appetite.
“This underscores the importance of genes that regulate food intake over those involved in metabolism,” [...]
Tags: Nature Genetics, obesity, SNP
Dec
08
2008
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: cardiovascular, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, SNP, trigylcerides
Aug
31
2008
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: B-cells, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, CLL, Nature Genetics, SNP, SNPwatch
Aug
20
2008
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States — every year it kills nearly 440,000 Americans.
While about 70 percent of the 45 million Americans who currently smoke have said they want to quit, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that only about 10 percent of them will [...]
Tags: cocaine addiction, Laura Bierut, nicotine dependence, Ovide Pomerleau, smoking, SNP
Jul
31
2008
Even as the genetic studies on schizophrenia released this week illustrate our progress toward the ultimate goal of personalized medicine, they also bring to mind the challenges that still lie ahead.
All three studies focus on identifying the genetic bases of schizophrenia, a mental disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions and the decreased ability to plan and [...]
Tags: copy number variant, International Schizophrenic Consortium, schizophrenia, SNP
Jul
27
2008
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: creey-crawly, motor neuron, Nature Genetics, PTPRD, restless legs syndrome, SNP, SNPwatch