Genomics

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Breakthrough reveals how DNA and RNA epigenetics work together to control genes

Our genes contain all the instructions our body needs to function, but their expression must be finely regulated to guarantee that each cell performs its role optimally.

17 Jan 2025

Over 500 European patients diagnosed through groundbreaking genetic research

More than 500 European patients with unknown conditions have received a diagnosis through new genetic research.

17 Jan 2025

Bidirectional movement drives DNA loop formation

Scientists from Delft, Vienna, and Lausanne discovered that the protein machines that shape our DNA can switch direction. Until now, researchers believed that these so-called SMC motors that make loops into DNA could move in one direction only. The discovery, which is published in Cell, is key to understanding how these motors shape our genome and regulate our genes.

17 Jan 2025

New genetic risk factors for depression identified across global populations

New genetic risk factors for depression have been identified across all major global populations for the first time, allowing scientists to predict risk of depression regardless of ethnicity.

15 Jan 2025

Study links epigenetic mechanism to placental blood vessel development

If the development of blood vessels in the placenta is impaired, fetal growth retardation may result. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Mannheim Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University discovered that the correct development of functioning blood vessels in the mouse placenta is controlled epigenetically: One of the enzymes that modify gene activity using methyl groups is responsible.

15 Jan 2025

Genetic risk factor linked to increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers have identified a novel genetic risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection, providing new insights into the virus' ability to invade human cells. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that spreads COVID-19.

15 Jan 2025

Enhanc3D Genomics launches suite of 3D multi-omics solutions to accelerate drug development

Enhanc3D Genomics (‘Enhanced’), an innovator in 3D genomics technology, today announced the launch of a suite of integrated multi-omics solutions to accelerate and improve the precision of drug discovery.

From Enhanc3D Genomics 15 Jan 2025

New gene-editing treatment extends lifespan in mice with prion disease

Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have developed a gene-editing treatment for prion disease that extends lifespan by about 50 percent in a mouse model of the fatal neurodegenerative condition.

15 Jan 2025

Dementia risk impacts family planning decisions

Living in a family where there is genetic risk for dementia significantly affects choices about having children and how to parent, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

15 Jan 2025

Long reads can revolutionize genetic diagnosis of rare diseases

The cause of rare diseases is increasingly being detected through genome sequencing, which involves reading the entire human DNA by first breaking it into small pieces-short reads.

13 Jan 2025

Scientists uncover genetic secrets of Staphylococcus aureus survival in humans

The most detailed study to date on the mechanisms by which a common type of bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, adapts to living on the human body could help improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of certain infections.

13 Jan 2025

Most disease-causing mutations that swap amino acids do so by making proteins less stable

Research shows 60% of missense mutations destabilize proteins, linking protein folding to genetic diseases, including cataracts and neurological disorders.

10 Jan 2025

Sex-specific mitochondrial marker deficiencies linked to early cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease

Research reveals sex-specific free-carnitine deficiency in women with cognitive impairment, linking mitochondrial metabolism to Alzheimer's disease progression.

10 Jan 2025

Researchers identify shared genes driving cancer spread

Cancer metastasis-the spread of cancer to other organs-is the leading cause of death among cancer patients. Researchers have now uncovered a "genetic signature" of 177 genes shared across multiple cancer types that drives this deadly process.

10 Jan 2025

Study questions accuracy of genetic test for opioid use disorder

Opioid misuse and specifically opioid use disorder (OUD), continues to represent a significant U.S. public health threat, with more than 6 million Americans aged 12 and older meeting the criteria for OUD in 2022.

9 Jan 2025

New AI method predicts gene activity in human cells

Using a new artificial intelligence method, researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons can accurately predict the activity of genes within any human cell, essentially revealing the cell's inner mechanisms.

8 Jan 2025

Childhood stress impacts epigenetic profile of sperm and brain development

Childhood stress can impact the epigenetic profile of sperm. These results may also have practical implications for future generations through epigenetic inheritance, as many of the observed epigenetic associations are related to brain development.

8 Jan 2025

UCD researchers discover gene mutation linked to vision problems in zebrafish

Researchers in University College Dublin (UCD) have discovered that a mutation in a gene called emc1 causes major vision problems in zebrafish.

8 Jan 2025

New research reveals potential biomarkers for epilepsy diagnosis

New research led by UTHealth Houston scientists uncovered two genes associated with variants linked to epilepsy, which showed specific traits that make them promising diagnostic biomarkers.

6 Jan 2025