Epigenetics News and Research

Latest Epigenetics News and Research

Pseudogene lncRNAs regulate cancer stem cell behavior and signaling

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a critical subpopulation within tumors, drive cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, relapse, and resistance to therapy due to their innate capacity for self-renewal and differentiation.

11 Apr 2026

Non-clinical safety assessment crucial for CRISPR-based gene therapies

The rapid evolution of CRISPR/Cas genome editing has redefined the possibilities of cellular and gene therapy, enabling precise correction, disruption, and regulation of disease-associated genes.

10 Apr 2026

Intense light therapy reduces hypoxia-induced heart damage in mice

Right ventricular (RV) remodeling and dysfunction are serious cardiovascular consequences due to prolonged hypoxic exposure, commonly seen in conditions such as chronic lung disease and high-altitude environments.

10 Apr 2026

Early epigenetic changes shape infant gut microbiome development

The gut microbiome and epigenetics-molecular switches that turn genes on or off-are intertwined, and both contribute to neurodevelopment, finds a study publishing April 10 in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue.

10 Apr 2026

Study explains why current BET inhibitors fail in cancer treatment

For over a decade, a class of drugs called BET inhibitors has been tested in cancer trials with high expectations.

9 Apr 2026

Treating heart failure patients with i.v. furosemide and HSS reduces inflammatory, remodeling markers

A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on March 26, 2026, titled "Effects of intravenous furosemide plus small-volume hypertonic saline solutions on inflammatory, remodeling markers and epigenetics signatures of patients with congestive acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF)."

7 Apr 2026

Lactate modification fuels drug resistance and immune escape in cancer

Published in Current Molecular Pharmacology, a comprehensive review led by Yong Xu and colleagues from Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital explores the emerging role of lactylation, a post-translational modification driven by lactate, in lung cancer progression and drug resistance.

7 Apr 2026

New strategy exploits specific genetic vulnerability in colorectal cancer patients

Researchers have identified a novel therapeutic approach for colorectal cancer by exploiting a specific genetic vulnerability found in a majority of patients.

6 Apr 2026

How gut microbes may shape heart attack damage and recovery

This review argues that gut microbes and the metabolites they produce, especially SCFAs and TMAO, may shape how the heart responds to myocardial infarction through epigenetic pathways such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNAs. It also outlines potential intervention routes, including diet, probiotics, postbiotics, and metabolite-targeted therapies, while noting that much of the evidence remains translational and not yet clinically definitive.

6 Apr 2026

Metformin mimics exercise-related metabolic effects in prostate cancer patients

A new study has found that metformin, a widely prescribed diabetes drug, may mimic one of exercise's core biological effects in men with prostate cancer, raising levels of a molecule tied to energy balance and weight control even when patients are inactive.

6 Apr 2026

How vitamin D in the first 1,000 days may shape lifelong health

This narrative review argues that vitamin D is clearly important for skeletal health during the first 1,000 days of life and may also shape immune, metabolic, and selected neurodevelopmental pathways during early development. However, the authors stress that human evidence for most non-skeletal outcomes remains heterogeneous, with benefits appearing most consistent in populations with baseline deficiency.

31 Mar 2026

Alcohol impacts gene expression differently across brain regions

Erica Periandri and Gabor Egervari, from Washington University in St. Louis, led a study to explore how alcohol exposure in male mice influences gene expression and mechanisms that regulate gene function-or epigenetics.

30 Mar 2026

Study reveals ALDH2 vulnerability in APC-deficient colorectal cancer

A precision cancer strategy that selectively kills tumour cells while leaving healthy tissue intact may be within reach for the majority of colorectal cancer patients, according to new research published in Genes & Disease.

30 Mar 2026

Researchers explore "block and lock" strategy for functional HIV cure

For millions of people living with HIV, a daily regimen of medications is a lifelong necessity. If they stop taking the drugs-commonly referred to as antiretroviral therapy-the virus usually rushes back within weeks.

23 Mar 2026

Cancer cells rely on glutathione as fuel for growth

Researchers discovered an antioxidant, glutathione, that cancer cells appear to be "addicted to" as fuel, opening new pathways for investigation and a potential drug that can restrict the way tumors use this nutrient.

18 Mar 2026

New data platform transforms prediction and understanding of Alzheimer’s disease

A powerful new real-world data platform could transform how scientists predict and understand Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementias (AD/ADRD), reports a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and collaborators at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, the School of Nursing as well as the University of Miami and University of Chicago.

18 Mar 2026

Scientists win awards for the discovery of genomic imprinting and tumor’s power grid

For their discovery of genomic imprinting, developmental biologists Davor Solter and Azim Surani will receive the 2026 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, endowed with €120,000, on March 14 at Frankfurt’s Paulskirche.

13 Mar 2026

New review calls for biologically grounded approach to psychiatric diagnosis

A comprehensive invited review published today in Brain Medicine confronts one of the most persistent paradoxes in modern medicine: psychiatry remains the only major clinical discipline that diagnoses complex illness primarily through conversation and symptom checklists, while fields such as oncology and cardiology long ago embraced laboratory markers, imaging, and molecular profiling.

10 Mar 2026

Buck Institute launches a new initiative to measure and extend human healthspan

The Buck Institute for Research on Aging today announced the launch of Healthspan Horizons, a new initiative designed to address one of the most urgent challenges in modern medicine: how to measure, understand, and extend healthspan-the years of life spent in good health.

6 Mar 2026

New fragmentome technology can detect early liver fibrosis and cirrhosis

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center report that an artificial intelligence (AI)-based liquid biopsy test using genome-wide cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragmentation patterns and repeat landscapes can detect early liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, and may also reveal signals of broader chronic disease burden.

4 Mar 2026