The humble platypus packs a venom containing a veritable witche's brew of peptide toxins, some of which might give insights into new drugs. [ + ]

Multiple varients of a given gene can be made with the same genetic instructions, it just depends on how the cell ‘reads’ the DNA. Alternative versions of mRNA transcripts can be achieved mainly by altering the start and end reading of a gene and this seems to be more common than the traditionally expected alternative, splicing.

Gilead is the first company to have entered a licensing agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool in a move aimed towards increasing access in developing countries to drugs that treat HIV and Hepatitis B.

RNA interference technology, which is used in cell biology, has revolutionised functional research of gene products in the last ten years.

In the ten years since the human genetic code was mapped, expectations among scientists, the healthcare industry, policymakers and the public have remained high concerning the promise of genomics research for improving health.

Couples affected by carriers of genetic diseases may benefit from a new technique which helps ensure that in vitro fertilised babies are free of both the disease in question and other chromosomal abnormalities.

Scientists supported by Genome BC have set a new standard for studying outbreaks of infectious disease by combining advanced genomics with a detailed map of the social relationships between cases to investigate a recent outbreak of tuberculosis in a BC community.

The devastation caused by the recent earthquakes in Christchurch has highlighted the need to mitigate risks in laboratory operations as GunnLab explains.

A bacterial species in the Australian Tammar wallaby gut is responsible for keeping the animal’s methane emissions relatively low.

Whole-genome analysis has been employed by Australian and overseas researchers to develop a new approach to saving the endangered Tasmanian devil. [ + ]

Self-conscious about your age? Be careful where you spit. UCLA geneticists now can use saliva to reveal how old you are.

A new microspectrometer may address the challenges of integrated lab-on-chip sensing systems.

A gene expression technique adapted for single molecule sequencing has enabled researchers at the Riken Omics Science Center (OSC) to accurately and quantitatively measure gene expression levels using only 100 ng of total RNA. The technique, which pairs Riken’s Cap Analysis of Gene Expression (CAGE) protocol with the Helicos Genetic Analysis System opens the door to the detailed analysis of gene expression networks and rare cell populations.

Norway is cooperating with Canada and Chile to sequence the salmon genome. The knowledge generated could provide the answers to several problematic issues involving Norwegian farmed salmon - and lead to major competitive advantages for companies taking part in the project.

Revealing the role of a particular microRNA in cancer of epithelial tissue was a tricky prospect for Professor Peter Leedman and his team. [ + ]