Treating disease

New gene therapy corrects mutation in patient's stem cells

For the first time, scientists have cleanly corrected a human gene mutation in a patient's stem cells. The result brings the possibility of patient-specific therapies closer tobecoming a reality. 13/10/11

Severe reaction to epilepsy drug linked to genetic variant

Researchers have discovered a genetic variant that significantly increases the risk of carriers being allergic to a common medication for epilepsy. 24/03/11

Largest genetic study of asthma points towards better treatments

A large international study has identified several genetic variants that increase susceptibility to asthma in the population. Scientists hope the findings will help to focus efforts for development of better therapies for the illness. 27/09/10

Gene therapy for inherited blindness improves sight

Wellcome Trust researchers at the UCL Institute of Opthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital have taken part in the world's first clinical trial to test a revolutionary gene therapy for a type of inherited blindness. 28/04/07

Primary Care Genetics Society launched

A new society devoted to the implications of genetics for primary care practice has been launched in the UK. 12/03/07

Rewiring the brain: Reducing tremors of Parkinson's disease

The introduction of a gene that shuts down nerve firing reduces the tremors of people with Parkinson’s disease. 13/08/06

Familial breast cancer BRCA gene trial

A new international phase II clinical trial is to look at the effect of a novel form of drug treatment for metastatic hereditary breast cancer. 02/05/06

'Pharmaco-metabonomics': predicting how individuals may respond to drugs

Scientists from Imperial College London and Pfizer have developed a new method that could predict individual patient responses to drug treatments. 19/04/06

Genetic variation alters response to warfarin

Variation in a blood clotting gene may help predict the correct dose of the anticoagulant drug warfarin. 02/06/05

Gene variations affect responses to antiepileptic drugs

Determining which variants of particular genes patients with epilepsy carry might enable doctors to better predict the dose of drugs necessary to control their seizures, a new study suggests. 28/03/05

How tumour cells acquire resistance to drugs

Lung tumours are found to become resistant to two drugs when they acquire a new genetic mutation. 07/03/05

Genetic tumour profiling

Predicting therapeutic response in breast cancer patients. 13/08/03

Second case of gene-therapy-related cancer

A second child who received gene therapy to treat X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency develops a leukaemia-like illness. 28/01/03