Genes News and Research

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Overzealous guardians in the cells could increase cancer risk

Researchers at the UiO and OUS have discovered how destructive changes occur in our genome. This could lead to cancer. Their results have been published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

9 Jul 2020

Proximity to natural environments benefits formula-fed babies' gut microbiome

Living close to natural green space can mitigate some of the changes in infant gut bacteria associated with formula feeding, according to new research published in the journal Environment International.

9 Jul 2020

DNA hypermethylation correlated with reduced amygdala volume in male patients with schizophrenia

Researchers at Kumamoto University, Japan have revealed that DNA methylation occurs in the gene that codes serotonin transporter (SERT), a protein that regulates neurotransmitter transmission, in schizophrenia and bipolar patients.

9 Jul 2020

Bats offer clues to combat COVID-19

Bats are often considered patient zero for many deadly viruses affecting humans, including Ebola, rabies, and, most recently, the SARS-CoV-2 strain of virus that causes coronavirus.

9 Jul 2020

Groundbreaking study identifies unique lung cells that may drive pulmonary fibrosis

A groundbreaking study published today and led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute, an affiliate of City of Hope, identifies unique lung cells that may drive Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a deadly lung disease that affects hundreds of thousands of Americans, and for which there is no cure.

9 Jul 2020

Researchers identify factor that regulates the abnormal growth of heart

The human heart is like a sponge, able to expand and grow, increasing its capacity to take up blood. In theory, an enlarged heart can also squeeze out more blood, with more power, than an average-sized heart. But in reality, for most people, this growth - known as cardiac hypertrophy - is abnormal and signals trouble.

9 Jul 2020

Genomics can perpetuate inequality and structural racism

Genomics is crowding out ways of reducing inequality, has thwarted medicine from advancing justice, and is creating new forms of social classification and surveillance.

9 Jul 2020

New method helps pinpoint new potential therapeutic targets for lupus

A team of researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) used a new method of pinpointing potential disease-causing changes in the genome to identify two new potential therapeutic targets for lupus, while also paving the way for more accurately identifying disease-causing variations in other autoimmune disorders.

8 Jul 2020

Tracing adaptation to ACE2 use in sarbecoviruses

A detailed study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 argues that recombination accounts for the appearance of the ability of both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 to use the human angiotensin-converting enzyme (hACE) 2 as the binding receptor mediating viral infection of human cells.

8 Jul 2020

UC Santa Cruz- led research center focuses on botanical natural products

Although millions of people take plant-based dietary supplements or herbal medicines, understanding the effects of these natural products on human health has proven to be extremely challenging.

8 Jul 2020

Researchers map non-coding, 'functional' genome in maize during early reproductive development

Growth and development of all organisms depends on coordinated regulation of gene expression in time and space, and this is largely controlled by non-coding sequences in the genome.

8 Jul 2020

Unique nanoparticle can reduce side effects, increase the effectiveness of cancer treatment

A unique nanoparticle to deliver a localized cancer treatment inhibits tumor growth in mice, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

8 Jul 2020

Study: E. coli Nissle may also protect human cells against other pathogenic strains

Typically, there aren't a lot of positive thoughts when E. coli, generally found in animal and human intestines, is mentioned. It's been blamed for closing beaches and swimming pools and shuttering restaurants because of contamination in salad bars, meats or other food items.

8 Jul 2020

Untargeted metabolomics can determine genetic variant to improve patient diagnosis

A patient and family walk into a doctor's office. They hope that the latest tests will reveal what is causing the patient's illness and end the diagnostic odyssey they have been going through for years.

8 Jul 2020

RNA plays key role in helping stem cells know what to become

Look deep inside our cells, and you'll find that each has an identical genome -a complete set of genes that provides the instructions for our cells' form and function.

7 Jul 2020

Scientists receive grant to study cerebrovascular changes during healthy and Alzheimer's aging

Scientists often focus on abnormal accumulations of proteins called plaques in the brain in efforts to find a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. But the effects of these plaques have not been clear.

7 Jul 2020

Corn-based diet with flavonoids alleviates IBD-like symptoms in mice

Flavonoids from a specific line of corn act as anti-inflammatory agents in the guts of mice with an inflammatory-bowel-disease-like condition, according to a team of researchers who said flavonoid-rich corn should be studied to determine its potential to provide a protective effect on human health.

7 Jul 2020

Risk of severe COVID-19 in ~50 kb genomic segment inherited from Neanderthals

Researchers have found that a small fragment of the genetic code that has been inherited by modern humans from Neanderthals could carry the secret of why some people succumb to a severe form of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization, while others recover.

7 Jul 2020

Gene expression networks flag potential therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2

An international team of researchers from Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United States has identified dozens of genes that could contribute to the pathology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and serve as potential therapeutic targets.

7 Jul 2020

Researchers use nanoparticles to deliver gene therapy for blinding eye disease

In experiments in rats and mice, two Johns Hopkins scientists - an engineer and an ophthalmologist - report the successful use of nanoparticles to deliver gene therapy for blinding eye disease.

7 Jul 2020