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COVID-19 severity could be linked to genetic variance

A new study describes some potentially important genetic factors in the host that may shape the clinical symptoms and signs of the disease.

23 Dec 2020

Autoimmune condition biomarkers promote SARS-CoV-2 viral entry, study finds

Researchers have reported that the autoimmune PTPN2 risk variant rs1893217 promotes the expression of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, ACE2, and thus promotes cellular entry, which is mediated by SARS-CoV-2 spike S protein.

16 Dec 2020

Neanderthal gene variant increases risk of severe COVID-19

Researchers in Germany have conducted a study showing that between 2 and 8% of people in Eurasia carry a genetic variant inherited from Neanderthals that significantly increases the risk of becoming critically ill with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Dec 2020

COVID-19 genetic risk variants impact diverse immune cell types and severe disease manifestations

A team of researchers from UK and US used the DICE database and 3D cis-interactome maps to generate a list of target genes and immune cell types that are most affected by the genetic variants associated with COVID-19 severity.

7 Dec 2020

Specific SARS-CoV-2 genomic variations are associated with higher COVID-19 deaths

A team of scientists from South Korea and the United States has conducted an interesting study to investigate whether mutations in the genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can affect the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study findings reveal that mutations in the viral spike protein and RNA polymerase complex can increase the risk of COVID-19 mortality.

25 Nov 2020

Researchers reveal new mechanism of pain control

Researchers in Japan have revealed a previously unknown mechanism for pain control involving a newly identified group of cells in the spinal cord, offering a potential target for enhancing the therapeutic effect of drugs for chronic pain.

25 Nov 2020

Patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease may actually have NIID, shows study

A joint study by the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH) revealed that patients who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease might actually have NIID instead.

9 Nov 2020

COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths skew towards older males of non-European ancestry

A team of researchers recently investigated the genetic determinants of COVID-19 risk and severity in humans.

6 Nov 2020

Study shows how mutations in VAV1 gene may promote T-cell tumors in experimental mice

Life is an exquisite orchestration of growth and change, with checks and balances that fine-tune complex entwined interactions, both intrinsic and external.

12 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

Researchers create p16-Cre ERT2 -tdTomato mouse model to characterize in vivo senescent cells

Cell senescence is a state of permanent cell cycle arrest that was initially defined for cells grown in cell culture. It plays a key role in age-associated organ dysfunction and age-related diseases such as cancer, but the in vivo pathogenesis is largely unclear.

7 Oct 2020

Life-threatening COVID-19 associated with specific genetic variants

Results of a genome-wide association study on 2,244 critically-ill patients due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from 208 intensive care units across the United Kingdom revealed significant host-specific genetic determinants that can predispose people to the severe form of the disease. The report is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

28 Sep 2020

Study sheds new light on the role of Y chromosome genes

New light is being shed on a little-known role of Y chromosome genes, specific to males, that could explain why men suffer differently than women from various diseases, including Covid-19.

25 Sep 2020

Shedding light on altered blood cell traits involved in severe COVID-19

Researchers at the University of Georgia in the United States have shed light on the pathological mechanisms underlying the association between the genetic locus 3p21.31 and severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 Sep 2020

Study uncovers the locus of male sexual desire in the brain

The locus of male sexual desire has been uncovered in specific regions of brain tissue where a key gene named aromatase is present, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study in mice.

12 Sep 2020

Scientists identify genetic risk factors underlying penicillin allergy

Penicillin, a life-saving medicine, is the most common cause of drug allergy, with clinical manifestations ranging from temporary skin reactions to life-threatening systemic syndromes.

3 Sep 2020

Exercise confers stress resilience by increasing brain protein levels

Exercise fights off stress by increasing levels of the brain protein galanin, according to research in mice recently published in JNeurosci.

27 Aug 2020

Identifying COVID-19 host genes using symptom-based predictions

A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 shows that symptom-based prediction of the diagnosis can help identify host genes that are responsible for part of this variability.

26 Aug 2020

Researchers identify new mechanism that causes leukemia

Every year, 1.1 million new cases of blood cancers are diagnosed worldwide. Presently, chemotherapy remains the most common and effective course of treatment.

13 Aug 2020

Genetic variant in Japanese population increases risk of interstitial lung disease among RA patients

In many cases, a complex interplay between our genes and the environment governs whether or not we will develop a certain disease. Interestingly though, researchers are discovering that the genetic component of disease predisposition may depend on our ethnic background.

10 Aug 2020