Articles about 'DNA'

In 1994, a landmark paper identified a gene – BRCA1 – that significantly increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancers when faulty. Thirty years on, we look at the major impact it has had on how we understand and treat cancer – and why there is still much to learn.

Scientists have discovered genetic clues to the cause of restless leg syndrome, a condition common among older adults. The discovery could help identify those individuals at greatest risk of the condition and point to potential ways to treat it.

An enzyme inspired by brain cancer DNA that has the potential to slash greenhouse gas emissions from the production of nylon won the 2024 Cambridge Climate Challenge.

The largest ever study of the genetics of the brain – encompassing some 36,000 brain scans – has identified more than 4,000 genetic variants linked to brain structure. The results of the study, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, are published in Nature Genetics.

Cambridge researchers are helping launch a nationwide study for children and young people to unlock the power of our DNA.

A citizens’ jury of individuals whose lives have been affected by hereditary disease has voted in favour of asking the UK government to consider changing the law to allow genome editing of human embryos to treat serious genetic conditions.

Many life-saving drugs directly interact with DNA to treat diseases such as cancer, but scientists have struggled to detect how and why they work – until now.

A new test that ‘fishes’ for multiple respiratory viruses at once using single strands of DNA as ‘bait’, and gives highly accurate results in under an hour, has been developed by Cambridge researchers.

A major study of children with intellectual disabilities has highlighted the additional challenges that they often face, including a much-increased likelihood of being diagnosed as autistic, as well as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other mental health difficulties.

Around one in 500 men could be carrying an extra X or Y chromosome – most of them unaware – putting them at increased risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and thrombosis, say researchers at the universities of Cambridge and Exeter.