Cocaine, Nicotine, and Capsaicin

     Those are just some of thousands of specialized or secondary metabolites that plats use as chemical ammunition to protect themselves from predation. However, for years scientists have been confused on identifying the networks of genes that plants use to make these biologically active compounds, which are the source of many drugs people use and abuse today. This had hindered efforts to produce new and improved therapeutics. At Vanderbilt University, geneticists think they have discovered an effective and powerful new way to identify these gene networks, which usually consist of a handful to dozens of different genes. They hypothesized that the genes within a network that work together to make a specific compound would all respond similarly to the same environmental conditions. To test this, they looked at data rom more than 22,000 gene expression studies performed on eight different model plant species. The result of all of this number crunching was the identification of dozens, possibly hundreds of gene pathways that produce small metabolites, including several that previous experiments had identified.

     This article was a little surprising to me. I did not know that there was so much trouble in identifying these small networks of genes. It was especially surprising since it was something pharmaceutical companies were in charge of. All of the millions and trillion of dollars they waste on nonsense, I mean advertising and "research," you would think this wouldn't be an issue.

Cocaine, Nicotine, and Capsaicin
Gene Expression

New Hypertension Research Could Save Lives

Many people around the world struggle with hypertension.  Whether it is caused by diet or genetics the effects of hypertension could be deadly.  Researchers at Queen Mary University in London have linked 11 genes to the cause of hypertension.  The article discusses how the researchers studied over 120,000 individuals and examined the variants in known blood pressure traits.  Such research could change the pharmaceutical industry as well.  The scientists who develop drugs to treat hypertension could begin designing medicine to better treat this disease.  Hypertension is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide and according to this article it is known as "the silent killer".  Hypertension affects many people and can cause other serious problems such as a heart attack or stroke.  This research will change the way doctors treat hypertension and hopefully help them save more lives.

I believe that this new research is life changing for millions of people around the world.  Many people do not consider high blood pressure to be a huge problem but the serious conditions it can cause, if left untreated, are killing many people everyday.  Since hypertension is known as the "silent killer", being able to detect the presence of hypertension through genetics could help catch the issue early enough before tragedy can strike.  The genetic research being performed will help save lives and create a better life for those effected by hypertension.

Article Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140220141802.htm

Related Link: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=13118