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Understanding the brain's cellular building blocks

Understanding the cellular building blocks of the brain, including the number and diversity of cell types, is a fundamental step toward understanding brain function. Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science have created a detailed taxonomy of cells in the mouse visual cortex based on single-cell gene expression, identifying 49 distinct cell types in the largest collection of individual adult cortical neurons characterized by gene expression published to date.

5 Jan 2016

Minor flu strains carry bigger viral punch

Minor variants of flu strains, which are not typically targeted in vaccines, carry a bigger viral punch than previously realized, a team of scientists has found. Its research, which examined samples from the 2009 flu pandemic in Hong Kong, shows that these minor strains are transmitted along with the major strains and can replicate and elude immunizations.

5 Jan 2016

High diversity among circulating tumor cells predicts survival, treatment resistance in prostate cancer patients

Research teams at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Epic Sciences have found that greater diversity among circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of advanced prostate cancer patients predicts not only shorter overall survival, but also the development of resistance to key anti-androgen therapies.

4 Jan 2016

UT Southwestern scientists use new gene-editing technique to prevent progression of DMD in young mice

Using a new gene-editing technique, a team of scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center stopped progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in young mice.

4 Jan 2016

New Penn study shows that social behavior in carpenter ants can be reprogrammed

In Florida carpenter ant colonies, distinct worker castes called minors and majors exhibit pronounced differences in social behavior throughout their lives. In a new study published today in Science, a multi-institution team anchored at University of Pennsylvania found that these caste-specific behaviors are not set in stone.

4 Jan 2016

Researchers successfully use CRISPR to treat adult mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers have used CRISPR to treat an adult mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This marks the first time that CRISPR has successfully treated a genetic disease inside a fully developed living mammal with a strategy that has the potential to be translated to human therapy.

4 Jan 2016

Researchers use dynamic time-series data to help improve accuracy of genome mapping

If you already have the sequenced map of an organism's genome but want to look for structural oddities in a sample, you can check the genomic barcode -- a series of distances between known, targeted sites -- by cutting a DNA sequence at those sites and examining the distance between the cuts.

30 Dec 2015

St. Jude scientists develop interactive tool to advance understanding of mutations that fuel pediatric cancer

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have developed a web application and data set that gives researchers worldwide a powerful interactive tool to advance understanding of the mutations that lead to and fuel pediatric cancer. The freely available tool, called ProteinPaint, is described in today's issue of the scientific journal Nature Genetics.

30 Dec 2015

Researchers identify new gene that helps maintain chromosome number in cells

Molecular biologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a gene called NORAD that helps maintain the proper number of chromosomes in cells, and that when inactivated, causes the number of chromosomes in a cell to become unstable, a key feature of cancer cells.

26 Dec 2015

3D maps of spatial organization may help find genes involved in hereditary diseases

It has now been 15 years since scientists celebrated the completion of the human genome. At that point, scientists had determined the entire sequence of the genetic letters making up our DNA.

26 Dec 2015

Father-daughter duo co-author research paper on new grapefruit cybrids

When Jude Grosser's daughter, Melinda, was in elementary school, he would often take her to his laboratory at the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center, where he works as a researcher on citrus diseases and creating new varieties.

26 Dec 2015

Researchers identify liver-derived hormone that regulates sugar intake

We all love our sugar, especially during the holidays. Cookies, cake, and candy are simply irresistible. While sugar cravings are common, the physiological mechanisms that trigger our "sweet tooth" are not well defined.

24 Dec 2015

Healthier weight using genetic data for customized diets and physical activity plans

Some health experts predict that the next big advance in helping overweight people achieve a healthier weight will be to use an individual's genetic data to customize diets and physical activity plans, an approach known as "precision weight loss.

24 Dec 2015

Computers could discover future drugs

The drugs of tomorrow may be discovered by computers. A proof-of-concept study published December 23 in Cell Systems demonstrates that with the right input of data about infectious yeast, a machine algorithm can learn to identify combinations of existing and previously unknown compounds that can work together as antifungal agents.

24 Dec 2015

Personalised approach may help identify patients’ response to certain cancer treatments

Many people in Russia know about the Dima Rogachev Centre - particularly those who have faced the challenge of child cancer.

23 Dec 2015

Researchers identify cause of rare syndrome consistent with Fanconi Anemia

An international team of researchers has established the cause of rare syndrome consistent with Fanconi Anemia: a de novo mutation in a so called RAD51 gene, which is responsible for repairing damages in the DNA.

23 Dec 2015

Novel drug shows promise in mouse models of human metastatic breast cancer

A doctor treating a patient with a potentially fatal metastatic breast tumor would be very pleased to find, after administering a round of treatment, that the primary tumor had undergone a change in character - from aggressive to static, and no longer shedding cells that can colonize distant organs of the body. Indeed, most patients with breast and other forms of cancer who succumb to the illness do so because of the cancer's unstoppable spread.

23 Dec 2015

Researchers reveal inherited genetic errors across 12 cancer types

Researchers long have known that some portion of the risk of developing cancer is hereditary and that inherited genetic errors are very important in some tumors but much less so in others.

22 Dec 2015

Study reveals new genetic factors linked to age-related macular degeneration

An international study of about 43,000 people has significantly expanded the number of genetic factors known to play a role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss among people age 50 and older.

22 Dec 2015

Scientists identify 52 genetic variations associated with age-related macular degeneration

In one of the latest examples of precision medicine, teams of geneticists from nine countries, involving more than 100 scientists, analyzed the genes of more than 33,000 individuals in the hope of finding genetic variations responsible for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss among people age 50 or older.

22 Dec 2015

Genome News and Research

Understanding the brain's cellular building blocks

Minor flu strains carry bigger viral punch

High diversity among circulating tumor cells predicts survival, treatment resistance in prostate cancer patients

UT Southwestern scientists use new gene-editing technique to prevent progression of DMD in young mice

New Penn study shows that social behavior in carpenter ants can be reprogrammed

Researchers successfully use CRISPR to treat adult mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers use dynamic time-series data to help improve accuracy of genome mapping

St. Jude scientists develop interactive tool to advance understanding of mutations that fuel pediatric cancer

Researchers identify new gene that helps maintain chromosome number in cells

3D maps of spatial organization may help find genes involved in hereditary diseases

Father-daughter duo co-author research paper on new grapefruit cybrids

Researchers identify liver-derived hormone that regulates sugar intake

Healthier weight using genetic data for customized diets and physical activity plans

Computers could discover future drugs

Personalised approach may help identify patients’ response to certain cancer treatments

Researchers identify cause of rare syndrome consistent with Fanconi Anemia

Novel drug shows promise in mouse models of human metastatic breast cancer

Researchers reveal inherited genetic errors across 12 cancer types

Study reveals new genetic factors linked to age-related macular degeneration

Scientists identify 52 genetic variations associated with age-related macular degeneration

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