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Gene variations predispose mestizo Mexican population to develop severe form of COPD

A study by Ramcés Falfán-Valencia, researcher at the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, found that the mestizo Mexican population has a number of variations in certain genes that predispose them to develop the most severe form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

19 Dec 2014

Endogenous retroviruses also play critical role in the body's immune defense against pathogens

Retroviruses are best known for causing contagious scourges such as AIDS, or more sporadically, cancer.

19 Dec 2014

New analysis finds global improvements in life expectancy

Global life expectancy increased by 5.8 years in men and 6.6 years in women between 1990 and 2013, according to a major new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 (GBD 2013).

19 Dec 2014

Penn, UGA scientists awarded new contract to develop genome database for microbial pathogens

At the turn of the millennium, the cost to sequence a single human genome exceeded $50 million, and the process took a decade to complete. Microbes have genomes, too, and the first reference genome for a malaria parasite was completed in 2002 at a cost of roughly $15 million. But today researchers can sequence a genome in a single afternoon for just a few thousand dollars. Related technologies make it possible to capture information about all genes in the genome, in all tissues, from multiple individuals.

18 Dec 2014

Researchers reveal common features responsible for antibiotic resistance

Treating bacterial infections with antibiotics is becoming increasingly difficult as bacteria develop resistance not only to the antibiotics being used against them, but also to ones they have never encountered before. By analyzing genetic and phenotypic changes in antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli, researchers at the RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center in Japan have revealed a common set of features that appear to be responsible for the development of resistance to several types of antibiotics.

18 Dec 2014

Study offers insights into mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial peptides

Antimicrobial peptides are a distinctive class of potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics produced by the body's innate immune system--the first line of defense against disease-causing microbes.

18 Dec 2014

Research findings may lead to new treatment strategies for Ewing sarcoma

The genetic abnormality that drives the bone cancer Ewing sarcoma operates through two distinct processes - both activating genes that stimulate tumor growth and suppressing those that should keep cancer from developing. These findings by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators, published in the November issue of Cancer Cell, may lead to new therapies targeting these aberrant mechanisms.

18 Dec 2014

Scientists discover how certain gut bacteria can protect themselves, others from antibiotics

Scientists from the Institute of Food Research and the University of East Anglia have discovered how certain gut bacteria can protect themselves and others in the gut from antibiotics.

18 Dec 2014

Novel technique to identify biological markers in brain development

With a unique, multi-faceted approach, researchers at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development have quantified the effect of previously unidentified anomalies in genetic expression that determine how the human brain develops from its earliest stages.

17 Dec 2014

New study shows that people may inherit intestinal bacteria that cause inflammatory bowel disease

A new study by an international team of researchers shows for the first time that people may inherit some of the intestinal bacteria that cause Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively know as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The study, recently published in Genome Medicine, also confirmed that antibiotics could worsen the imbalance in the gut microbes.

16 Dec 2014

UTSA receives NIH grant to develop bioinformatics tools to find cause of breast cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers, and about one in eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a $1.08 million grant to The University of Texas at San Antonio to combine computational modeling with biological information to advance our understanding of what may cause breast cells to become cancerous.

16 Dec 2014

Scientists demonstrate technique for editing genome in sperm-producing adult stem cells

Scientists at Indiana University and colleagues at Stanford and the University of Texas have demonstrated a technique for "editing" the genome in sperm-producing adult stem cells, a result with powerful potential for basic research and for gene therapy.

16 Dec 2014

Experiments to probe bacteria virulence in low gravity of space station

The University of Colorado Boulder will fly state-of-the-art hardware on the commercial SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launching to the International Space Station Dec. 19 to support experiments designed to better understand why the virulence of some pathogens increases in the low gravity of space.

14 Dec 2014

Experts expose fundamental role of chaos and complexity in biological information processing

The interdisciplinary approach to problems that till recently were addressed in the hermetic framework of distinct disciplines such as physics, informatics, biology or sociology constitutes today one of the most active and innovative areas of science, where fundamental issues meet problems of everyday concern.

14 Dec 2014

Researchers uncover mechanism that helps white fat cells to become browner

White adipose tissue stores excess calories as fat that can be released for use in other organs during fasting. Mammals also have small amounts of brown adipose tissue, which primarily acts as an effective fat burner for the production of heat. Now researchers from the University of Southern Denmark have uncovered the mechanism by which white fat cells from humans gets reprogrammed to become browner.

14 Dec 2014

Researchers assemble first high-resolution, 3-D maps of folded genomes

In a triumph for cell biology, researchers have assembled the first high-resolution, 3-D maps of entire folded genomes and found a structural basis for gene regulation -- a kind of "genomic origami" that allows the same genome to produce different types of cells. The research appears online today in Cell.

14 Dec 2014

TGen uncovers way to track cause of neurological disorder in a young girl

Using a basic genetic difference between men and women, the Translational Genomics Research Institute has uncovered a way to track down the source of a neurological disorder in a young girl.

14 Dec 2014

HudsonAlpha buys Illumina HiSeq X Ten sequencing system

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology today announced it has purchased the HiSeq X Ten sequencing system manufactured by Illumina, Inc. The technology will enable HudsonAlpha to produce and analyze genomic data faster and at a lower cost. The purchase stems from the Institute's commitment to research programs for genomics excellence in patient care.

From Illumina, Inc. 14 Dec 2014

New study investigates use of DNA barcoding to test authenticity of popular herbal supplements

Dr. Damon Little, Associate Curator of Bioinformatics in the Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics at The New York Botanical Garden, has just published a new study in the journal Genome investigating the use of DNA barcoding to test the authenticity of Ginkgo biloba (G. biloba), an herbal dietary supplement sold to consumers that is supposed to boost cognitive capacity.

12 Dec 2014

New statistical model enables better identification of different cell types in solid tumors

A new statistical model developed by a research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute may enable physicians to create personalized cancer treatments for patients based on the specific genetic mutations found in their tumors.

12 Dec 2014

Genome News and Research

Gene variations predispose mestizo Mexican population to develop severe form of COPD

Endogenous retroviruses also play critical role in the body's immune defense against pathogens

New analysis finds global improvements in life expectancy

Penn, UGA scientists awarded new contract to develop genome database for microbial pathogens

Researchers reveal common features responsible for antibiotic resistance

Study offers insights into mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial peptides

Research findings may lead to new treatment strategies for Ewing sarcoma

Scientists discover how certain gut bacteria can protect themselves, others from antibiotics

Novel technique to identify biological markers in brain development

New study shows that people may inherit intestinal bacteria that cause inflammatory bowel disease

UTSA receives NIH grant to develop bioinformatics tools to find cause of breast cancer

Scientists demonstrate technique for editing genome in sperm-producing adult stem cells

Experiments to probe bacteria virulence in low gravity of space station

Experts expose fundamental role of chaos and complexity in biological information processing

Researchers uncover mechanism that helps white fat cells to become browner

Researchers assemble first high-resolution, 3-D maps of folded genomes

TGen uncovers way to track cause of neurological disorder in a young girl

HudsonAlpha buys Illumina HiSeq X Ten sequencing system

New study investigates use of DNA barcoding to test authenticity of popular herbal supplements

New statistical model enables better identification of different cell types in solid tumors

The art of CRISPR: The power and promise of gene editing eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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