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New genetic variants contribute to the risk of breast cancer in women, study reveals

A new study reveals seventy-two novel genetic variants that are responsible for breast cancer risk. Published in the journals Nature and Nature Genetics, of these 72 variants, 65 are common variants that predispose patients to breast cancer and a further seven variants predispose particularly to estrogen -receptor negative breast cancer - the subcategory of cases that do not respond to hormonal treatments.

24 Oct 2017

Mysterious DNA modification appears more in the brain under stress

With advances in genomics, scientists are discovering additional components of the DNA alphabet in animals. Do these unusual chemical modifications of DNA have a special meaning, or are they just signs that cellular machines are making mistakes?

24 Oct 2017

Stem cell researchers make advance toward long-lasting blood vessel repair

Stem cell researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have made an advance toward having a long-lasting "repair caulk" for blood vessels. The research could form the basis of a treatment for peripheral artery disease, derived from a patient's own cells. Their results were recently published in the journal Circulation.

24 Oct 2017

Study discovers new genetic risk loci linked to children's food allergies

What role do genes play in egg, milk, and nut allergies? A study published in Nature Communications, led by the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, has found five genetic risk loci that point to the importance of skin and mucous membrane barriers and the immune system in the development of food allergies.

24 Oct 2017

Genomic roots of ovarian tumors may arise in fallopian tubes, study suggests

Some scientists have suspected that the most common form of ovarian cancer may originate in the fallopian tubes, the thin fibrous tunnels that connect the ovaries to the uterus.

24 Oct 2017

Study finds lung cancer driver ALK-fusion in mucosal melanoma

Melanomas caused by sun exposure have been matched with targeted treatments and immunotherapies, in many cases dramatically extending patients' lives. However, there are other kinds of melanoma not related to sun exposure and because they are caused by different genetic changes, they are not susceptible to the same targeted treatments.

23 Oct 2017

APA shines light on important trends in psychology

Psychology is hot, and it's only getting hotter. It's critical to the development of such technological innovations as self-driving cars and smart devices.

23 Oct 2017

Brazilian scientists examine how benzopyrene can cause cancer

Benzo[a]pyrene is a potent carcinogen and mutagen present in cigarette smoke, automotive exhaust, burnt wood fumes, barbecued and smoked meat etc.

23 Oct 2017

Researchers discover new regulatory role for protein that links diet and disease

A team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered how uncontrolled vitamin A metabolism in the gut can cause harmful inflammation.

23 Oct 2017

Penn researchers provide new insights into how Notch drives growth of B-cell cancers

Notch is one of the most frequently mutated genes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common leukemia in adults in the United States. It is also often mutated in other common B cell tumors, such as mantle cell lymphoma.

23 Oct 2017

Research provides insight on Y-shape in proteins associated with glaucoma

So unheard of was what researchers discovered in a protein associated with glaucoma that for over two years they ran it through a gauntlet of lab tests and published a new research paper on it. The tests validated what they initially saw.

23 Oct 2017

Study elucidates how obesity makes breast cancer more aggressive

Obesity leads to the release of cytokines into the bloodstream which impact the metabolism of breast cancer cells, making them more aggressive as a result. Scientists from Helmholtz Zentrum München, Technische Universität München, and Heidelberg University Hospital report on this in 'Cell Metabolism'. The team has already been able to halt this mechanism with an antibody treatment.

23 Oct 2017

Serum metabolites linked to NAFLD may be heritable, research shows

Serum metabolites associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease may be heritable, according to research presented this week at The Liver Meeting - held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

20 Oct 2017

UC San Diego researchers develop 3D visualization tool for mapping omics data onto organs

University of California San Diego researchers have developed the first 3D spatial visualization tool for mapping "'omics" data onto whole organs.

20 Oct 2017

New synthetic genetic tool measures and manipulates protein aggregation in live cells

A common thread ties seemingly unlinked disorders like Alzheimer's disease and type II diabetes together. This thread is known as protein aggregation and happens when proteins clump together. These complexes are a hallmark of many diseases but have recently been linked to beneficial functions as well.

20 Oct 2017

Researchers discover new function in gene-regulatory protein

Researchers at Umeå and Stockholm universities in Sweden and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US have published a new study in the journal Molecular Cell.

20 Oct 2017

New UMass Lowell study to explore link between gut bacteria and Parkinson's disease

The saying "Listen to your gut" is taking on new meaning in the hunt for clues about Parkinson's disease. The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a UMass Lowell public health professor a $2.1 million grant to study the relationship between gut bacteria and Parkinson's disease. The five-year study will be the largest of its kind to date.

20 Oct 2017

Better post-weaning diet can reverse potential consequences of early-life high-fat exposure

Research has shown that a mother's diet during pregnancy, particularly one that is high-fat, may program her baby for future risk of certain diseases such as diabetes. A new study from nutrition researchers at the University of Illinois shows that switching the offspring to a new diet--a low-fat diet, in this case--can reverse that programming.

20 Oct 2017

Study finds mitochondrial DNA damage in Veterans with Gulf War illness

Researchers say they have found the "first direct biological evidence" of damage in veterans with Gulf War illness to DNA within cellular structures that produce energy in the body.

19 Oct 2017

Small RNA molecules trigger cancer cells to commit suicide

Small RNA molecules originally developed as a tool to study gene function trigger a mechanism hidden in every cell that forces the cell to commit suicide, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study, the first to identify molecules to trigger a fail-safe mechanism that may protect us from cancer.

19 Oct 2017