Genomics

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Subtle genetic shifts in brain enzyme offer clues to human evolution

The evolutionary success of our species may have hinged on minute changes to our brain biochemistry after we diverged from the lineage leading to Neanderthals and Denisovans about half a million years ago.

5 Aug 2025

Scientists reveal how rare gene mutations drive schizophrenia risk

Researchers analyzed the largest exome-sequencing dataset to date and identified new rare coding variants and genes linked to schizophrenia risk. The study highlights converging genetic pathways, implicating chromatin organization and GABAergic signaling in schizophrenia neurobiology.

4 Aug 2025

Programmable Chromosome Engineering systems enable precise DNA manipulations

A team of Chinese researchers led by Prof. GAO Caixia from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed two new genome editing technologies, known collectively as Programmable Chromosome Engineering (PCE) systems.

4 Aug 2025

Researchers trace metabolic superpowers of hibernators to shared DNA

Animals that hibernate are incredibly resilient. They can spend months without food or water, muscles refusing to atrophy, body temperature dropping to near freezing as their metabolism and brain activity slow to a crawl.

1 Aug 2025

Researchers uncover PSAT1 gene as key to heart repair post-heart attack

Heart attacks remain a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The permanent loss of heart muscle cells-known as cardiomyocytes-and the heart's limited regenerative capacity often led to chronic heart failure.

1 Aug 2025

CPADS enables comprehensive analysis of drug resistance across 44 cancer types

CPADS integrates data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) databases, encompassing over 29,000 samples across 44 cancer types and involving 288 drugs. It provides five main analysis modules: differential expression analysis, correlation analysis, pathway analysis, drug analysis, and gene perturbation analysis.

30 Jul 2025

Innovative nanopore system enables controlled DNA unzipping

DNA holds the instructions that make us who we are. If we want to read those instructions, say to understand our predisposition to genetic disorders, we need to carefully 'unzip' DNA's iconic double-helix structure.

30 Jul 2025

Genetic profiling offers hope for understanding multiple sclerosis risk

In a major step towards early detection, University of South Australia researchers are investigating the biology behind multiple sclerosis (MS) to help predict people's genetic risk of developing the disease, long before any symptoms appear.

29 Jul 2025

NR2F1 drives fibrotic cataract formation through activation of STAT3

Cataracts remain one of the most prevalent and debilitating eye conditions, often requiring surgical intervention to restore sight. Yet even after surgery, many patients develop anterior subcapsular cataracts (ASC), characterized by fibrotic tissue growth beneath the lens capsule.

29 Jul 2025

Groundbreaking Living Brain Project challenges decades of assumptions in neuroscience

In a revealing Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Alexander W. Charney describes how treating patients with schizophrenia transformed his scientific pursuits from abstract questions to an urgent mission, ultimately leading to discoveries that challenge fundamental assumptions in neuroscience research.

29 Jul 2025

Female body odor variations can shape male behavior and emotions

Researchers at the University of Tokyo explored how female body odor can influence behaviors in men. They found certain scent compounds in female body odor increased during ovulation and can subtly influence how men feel.

28 Jul 2025

Study maps RNA shape-shifting mechanisms in human and bacterial cells

Apart from carrying the information to encode proteins in, RNA molecules can adopt intricate 2D and 3D structures.

28 Jul 2025

TraMA offers breakthrough in measuring biological age

A new research paper was published in Aging (Aging-US) Volume 17, Issue 6, on June 13, 2025, titled "Development of a novel transcriptomic measure of aging: Transcriptomic Mortality-risk Age (TraMA)."

28 Jul 2025

Advancing precision medicine in colorectal cancer with multi-omics approaches

Colorectal cancer is among the most prevalent and lethal malignancies worldwide, with liver metastases occurring in nearly one-third of patients and accounting for a major share of cancer-related deaths.

28 Jul 2025

Largest genetic study confirms biological basis of stuttering

The largest genetic analysis of stuttering has demonstrated a clear genetic basis for the speech disorder, highlighting neurological pathways of risk.

28 Jul 2025

Australian scientists uncover new way to halt aggressive cancer growth

Australian researchers have discovered a promising new strategy to suppress the growth of aggressive and hard-to-treat cancers by targeting a specialized molecular process known as 'minor splicing'.

28 Jul 2025

New research identifies critical gene for ALS treatment

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - which you may know as the disease that affected Stephen Hawking - is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive muscle weakness. A research team at Tohoku University and Keio University has uncovered a unifying mechanism in ALS revolving around the expression of UNC13A (a gene crucial for neuronal communication) that represents a common target for developing effective treatment strategies that could improve the lives of patients with ALS.

26 Jul 2025

Discovery of TAF1's role could revolutionize cancer treatment

A new study led by Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, shows how a key molecule regulates the generation of new blood cells, a process called hematopoiesis that goes awry in cancer. The findings have the potential to lead to new therapeutic strategies targeting the molecule, a regulator of gene activity called TAF1.

26 Jul 2025

Reactivating silent genes offers hope for Rett syndrome treatment

Researchers led by UC Davis Health scientist Sanchita Bhatnagar have developed a promising gene therapy that could treat Rett syndrome.

23 Jul 2025

New method genetically blocks mosquitoes from transmitting malaria

Mosquitoes kill more people each year than any other animal. In 2023, the blood-sucking insects infected a reported 263 million people with malaria, leading to nearly 600,000 deaths, 80% of which were children.

23 Jul 2025