Genetic News and Research

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Researchers apply CRISPR technology to eliminate fusion genes present in tumor cells

The CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tool is one of the most promising approaches to advancing treatments of genetic diseases - including cancer -, an area of research where progress is constantly being made.

9 Oct 2020

Excess genetic exchanges impede the segregation of chromosomes into eggs

The exchange of DNA between chromosomes during the early formation of sperm and egg cells normally is limited to assure fertility.

8 Oct 2020

Breakthrough genetic discovery into the cause of severe neurological conditions

Researchers have made a breakthrough genetic discovery into the cause of a spectrum of severe neurological conditions.

8 Oct 2020

Using mRNA therapies or CRISPR gene editing to treat cystic fibrosis

The potential for treating cystic fibrosis (CF) using mRNA therapies or CRISPR gene editing is possible regardless of the causative mutation. CF clinical trials showing that a genotype-agnostic gene therapy for CF is possible are reviewed in the peer-reviewed journal Human Gene Therapy.

8 Oct 2020

Exome sequencing sheds light on genetic causes of nonimmune hydrops fetalis

A new study by University of California researchers shows the promise of high-throughput DNA-sequencing technologies to improve prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy outcomes for women who have experienced an abnormal prenatal ultrasound.

8 Oct 2020

Researchers discover a principle that explains metastasizing of prostate cancer

An international research team has discovered a principle that explains the metastasizing of prostate cancer.

8 Oct 2020

Diet and folic acid can influence pregnancy outcomes

Healthy dietary choices are not only important for expectant mothers during the early months of pregnancy but equally important in the months prior to conception.

8 Oct 2020

Researchers track down two new relatives of rubella virus

At night in a Ugandan forest, a team of American and African scientists take oral swabs from insect-eating cyclops leaf-nosed bats.

8 Oct 2020

Simple sugar in human breast milk can promote myelin repair in multiple sclerosis patients

N-acetylglucosamine, a simple sugar found in human breast milk and sold as an over-the-counter dietary supplement in the United States, promotes myelin repair in mouse models and correlates with myelination levels in multiple sclerosis patients according to a new University of California, Irvine-led study.

8 Oct 2020

Study: Thymoquinone selectively kills prostate cancer cells at advanced stages

The compound thymoquinone (TQ) selectively kills prostate cancer cells at advanced stages, according to a new study published in Oncogene.

8 Oct 2020

Vitamin D deficiency may predict COVID-19 seroconversion

A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 reports the potential contribution of vitamin D deficiency to an increased risk of COVID-19 in a subset of health care workers in the UK.

8 Oct 2020

Plasma ABO protein is a causal risk factor for severe COVID-19

Researchers used an integrative genomics approach to find the genes responsible for COVID-19 and its severity.

7 Oct 2020

New biomarker may help identify patients at risk for graft-versus-host disease after stem cell transplants

A recent report published in Science Translational Medicine by MUSC Hollings Cancer Center investigator Sophie Paczesny, M.D., Ph.D., sheds light on immune cell biomarkers that may reveal which patients are most at risk for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a life-threatening condition that can arise after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for treatment of liquid cancers such as leukemia.

7 Oct 2020

Oral cancer pain may help predict metastasis

Oral cancer is more likely to spread in patients experiencing high levels of pain, according to a team of researchers at New York University College of Dentistry that found genetic and cellular clues as to why metastatic oral cancers are so painful.

7 Oct 2020

UC Davis School of Medicine and UTHealth receive NIH grant for dementia research

A team of brain scientists from UC Davis School of Medicine and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has been awarded a six-year grant expected to total $53.6 million from the National Institutes of Health.

7 Oct 2020

Biodegradable microneedle patch for local therapeutic gene delivery

There is great potential in gene therapy for treating certain types of cancer and genetic defects, immunological diseases, wounds and infections. The therapies work by delivering genes into the patients' cells, which then produce therapeutic proteins to treat the affliction.

7 Oct 2020

Amniotic fluid stem cells may lead to better treatment for ischemic stroke

A study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine points the way to a possible new avenue of treatment for ischemic stroke.

7 Oct 2020

Rare gene mutations can cause cerebral palsy, confirms new study

An international research team including the University of Adelaide has found further evidence that rare gene mutations can cause cerebral palsy, findings which could lead to earlier diagnosis and new treatments for this devastating movement disorder.

7 Oct 2020

Case report of arthritis in a COVID-19 patient

The current paper published in the The Lancet Rheumatology discusses arthritis in a 58-year-old white woman with COVID-19 of less than severe intensity.

7 Oct 2020

People infected with other types of coronaviruses may have less severe COVID-19 infection

Being previously infected with a coronaviruses that cause the "common cold" may decrease the severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infections, according to results of a new study

7 Oct 2020