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.

Gene Knockout versus Knockdown

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Antibiotic Resistance

What are Homeobox Genes?

Ras Genes and Cancer

Horizontal Gene Transfer

Genetic Inheritance

Genetics and Gene Expression

The Latest Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy

Gene Editing Techniques: ZFNs, TALENs or CRISPR?

Functions of BRCA1/2 Gene Products

What is SATI Gene Editing?

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Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genes that Control Pluripotency

Conditional Gene Knockout Techniques

What are Homeobox Genes?

Gene History

Gene Knockin

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists link genetic spelling mistakes to sudden cardiac death

Scientists have found that the 'sudden' cardiac death condition related to high profile deaths or major medical episodes of sports stars including Fabrice Muamba, Christian Erikson and Mark-Vivian Foe has numerous linked gene variations, or "spelling mistakes", which highlights a potentially treatable vulnerability.

21 Jul 2026

New AI score enhances monitoring of myelodysplastic neoplasms

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have developed a new AI-based method to assess patients with a form of blood cancer called myelodysplastic neoplasms.

20 Jul 2026

Machine learning tool improves accuracy of genome mapping studies

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have identified a widespread source of error in a popular method for studying the genome – our genetic instructions – and created a machine-learning tool to correct it.

20 Jul 2026

New tumor organoids strengthen precision oncology research

Significant advances have been made in the development of patient-derived tumor "organoids" for preclinical research, in two new studies led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

20 Jul 2026

New target makes cancer cells vulnerable to immune destruction

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have identified a molecular switch that helps determine whether cancer cells remain soft and difficult to destroy or become stiff enough for the immune system to attack.

20 Jul 2026

Study reveals why rare neurological disease damages specific brain regions

Many neurological diseases damage specific parts of the brain, even though the harmful protein involved is present throughout the brain.

20 Jul 2026

ddPCR and NGS for viral surveillance in antiviral drug development

hVIVO explains how ddPCR and NGS support viral surveillance in antiviral trials, from detection and quantification to resistance sequencing.

From hVIVO 20 Jul 2026

Mapping how influenza virus rewires human host cells

Researchers at EMBL Hamburg and collaborators at the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) have mapped how the influenza A virus rewires infected human cells in unprecedented detail.

20 Jul 2026

Filtered coffee links to slower biological aging while instant coffee shows the opposite

Filtered coffee consumption was associated with slower biological aging, while instant coffee was linked to faster aging in UK Biobank participants. The cross-sectional findings do not prove causation, but they suggest that brewing method may influence coffee’s relationship with aging biomarkers.

20 Jul 2026

Frequent TV watching may harm long-term brain health

"Turn off that TV, it'll rot your brain!" has been a household refrain for decades. While "rot" might be too strong a term, researchers are finding that the overall sentiment could have some merit.

17 Jul 2026

New portable strip test accurately detects mosquito-borne viruses

A research team has developed a multisite bridging-mediated lateral flow immunoassay (mbLFIA) that enables highly sensitive, portable detection of mosquito-borne viruses, using Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) as a model target.

17 Jul 2026

New ctDNA blood test improves personalized prostate cancer treatment

A noninvasive DNA blood test can identify metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients who are most likely to benefit from 223Ra radiopharmaceutical therapy and monitor their progress throughout treatment, according to new research published in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

17 Jul 2026

SORLA protein may protect the brain from toxic tau tangles

Alzheimer's disease and many other forms of neurodegeneration share a common culprit. In these diseases, tau proteins that normally stabilize neuronal microtubule filaments within our nervous system networks instead form noxious knots and gradually disrupt the circuits they would otherwise preserve.

17 Jul 2026

Study detects early warning signs of schistosomiasis drug resistance

Scientists have identified genetic changes in wild populations of the parasitic worm that causes schistosomiasis which may reduce its response to praziquantel, the only available treatment.

17 Jul 2026

NOX4 inhibition may protect hearts affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers at the University of South Florida USF Health Morsani College of Medicine have identified a potential pathway that could protect cardiac function in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive and fatal genetic disease that weakens the body's muscles.

17 Jul 2026

ECT-like brain stimulation triggers unexpected nuclear reprogramming in mature neurons

Nearly 90 years after Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini introduced electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), brain stimulation therapies such as ECT and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) are common in psychiatry because they are highly effective for treating depression and schizophrenia, yet their cellular mechanisms remain poorly understood

17 Jul 2026

Study reveals mechanism underlying HBV-induced liver inflammation

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major cause of global liver morbidity, leading to progressive necroinflammation that often culminates in cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

17 Jul 2026

Scientists discover master regulator gene network behind complex psychiatric disorders

A study by the University of Barcelona has identified nearly 20 genes that could contribute to some people being more susceptible to depression, anxiety and traits such as irritability and neuroticism.

17 Jul 2026

Diet helps people lose weight regardless of genetic obesity risk

A study reveals dietary coaching aids weight loss equally in individuals with high and low genetic obesity risk, challenging genetic determinism in weight loss.

17 Jul 2026

Experimental drug shows promise against NRAS-driven melanoma

A research team from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) reports that a groundbreaking pathway-targeted therapy could be an effective treatment for certain melanoma patients and fill an unmet clinical need for patients with advanced disease.

16 Jul 2026