Gene

A gene is a unit of heredity in a living organism. It normally resides on a stretch of DNA that codes for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. All living things depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains.

What are Genes?

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the chemical information database that carries the complete set of instructions for the cell as to the nature of the proteins produced by it, its life span, maturity, function and death. Genes are the working subunits of DNA. Each gene contains a particular set of instructions, usually coding for a particular protein or for a particular function.

Genes that Control Pluripotency

Gene History

Horizontal Gene Transfer

Gene Knockout versus Knockdown

Ras Genes and Cancer

What are Homeobox Genes?

Tumor Suppressor Genes

Functions of BRCA1/2 Gene Products

Conditional Gene Knockout Techniques

The Latest Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy

What is SATI Gene Editing?

See more featured articles »

Gene Editing Techniques: ZFNs, TALENs or CRISPR?

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Antibiotic Resistance

Genetic Inheritance

Genetics and Gene Expression

What are Homeobox Genes?

Gene Knockin

Latest Gene News and Research

New neural organoid system improves scalability and reproducibility for research

Neural organoids have been heralded as having huge potential for advancing our knowledge of the brain in several fields.

27 Mar 2026

Aging lung cells drive severe inflammation in flu and COVID

Older adults are much more likely to become seriously ill from flu or COVID because aging lung cells can drive excessive immune responses, according to a new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco.

27 Mar 2026

Diverse biobank study links genetics to disease risk and treatment

A new study by UCLA Health published in Cell presents a major advancement in the future of personalized medicine by pinpointing new connections between people's genes, disease risk and medicine response by using a clinically well-characterized and diverse population-represented biobank.

27 Mar 2026

FDA approves first gene therapy for rare pediatric immune disorder

Dr. Donald Kohn has been developing gene therapies for rare pediatric immune disorders for over 30 years.

27 Mar 2026

Industry and academic leaders gather to accelerate new cancer cures

Damon Runyon scientists and industry partners gathered on Tuesday, March 24, for the 2026 Accelerating Cancer Cures Research Symposium, hosted by Amgen in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

27 Mar 2026

New AI system maps gene expression across the whole body

Understanding gene expression within the body has been a boon for 21st century biology and therapeutics, but most discoveries that use these technologies only focus on one organ or one small area of tissue.

27 Mar 2026

Early testosterone surge triggers rare muscle disease

Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (SBMA) is a rare inherited disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting in men.

27 Mar 2026

Do multi-strain probiotics improve long covid symptoms?

Multi-strain probiotics show potential to modulate gut microbiome in long COVID, yet their impact on inflammation and recovery is not statistically significant.

27 Mar 2026

New initiative aims to scale individualized therapies for rare diseases

Critical Path Institute (C-Path) today announced the launch of One to Millions, a global, multi-stakeholder public-private initiative to enable scalable development of advanced therapies for highly individualized conditions.

26 Mar 2026

Study reveals why haploid fish embryos fail to survive normal development

Naturally occurring haploids are predominantly documented in plants; the first report dates to 1923, when haploid individuals were identified in the Jimson Weed.

26 Mar 2026

Heart failure and atrial fibrillation share underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms

New research published in Nature Cardiovascular Research reveals that heart failure and atrial fibrillation share underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms, suggesting that the two cardiovascular conditions may be less distinct than previously thought.

26 Mar 2026

University of Chicago and IDefine launch research program to develop Kleefstra syndrome treatment

The University of Chicago Department of Chemistry, in partnership with the advocacy organization IDefine – The Kleefstra Syndrome Foundation, is launching a targeted research program to develop a new potential therapeutic strategy for Kleefstra syndrome (KLEFS).

26 Mar 2026

Heavily processed foods may raise heart disease risk beyond poor nutrition alone

A 2026 review in Cardiology in Review reports that higher intake of ultra-processed foods is consistently associated with greater risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cardiovascular mortality across cohort studies and meta-analyses. The paper also highlights plausible mechanisms involving gut dysbiosis, oxidative stress, and NF-κB-driven inflammation, with additives such as emulsifiers, preservatives, dyes, and sweeteners discussed as potential contributors.

26 Mar 2026

New study maps global immune gene diversity across multiple populations

Inherited variations in antibody genes can affect how we respond to infections and vaccines, show two new studies from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal Immunity.

26 Mar 2026

The new microchip electrophoresis system MultiNA II MCE-301- High sensitivity detection, improved analysis function and operability

Shimadzu has recently released the MultiNA II MCE-301 microchip electrophoresis system. By automating the entire process of electrophoresis, which takes more than two hours by hand (creation of gels, dispensing reagents, dispensing sample, separation, dyeing, cleaning of equipment), the company significantly improves the efficiency of genetic analysis operations.

From Shimadzu Europa GmbH 26 Mar 2026

New brain atlas reveals how the human neocortex forms over time

In a bid to better understand, and potentially treat, a host of conditions that affect early cognition, neurodevelopment and the brain later in life, investigators at Johns Hopkins Medicine and colleagues throughout the world have been mapping the molecular construction of the human brain.

25 Mar 2026

CDC tracks SARS-CoV-2 BA.3.2 global rise and finds early signals in U.S. wastewater

CDC surveillance shows that the highly divergent SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.3.2 spread to at least 23 countries and was detected in U.S. travelers, patients, airplane wastewater, and wastewater samples across multiple states. The report highlights wastewater and traveler-based genomic surveillance as early warning tools while noting that BA.3.2 has immune-evasion potential but has not rapidly displaced other circulating lineages.

25 Mar 2026

Chronic inflammation leaves epigenetic scars that increase future cancer risk

Chronic inflammation can raise a person's risk of cancer, and a new study reveals key details about how that might happen in the gut and points to better ways to identify and reduce risk.

25 Mar 2026

Early blood test could guide personalized lymphoma treatment decisions

Many people with an aggressive blood cancer called diffuse large B cell lymphoma are cured by the current gold standard of treatment: an antibody designed to wipe out cancerous B cells plus a combination of four chemotherapy drugs.

25 Mar 2026

Blood pressure drug boosts effectiveness of cancer therapy

In a new Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC) study led by clinical researcher Tyler J. Curiel, MD, MPH, FACP, investigators found that the FDA-approved blood pressure drug telmisartan can significantly enhance the cancer-killing activity of the targeted therapy olaparib, potentially expanding its use to many more patients.

25 Mar 2026