Epigenetics News and Research

Latest Epigenetics News and Research

Study reveals molecular causes of brain asymmetry

Scientists may have solved one of the most puzzling and persistent mysteries in neuroscience: why some people are "right-brained" while others are "left-brained."

15 Apr 2020

Experimental drug could stop tumor relapse, mice study shows

A drug that is well-tolerated in patients and prevents cancer coming back in mice has been identified by researchers at the Francis Crick Institute.

14 Apr 2020

Newly developed laboratory model helps reveal how HIV infection affects the brain

Though many negative repercussions of human immunodeficiency virus infection can be mitigated with the use of antiretroviral therapy, one area where medical advances haven't made as much progress is in the reduction of cognitive impacts.

27 Mar 2020

Study suggests potential therapeutic strategy against diabetes

Maintaining vitamin D receptor levels in pancreatic cells that synthesize and secrete insulin (β cells) could contribute to protecting against the development of diabetes and counteract pancreatic cell damage caused by the progression of the disease.

26 Mar 2020

University of Freiburg’s Galaxy platform for virus research

Data and analyses relating to SARS-CoV-2 are available on the University of Freiburg's Galaxy platform.

24 Mar 2020

Scientists identify new role of important factor in early embryonic development

In collaboration with Stanford University, a working group from MedUni Vienna’s Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, led by Mark Wossidlo, has identified the role of a factor involved in early embryonic development.

20 Mar 2020

Dietary sugar has negative impact on health independent of obesity

Sugar-rich diets have a negative impact on health independent of obesity reports a new study led by the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, UK.

19 Mar 2020

Researchers uncover molecular events underlying paternal diet-induced metabolic disorders in children

When parents eat low-protein or high-fat diets it can lead to metabolic disorders in their adult offspring. Now, an international team led by researchers at the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research have identified a key player and the molecular events underlying this phenomenon in mice.

19 Mar 2020

Identification of 'Hodor' in the gut lining highlights potential way to curb mosquito populations

The identification of an insect-specific metal-sensing receptor in the gut lining highlights a possible new way to curb populations of disease-transmitting insects such as mosquitoes.

18 Mar 2020

Max Planck researchers identify mechanistic basis of antigen receptor gene assembly

Adaptive immunity is a powerful defense mechanism in vertebrates. A finely tuned interplay of different cell types provides a pathogen-specific immune response to eliminate for example bacteria and viruses.

13 Mar 2020

'Primitive' stem cells shown to replace and repair damaged blood vessels in the retina

Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have successfully turned back the biological hands of time, coaxing adult human cells in the laboratory to revert to a primitive state, and unlocking their potential to replace and repair damage to blood vessels in the retina caused by diabetes.

9 Mar 2020

Biomarker in saliva linked to emergence of childhood obesity

A molecular marker in saliva is associated with the emergence of childhood obesity in a group of preschool-aged Hispanic children.

7 Mar 2020

Length of pregnancy related to chemical DNA changes in newborns

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have together with an international team mapped the relationship between length of pregnancy and chemical DNA changes in more than 6,000 newborn babies.

2 Mar 2020

Potential genetic test for earlier Alzheimer's diagnosis

A new study published in the journal Epigenetics in February 2020 reports that changes in the methylation status of the Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) gene could help diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD) earlier. This study shows for the first time that methylation of this gene is a common feature in AD.

1 Mar 2020

Coriell researchers find new genetic indicator of obesity risk

Obesity is among the most common complex diseases in the United States and has been a stubborn public health challenge for decades. Its causes are wide ranging, but genetic heritability is increasingly understood to be an influential factor in determining a person's risk for the disease.

23 Feb 2020

Vapers exhibit similar chemical changes in their genome as smokers

Biologically important changes in DNA seen in smokers are also being found in people who vape, according to a new study published in the journal Epigenetics.

12 Feb 2020

DNA misfolding linked to heightened risk for Type 1 diabetes

It's known that genetics, or an inherited genome, is a major determinant of one's risk for autoimmune diseases, like Type 1 diabetes. In human cells, a person's genome--about six feet of DNA--is compressed into the micrometer space of the nucleus via a three-dimensional folding process.

11 Feb 2020