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JAX study sheds light on infection vulnerability in patients with rare mitochondrial diseases

Patients with rare mitochondrial diseases already face a host of serious health issues, from muscle weakness to neurological problems and heart conditions.

21 May 2025

Researchers discover a genetic link to long COVID

An international team of researchers has found a genetic link to long-term symptoms after COVID-19.

21 May 2025

New multiple myeloma-like score assesses disease severity and risk of progression to active cancer

A new risk assessment score developed by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard reveals how multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, begins and progresses from precancerous to malignant states by tracing DNA mutations.

21 May 2025

New genetic test speeds up brain tumor diagnosis to just two hours

Scientists and medics have developed an ultra-rapid method of genetically diagnosing brain tumors that will cut the time it takes to classify them from 6-8 weeks, to as little as two hours – which could improve care for thousands of patients each year in the UK.

21 May 2025

Gut bacteria and genes jointly shape obesity risk, review reveals hidden links

Researchers examined the heritability of body mass index (BMI), highlighting that genetics and the gut microbiome both play major roles in obesity risk. The review emphasizes that maternal microbiome transmission and family environment may help explain “missing heritability” beyond known genetic factors.

20 May 2025

New blood test detects HPV-linked head and neck cancer with unmatched accuracy

A new liquid biopsy blood test could help detect cases of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated head and neck cancers with significantly higher accuracy than currently used methods, including before patients develop symptoms, according to new Mass General Brigham research.

20 May 2025

What makes H5N1 a pandemic risk and how can we stop it?

A new PEARLS article in PLoS Pathogens reviews the rapid evolution and pandemic potential of emerging influenza A viruses, with a focus on H5N1. It highlights scientific advances and future strategies to outpace the virus, from next-generation vaccines to AI-driven antiviral discovery.

19 May 2025

Study reveals how PAX3 protein drives melanoma growth

PAX3 is a transcription factor (proteins involved in converting DNA into RNA) that drives melanoma progression by promoting cell growth, migration and survival, while inhibiting cellular terminal differentiation, which is the final stage where a cell becomes specialized and cell division ends.

19 May 2025

Research identifies seven genes that drive hematopoietic stem cell fate

Stem cells can produce any other cell type, it is just a matter of telling them in the right way. From a biological perspective, this means activating the proper genetic programme by pressing the right keys, this is, the right genes, at the right moment.

16 May 2025

Study reveals subtle effects of recessive mutations on health and reproduction

As a group, carriers of recessive disorders are slightly less healthy and have a reduced chance of having offspring.

16 May 2025

New gene editor evoCAST enables precise insertion of complete genes

Ask scientists what gene editing tool is most needed to advance gene therapy, and they'd probably describe a system that's now close to realization in the labs of Samuel Sternberg at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and David Liu at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

15 May 2025

Breakthrough bat organoid platform sheds light on behavior of zoonotic viruses

Did you know that more than 75% of new infectious diseases affecting humans originally come from animals? Bats, in particular, are natural hosts to some of the world's most dangerous viruses, including those responsible for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), MERS-CoV, influenza A, and hantavirus outbreaks.

15 May 2025

New genetic database sheds light on Brazil’s ancestry and disease risks

Since the human genome was first sequenced in 2003, the world's scientific community has been racing to decipher this "book" written in an alphabet of four letters.

15 May 2025

Customized CRISPR gene editing therapy successfully treats infant with rare disease

In a historic medical breakthrough, a child diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder has been successfully treated with a customized CRISPR gene editing therapy by a team at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine.

15 May 2025

Two genetic variants linked to breast cancer discovered in black South African women

Genetic factors contribute to some 30% of breast cancer cases in SA, necessitating investment in genomic research in African contexts.

15 May 2025

Air travel disrupts DNA repair in flight crew, raising cancer concerns

Researchers found that flight attendants show reduced DNA repair capacity and immune changes after air travel, which may help explain their higher cancer risk.

14 May 2025

How 196,000 Spanish participants are helping decode heart disease risk

The CORDELIA study combines data from 35 Spanish cohorts (n = 196,632) to investigate genetic, clinical, and lifestyle risk factors for ASCVD in Southern Europe. It aims to conduct the region’s most comprehensive genome-wide association study and develop tailored risk prediction tools.

14 May 2025

HIV uses circular RNAs to evade immunity and boost replication

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine have identified a never-before-seen mechanism that enables the human immunodeficiency type 1 virus (HIV-1) to evade the body's natural defenses and use it to support its survival and replication.

13 May 2025

University of Tokyo team accelerates bacterial genome evolution in the lab

The genome structure — how genes are organized within DNA sequences in an organism — is fundamental to the processes and functions of organisms.

13 May 2025

DiffInvex identifies key genes driving chemotherapy resistance

Just as species adapt over generations, our body's cells accumulate DNA changes throughout life. Most are harmless, yet a few "driver" mutations give a cell a competitive edge and can spark cancer.

13 May 2025