Biology meets industry – genomics, proteomics, phenomics
Further reading
September 2003, pages 38-40
The common thread (by Stephen Luntz)
An interview with Sir John Sulston about how close society came to losing control over ownership of our genes.
August 2003, pages 20-22
The legal helix (by Matthew Rimmer)
Explains the legal issues over access to human genome sequence data.
Cosmos
February/March 2010, pages 62-69
The trouble with genes (by Elizabeth Finkel)
Reviews our changing understanding of genes and DNA, and the role of non-coding DNA.
No. 114, 2003, pages 20-23
Pioneering proteins (by Steve Davidson)
Describes different areas of proteomics and how they might be used.
June 2005, pages 23-24
Genetic privacy (by Loane Skene)
Discusses new genetic technologies and questions about confidentiality of medical information.
A collection of Nature articles on human genomics is available.
4 June 2008
Biological tools revamp disease classification (by Erika Check Hayden)
Explores the relationships between gene interactions and disease.
June 2008, pages 729-731
Protein fossils live on as RNA (by Rajkumar Sasidharan and Mark Gerstein)
Discusses the regulatory role of pseudogenes.
A collection of articles on genetics and genes is available.
6 September 2007, pages 8-11
Low-cost personal DNA readings are on the way (by Peter Aldhous)
Looks into the availability and the analysis of genetic information.
14 July 2007, pages 42-45
Genomics: Junking the junk DNA (by Aria Pearson)
Explores the functions of 'junk DNA'.
21 April 2007, page 15
Monkey genome springs surprise for human origins (by Bob Holmes)
Looks at what makes us human.
17 March 2007, pages 44-47
Welcome to life on the tiniest scales (by Henry Nicholls)
Looks at how metagenomics is being used to investigate the diversity of microbes.
6 December 2006
Genomic atlas of the mouse brain revealed (by Peter Aldhous)
Reports on a genomic atlas of the mouse brain.
25 October 2006, page 13
Honeybees have their genome sequenced (by Bob Holmes)
Announces the sequencing of the honeybee genome and some early observations about it.
8 April 2006, pages 38-41
Magic numbers (by Bob Holmes)
Looks at the role of chromosome deletions or duplications – gene copy number – in diseases.
19 November 2005, page 54
Junk DNA
The human genome sequence suggests there may be an important role for ‘junk’ DNA.
19 July 2003, page 21
DIY approach to drug discovery (Rachel Nowark)
Reports on a chemical genomics project that would allow academics to carry out early stages of drug development as part of existing research.
Inside Science (No. 138), 17 February 2001
Genes, the genome and disease(by Kate Bendall)
Explains DNA, genes and bioinformatics and how research in these areas could lead to new medical treatments.
April 2005
DNA: life's memory
The hundreds of millions of chemical letters in a genome sequence hold the memory of the evolution that led to a species' appearance. The skill lies in deciphering them.
May 2008, pages 11-12
Are personal genome scans medically useless? (by Sally Lehrman)
Argues that DNA scans may not improve health.
18 February 2007
Largest ever autism study identifies two genetic culprits (by Nikhil Swaminathan)
Discusses the finding that two regions of the genome may trigger the disease.
December 2006, page 35
DNA sequencing on the cheap (Charles Choi)
Reports on low cost DNA sequencing technology.
December 2003, pages 78-85
The unseen genome: beyond DNA (by W. Wayt Gibbs)
This article on epigenetics explains the approach taken in phenomics.
April 2002, pages 26-33
Proteins rule (by Carol Ezzell)
Describes proteomics and explains how the field relates to drug development.
February 2002, pages 34-41
The magic of microarrays (by Stephen H. Friend and Roland B. Stoughton)
Explains what microarrays (gene chips) are and how their diagnostic information can help to provide individualised therapies.
Page updated March 2010.