Pathway-based differential expression analysis allows the incorporation of biological domain knowledge into transcriptomics analysis to enhance our understanding of disease mechanisms. To integrate information among multiple studies at the pathway level, pathway-based meta-analysis can be performed. Paired or partially paired samples are common in…

This article reviews the discovery of RNA interference, its mechanism of action and its functions, and the principles, challenges, and strategies for RNA therapeutics.

Animal models are extensively used in genetics, neuroscience and biomedical research. Recent studies illustrate the usefulness and the challenges of research utilising genetically engineered mice to explore the developmental biology of Down syndrome. These studies highlight many of the issues at the centre of what we understand about Down…

This abstract of a planned session on the future of medicine explains the use of nanotechnology in medicine to manipulate biomolecules that regulate life and death processes and to help improve health care delivery. Topics include nanodevices for drug delivery, cancer detection and cure, and repairing genes. (LRW)

Discusses the Human Genome Project and the identification of Fragile X Syndrome, the most common inherited cause of mental retardation. Fragile X Syndrome is caused by an abnormal gene on the bottom of the X chromosome. Examined the phenotype of Fragile X Syndrome in males and females and the spectrum of learning difficulties caused by the…

The House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee's regulatory legislation on recombinant DNA technology is discussed along with university reactions to it. Violations of federal guidelines and legal efforts are described. (LBH)

The paper reviews mental retardation research activities of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD) and the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (NINCDS). Research activities are cited to illustrate the scope of NICHHD's efforts in a variety of biomedial areas. Activities are…

In the current climate of concern about the privacy of medical records, the following topics should be addressed in the education of health professionals: the moral grounding of informed consent, the moral and legal obligations of professionals, the promise and perils of genetics research, and responsible research conduct. (SK)

In recent years, microarray analysis has become a key experimental tool, enabling the analysis of genome-wide patterns of gene expression. This review approaches the microarray revolution with a focus upon four topics: 1) the early development of this technology and its application to cancer diagnostics; 2) a primer of microarray research,…

The monograph reviews federal research activities and progress in biomedical and behavioral/social science research in mental retardation. Activities represent the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities branch. The following categories are addressed in terms of biomedical…