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Study reveals key role of opsin 3 in regulating food intake and energy balance

Scientists discovered years ago that the hypothalamus - which helps to manage body temperature, hunger, sex drive, sleep and more - includes neurons that express the protein opsin 3 (OPN3).

14 Feb 2025

Researchers identify genetic cause of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor Genetics and collaborating institutions provided a long-awaited and rare genetic diagnosis in a child with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a type of developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), associated with a severe, complex form of epilepsy and developmental delay.

14 Feb 2025

Addressing the global challenge of bacterial STIs

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hundreds of millions of new cases of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are reported worldwide each year. Many infections go undiagnosed due to their often silent symptoms, contributing to transmission, disease and complications such as infertility and miscarriage.

14 Feb 2025

Discovery of gene silencer offers hope for autosomal dominant leukodystrophy

A team led by University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health geneticists has shown, for the first time, that a gene "silencer" that resides in junk DNA is directly sparing people from a devastating and fatal progressive neurological disease.

13 Feb 2025

Researchers discover genetic mutation linked to toxic protein buildup in Alzheimer's

The root causes of most forms of Alzheimer's disease largely remain a mystery. Now, researchers have revealed a new piece of the puzzle.

13 Feb 2025

Study reveals key mechanisms behind cancer cells adapting to extra chromosomes

Cancer cells have special adaptation mechanisms that allow them to proliferate despite changes in their genetic makeup.

13 Feb 2025

Guardian molecule found to prevent cancer cells from changing identity

A guardian molecule ensures that liver cells do not lose their identity. This has been discovered by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Hector Institute für Translational Brain Research (HITBR), and from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).

13 Feb 2025

Study identifies novel enhancers linked to neuropsychiatric disorders

Neuropsychiatric disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent. Given their complex and multifactorial pathogenesis, there is an urgent need for effective and targeted therapies that can improve patients' quality of life.

13 Feb 2025

Study uncovers how MAGE-4 and Pten loss promote aggressive tumor growth

A study published in Science Advances reveals a novel strategy that allows tumors to evade the body's immune response critical for their elimination.

12 Feb 2025

Groundbreaking malaria vaccine provides high-level protection with just one dose

Scientists at Sanaria and Seattle Children's Research Institute's Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR) have unveiled a groundbreaking malaria vaccine, Sanaria® PfSPZ-LARC2 Vaccine, designed to provide high-level protection with just one dose.

12 Feb 2025

UCLA study reveals key role of mismatch repair genes in Huntington’s disease

A new UCLA Health study has discovered in mouse models that genes associated with repairing mismatched DNA are critical in eliciting damages to neurons that are most vulnerable in Huntington's disease and triggering downstream pathologies and motor impairment, shedding light on disease mechanisms and potential new ways to develop therapies.

11 Feb 2025

Scientists discover functional role of introns in cells

Scientists have discovered that some tiny segments of RNA thought to be junk instead have a functional role in suppressing production of certain messenger RNAs and appear to help cells respond to oxidative stress.

11 Feb 2025

Alzheimer’s escape: How one man defied his genetic fate for nearly two decades

A groundbreaking study reveals how a rare combination of genetics, proteomics, and environmental factors may hold the key to delaying or preventing Alzheimer's, challenging long-held assumptions about the disease.

11 Feb 2025

One shot to lower cholesterol for life? Scientists unlock a groundbreaking gene therapy

Researchers developed an epigenetic editing approach to silence the PCSK9 gene, achieving long-term cholesterol reduction without altering DNA, offering a potential one-time treatment for high cholesterol.

11 Feb 2025

Adverse pregnancy outcomes increase cardiovascular risk, even in unaffected sisters

A study reveals that women with adverse pregnancy outcomes and their APO-free sisters share elevated cardiovascular disease risks, indicating genetic links.

11 Feb 2025

Yale rewrites genetic code for new proteins

Synthetic biologists from Yale were able to re-write the genetic code of an organism - a novel genomically recoded organism (GRO) with one stop codon - using a cellular platform that they developed enabling the production of new classes of synthetic proteins. These synthetic proteins, researchers say, offer the promise of innumerable medical and industrial applications that can benefit society and human health.

11 Feb 2025

Tick-borne encephalitis emerges in Britain: Experts urge vigilance

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) has now been confirmed in locally acquired human cases in the U.K., with evidence of established transmission in British tick populations. Increased surveillance and clinician awareness are crucial to detecting and managing this emerging threat.

10 Feb 2025

Study reveals link between traumatic experiences and endometriosis risk

The study finds a connection between trauma and endometriosis, suggesting that addressing psychological factors could improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes.

10 Feb 2025

Bat gene provides insight into fighting COVID-19 and other viral diseases

Five years removed from the COVID-19 outbreak, scientists around the world are still studying its effects and, more importantly, ways those effects can be mitigated in the future.

8 Feb 2025

Distinct myeloid-derived suppressor cell populations fuel aggressive brain tumor growth

A type of aggressive, treatment-resistant brain tumor has a distinct population of immune cells that support its growth, according to new research led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

7 Feb 2025