Genes | featured news

Major academic medical centers in New York and around the country are spending and recruiting heavily in what has become an arms race within the war on cancer. The investments are based on the belief that the medical establishment is moving toward the routine sequencing of every patient’s genome in the quest for “precision medicine,” a course for prevention and treatment based on the special, even unique characteristics of the patient’s genes.

In a Supreme Court test of whether a company can be granted a patent on the genes in the human body, a majority of the justices indicated during Monday's oral arguments that the court is likely to rule that a human gene can’t be patented. It would be one thing, several of the justices said during Monday’s oral arguments, for a company to seek a patent on a test for breast cancer that was developed by analyzing a human gene, but it would be going too far to be awarded a patent on the gene itself.

Researchers say a lack of sleep affects the function of genes related to stress and cell renewal, possibly contributing to poor health. Doctors know that being chronically sleep-deprived can be hazardous to your health.

The Supreme Court will soon decide whether companies can patent human genes, a decision that could reshape the future of medical care in the United States.

In a closely watched case with huge repercussions for the biotechnology industry, a federal appeals court has held for the second time that isolated human genes are patent-eligible.

Even though women live longer than men, their brains seem to age faster. The reason? Possibly a more stressful life. As people age, some genes become more active while others become less so. In the brain, these changes can be observed through the transcriptome, a set of RNA molecules that indicate the activity of genes within a population of cells.

A novel method known as whole genome sequencing focuses on the genes that drive a cancer, not the tissues or organ.

Scientists have found a master regulator gene needed for the development of M cells, a mysterious type of intestinal cell involved in initiating immune responses.

Scientists have discovered two gene variants that appear to play a critical role in the development of common childhood obesity, according to a large genetic study released Sunday. The discovery could eventually lead to treatments and specific lifestyle advice for heavy children.

Having a so-called obesity gene doesn't necessarily doom you to being fat, a study finds — if you stay active.