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Study shows how RNA editing affects the replication of COVID-19 virus

Two human deaminase enzymes edit the RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 virus when it enters a patient's body, with implications for the evolution of the virus and the spread of the infection, according to a new study.

19 May 2020

New analysis links DNA variations to risks of specific breast cancer subtypes

An analysis of genetic studies covering 266,000 women has revealed 32 new sites on the human genome where variations in DNA appear to alter the risks of getting breast cancer.

18 May 2020

Common mutations in SARS-CoV-2 related to non-variable segments of structural proteins

The ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is thought to have originated from an animal species, most likely bats, which succeeded in crossing over to humans. However, the exact species of origin has not yet been confirmed.

18 May 2020

Novel microRNA biomarker could help detect lymph node metastases in pancreatic cancer patients

For years, surgeons have operated on pancreatic cancer patients to remove what they thought was a localized tumor only to discover that the disease had spread to other, inoperable parts of the body. Now, a City of Hope molecular scientist thinks he may have found a way to prevent ineffective surgeries and prolong the lives of these patients.

18 May 2020

Host-virus interaction drives adaptive mutation in bat CoV related to SARS-CoVs

Virus and receptor diversity is shaped by the need to evolve advanced weaponry to facilitate virus entry and infection, on the one hand, and host resistance, on the other. A new paper published on the preprint server bioRxiv* shows how this mechanism operates in a bat coronavirus, which is related to the earlier SARS coronavirus.

17 May 2020

Study shows broad geographic and evolutionary dispersal of betacoronaviruses from African bats

A research group from Nigeria found evidence of long-distance transmission and dispersal between bat coronaviruses isolated in Africa and the ones Europe and Asia, as described in a new paper available on the preprint server bioRxiv.

17 May 2020

Mcmaster researchers develop new blood test to track individual fat intake

A team of researchers at McMaster University has developed a reliable and accurate blood test to track individual fat intake, a tool that could guide public health policy on healthy eating.

15 May 2020

Genome-wide pattern found in glioblastoma tumors predicts patients' life expectancy

For the past 70 years, the best indicator of life expectancy for a patient with glioblastoma (GBM) -- the most common and the most aggressive brain cancer -- has simply been age at diagnosis.

15 May 2020

Study shows the combined effect of inherited and acquired mutations on cancer development

The common belief that tumors arise via activation of a few genes that "drive" cancer development is unsupported by a widespread investigation into those genes and others in three large patient genetic databases, according to a study led by Yale Cancer Center researchers.

15 May 2020

Forensic Genomics to launch preview issue at annual ISHI

Forensic Genomics, a dynamic new peer-reviewed journal, will launch its preview issue at the annual International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI) in September 2020.

15 May 2020

First cellular immunology data to help guide social distancing recommendations

Scientists around the world are racing to develop a vaccine to protect against COVID-19 infection, and epidemiologists are trying to predict how the coronavirus pandemic will unfold until such a vaccine is available.

15 May 2020

Research investigates COVID-19 virus origin using artificial intelligence (AI)

The coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the globe with unprecedented speed and lethality, killing hundreds of thousands of people and forcing countries’ entire populations to self-quarantine.

15 May 2020

Genome-based monitoring of multi-resistant pathogen can help improve infection control

S. maltophilia strains occur in several natural and human associated ecosystems. The bacterium was long regarded as relatively unproblematic but is now considered to be one of the most feared hospital pathogens, as it frequently causes infections and is resistant to a number of antibiotics.

15 May 2020

Researchers identify new breast cancer gene in young women

Over the past 20 years, our knowledge of hereditary diseases has taken a quantum leap, and several hereditary gene variants have been found that may predispose to the development of cancer.

14 May 2020

Researchers identify a group of dysregulated genes in autism

Autism has long been associated only with behavioral and environmental factors, but the role of genetics in its development is now increasingly evident. Some 100 genes have been found to play a role in autism spectrum disorder, and another thousand are being studied to the same end.

14 May 2020

Potential targets discovered for COVID-19 therapy

A team of biochemists and virologists at Goethe University and the Frankfurt University Hospital were able to observe how human cells change upon infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19 in people.

14 May 2020

Study provides new insights on mechanisms that promote cancer

Like subway com muters on a crowded train, cells generally prefer not to be packed in too tightly. In fact, they have set up mechanisms to avoid this, a phenomenon called "contact inhibition." A hallmark of cancer cells is that they lack this contact inhibition, and instead become pushy, facilitating their spread.

14 May 2020

Variations in genome’s 'dark matter' region can make patients susceptible to inflammatory diseases

A study led by researchers at the Babraham Institute in collaboration with the Wellcome Sanger Institute has uncovered how variations in a non-protein coding 'dark matter' region of the genome could make patients susceptible to complex autoimmune and allergic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.

14 May 2020

Visual Science designs a scientific model of SARS-Cov-2 virus

The biomedical visualization studio Visual Science has created the most detailed and scientifically accurate 3D model of the full SARS-CoV-2 virus at atomic resolution.

14 May 2020

Researchers identify CoV Mac1 proteins as a potential SARS-CoV-2 drug target

A recent study by researchers at the University of Kansas and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* reveals that Mac1 protein implicated in the infection process of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has a strikingly similar structure and activity in all coronaviruses – suggesting that possible future treatments targeting this protein may exert broad antiviral activity.

13 May 2020