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Rare variants in non-coding DNA inherited from parents heighten autism risk

In recent years, researchers have firmly established that gene mutations appearing for the first time, called de novo mutations, contribute to approximately one-third of cases of autism spectrum disorder.

20 Apr 2018

Researchers discover new information related to rare form of leukemia

International research consortium led by researchers from the University of Helsinki, Finland, discovered new information related to a rare form of leukemia called aggressive NK-cell leukemia.

20 Apr 2018

Genome editing identifies neural circuit behind leptin’s anti-obesity and anti-diabetes effects

Revealing surprising answers to a long-standing enigma about the brain target of the anti-obesity hormone leptin, neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine have used CRISPR genome editing to identify a neural circuit in the hypothalamus as the primary mechanism in mediating leptin's anti-obesity and anti-diabetes effects and have identified two distinct mechanisms underlying leptin's inhibition of appetite.

19 Apr 2018

New insight may allow researchers to design drugs that improve immune responses to vaccines

Memory T cells are a critical element of our immune system's historical archive. To prevent repeat infections, these cells retain a record of germs they've fought before.

19 Apr 2018

Researchers use optogenetics to treat chronic pain

The finger prick from a thorn generates an immediate sensory response. In that instant, neurons at the injury site fire an electrical signal along a nerve fiber to the central nervous system. Our brain notes to avoid further encounters with thorns and the painful insult subsides.

18 Apr 2018

UGA scientist creates system for efficient detection of foodborne pathogens

Quick, efficient pathogen detection and fingerprinting is essential and often lifesaving when it comes to preventing foodborne illness. Now, University of Georgia food scientist Xiangyu Deng has created a system that can identify foodborne pathogens in a fraction of the time taken by traditional methods.

18 Apr 2018

Researchers develop new method to study activity of inflammatory cells

The process that the body sets in motion in the event of inflammation is complex, but also impressive. The main role here is played by immune cells migrating from the blood into the tissue to fight the inflammation.

17 Apr 2018

New faster, streamlined method for bowel cancer detection and treatment

Researchers at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and the University of Adelaide have discovered a faster, more cost-effective way to determine which DNA mutations cause human bowel cancer.

17 Apr 2018

Bacterial 'gene swapping' affects emergence and spread of infectious diseases

A new study by scientists at the University of Liverpool documents, for the first time, how the ability of bacteria to swap genetic material with each other can directly affect the emergence and spread of globally important infectious diseases.

17 Apr 2018

Discovery of 100 new genes may aid research into pigmentation diseases

A new study identified more than 100 genes that play a key role in determining the color of human hair. The findings may have important implications for pigmentation diseases such as melanoma.

17 Apr 2018

Antimicrobial therapy can prevent occurrence of pneumococcal septicemia

Antimicrobial therapy targeting specific cells in the immune system could prevent sepsis and life-threatening disease in people suffering from pneumonia, new research led by the University of Leicester has shown.

17 Apr 2018

Versatile mouse model opens doors to new targeted cancer therapies

Researchers from the Seve Ballesteros Foundation-CNIO Brain Tumour Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have developed an extremely powerful and versatile mouse model that will improve cancer research and accelerate pre-clinical testing of novel targeted therapies. Their work appears in Nature Communications.

13 Apr 2018

Scientists from Cure First and SEngine Precision Medicine discover common link in 28% of all cancers

Seattle scientists from Cure First, a non-profit research organization, and SEngine Precision Medicine, a biotech developing targeted, more effective, and less toxic cancer therapeutics, co-authored one of 27 high-profile papers published today by Cell Press.

13 Apr 2018

Overestimation of Ebola virus mutation rates

Scientific evidence at the start of the last major Ebola epidemic in West Africa that suggested the virus would change exceptionally rapidly was probably due to methodological biases.

12 Apr 2018

Targeting metabolism of key nutrients could be effective in treating squamous cell carcinoma

Researchers from UCLA and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center have found that two targeted therapies could be more effective if used in combination to treat squamous cell carcinomas of the lung.

12 Apr 2018

LSD1 enzyme regulates skeletal muscle differentiation and metabolic activity

Our bodies convert food into energy for all life activities. These metabolic processes allow the cells that make up our bodies to produce (anabolism) and consume (catabolism) energy molecules from nutrients.

12 Apr 2018

Research team identifies new mutation behind heart failure in South Asians

An international research team involving Karolinska Institutet has identified a new mutation in South Asians that, in combination with a known mutation in the same gene, increases the risk of cardiomyopathy and heart failure.

12 Apr 2018

ESMO: New system to rank relevance of treatable cancer genetic mutations needed

ESMO, the leading professional organization for medical oncology, welcomes the latest reports from The Cancer Genome Atla as a major resource for researchers across the world and calls for increased across-the-board commitment to translate these efforts into medical advances for the benefit of cancer patients.

11 Apr 2018

NIH study uncovers genetic basis of 'dripping candle wax' bone disease

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health worked with 15 patients from around the world to uncover a genetic basis of "dripping candle wax" bone disease.

11 Apr 2018

Researchers discover how 'junk DNA' plays key role in holding the genome together

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have determined how satellite DNA, considered to be "junk DNA," plays a crucial role in holding the genome together.

11 Apr 2018