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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

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