blood test

New blood test will help diagnose heart conditions

A new genetic test to improve diagnosis in people with inherited heart conditions, which affect over half a million people in the UK, has been developed by British Heart Foundation-funded researchers.

The new test is a result of international collaborative efforts led by Professor Stuart Cook between researchers in Singapore, Imperial College London and at the MRC Clinical Sciences...

New blood test for unborn babies

Research into a simple, accurate and low risk blood test that can detect fetal blood group, sex, and genetic conditions in unborn babies has been published in the international scientific journal, Clinical Chemistry.

The research is the result of a collaboration between Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and Plymouth University. The DNA test costs pence and is non-invasive – as opposed to...

Blood test may predict obesity levels in children

Scientists have found that a simple blood test, which can read DNA, could be used to predict obesity levels in children.

Researchers at the Universities of Southampton, Plymouth and Exeter used the test to assess the levels of epigenetic switches in the PGC1a gene – a gene that regulates fat storage in the body.

Epigenetic switches take place through a chemical change called...