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Patients and their families and carers come to us every day with questions about genetics, the 100,000 Genomes Project and a host of related subjects. We have already answered 100 of your questions! Browse the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) below for an answer to your query:

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Scientists find new type of cell that helps tadpoles’ tails regenerate May 17, 2019
It has long been known that some animals can regrow their tails following amputation – Aristotle observed this in the fourth century B.C. – but the mechanisms that support such regenerative potential remain poorly understood. Using ‘single-cell genomics’, scientists at the Wellcome Trust/ Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge developed […]
Discovery of genetic variants that protect against obesity and type 2 diabetes could lead to new weight loss medicines April 18, 2019
Scientists have known for several years that genes can influence a person’s weight. One of the genes that is known to play a key role in regulating weight is MC4R, which codes for the melanocortin 4 receptor. This receptor acts like a switch in the brain to suppress appetite. People who have genetic variants that […]
Butterflies are genetically wired to choose a mate that looks just like them February 8, 2019
A team of academics from the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, observed the courtship rituals and sequenced the DNA from nearly 300 butterflies to find out how much of the genome was responsible for their mating behaviour. The research, published in PLOS Biology, is one of […]

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East of England NHS Genomic Medicine Centre