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Advances in genetic testing give new insights to parents of children with epileptic encephalopathy

Advances in genetic testing offer new insights to parents who have a child with a rare but serious form of epilepsy, epileptic encephalopathy (EE), found in one of about every 2,000 births and characterized by developmental disabilities as well as horrible seizures.

26 Apr 2018

Role of extrachromosomal pieces of DNA in cancer development and treatment resistance

Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer. Response to standard-of-care treatment is poor, with a two-year survival rate of only 15 percent.

24 Apr 2018

Study examines how higher-order gene combinations help maintain normal cell physiology

We inherit many traits from our parents including the color of our eyes and hair. Unfortunately, we also inherit risk factors for certain diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Understanding those genetic connections can help prevention efforts and develop new life-saving treatments to combat these diseases.

20 Apr 2018

Gene affects some women's body fat distribution and increases their diabetes risk

A natural variation of the gene KLF14 causes some women to store fat on their bellies and hips and puts them at significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, new research reveals.

17 Apr 2018

New technique makes it possible to trace lineage of each cell

Every biology textbook states that cells are life's building blocks. But researchers are only now beginning to understand their diversity. Technologies such as RNA sequencing are revealing which genes are expressed in each individual cell.

9 Apr 2018

Researchers aim to reveal new direction for Barth syndrome treatment

The Barth Syndrome Foundation recently announced awardees from its 2017 grant cycle. Miriam Greenberg, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University and a resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan, received a one-year, $50,000 grant for the project, "Cardiolipin activates pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) - a potential new target for treatment of Barth syndrome."

28 Mar 2018

Research identifies gene variants that play key role in how ovarian cancer patients process chemotherapy

Research has identified gene variants that play a significant role in how women with ovarian cancer process chemotherapy.

16 Feb 2018

Next-generation ‘active genetics’ tool opens new horizons

In 2015, University of California San Diego biologists Ethan Bier and Valentino Gantz developed a breakthrough technology known as "active genetics," which results in parents transmitting a genetic trait to most of their offspring (instead of 50 percent receiving the trait under standard inheritance).

6 Feb 2018

My grandmother was Italian. Why aren’t my genes Italian?

Maybe you got one of those find-your-ancestry kits over the holidays. You’ve sent off your awkwardly collected saliva sample, and you’re awaiting your results.

29 Jan 2018

How fatal mitochondrial diseases may strike offspring of families with no history of the conditions

Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) have discovered how some children inherit a potentially life-threatening mitochondrial disease, despite being born to a healthy mother.

16 Jan 2018

Study reveals how devastating mitochondrial diseases strike families without any previous history

Researchers have shown for the first time how children can inherit a severe - potentially fatal - mitochondrial disease from a healthy mother.

15 Jan 2018

Study finds genetic variations linked to BMI and obesity risk

It's not just diet and physical activity; your genes also determine how easily you lose or gain weight. In a study published in the January issue of Nature Genetics, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and other institutions of the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits consortium found 13 genes that carry variations associated with body mass index.

10 Jan 2018

Identical twins share additional level of molecular similarity

An international group of researchers has discovered a new phenomenon that occurs in identical twins: independent of their identical genes, they share an additional level of molecular similarity that influences their biological characteristics.

9 Jan 2018

Researchers discover mutations in a gene related to obesity

Researchers have discovered mutations in a gene related to obesity, offering new treatment possibilities in the fight against the global epidemic.

8 Jan 2018

Study shows vital role for maternally inherited gene in embryonic development

A new study indicates an essential role for a maternally inherited gene in embryonic development. The study found that zebrafish that failed to inherit specific genetic instructions from mom developed fatal defects earlier in development, even if the fish could make their own version of the gene.

18 Dec 2017

Scientists find link between physical contact and gut bacteria in red-bellied lemurs

Scientists have found a direct link between physical contact and gut bacteria in red-bellied lemurs. Likely passed through 'huddling' behavior and touch, the new research has implications for human health.

5 Dec 2017

Scientists identifies new genetic changes that increase risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma

People who inherit genetic changes which alter the function of their immune system are at increased risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma, a major new study reports.

1 Dec 2017

Researchers unlock genetic processes underlying cancer

For many, breast cancer is more than just a disease – it's personal. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives. But through new discoveries at the genetic level, the personal nature of cancer will eventually be what helps to beat it.

29 Nov 2017

New study shows how SNO reaction may contribute to Parkinson's disease

A new study from The Scripps Research Institute is the first to show precisely how a process in nerve cells called the S-nitrosylation (SNO) reaction- which can be caused by aging, pesticides and pollution- may contribute to Parkinson's disease.

22 Nov 2017

3D folding of DNA during cardiomyocyte differentiation provides vital epigenetic mechanisms, study says

A new study conducted at the University of Freiburg suggests that three-dimensional (3D) folding of the DNA reorganizes itself during differentiation of pluripotent stem cells to cardiomyocytes.