Mutation News and Research

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Study suggests new approach to make radiation therapy more effective for glioblastoma patients

Many modern cancer drugs target a specific genetic mutation that is driving a particular cancer's runaway growth and division -- such as the HER-2 protein in some breast cancers or EGFR in certain lung cancers.

30 Jul 2020

Compounds demonstrate promising activity against tuberculosis

Compounds tested for their potential as antibiotics have demonstrated promising activity against one of the deadliest infectious diseases - tuberculosis (TB).

30 Jul 2020

Researchers identify targeted treatment strategy for malignant pleural mesothelioma

The reactivation of telomerase is a key mechanism in the unrestricted growth of cancer cells. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a form of cancer originating from the mesothelium, a cell layer covering the lungs and the inside of the chest wall.

30 Jul 2020

Partial loss of MYLPF gene can cause distal arthrogryposis, shows study

Jared Talbot is part of a 32-member international research team that identified a gene that, when altered, can cause bent fingers and toes, clubfoot, scoliosis, and short stature.

30 Jul 2020

Emergent SARS-CoV-2 D614G spike mutation more infective due to "open" morphology

Researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Duke Human Vaccine Institute & Department of Surgery demonstrated that globally prevalent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with the amino acid substitution D614G in the spike protein is much more infective due to profitable binding encounters with the host receptors.

28 Jul 2020

Deep learning algorithm can identify genetic alterations from routine histological images of tumors

Researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, working with colleagues in Europe, created a deep learning algorithm that can infer molecular alterations directly from routine histology images across multiple common tumor types.

28 Jul 2020

'Synthetic lethality' could be exploited for cancer therapy

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a new instance in which the simultaneous mutation of two nonessential genes--neither of which is on its own vital to cell survival--can cause cancer cell death.

28 Jul 2020

Simple blood test may be a great advance for people with and at risk for Alzheimer's

A simple blood test for Alzheimer's would be a great advance for individuals with - and at risk for - the disease, families, doctors and researchers.

28 Jul 2020

Investigational drug for Alzheimer's disease may help autistic children

An extensive international study led by Prof. Illana Gozes of Tel Aviv University's Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry found deposits of the tau protein typically found in Alzheimer's patients in tissues taken from the postmortem brain of a 7-year-old autistic child.

28 Jul 2020

Study shows how aging causes lung regeneration to go awry

Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have identified the process by which stem cells in the airways of the lungs switch between two distinct phases -- creating more of themselves and producing mature airway cells -- to regenerate lung tissue after an injury.

28 Jul 2020

Simultaneous mutation of two nonessential genes can cause cancer cell death

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a new instance in which the simultaneous mutation of two nonessential genes - neither of which is on its own vital to cell survival - can cause cancer cell death.

28 Jul 2020

Exploiting 'synthetic lethality' to identify cancer targets

With advances in genome sequencing, cancer treatments have increasingly sought to leverage the idea of "synthetic lethality," exploiting cancer-specific genetic defects to identify targets that are uniquely essential to the survival of cancer cells.

28 Jul 2020

New strategy may help guard beta cells, slow the onset of type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs when a person's own immune system destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. In recent years, scientists have learned how to grow large volumes of replacement beta cells, but the researchers are still trying out many options to protect these cells against the immune attack.

27 Jul 2020

Study reveals molecular cause underlying rare genetic disorder

Virginia Tech scientists have revealed how a nonfunctioning version of an ordinary gene impairs brain structure and function. The findings help explain a genetic form of microcephaly -- a condition where babies' heads are small and grow more slowly than their peers.

27 Jul 2020

Cancers caused by bacterial toxin might be preventable

Studying DNA mutations in cancers can help clarify how cancers develop and what makes cancer cells different from normal, healthy cells.

27 Jul 2020

Genetic testing can help make well-informed decisions about heart health

Genetic testing and counseling for inherited cardiovascular diseases may help patients and their families make well-informed decisions about managing their heart health, according to "Genetic Testing for Inherited Cardiovascular Diseases," a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published today in the Association's journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine.

23 Jul 2020

Mysterious enzyme inhibits inflammation in blood vessels, LJI study shows

Scrape your knee, and you'll see some red puffiness appear around the injury. This is inflammation, and it is driven by the immune system.

23 Jul 2020

Reactivation of divergent signaling pathways can be leveraged to enhance cancer treatment

In order for cancer to form in the human body, normal cells must acquire multiple mutations before they develop toward the disease.

23 Jul 2020

Findings could help design vaccines against coronavirus

Scientists investigating the evolution of the virus that causes Covid19 say that its mutation seems to be directed by human proteins that degrade it, but natural selection of the virus enables it to bounce back. The findings could help in the design of vaccines against the virus.

23 Jul 2020

Study suggests new ways to fight aggressive brain cancer

A mouse model of glioblastoma, an aggressive type of cancer that can occur in the brain, suggests that this recalcitrant cancer originates from a pool of stem cells that can be a significant distance away from the resulting tumors.

22 Jul 2020