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Scientists publish new analysis of most diverse genetic data set

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and their colleagues published a new analysis today in the journal Nature from genetic sequencing data of more than 53,000 individuals, primarily from minority populations.

10 Feb 2021

Inherited genetic variation may affect the response to cancer immunotherapy

For all their importance as a breakthrough treatment, the cancer immunotherapies known as checkpoint inhibitors still only benefit a small minority of patients, perhaps 15 percent across different types of cancer.

10 Feb 2021

Could a SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein be responsible for certain COVID-19 symptoms?

Researchers highlight the potential causes of some COVID-19 symptoms. Early in the pandemic, the hallmark symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, fever, and shortness of breath. As the pandemic has evolved, more symptoms have emerged, such as loss of smell and taste, headache, intestinal issues, and abdominal pains.

10 Feb 2021

Modified lipids target the body’s endocannabinoid system to regulate pain and inflammation

When modified using a process known as epoxidation, two naturally occurring lipids are converted into potent agents that target multiple cannabinoid receptors in neurons, interrupting pathways that promote pain and inflammation, researchers report.

10 Feb 2021

Orally administered experimental drug halts SARS-CoV-2 replication, prevents infection

Publishing their work in Nature, scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health found that the orally administered experimental drug EIDD-2801 halts SARS-CoV-2 replication and prevents infection of human cells in a new in vivo lab model containing human lung tissue.

10 Feb 2021

Modified CRISPR/Cas9 complex targets specific histones

Finding a needle in a haystack is hard enough. But try finding a specific molecule on the needle.

9 Feb 2021

COVID-19 vaccination associated with 3- to 5-fold reduction in viral load

Researchers in Israel report a reduction in viral load in vaccinated individuals.

9 Feb 2021

Inhibition of protein glycosylation successfully prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

A new study provides direct evidence that the oligosaccharides attached to the viral surface spike protein are essential for viral infection, offering new approaches to preventive and therapeutic drugs.

9 Feb 2021

Gene screenings hold disease clues, but unexplained anomalies often raise fears

When her gynecologist recommended genetic testing, Mai Tran was reluctant.

9 Feb 2021

Simple blood test can detect a wide range of diseases

In diagnostic medicine, biopsies, where a sample of tissue is extracted for analysis, is a common tool for the detection of many conditions. But this approach has several drawbacks - it can be painful, doesn't always extract the diseased tissue, and can only be used in a sufficiently advanced disease stage, making it, in some cases, too late for intervention.

9 Feb 2021

Differences in gene readouts may shed light on mental disorders

A new study suggests that differences in the expression of gene transcripts - readouts copied from DNA that help maintain and build our cells - may hold the key to understanding how mental disorders with shared genetic risk factors result in different patterns of onset, symptoms, course of illness, and treatment responses

8 Feb 2021

New study describes the evolutionary tale of poisonous butterflies

The Atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala) and its five closest relatives in the genus Eumaeus like to display their toxicity.

8 Feb 2021

New platform could help advance genomic medicine research, drug discovery

A Cleveland Clinic-led team of researchers has developed a personalized genomic medicine platform that will help advance accelerate genomic medicine research and genome-informed drug discovery, according to new study results published recently in Genome Biology.

8 Feb 2021

One-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine policy may lead to antigenic evolution, study finds

In a new study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, an international team of researchers found that a one-dose policy may increase the potential for antigenic evolution. The study revealed that focusing on one dose may decrease infections in the short term, but longer-term outcomes rely on this immune strength.

8 Feb 2021

New nanoparticle-based drug boosts the body’s innate immune system to fight tumors

A new nanoparticle-based drug can boost the body's innate immune system and make it more effective at fighting off tumors, researchers at UT Southwestern have shown.

8 Feb 2021

CRISPR genomic editing to obtain more productive and nutritive plant varieties

New study by the IBMCP of the UPV university facilitates the use of the CRISPR genomic editing technique on plants.

8 Feb 2021

Study implicates disruption in prenatal neurogenesis in the development of ASDs

A new study of autism risk genes by UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley scientists implicates disruption in prenatal neurogenesis - a process in which specialized "progenitor" cells give rise to new brain cells - in the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

8 Feb 2021

Furin cleavage SARS-CoV-2 spike deletions mostly suppressed within infected airway epithelium, says study

A team of researchers recently examined the SARS-CoV-2 transcriptome and the dynamics of the S gene furin cleavage site in primary human airway epithelia.

8 Feb 2021

In vitro human blood-brain barrier model found to have a critical flaw

Cells used to study the human blood brain barrier in the lab aren't what they seem, throwing nearly a decade's worth of research into question, a new study from scientists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medicine suggests.

8 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 delays interferon signaling in host cells

A team of scientists from Sweden and India has recently conducted a study to evaluate type I interferon (IFN-I) responses in cells infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The findings reveal that SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a delayed and dysregulated IFN-I response and that pretreatment with IFN-I can reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

7 Feb 2021