Related topics: genes
Genetic testing
hideGenetic testing allows the genetic diagnosis of vulnerabilities to inherit diseases, and can also be used to determine a person's ancestry. Normally, every person carries two copies of every gene, one inherited from their mother, one inherited from their father. The human genome is believed to contain around 20,000 - 25,000 genes. In addition to studying chromosomes to the level of individual genes, genetic testing in a broader sense includes biochemical tests for the possible presence of genetic diseases, or mutant forms of genes associated with increased risk of developing genetic disorders. Genetic testing identifies changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. Most of the time, testing is used to find changes that are associated with inherited disorders. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person's chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder. Several hundred genetic tests are currently in use, and more are being developed.
Since genetic testing may open up ethical or psychological problems, genetic testing is often accompanied by genetic counseling.
For more information about Genetic testing, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with genetic testing
Well-traveled wasps provide hope for vanishing species
Nov 09, 2009 |
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They may only be 1.5mm in size, but the tiny wasps that pollinate fig trees can travel over 160km in less than 48 hours, according to research from scientists at the University of Leeds. The fig wasps are transporting ...
Consumers call for more government oversight of commercial genetic tests
Jul 07, 2008 |
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With its promises of improved diagnostic and treatment outcomes for arthritis, breast cancer, and other conditions, genetic testing is on a trajectory to becoming a mainstay of the healthcare system. But the field is poorly ...
Researchers evaluate cost-effectiveness of genetic screening to guide initial HIV treatment
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Sep 17, 2008 |
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A major study from a team of researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and Massachusetts General Hospital has found that a recent change to HIV-treatment guidelines recommending genetic screening is cost-effective under ...
Researcher Uses DNA Testing to Unlock Secrets of Medieval Manuscripts
Jan 12, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Thousands of painstakingly handwritten books produced in medieval Europe still exist today, but scholars have long struggled with questions about when and where the majority of these works originated. Now ...
DNA self-tests: More hype than help?
Mar 20, 2009 |
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With a little spit and a few keyboard strokes, you can unlock the secrets of your DNA. At least, it seems that simple at an array of Internet sites that are pitching genetic tests directly to consumers.
Breeding their horns off -- a winner
Aug 19, 2009 |
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A team of scientists led by CSIRO's Dr Kishore Prayaga has been awarded a prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Prize for its work to develop a simple genetic test which has the potential to end the need to ...
Germany bans secret paternity tests
May 15, 2009 |
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The German parliament passed a law Friday outlawing secret genetic testing to determine the father of a child along with other privacy protection measures.
Cancer patients want genetic testing to predict metastasis risk
Jun 01, 2009 |
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If you had cancer and a genetic test could predict the risk of the tumor spreading aggressively, would you want to know - even if no treatments existed to help you?
Fear of insurance rejection deters potentially life saving genetic tests for bowel cancer
Sep 06, 2009 |
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An Australian study of families with genetic risk of bowel cancer has found that 50 percent of participants declined genetic testing when informed of insurance implications.
Scientists protest plan to loosen patent protection on genetic research
Oct 11, 2009 |
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University of Wisconsin-Madison officials are lashing out at new recommendations from an influential federal panel that could dramatically weaken patent protection for the university's genetic research.
Genetic tests for UK asylum seekers draw criticism
Nov 05, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Britain is using genetic tests on some African asylum seekers in an effort to catch those who are lying about their nationality, drawing criticism from scientists and provoking outrage from rights ...
New approach to genetic testing could halve deaths from inherited bowel cancer
Oct 14, 2008 |
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Changing the approach to genetic screening for cancers in Australia could effectively halve deaths caused by an inherited form of bowel cancer, says a University of Melbourne expert.
Consumers desire more genetic testing, but not designer babies
Jan 26, 2009 |
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A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center found a high desire for additional genetic testing among consumers for life altering and threatening medical conditions including mental retardation, blindness, deafness, ...
Possible benefit from online genetic testing for lung cancer
Jun 30, 2009 |
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As scientists continue to decode the human genome and the information becomes publicly available, private companies that offer online genetic testing are multiplying. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health were concerned ...
82 healthy sea turtles hatch at San Diego SeaWorld
Nov 03, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The population of endangered green sea turtles at SeaWorld in San Diego grew by 82 in October when the eggs hatched on Shipwreck Beach without human help.
