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Researchers uncover how Entamoeba histolytica evades the immune system

The single-celled parasite Entamoeba histolytica infects 50 million people each year, killing nearly 70,000. Usually, this wily, shape-shifting amoeba causes nothing worse than diarrhea.

12 May 2025

Scientists link specific gene variants to post-vaccine myocarditis and pericarditis

A genome-wide association study in Sweden identified rare genetic variants near the SCAF11 and LRRC4C genes that may be linked to heart inflammation following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. The findings shed light on potential biological pathways driving vaccine-associated myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly among younger individuals.

11 May 2025

DNA strand separation requires more force in crowded cellular environments

By creating a more true-to-life representation of DNA's environment, researchers at Northwestern University have discovered that strand separation - the essential process a "resting" double helix undergoes before it can initiate replication or make repairs - may take more mechanical force than the field previously believed.

11 May 2025

Newly identified gene mutation causes severe form of Fanconi anemia

Fanconi anemia is an aggressive, life-threatening disorder. Most individuals living with this rare genetic condition, characterized by bone marrow failure and cancer predisposition, survive into adulthood only with bone marrow transplantation and regular cancer screening.

11 May 2025

Machine learning model guides smarter gene selection in newborn screening

More than a decade ago, researchers launched the BabySeq Project, a pilot program to return newborn genomic sequencing results to parents and measure the effects on newborn care.

10 May 2025

Unlocking the mechanism behind marine bacterium’s ability to clean up oil spills

The marine bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis feeds on oil, multiplying rapidly in the wake of oil spills, and thereby accelerating the elimination of the pollution, in many cases.

10 May 2025

Parental genes found to play role in child outcomes without direct inheritance

Parents' genes - even when not directly inherited by a child - may play a role in their educational and mental health outcomes, finds a new report by UCL researchers.

9 May 2025

Why your baby’s first steps may be written in their DNA

Researchers identified 11 genetic loci linked to the age at which infants start walking, revealing that this milestone is influenced by thousands of common genetic variants. These genetic factors also correlate with brain development, cognitive traits, and neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD.

8 May 2025

New immunotherapy target found in pancreatic cancer cells

Researchers from MIT and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered that a class of peptides expressed in pancreatic cancer cells could be a promising target for T-cell therapies and other approaches that attack pancreatic tumors.

8 May 2025

Scientists build world's most accessible gut bacteria collection to unlock health and disease clues

Researchers have developed the Human Intestinal Bacteria Collection (HiBC), comprising 340 gut bacterial strains from 198 species, including 29 newly described taxa, made publicly available for functional microbiome research.

7 May 2025

Teen drivers face higher risks in older vehicles

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. Newer vehicles and driver assistance technologies show promise in reducing crashes and injury severities.

7 May 2025

A comprehensive review of vaccine approaches for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), caused by the tick-borne severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), is a disease that is endemic to East Asia and has mortality rates reaching 30%.

6 May 2025

Tiny RNA tag plays big role in cellular stress response

A tiny chemical modification commonly found on messenger RNAs plays a surprisingly large role in how cells respond to stress, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

6 May 2025

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

In this interview, industry expert Dr. Lohit Khera discusses the evolving role of microRNA in research, diagnostics, and precision medicine, highlighting the latest innovations in RNA extraction and analysis

From Norgen Biotek Corp. 6 May 2025

Trump team’s $500 million bet on old vaccine technology puzzles scientists

The Trump administration's unprecedented $500 million grant for a broadly protective flu shot has confounded vaccine and pandemic preparedness experts, who said the project was in early stages, relied on old technology, and was just one of more than 200 such efforts.

5 May 2025

Gene-edited immune cells show promise against advanced GI cancers

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have completed a first-in-human clinical trial testing a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technique to help the immune system fight advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.

3 May 2025

New gene editing tool enables precise control of mitochondrial mutation load

Mitochondrial diseases affect approximately 1 in 5,000 people worldwide, causing debilitating symptoms ranging from muscle weakness to stroke-like episodes.

3 May 2025

Study uncovers how a mobile genetic element hijacks human cells

Viruses are known to use the genetic machinery of the human cells they invade to make copies of themselves. As part of the process, viruses leave behind remnants throughout the genetic material (genomes) of humans.

2 May 2025

Clusterin identified as key marker for aging in blood stem cells

In recent years, there has been a growing trend of an aging patient population and an increasing prevalence of age-associated diseases, underscoring the need for advancing research into the biological mechanisms of aging.

30 Apr 2025

Study links pregnancy specific genes to poorer lung cancer outcomes in women

Lung cancer can co-opt genes that normally help a fetus develop and evade the mother's immune system. And while these pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) can get activated in the cancers of both men and women, female patients had poorer outcomes, a Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) research team has found.

29 Apr 2025