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Healing and hope for families affected by fragile X in Eastern Europe

Mothers and fathers and their young children crowded into an old, government-run children's hospital in Belgrade, Serbia, colorful, cartoonish drawings covering its hallway walls. Parents struggled to soothe their anxious, wriggly boys and girls. But they were patient, polite. It was, after all, a day unlike any other. A day for hope.

23 Jan 2020

Halting metastasis by preventing cancer cells from using fat

Healthy cells normally undergo cell division, but when a genetic mutation causes uncontrolled cell growth, they form a tumor. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and most deaths happen when cancer cells start to metastasize or travel from the mother tumor to other parts of the body.

23 Jan 2020

Transcriptional scanning in the sperm may regulate rate of human evolution

Maturing sperm cells turn on most of their genes, not to follow their genetic instructions like normal, but instead to repair DNA before passing it to the next generation, a new study finds.

23 Jan 2020

A two-drug combo that halts growth of cancer cells discovered

UT Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center researchers have discovered a two-drug combo that halts the growth of cancer cells that carry HER2 mutations.

23 Jan 2020

Protein p38 plays key role in supporting lung cancer growth

In 2018, 1.7 million people died from lung cancer worldwide, a number equivalent to the population of Barcelona. The high mortality rate of lung cancer reflects the need for the development of treatments that are more efficient.

23 Jan 2020

Protein linked with neurodegenerative diseases may help explore the aggressive behavior of gliomas

A protein typically associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's might help scientists explore how gliomas, a type of cancerous brain tumor, become so aggressive.

22 Jan 2020

Study sheds light on mechanisms that underlie a rare genetic condition

A team of researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine and Université de Montréal has shed light on the mechanisms that underlie a rare genetic condition by creating the first cellular model of the disease.

22 Jan 2020

New strain of coronavirus sparks concerns of a wider outbreak throughout China

Reports of a new strain of coronavirus causing pneumonia-like symptoms in the central Chinese city of Wuhan have sparked concerns of a wider outbreak throughout China and possibly in other countries.

21 Jan 2020

'Innovative Research Award' helps CU scientists to explore BRAF inhibition resistance in brain cancer

Cancers used to be defined by where they grow in the body - lung cancer, skin cancer, brain cancer, etc. But work in recent decades has shown that cancers sharing specific genetic changes may have more in common than cancers that happen to grow in an area of the body.

21 Jan 2020

Research team identifies new roles for Huntington's Disease protein

A Duke University research team has identified a new function of a gene called huntingtin, a mutation of which underlies the progressive neurodegenerative disorder known as Huntington's Disease.

21 Jan 2020

Cardiac and visual degeneration compensated by taurine supplement

Our genome consists of 20,000 genes, all of which may be capable of triggering disease. It is estimated that there are 7,000 unknown genes that cause recessive genetic diseases resulting from mutations in two copies of a gene that have been inherited from each parent.

21 Jan 2020

NAU scientists study zebrafish to find powerful melanoma-fighting drugs

Melanoma is the most lethal type of skin cancer and unusually common in Arizona, where residents are exposed to higher-than-average amounts of ultraviolet radiation. However, Northern Arizona University scientists believe the formula for a combination of melanoma-fighting drugs is within reach.

21 Jan 2020

Researchers discover new regions of non-coding DNA that may lead to cancer growth

In an unprecedented pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes, researchers at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research have discovered new regions of non-coding DNA that, when altered, may lead to cancer growth and progression.

17 Jan 2020

Scientists discover how B-cells in tumor cells promote a favorable immunotherapy response

The white blood cells are potent fighters that protect the body against foreign invaders, including pathogens and cancer cells. Scientists have found that the presence of B cells, which are powerhouses, in tumor cells, combat the disease from within.

16 Jan 2020

Research shows how the body tries to eliminate egg cells of poorest quality

A woman's supply of eggs is finite, so it is crucial that the quality of their genetic material is ensured. New work from Carnegie's Marla Tharp, Safia Malki, and Alex Bortvin elucidates a mechanism by which, even before birth, the body tries to eliminate egg cells of the poorest quality.

16 Jan 2020

Study shows how extracellular vesicles help melanoma cells to spread

A new study from Finland sheds fresh light on how melanoma cells interact with other cells via extracellular vesicles they secrete.

16 Jan 2020

Study identifies molecular 'bridge' between ALS-causing genes

The enzyme Gemin3 was identified as the molecular 'bridge' between genes whose mutation or disruption causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, according to a new study in Nature's Scientific Reports from scientists at the University of Malta.

16 Jan 2020

Harmful genetic mutations in healthy donors' stem cells may create problems in AML patients

A stem cell transplant - also called a bone marrow transplant - is a common treatment for blood cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia.

16 Jan 2020

Study shows how treatment resistance develops in patients with bile duct cancer

A new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute shows how resistance to a promising targeted drug develops in patients with a rare, lethal cancer of the bile ducts called cholangiocarcinoma.

14 Jan 2020

NAU scientists in search of a powerful combination of melanoma-fighting drugs

Melanoma is the most lethal type of skin cancer and unusually common in Arizona, where residents are exposed to higher-than-average amounts of ultraviolet radiation.

13 Jan 2020