Dwarfism News and Research

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The most widely accepted definition of a dwarf is a person with an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches (147cm). In older popular and medical usage, any type of marked human smallness could also be termed dwarfism. People who are affected by dwarfism are often referred to as "little people".

Scientists link growth hormone to anxiety and fear memory through specific neuron group

Growth hormone (GH) acts on many tissues throughout the body, helping build bones and muscles, among other functions.

2 Jan 2024

Drug for children with achondroplasia may help reduce chances of SIDS

A drug that boosts bone growth in children with the most common form of dwarfism, may also reduce their chances of sudden infant death syndrome, sleep apnea and needing surgery, according to a new study.

21 Nov 2023

Exploring developmental pathways and disease interactions in nervous and stomatognathic systems

Scientists discuss the intricate relationship between the nervous and stomatognathic systems.

21 Aug 2023

First successful correction of limb length in mouse model of autosomal dominant Robinow Syndrome

Robinow Syndrome is the best known of a set of genetic disorders that affect the growth and development of the skeletal system.

15 Feb 2023

People with disabilities strongly affected by online microaggressions

In person, people with disabilities often experience microaggressions – comments or subtle insults based on stereotypes. New types of microaggressions play out online as well, according to new Cornell-led research.

28 Oct 2022

Genetic screening results just got harder to handle under new abortion rules

Ann was 15 weeks pregnant with her fourth child when the results of her prenatal genetic test came back last August.

27 Jun 2022

Study details health risks, growth patterns, and treatment outcomes of people with achondroplasia

In a retrospective study believed to be one of the largest of its kind, researchers say they have successfully charted the health risks, growth patterns, and medical and surgical outcomes of 1,374 people with the most common form of dwarfism, called achondroplasia, seen over a 60-year period at four academic medical centers, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.

21 Jun 2021

POU1F1 gene variant linked to pituitary dwarfism in Karelian Bear Dogs

A study carried out at the University of Helsinki investigated pituitary dwarfism in Karelian Bear Dogs and found a link to a variant of the POU1F1 gene. The results can also help understand the gene's significance to the human pituitary gland's development and function.

22 Feb 2021

Hybrid approach reveals details about genes involved in Meier-Gorlin syndrome

Meier-Gorlin syndrome, or MGS, is a rare genetic developmental disorder that causes dwarfism, small ears, a small brain, missing patella and other skeletal abnormalities. In severe cases, MGS results in miscarriages and stillbirths.

14 Dec 2020

Groundbreaking drug boosts growth rates in children with achondroplasia

A groundbreaking drug that helps regulate bone development has boosted growth rates in children with achondroplasia - the most common type of dwarfism - in a global trial led by Melbourne's Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

18 Jun 2019

Bioactive compounds in cocoa bean extract could be used to develop new treatment for skeletal diseases

An international team of researchers, led by the University of Granada (UGR) in Spain, has successfully isolated a bioactive compound present in cocoa bean extract that has proven effective in combatting skeletal diseases such as achondroplasia.

7 May 2019

Researchers uncover first spontaneous animal model of human hypophosphatasia

A research group led by Professor Hannes Lohi at the University of Helsinki and Folkhälsan Research Center has uncovered a new skeletal disease in dogs.

30 Jan 2019

Findings may open up new ways to treat dwarfism and other ER-stress-related conditions

Pseudoachondroplasia (PSACH) is a severe inherited dwarfing condition characterized by disproportionate short stature, joint laxity, pain, and early onset osteoarthritis.

12 Dec 2018

The evolution of gigantism in tortoises continues to be enigmatic

Tortoises are a group of terrestrial turtles globally distributed in habitats ranging from deserts to forests and include species such as the Greek and the Galapagos tortoise

24 Oct 2018

Kopchicks' $10.5 million gift to fund student fellowships at MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School

Just as he has changed the lives of people suffering from a devastating genetic disease, molecular endocrinologist John J. Kopchick, Ph.D., and his wife, Charlene, of Athens, Ohio, are paving the way for future scientists to do the same with a transformative $10.5 million gift to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

23 Jun 2017

Actress Kiruna Stamell argues about gene editing with Dr Christopher Gyngell

Two papers published today by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, debate gene editing and the health of future generations.

29 Apr 2017

First national survey reveals high burden of iodine deficiency among Israelis

62% of school-age children and 85% of pregnant women in Israel have low iodine intakes, according to the country's first national iodine survey. Government funding and legislation, and a government-regulated program of salt or food iodization, are essential to reducing the deficiency, which poses a high risk of impaired neurological development.

27 Mar 2017

High-resolution images of protein complex performing first step in genome-replication dance captured

It's a good thing we don't have to think about putting all the necessary pieces in place when one of our trillions of cells needs to duplicate its DNA and then divide to produce identical daughter cells.

17 Mar 2017

Study shows how errors in specific gene can cause growth defects linked to dwarfism

A new study shows how errors in a specific gene can cause growth defects associated with a rare type of dwarfism.

13 Feb 2017

Scientists reveal underlying mechanisms leading to microcephaly in NBS patients

Scientists from Jerusalem and Duesseldorf have succeeded in generating induced pluripotent stem cells from a rare disorder called Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) and to push these cells to become early neurons, revealing the mechanisms leading to the neurological phenotype observed in these patients.

9 Sep 2016