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Environmental exposures affect genes linked to respiratory diseases much more than genetic ancestry

Researchers have found strong evidence that environmental exposures, including air pollution, affect gene expressions associated with respiratory diseases much more than genetic ancestry.

6 Mar 2018

New technique provides pairs of genetically matched cells to study disease

Researchers led by Dr. Knut Woltjen report a new gene editing method that can modify a single DNA base in the human genome with absolute precision.

6 Mar 2018

Study findings establish basis for epigenetic link between aging and Alzheimer's disease

Although certain genetic variants increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), age is the strongest known risk factor. But the way in which molecular processes of aging predispose people to AD, or become impaired in AD remains a mystery.

6 Mar 2018

New and improved CRISPR

David Liu, professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University is a pioneer of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology. He has now come up with two new upgrades for this gene editing tool that makes it better than before. These two tools are “cellular detective” and “sharp scissors”.

5 Mar 2018

Study pinpoints gene that plays direct role in neurodevelopmental disorders

A study led by researchers at McMaster University has pinpointed a gene that is responsible for neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.

5 Mar 2018

AD polygenic risk score could identify younger population with mild cognitive impairment

For the first time, an international team of scientists, led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, have determined that an Alzheimer's disease (AD) polygenic risk score can be used to correctly identify adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who were only in their 50s. MCI is considered a precursor to AD.

5 Mar 2018

Scientists identify genes involved in age-related brain deterioration

A group of genes and genetic switches involved in age-related brain deterioration have been identified by scientists at the Babraham Institute, Cambridge and Sapienza University, Rome.

5 Mar 2018

Researchers develop method to identify splicing-based biomarkers for liver cancer

Because liver cancer is particularly diverse, genetically, and prone to relapse, identifying biomarkers that can predict disease progression is a critical goal in the fight against it.

2 Mar 2018

Research shows how viruses inactivate immune system, causing cancer

It's no new news that viruses cause cancer. For example, human papillomavirus causes almost all of the more than 500,000 annual worldwide cases of cervical cancer.

2 Mar 2018

Researchers identify genetic variations that affect blood pressure using cigarette smoking behavior

Using a technique that is opening the door to more complex analyses of the human genome, researchers have identified dozens of new genetic variations that affect blood pressure.

2 Mar 2018

CRISPR enzyme can also cleave RNA, finds study

Researchers have discovered that the Cas-9 enzyme used in CRISPR gene editing can also cleave complimentary messenger RNA, in addition to DNA.

2 Mar 2018

TSRI scientists discover new target for treating major depressive disorder

Scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a new target for treating major depressive disorder, a disease that affects more than 16 million American adults.

1 Mar 2018

Study unlocks big puzzle in familial breast cancer

Mutations in known breast cancer genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 are identified in only approximately 20 per cent of women who are offered genetic testing for familial breast cancer.

1 Mar 2018

USC scientists use metal-detection technique to study cancer

Metal detection has helped mining companies strike gold and airport security identify passengers who are a potential threat. Now USC scientists have pushed its use into another realm: studying cancer.

28 Feb 2018

UNIGE researchers discover why premature cell division promotes tumor formation

The accumulation of mutations in the human genome is at the origin of cancers, as well as the development of resistance to treatments. The Cyclin E and Myc genes are active in the control of cell division.

28 Feb 2018

RNA-based method cures lung tumors in mice

By turning down the activity of a specific RNA molecule researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden, have cured lung tumors in mice by 40-50 percent.

28 Feb 2018

CRISPR-like gene editing could be potential way to treat patients with harmful blood lipid levels

Using a variation of CRISPR gene editing may be a potential strategy for mimicking the protective effects of a genetic mutation linked to lower cholesterol levels and heart disease risks, according to new mouse research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published this week in Circulation.

28 Feb 2018

Researchers discover 50 new gene regions that increase risk of schizophrenia

Researchers at the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at Cardiff University have discovered 50 new gene regions that increase the risk of developing schizophrenia.

28 Feb 2018

Quiescent cells also acquire particular type of mutation, research shows

For almost a hundred years, geneticists have believed that the more a cell divides the more mutations it acquires. However, research by scientists at the Institut Pasteur shows that quiescent cells, which do not divide, also acquire a particular type of mutation - deletions (mutations through loss of nucleobases).

27 Feb 2018

ASU researchers uncover crucial step in telomerase enzyme catalytic cycle

Can we stay young forever, or even recapture lost youth? Research from the laboratory of Professor Julian Chen in the School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University recently uncovered a crucial step in the telomerase enzyme catalytic cycle.

27 Feb 2018