Genetic Testing

A balanced yet probing biography traces Francis Crick's brilliant scientific leaps and human flaws, revealing the mind behind DNA's discovery without fully interrogating his more troubling ideas

Once niche and costly, genomic testing is becoming affordable across India as prices fall 30-40 per cent, with hospitals and diagnostic chains expanding into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities

Move was put in place after Delhi saw a fall in sex ratio at birth for 4th straight year, with officials fearing a return of prenatal gender testing

Industry projections suggest that crowdfunding's growth in healthcare financing could rise to 20-30 per cent

A study that analysed genes of South Indian populations suggests a high inbreeding rate of nearly 60 per cent. The historic practice of inbreeding or endogamy in which one marries within a small community, increases chances of passing down disease-causing gene variants -- changes to one's DNA -- to children, thereby raising the risk of genetic disorders. Lead author Kumarasamy Thangaraj, senior scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, said endogamy is the primary cause for population-specific diseases in India. The study, published in the Journal of Genetics and Genomics, also reported a high prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis, a common form of inflammatory arthritis, in the Reddy population of Andhra Pradesh. The researchers attributed this result to the presence of the 'HLA-B27:04' -- a genetic variant known to increase risk of the condition -- and a "strong founder effect". A founder event is w

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday released the genome sequencing data of 10,000 Indian nationals and said it will be a milestone in the field of biotechnology research. The Genome India Data, that represents the genetic diversity in the country, will be available to researchers at the Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) through managed access. "I am confident this will be a milestone in the field of biotechnology research," Modi said in a video-recorded statement played out at the Genomics Data Conclave organised by the Department of Biotechnology here. Modi said more than 20 renowned research institutions like IITs, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and Biotechnology Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC) have played an important role in this research. The prime minister said this national database encapsulated the extraordinary genetic landscape of the country and promised to serve as an invaluable scientific resource. "It will facilitate advancements

Genetic defects underlie about a fourth of Chinese children affected by cerebral palsy, and not a lack of oxygen at birth as previously thought, new research has found. Cerebral palsy is a disorder affecting one's ability to move. It is the most common motor disability in children, with symptoms emerging in infancy and early childhood. The disability is sometimes also associated with autism and intellectual deficiencies. Birth asphyxia, or receiving insufficient oxygen at the time of being born, can cause physical harm, especially to the brain, and is considered one of the main causes of cerebral palsy. The world's largest study of cerebral palsy genetics, involving more than 1,500 affected Chinese children, found that mutations were significantly higher in a fourth of these children receiving insufficient oxygen at birth. Researchers said this indicated that birth asphyxia could be secondary to the underlying genetic defects. The results, published in the journal Nature Medicine

The project to bring affordable personal gene-mapping to India's 1.4 bn people, will potentially create a treasure trove of biological data that can aid drug development and disease prevention

The scientists studied critically endangered North Atlantic right whales

Public engagement should have come before such an an important rule was changed.

Under the terms of the pact, DKSH will gain an exclusive license to register and commercialise the seven generic formulations from various therapeutic areas

Government has received two types of kits from Guangzhou Wondfo and Zhuhai Livzon to see antibodies in Covid patients

Two major consignments of the medical kits were reported to have been sent to India from China earlier as part of the efforts to step up testing especially in hotspots during the ongoing lockdown in t

Previous work that developed the barcoding technique focused on labelling mRNA itself, providing a measurement of how gene expression changed over several hours as the mRNA developed

Geisinger's genetic screening panel is currently available only to patients in its health system

Genetic testing is emerging as the next big segment in medical diagnostics