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NIH researchers identify a second gene that causes melorheostosis

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered a second gene that causes melorheostosis, a rare group of conditions involving an often painful and disfiguring overgrowth of bone tissue.

31 Mar 2020

Understanding the novel coronavirus genome

The novel coronavirus emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, in China, and since then, it has rapidly spread to over 170 countries across the globe. Our knowledge of the virus, now officially named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is still in the early stages. However, scientists around the world are racing to better understand the virus, in the hope of shedding light on potential vaccines and therapies.

31 Mar 2020

Eight strains of coronavirus afflicting the world

Scientists around the world are racing to study the novel coronavirus strain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Now, it appears that there are eight strains of SARS-CoV-2 circulating the globe. The good news is that according to infectious disease physician and clinical microbiologist Charles Chiu, “The virus mutates so slowly that the virus strains are fundamentally very similar to each other.”

31 Mar 2020

UVA researchers find way to enhance cancer outcomes by examining patients' genetic data

By mining a vast trove of genetic data, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine are enhancing doctors’ ability to treat cancer, predict patient outcomes and determine which treatments will work best for individual patients.

30 Mar 2020

Origins of SARS-CoV-2 – natural or man-made?

With over 780,000 individuals across the world infected and over 37,000 dead, the world is gripped by the pandemic caused by the novel strain of coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

30 Mar 2020

New blood test accurately detects more than 50 types of cancer

Researchers have developed a blood test that could accurately detect up to 50 types of cancers, and some of these detections could be even before the symptoms appear. The test would help physicians detect the origin or the source of cancer within the body explain the researchers from the European Society of Oncology. The study titled, "Sensitive and specific multi-cancer detection and localization using methylation signatures in cell-free DNA," was published in the latest issue of the journal Annals of Oncology.

30 Mar 2020

Moffitt scientists identify potential therapeutic targets for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cuSCC) is the second most common diagnosed malignancy in the United States, with approximately 700,000 new cases each year.

30 Mar 2020

How long to a coronavirus vaccine?

The whole world is waiting for one. A vaccine is the only thing that could conceivably save the world from a horrifying cascade of deaths, other than a miracle, it seems.

29 Mar 2020

Global scientific collaboration produces first genetic map of the cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex is the relatively thin, folded, outer "gray matter" layer of the brain crucial for thinking, information processing, memory, and attention.

27 Mar 2020

A quest to unlock the genetic code of SARS-CoV-2

How the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 made the leap from animals to humans is a puzzle that scientists are trying to solve as humanity comes to grip with the deadly pandemic sweeping the globe.

26 Mar 2020

Jumping genes help make functional brain cells in a lab dish

The process of making functional brain cells in a lab dish requires the precise activation of selfish genetic elements known as LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposons.

26 Mar 2020

Anteater-like animals are the missing link for coronavirus transmission between bats and humans

As scientists scramble to learn more about the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, two recent studies of the virus' genome reached controversial conclusions: namely, that snakes are intermediate hosts of the new virus, and that a key coronavirus protein shares "uncanny similarities" with an HIV-1 protein.

26 Mar 2020

Finding new treatments for muscular dystrophy with CRISPR-Cas9

A new study out of Boston's Children's Hospital has used the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to explore the fatal genetic condition called facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD, one of the family of muscular dystrophies), and to test out the potential utility of various genes involved in this disorder. The research is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

25 Mar 2020

Russian researchers explain why new pathogenic viruses are so hard to detect

In a recently published fundamental review dedicated to the diagnostics of viral infections, a Russian research team featuring MIPT researchers was the first to systematically describe and summarize the cutting-edge technologies in the rapidly developing field of genetics.

25 Mar 2020

Researchers aim to find the genetic basis of severe coronavirus infection in young people

Hundreds of clinicians worldwide are banding together in an effort to study some types of severe cases of the new coronavirus disease.

25 Mar 2020

Advancing CAR T-cell therapy for treatment of solid tumors

The full title of the research is "The study of the mechanisms of effectiveness of T-cells CAR-T towards solid tumors"; it was supported by nonprofit RakFond (Cancer Fund) and CyStoreLab (a resident of Skolkovo).

25 Mar 2020

A genetic toolkit to produce multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles

Magnetic bacteria might soon be used for the production of novel biomaterials. A team of microbiologists at the University of Bayreuth led by Prof. Dr. Dirk Schüler developed a modular system for the genetic reprogramming of bacteria, thereby turning the organisms into cell factories for multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles that combine various useful functions and properties.

25 Mar 2020

Mapping the cannabis genome to improve agriculture and human health

Unlocking the full potential of cannabis for agriculture and human health will require a co-ordinated scientific effort to assemble and map the cannabis genome, says a just-published international study led by University of Saskatchewan researchers.

25 Mar 2020

YAP signal pathway plays a vital role in the onset of head-and-neck cancer

Joint research between Kobe University and National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center has revealed that mice with mutations in the YAP signal pathway develop head-and-neck cancer over an extremely short period of time (world's fastest cancer onset mouse model), indicating that this pathway plays a crucial role in the onset of these cancers.

25 Mar 2020

Study explores genetic mechanisms underlying resistance to leishmaniasis

In an article published in Scientific Reports, researchers affiliated with the University of São Paulo in Brazil describe experiments performed with mice that show how genetic factors can determine whether an individual is susceptible or resistant to leishmaniasis.

24 Mar 2020