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Rising human adaptive potential seen in 2.3.4.4b clade of H5N1

In recent years, there has been growing concern over the H5N1 influenza virus. It was first identified in birds three decades ago and has now gradually found its way to humans.

12 Aug 2025

New method greatly improves the precision of genome editing

A research team headed by the University of Zurich has developed a powerful new method to precisely edit DNA by combining cutting-edge genetic engineering with artificial intelligence.

12 Aug 2025

Global Virus Network committed to the continued development of mRNA vaccines

The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition of leading human and animal virologists from 80+ Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in more than 40 countries dedicated to advancing pandemic preparedness, is unequivocally committed to the continued development and deployment of mRNA vaccines and the global scientific collaboration that makes such innovation possible.

12 Aug 2025

Study: Lignin shows strong antiviral and antibacterial properties

Research from the Nanoscience Center of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, has revealed that lignin, a polyphenol, important for plant structure, has antimicrobial activity against viruses and bacteria.

12 Aug 2025

4,000-year-old sheep tooth sheds light on enigmatic Eurasian plague

Around 5,000 years ago, a mysterious form of plague spread throughout Eurasia, only to disappear 2,000 years later.

11 Aug 2025

Understanding the multifactorial causes of spina bifida

Spina bifida is among the most common and debilitating neural tube defects, affecting approximately 1 in every 2,875 newborns in the United States.

11 Aug 2025

Epigenetic breakthrough: $200 blood test spots diabetes heart risk better than standard tools

Researchers have developed a blood-based DNA methylation risk score that predicts first macrovascular events in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients more accurately than current cardiovascular risk tools. The score, when combined with clinical factors, could help target early prevention in high-risk individuals.

11 Aug 2025

New insights into how MYOD controls muscle repair and regeneration

For more than 30 years, scientists have studied how the myogenic determination gene number 1 (MYOD) protein binds DNA to modify the gene expression of muscle stem cells.

8 Aug 2025

Decoding macrophage immune responses with gene editing and machine learning

Fighting off pathogens is a tour de force that must happen with speed and precision. A team of researchers at CeMM and MedUni Vienna led by Christoph Bock and Matthias Farlik has investigated how macrophages-immune cells that are the body's first responders-master this challenge.

8 Aug 2025

Aging brains lose key proteins despite intact genetic blueprints

An international research team involving the Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena, the Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa, and Stanford University has discovered that in the aging brain, certain proteins are lost even though their mRNA blueprints remain intact.

8 Aug 2025

Revolutionizing therapeutic protein design with synthetic biology

In medicine and biotechnology, the ability to evolve proteins with new or improved functions is crucial, but current methods are often slow and laborious.

8 Aug 2025

New insights into how SETD2 shapes immunity and disease

The emerging role of SETD2 in regulating immune cell function is shedding light on potential therapeutic strategies for a range of immune-related diseases.

7 Aug 2025

CRISPR screening uncovers microproteins involved in fat storage

The obesity rate has more than doubled in the last 30 years, affecting more than one billion people worldwide.

7 Aug 2025

Researchers uncover dozens of traits driven by maternal versus paternal genes

Researchers developed a high-accuracy method to infer whether genetic variants come from the mother or father without needing parental genomes, analysing 286,666 UK Biobank participants. They uncovered over 30 parent-of-origin effects on traits from growth and metabolism to diabetes, many showing opposite effects depending on parental source.

7 Aug 2025

Study links epigenetic markers to cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes

People with type 2 diabetes are up to four times more likely to have heart attacks, strokes, anginas and other coronary heart diseases than healthy people.

7 Aug 2025

Genetic markers could help prevent age-related frailty

Novel genetic insights into frailty highlight potential early predictors, aiding in the prevention of age-related decline and improving health outcomes.

7 Aug 2025

Scientists map the genes behind diet and dementia risk

Researchers established a high-quality genetic dataset from the MIND diet trial, enabling new studies of gene–diet interactions in cognitive health. This resource allows deeper investigation into why individuals respond differently to dietary interventions targeting dementia risk.

6 Aug 2025