Genes News and Research

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Bacteria that live in soil and on people have extensive antibiotic-destroying genes

The latest generation of tetracyclines - a class of powerful, first-line antibiotics - was designed to thwart the two most common ways bacteria resist such drugs.

3 Jun 2020

A vectored vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2

The current pandemic of COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a betacoronavirus similar to that which caused the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV earlier. Scientists are pursuing therapeutic drugs and vaccines to counter the relentless spread of the virus, but so far, none has been established to be effective. However, several are in clinical trials in various parts of the world.

2 Jun 2020

Study maps genes essential for metabolic function of two common bacteria

A study in Cell Reports maps genes essential for the metabolic function of M. agalactiae and M. pneumoniae, two common bacteria that infect livestock and humans respectively.

2 Jun 2020

Bacteria lurking in cancer cells may affect treatment

Cancer cells are comfy havens for bacteria. That conclusion arises from a rigorous study of over 1,000 tumor samples of different human cancers.

2 Jun 2020

Study reveals how a fat cell's immune response worsens obesity

When obesity occurs, a person's own fat cells can set off a complex inflammatory chain reaction that can further disrupt metabolism and weaken immune response--potentially placing people at higher risk of poor outcomes from a variety of diseases and infections, including COVID-19.

2 Jun 2020

New advance addresses a big challenge with using CRISPR in cancer patients

A mutation unique to certain cancer tumors is a potential homing beacon for safely deploying CRISPR gene editing enzymes to disarm DNA that makes cancer cells resistant to treatment, while ignoring the gene in normal cells where it's critical to healthy function, according to a new study from ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute in the journal Molecular Cancer Research.

2 Jun 2020

Expression of certain genes may play role in susceptibility to PTSD

Results from a new study suggest that whether certain genes are expressed -- turned on or off-- may play a role in susceptibility to post-traumatic stress disorder.

2 Jun 2020

Explosion of immune cells in mouse lungs after birth may help protect against infections

An explosion in the number and types of immune cells in the lungs of newborn mice likely helps them adapt to breathing and protects them from infection, says a new study published today in eLife.

2 Jun 2020

Polygenic risk scores may improve clinical assessment of patients with elevated heart attack risk

Genetic variants have been linked with a higher risk of having a heart attack, permitting the calculation of "polygenic risk scores" (PRS) that quantify patients' inherited susceptibility based on the number of variants they have.

2 Jun 2020

Gene discovery in fruit flies could lead to treatments for age-related hearing loss

Scientists at UCL have discovered sets of regulatory genes, which are responsible for maintaining healthy hearing. The finding, made in fruit flies, could potentially lead to treatments for age-related hearing loss (ARHL) in humans.

2 Jun 2020

Study identifies gene that causes eye loss in cavefish

Mexican cavefish spend their entire lives in the dark. With no need for vision, many of them lost functional eyes.

2 Jun 2020

Fraunhofer researchers investigate the mechanisms of metastasis formation

What makes tumor cells turn murderous? The Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM is investigating the mechanisms of metastasis formation - and searching for approaches for new treatments in the fight against cancer.

2 Jun 2020

Journal publication supports Synlogic’s first clinical immuno-oncology program, SYNB1891

Synlogic, Inc., a clinical-stage company applying synthetic biology to beneficial microbes to develop novel, living medicines, today announced the publication in Nature Communications of preclinical data supporting its first clinical immuno-oncology program, SYNB1891, which is being evaluated in Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphoma.

2 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 emergence could be due to genetic selection and recombination

Researchers have found that genetic selection and recombination could be behind the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or COVID-19 disease. This research could explain COVID-19 pandemic and its emergence. The study titled, “Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 through recombination and strong purifying selection,” was published in the journal Science Advances.

1 Jun 2020

Study resolves contradictions surrounding p53 gene's role in pluripotent stem cell differentiation

The gene p53 is extremely important in cell biology and, hence, the world of cell replacement therapy. Its role is to regulate the cell cycle and halt the formation of tumors, leading to its nickname the "tumor suppressor gene."

1 Jun 2020

Study could make genetic testing more accessible to women

Genetic testing for cancer risk can significantly improve the prevention or treatment of hereditary cancers, but studies have shown that people who might have a genetic risk often don't get tested.

1 Jun 2020

A moving target identified in small cell lung tumors

Lung cancers account for approximately 25 percent of all cancer deaths. Even among those who do not smoke, 1 in 15 men and 1 in 17 women are expected to develop lung cancer in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.

1 Jun 2020

Genetic screening could be effective at detecting undiagnosed cases of prostate cancer

Genetic screening for prostate cancer in GP surgeries could be effective at picking up otherwise undiagnosed cases of the disease, a new pilot study shows.

31 May 2020

Genetic shuffling and evolutionary selection may have led to SARS-CoV-2 emergence

A combination of genetic shuffling and evolutionary selection of near-identical genetic sequences among specific bat and pangolin coronaviruses may have led to the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and its introduction into humans, a new study suggests.

30 May 2020

Scientists identify factors influencing outcomes in kidney cancer patients treated with immunotherapy

By analyzing tumors from patients treated with immunotherapy for advanced kidney cancer in three clinical trials, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists have identified several features of the tumors that influence their response to immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs.

30 May 2020

Genes News and Research

Bacteria that live in soil and on people have extensive antibiotic-destroying genes

A vectored vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2

Study maps genes essential for metabolic function of two common bacteria

Bacteria lurking in cancer cells may affect treatment

Study reveals how a fat cell's immune response worsens obesity

New advance addresses a big challenge with using CRISPR in cancer patients

Expression of certain genes may play role in susceptibility to PTSD

Explosion of immune cells in mouse lungs after birth may help protect against infections

Polygenic risk scores may improve clinical assessment of patients with elevated heart attack risk

Gene discovery in fruit flies could lead to treatments for age-related hearing loss

Study identifies gene that causes eye loss in cavefish

Fraunhofer researchers investigate the mechanisms of metastasis formation

Journal publication supports Synlogic’s first clinical immuno-oncology program, SYNB1891

SARS-CoV-2 emergence could be due to genetic selection and recombination

Study resolves contradictions surrounding p53 gene's role in pluripotent stem cell differentiation

Study could make genetic testing more accessible to women

A moving target identified in small cell lung tumors

Genetic screening could be effective at detecting undiagnosed cases of prostate cancer

Genetic shuffling and evolutionary selection may have led to SARS-CoV-2 emergence

Scientists identify factors influencing outcomes in kidney cancer patients treated with immunotherapy

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