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Hypermutation in children could be linked to the biological father receiving chemotherapy treatments

Some rare cases of higher genetic mutation rates in children, known as hypermutation, could be linked to the father receiving certain chemotherapy treatments, new research has found.

11 May 2022

Detecting treatments for autoimmune disease using an immune ‘fingerprint’

In this interview, we speak to Professor Joseph Powell about his latest research that investigated the use of immune 'fingerprints' to treat autoimmune disease.

10 May 2022

Joint associations of genetic risk and diet quality with incident type 2 diabetes

Researchers assessed the impact of polygenic scores and diet quality on type 2 diabetes.

3 May 2022

New insights into how NANOG protein facilitates the activation of human cell pluripotency

There are cells in the body known as pluripotent stem cells that are yet to specialize in a particular biological function.

28 Apr 2022

Misexpression of non-cardiac genes may lead to congenital heart disease

Inside embryonic cells, specific proteins control the rate at which genetic information is transcribed from DNA to messenger RNA – a crucial regulatory step before proteins are created. Then, organs develop and hopefully function properly.

27 Apr 2022

Using customized 'mini-antibodies' to mitigate chronic inflammation

Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Sao Paulo have succeeded in mitigating chronic inflammation in mice using customized "mini-antibodies."

19 Apr 2022

Insight into the future of genetic testing

In this interview, we speak to Sheetal Parmar, vice president of medical affairs and head of clinical services at Natera, about their cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing services.

From Natera 15 Apr 2022

Bioprinting for bone repair enhanced with two growth factor encoding genes

Given enough time and energy, the body will heal, but when doctors or engineers intervene, the processes do not always proceed as planned because chemicals that control and facilitate the healing process are missing.

13 Apr 2022

Researchers develop universal AI algorithm to "clean" noisy single-cell RNA sequencing data

Just as asking a single person about their health will provide tailored, personalized information impossible to glean from a large poll, an individual cell's genome or transcriptome can provide much more information about their place in living systems than sequencing a whole batch of cells.

7 Apr 2022

Novel rapid genetic test could spare 14,000 newborns from lifelong hearing loss

Clinicians and nurses in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) across Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) are the world’s first to deploy genedrive’s MT-RNR1 ID Kit, a new rapid genetic point of care test (POCT) to screen babies for the genetic variant m.1555A>G when admitted with suspected sepsis

4 Apr 2022

Research illuminates why immune disorders affect only one of two identical twins

Scientists have long queried the causes of immune disorders in only one of two identical twins with identical genes. New research from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Spain and their collaborators, has found the answer lies in both alterations in immune cell-cell communication and the epigenome, the host of biological processes that regulate how our genes function.

1 Apr 2022

Tracking the mutating coronavirus variants

Viruses continuously and naturally evolve. To track coronavirus variants, we need to think like Darwin.

16 Mar 2022

Using mRNA to introduce gene editor into human muscle stem cells

Mutations that lead to muscle atrophy can be repaired with the gene editor CRISPR-Cas9. A team led by ECRC researcher Helena Escobar has now introduced the tool into human muscle stem cells for the first time using mRNA, thus discovering a method suitable for therapeutic applications.

14 Mar 2022

New smartphone app can calculate users’ genetic risk for coronary artery disease

A Scripps Research team developed a smartphone app that can calculate users' genetic risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) - and found that users at high risk sought out appropriate medication after using the app.

14 Mar 2022

Cedars-Sinai scientists identify potential new therapy for COVID-19

Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have identified a potential new therapy for COVID-19: a biologic substance created by reengineered human skin cells.

9 Mar 2022

Combating COVID cytokine storm with targeted nucleic acid therapies

Researchers examine current nucleic acid-based treatments against COVID-19 and their methods of action.

6 Mar 2022

WHO experts suggest antiviral drug for patients with non-severe covid-19 at highest risk of hospitalization

The antiviral drug molnupiravir is conditionally recommended for patients with non-severe covid-19 who are at highest risk of hospitalization, says a WHO Guideline Development Group of international experts in The BMJ today.

3 Mar 2022

Research shows alterations in transfer RNAs at the epigenetic level in cancer

A recently published paper in the journal Molecular Cancer by the group of Dr. Manel Esteller, Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, ICREA Research Professor and Genetics Chairman at the University of Barcelona, shows that transfer RNAs for certain amino acids are altered at the epigenetic level in some types of cancer, expressing it in an exaggerated manner in some cases and being deficient in others.

17 Feb 2022

Optical genome mapping holds potential to become an important component of leukemia diagnostics

Optical genome mapping involves the extraction of very long DNA molecules, for example routinely collected blood samples or bone marrow material from patients.