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Penn researchers track defective sperm epigenome linked to male infertility

One out of eight couples has trouble conceiving, with nearly a quarter of those cases caused by unexplained male infertility. For the past decade, research has linked that infertility to defective sperm that fail to "evict" proteins called histones from DNA during development.

16 Dec 2019

Important discovery about male infertility could lead to new treatments

Using a new mouse model, Penn Medicine researchers have identified defects in the sperm epigenome that cause male infertility.

16 Dec 2019

Epigenome editing could repair genetic brain disorder

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications shows that it may be possible to reverse gene mutations that cause brain disorders, using a very precisely targeted epigenome editing technique. This type of gene editing does not change the gene’s DNA sequence itself but is focused on correcting epigenome changes only. The condition that was corrected in the study is called the WAGR syndrome and is associated with obesity and intellectual disability in people.

11 Dec 2019

New discovery on chromosomal function may shed light on human health and disease

Researchers have discovered key mechanisms and structural details of a fundamental biological process-;how a cell nucleus and its chromosomal material reorganizes itself after cell division

5 Dec 2019

Epigenomic techniques used to fight disease

Humans differ from one another in many ways, including how they react to disease, because of their DNA blueprint, as well as the difference in the environments they face. These factors combine to make each person unique. Now a new study published in the journal Nature Protocols reports the development of a promising technology to uncover the process by which the body fights diseases in different ways.

4 Dec 2019

Researchers create new technology to help understand how the body battles diseases

Much remains unknown about diseases and the way our bodies respond to them, in part because the human genome is the complete DNA assembly that makes each person unique. A Virginia Tech professor and his team of researchers have created new technology to help in understanding how the human body battles diseases.

3 Dec 2019

Freiburg scientists decipher basic molecular control mechanisms behind cellular identity

A research team headed by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Arnold and Jelena Tosic from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg has now succeeded in deciphering basic molecular control mechanisms by which stem cells decide which embryonic cell types to turn into.

3 Dec 2019

Scientists uncover functions of mysterious organelles in stress response

Stress is a normal response to physical and emotional stimuli, particularly when people face changes in their lives. Though it’s a normal feeling, long-term stress may lead to a range of health conditions. Though people feel stressed from time to time, not all stress is bad.

1 Dec 2019

Researchers identify a promising drug pair to attack deadly childhood brain cancers

Researchers have devised a new plan of attack against a group of deadly childhood brain cancers collectively called diffuse midline gliomas, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, thalamic glioma and spinal cord glioma.

20 Nov 2019

Newly developed ChiTaRS database can collect cases of druggable fusion targets

When sections from two separate genes merge due to various factors, such as translocation or splicing, the hybrid that is formed is called a gene fusion. In recent years, it has been discovered that these fusion events play a vital role in the development of cancers and other complex diseases.

20 Nov 2019

Mechanisms preserving cell identity are based on status of proteins housing DNA

The inheritance, not only of DNA, but of changes to proteins that package it, maintains the identity of cells as they multiply, a new study finds.

31 Oct 2019

Scientists receive $1.6 million grant to study impact of phthalate exposure on male fertility

A cross-disciplinary team of scientists, led by University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental epigeneticist Richard Pilsner, will use a three-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to expand research into the impact of phthalate exposure on male fertility.

30 Oct 2019

Some types of proteins can stabilize damaged DNA

At the University of Copenhagen, researchers have discovered how some types of proteins stabilize damaged DNA and thereby preserve DNA function and integrity. This new finding also explains why people with inborn or acquired defects in certain proteins cannot keep their DNA stable and develop diseases such as cancer.

28 Oct 2019

Study finds molecular key to formation of mature and fully functioning T cells

In a finding that could help lead to new therapies for immune diseases like multiple sclerosis and IBD, scientists report in the Journal of Experimental Medicine identifying a gene and family of proteins critical to the formation of mature and fully functioning T cells in the immune system.

25 Oct 2019

Researchers discover how the body repairs damaged DNA

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have made an extraordinary discovery in how the body repairs damaged DNA, which can lead to better understanding and management of diseases such as cancer.

25 Oct 2019

Scientists successfully create age-resistant mice with hyper-long telomeres

Researchers have shown that it is possible to extend the life of mice by generating hyper-long telomeres, without using any gene modifying technologies.

17 Oct 2019

Advances in translational genetics unlocked by Bio-Rad technologies to be presented at ASHG 2019

Scientists will present 24 abstracts and three talks, highlighting research driven in part by Bio-Rad Laboratories' Droplet Digital PCR and single-cell ATAC-Seq (scATAC-Seq) technologies, at the 2019 American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting in Houston, October 15-19.

15 Oct 2019

How do gallstones form?

The human body is known to produce stones in various locations, most commonly in the kidneys, the bladder, the gallbladder and the appendix. Many of these stones appear without any obvious reason. However, a new study published in the journal Immunity shows the whole storyline for the first time: how gallstones are formed.

9 Oct 2019

Biology and computers meld to help understand how breast cancer develops

Among the most deadly killers in the area of cancer, breast cancer is also extremely difficult to treat, once it has spread to the bones. Not only does it metastasize rapidly, but it comprises a variety of cell types and also depends on the input from many other non-breast cells during the initiation, growth and spread of the cancer. This complexity makes it more difficult to develop targeted therapies in this condition.

8 Oct 2019

Researchers identify new targets to treat fibrotic diseases

When it comes to repairing injured tissue, specialized cells in the body known as fibroblasts are called into action. Fibroblasts give rise to healing cells called myofibroblasts, which generally is good in the short term - but bad when myofibroblast activation gets out of hand.

4 Oct 2019