New Alzheimers Gene Discovery Sparks Hope For Treatments
The studies, published yesterday in the journal Nature Genetics, may one day help speed creation of therapies for a malady that progressively destroys brain cells and affects 30 million people worldwide, the investigators said during a Sept. 4 news conference. Doctors already know that as much as 80 percent of a persons chance of having Alzheimers is inherited.
When working normally, the DNA create proteins that may either calm inflammation or help escort out excess amyloid, a chemical that forms plaque in the brains of disease victims, [...]
Hepatitis C Treatment Gap May Be Solved By Genetic Finding
Americans of European descent are more likely to have a genetic variant that reacts positively to current treatments than African-Americans, according to a study released today by the journal Nature and funded by Schering-Plough Corp.
Understanding which patients benefit from specific drugs may alter how doctors treat the disease and advance the development of new medicines, said David Goldstein, a professor at Duke University and senior author on the study. About 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus, which attacks the liver and [...]
Several Can Cope With News Of Higher Alzheimers Risk
The findings arent enough evidence for doctors to urge more people to get genetic testing, said lead author, Dr. Robert Green. But they challenge assumptions that people will be devastated by a positive test result and misread it as certain proof theyre doomed to Alzheimers.
“Our participants were able to understand the risk and manage it,” said Green, a researcher at the Boston University School of Medicine.
For many who learned they were not at increased risk, testing wound up being a great relief.
The study is being published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Alzheimers is the most common cause of [...]
Gene Variants Linked to Higher Schizophrenia Risk
In a first-of-its-kind look at the genetic elements of schizophrenia, a massive international effort focused on seven spots of genetic variation. Dozens of scientists then published three papers from the effort on Thursday in the journal Nature. Those genetic blips account for at most one-third of genetically caused schizophrenia.
Based on studies of identical twins, scientists figure that about half of schizophrenia is inherited with the rest having other causes.
What the studies show more than anything is that schizophrenia doesnt have a single genetic cause. It is more like a massive jigsaw puzzle and researchers just found a few end pieces, [...]
Gene Test Helps Set Accurate Blood Thinner Dose
About 4 million Americans take warfarin, also known as Coumadin, the top-used blood thinner worldwide. It could be used even more, but doctors have worried about the all-too-common risks to patients if they get the dose wrong. Too little means a risk of stroke and too much can mean fatal bleeding.
The new study is one of the first to show genetic testing can be used to prevent dosing problems, experts said.
A new experiment will soon test the gene studys results in a more rigorous way. Most patients will likely have to wait at least a few years before genetic testing [...]
Gene Test Helps Set Accurate Blood Thinner Dose
About 4 million Americans take warfarin, also known as Coumadin, the top-used blood thinner worldwide. It could be used even more, but doctors have worried about the all-too-common risks to patients if they get the dose wrong. Too little means a risk of stroke and too much can mean fatal bleeding.
The new study is one of the first to show genetic testing can be used to prevent dosing problems, experts said.
A new experiment will soon test the gene studys results in a more rigorous way. Most patients will likely have to wait at least a few years before genetic testing [...]