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New technique opens the door to treating genetic forms of hearing loss

Using a new genetic engineering technique, known as base editing, researchers from Boston Children's Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, have restored hearing in mice with a known recessive genetic mutation.

3 Jun 2020

Genetic variations linked to COVID-19 severity

A new report by researchers from Thailand's Mahidol University and published on the preprint server medRxiv in May 2020 reports that the clinical severity of COVID-19 may be linked to the genetic makeup of the patient in addition to external factors.

3 Jun 2020

Kawasaki-like inflammatory syndrome appears to be more common in children of African ancestry

An inflammatory syndrome in children and adolescents, believed to be linked to covid-19, seems to be more common among children of African ancestry, finds a small study from a hospital in Paris, published by The BMJ today.

3 Jun 2020

Showers, toilets and washbasins may act as SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs despite low environmental transmission

In their new research paper currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, scientists from the University of Bonn in Germany demonstrated that indirect environmental transmission most likely plays only a minor role in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, certain potentially neglected viral reservoirs have to be taken into account when introducing epidemiological measures.

3 Jun 2020

Blood group type may affect susceptibility to COVID-19 respiratory failure

A group of over 120 researchers from various institutions across Europe has performed the first genome-wide association study to reveal host genetic factors that may contribute to respiratory failure in cases of coronavirus disease 209 (COVID-19).

3 Jun 2020

New COVID-19 test speeds up access to urgent care

The first analysis of a new point-of-care "nucleic acid test" for SARS-CoV-2 in a UK hospital setting shows these machines dramatically reduce time spent on COVID-19 'holding' wards - allowing patients to be treated or discharged far quicker than with current lab testing set-ups.

3 Jun 2020

Researchers discover key gene essential for survival of leukemia stem cells

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most common forms of blood cancer among adults and is associated with a low survival rate, and leads to the inhibition of normal blood formation.

3 Jun 2020

Despite landscape obstacles, pronghorn exhibit little genetic variation

A University of Wyoming researcher led a study that showed Wyoming pronghorn exhibit little-to-no population genetic differentiation even though their range spans hundreds of kilometers, multiple mountain ranges, and three major interstate highways.

3 Jun 2020

Bacteria that live in soil and on people have extensive antibiotic-destroying genes

The latest generation of tetracyclines - a class of powerful, first-line antibiotics - was designed to thwart the two most common ways bacteria resist such drugs.

3 Jun 2020

Breakthrough discovery could lead to treatment of Fragile X syndrome

Scientists at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, and Owerko Centre at UCalgary's Cumming School of Medicine have made a breakthrough discovery that could lead to treatment of Fragile X syndrome, the leading genetic cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

2 Jun 2020

New advance addresses a big challenge with using CRISPR in cancer patients

A mutation unique to certain cancer tumors is a potential homing beacon for safely deploying CRISPR gene editing enzymes to disarm DNA that makes cancer cells resistant to treatment, while ignoring the gene in normal cells where it's critical to healthy function, according to a new study from ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute in the journal Molecular Cancer Research.

2 Jun 2020

Expression of certain genes may play role in susceptibility to PTSD

Results from a new study suggest that whether certain genes are expressed -- turned on or off-- may play a role in susceptibility to post-traumatic stress disorder.

2 Jun 2020

Polygenic risk scores may improve clinical assessment of patients with elevated heart attack risk

Genetic variants have been linked with a higher risk of having a heart attack, permitting the calculation of "polygenic risk scores" (PRS) that quantify patients' inherited susceptibility based on the number of variants they have.

2 Jun 2020

CSL Behring and Seattle Children's partner to develop gene therapies for primary immunodeficiency diseases

Seattle Children's Research Institute, one of the top pediatric research institutions in the world, and global biotechnology leader CSL Behring announced a strategic alliance to develop stem cell gene therapies for primary immunodeficiency diseases.

2 Jun 2020

Acceptance from families, communities shapes the lives of Sierra Leone's former child soldiers

A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, reports that many of the former child soldiers of Sierra Leone have been accepted by their families and communities as they try to overcome their childhood trauma, according to a team led by Boston College School of Social Work Salem Professor in Global Practice, Theresa S. Betancourt.

2 Jun 2020

Genetic News and Research

New technique opens the door to treating genetic forms of hearing loss

Genetic variations linked to COVID-19 severity

Kawasaki-like inflammatory syndrome appears to be more common in children of African ancestry

Showers, toilets and washbasins may act as SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs despite low environmental transmission

Blood group type may affect susceptibility to COVID-19 respiratory failure

New COVID-19 test speeds up access to urgent care

Researchers discover key gene essential for survival of leukemia stem cells

Despite landscape obstacles, pronghorn exhibit little genetic variation

Bacteria that live in soil and on people have extensive antibiotic-destroying genes

Breakthrough discovery could lead to treatment of Fragile X syndrome

New advance addresses a big challenge with using CRISPR in cancer patients

Expression of certain genes may play role in susceptibility to PTSD

Polygenic risk scores may improve clinical assessment of patients with elevated heart attack risk

CSL Behring and Seattle Children's partner to develop gene therapies for primary immunodeficiency diseases

Acceptance from families, communities shapes the lives of Sierra Leone's former child soldiers

Gene discovery in fruit flies could lead to treatments for age-related hearing loss

Microperimetry can help determine the efficacy of novel treatments for macular diseases

Digital technology helps maintain clinical research operations during COVID-19 pandemic

Study identifies gene that causes eye loss in cavefish

Fraunhofer researchers investigate the mechanisms of metastasis formation

Sequencing & Genomics: Elevating Science and Healthcare eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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