Epigenetics News and Research

Latest Epigenetics News and Research

Researchers uncover critical role for two proteins in chromatin structure

A team of researchers at the IRCM led by François Robert, PhD, uncovered a critical role for two proteins in chromatin structure. Their breakthrough, recently published in the scientific journal Molecular Cell, helps explain how DNA is organized in our cells. This discovery could lead to a better understanding of what causes certain types of cancer, such as lymphoma.

30 May 2015

Investigating epigenetic marks in ancient DNA could help understand health of ancient populations

A new study by anthropologists from The University of Texas at Austin shows for the first time that epigenetic marks on DNA can be detected in a large number of ancient human remains, which may lead to further understanding about the effects of famine and disease in the ancient world.

29 May 2015

DNA changes during drug withdrawal may offer promising ways to develop effective addiction treatments

One of the major challenges of cocaine addiction is the high rate of relapse after periods of withdrawal and abstinence. But new research reveals that changes in our DNA during drug withdrawal may offer promising ways of developing more effective treatments for addiction.

27 May 2015

Study reveals molecular basis for endocrine therapy-resistant breast cancer

Mitsuyoshi Nakao, Director of the Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics in Kumamoto University and Associate Professor Noriko Saitoh revealed that a cluster of defined, non-coding RNAs are mechanistically involved in endocrine therapy resistance in human breast cancer cells. Furthermore, resveratrol, a kind of polyphenol, was found to repress these RNAs and inhibit the proliferative activity of breast cancer cells which had acquired resistance.

27 May 2015

Researchers identify gene vital to production of pain-sensing neurons in humans

A gene essential to the production of pain-sensing neurons in humans has been identified by an international team of researchers co-led by the University of Cambridge. The discovery, reported today in the journal Nature Genetics, could have implications for the development of new methods of pain relief.

26 May 2015

Certain proteins may slow cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease

Certain proteins may slow the devastating memory loss caused by Alzheimer's disease, according to a groundbreaking Iowa State University study.

21 May 2015

Smoking-related DNA damage can be detected in cheek swabs

DNA damage caused by smoking can be detected in cheek swabs, finds research published today in JAMA Oncology. The study provides evidence that smoking induces a general cancer program that is also present in cancers which aren't usually associated with it - including breast and gynaecological cancers.

15 May 2015

Long, non-coding RNAs play a role in heart attacks, strokes and cancer

About 70 percent of our genes provide the blueprint for biomolecules whose function is only now being discovered - non-coding RNAs. Instead of being translated into proteins, they seem to perform steering functions in the body.

14 May 2015

Non-coding RNAs in maternal food can pass through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression

In a new study published in the Protein & Cell, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University reports that small non-coding RNAs in maternal food can transfer through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression.

14 May 2015

UAB opens third multidisciplinary clinic for transverse myelitis

Mike Jezdimir knows firsthand how hard it is to get appropriate medical treatment for his condition, a disease of the spinal cord called transverse myelitis. He has had it for 48 years, since he was 17. TM is fairly uncommon, and many physicians rarely encounter it. Treatment options are limited.

13 May 2015

Study evaluates VolitionRx's proprietary Nucleosomics platform in most prevalent cancers

VolitionRx Limited, a life sciences company focused on developing blood-based diagnostic tests for a broad range of cancer types and other conditions, today announced that it has accelerated its large independent prospective study evaluating its proprietary Nucleosomics platform at University Hospital Bonn in Germany.

13 May 2015

Malfunction of brain architecture can prompt neuron to make 'early-career' switch

Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered that the role of neurons -- which are responsible for specific tasks in the brain -- is much more flexible than previously believed.

12 May 2015

Immune system plays surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome

New research by investigators at the University of Massachusetts Medical School suggests the immune system plays an unsuspected and surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome, a severe neurological disorder affecting children. Immune cells known as macrophages are unable to perform their normal function and are instead amplifying the disease.

11 May 2015

Walnut-enriched diet may slow colorectal tumor growth

A new animal study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, led by Dr. Christos Mantzoros, indicates that a diet containing walnuts may slow colorectal tumor growth by causing beneficial changes in cancer genes.

11 May 2015

Quest Diagnostics launches genomic test service that aids in diagnosis for myeloid neoplasms

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced LeukoVantage, an evidence-based genomic test service that aids in the diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring and selection of treatment for myeloid neoplasms, a group of hematologic malignancies that includes acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common form of adult acute leukemia, as well as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

From Quest Diagnostics 7 May 2015

Salk discovery may offer new avenues for generating novel therapies

Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a novel type of pluripotent stem cell--cells capable of developing into any type of tissue--whose identity is tied to their location in a developing embryo. This contrasts with stem cells traditionally used in scientific study, which are characterized by their time-related stage of development.

7 May 2015

Researcher reports possible existence of sixth DNA base

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the main component of our genetic material. It is formed by combining four parts: A, C, G and T (adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine), called bases of DNA combine in thousands of possible sequences to provide the genetic variability that enables the wealth of aspects and functions of living beings.

6 May 2015

NEB announces issuance of US patent for RNA-seq technology

New England Biolabs, Inc. announces the issuance of United States Patent Number 8,999,677, which describes a novel method for retaining valuable strand-specific information contained within RNA transcripts.

From New England Biolabs 6 May 2015

High Throughput ChIP-seq Assay for Genome-wide Protein-DNA Analysis

Chromatrap®, a business unit of Porvair Sciences, has published a new application note that describes how Chromatrap® ChIP-seq assays now enable unbiased, genome-wide understanding of protein-DNA regulatory networks...

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 30 Apr 2015

Rudolf Jaenisch honored with 2015 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology

Rudolf Jaenisch, MD, who laid the groundwork for the development and use of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells - stem cells derived directly from adult tissue -- to potentially treat and cure a variety of human diseases, has received the 20th anniversary March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology.

30 Apr 2015