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.

What are Homeobox Genes?

Gene Editing Techniques: ZFNs, TALENs or CRISPR?

What is SATI Gene Editing?

Conditional Gene Knockout Techniques

Gene Knockin

Ras Genes and Cancer

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Antibiotic Resistance

Functions of BRCA1/2 Gene Products

Horizontal Gene Transfer

Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genetic Inheritance

See more featured articles »

What are Homeobox Genes?

Genes that Control Pluripotency

Gene History

The Latest Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy

Gene Knockout versus Knockdown

Genetics and Gene Expression

Latest Gene News and Research

Neutrophils may play unexpected role in schizophrenia development

The most common white blood cells in your body - immune cells called neutrophils - can make a protein nobody knew they were making, Stanford Medicine investigators have discovered.

19 May 2026

Real-world study compares leading ALK+ lung cancer treatments

A team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the USC Shaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics have conducted a head-to-head comparison of five leading treatments for anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer.

19 May 2026

Sensory nerve signals found to block lung cancer immunotherapy

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have revealed that sensory nerve signals interfere with the immune system's response to lung cancer.

19 May 2026

UC Davis scientists identify protein key to male fertility

The causes of male infertility can be hard to diagnose, with many tests failing to detect genetic defects. Sometimes, infertility doesn't even involve the genes themselves.

19 May 2026

Early neural activity regulates speech-related gene to build communication circuits

Communication begins long before children learn to speak. Researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in Taiwan have now uncovered how early brain activity helps build developing communication circuits via regulating FOXP2/Foxp2, a gene linked to human speech and communication disorders.

19 May 2026

Davis Joseph wins international award for revolutionary cancer treatment discovery

The Sustainability through Science and Technology Summit 2025 (SIPS 2025), celebrating its 21st edition in Cebu, Philippines, from 17–20 November 2025, presented the 2025 Ciechanover International Biology Award to Davis Joseph.

19 May 2026

Molecular profiling initiative seeks to uncover late breast cancer recurrence mysteries

The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN), in collaboration with the SWOG Cancer Research Network (SWOG), has launched a new initiative to analyze paired original and recurrent tumor specimens from two practice-changing breast cancer clinical trials.

19 May 2026

Recent advancements in the development of models to study primary sclerosing cholangitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare non-communicable disorder that affects the liver. Chronic inflammation in and around the bile duct is followed by the development of fibrotic obstructions within the duct, causing bile to accumulate within the liver.

19 May 2026

MIDAS platform accelerates protein engineering through rapid PCR-based screening

Proteins are critical to life – and to industry. There are countless proteins that could be engineered to treat and even cure serious diseases and cellular dysfunctions.

19 May 2026

How antibody-drug conjugates are redefining targeted cancer therapy

Antibody-drug conjugates are rapidly expanding cancer therapies, with 19 approved globally and many more in development, but their success depends on better targets, payloads, linkers, dosing, and patient selection. The Cell review shows that next-generation ADCs could widen treatment options, but safety, resistance, tumor heterogeneity, and clinical translation remain major barriers.

19 May 2026

UCLA researchers identify potential drug target for treating Fragile X syndrome

UCLA Health researchers have identified a potential drug target for treating Fragile X syndrome, the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability and autism that affects roughly 1 in 2,000 boys.

18 May 2026

DNA-guided CRISPR system targets RNA and expands Cas12 beyond gene editing

Researchers developed ΨDNA, a DNA-based CRISPR guide that allows Cas12 enzymes to target RNA with high specificity while retaining compatibility with DNA-editing workflows. The platform detected HCV RNA in clinical samples and enabled programmable RNA knockdown, multiplex targeting, and RNA modification in human cells.

18 May 2026

Health experts outline symptoms and risks of shipboard hantavirus

It's one of the cruisegoer's biggest fears: a contagious disease outbreak at sea.

18 May 2026

Gut microbiome metabolite butyrate relieves chronic jaw joint pain

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain is associated with disrupted gut microbiome metabolites. Researchers reveal that butyrate, administered as tributyrin, alleviates pain by restoring histone acetylation and reversing gene regulatory changes in the brain.

18 May 2026

Preclinical models map genetic changes behind multiple sclerosis nerve damage

More than 1 million people across the United States live with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that affects the brain, optic nerves and spine.

18 May 2026

Chia seeds may boost fetal brain DHA during obesity-linked pregnancy

Chia seed supplementation during pregnancy increased maternal omega-3 long-chain fatty acids, including DHA, in a rat model of high-fat-high-sugar diet-induced obesity. The findings suggest plant-derived ALA from chia seeds may improve maternal, placental, and mid-gestation fetal brain lipid profiles, but human relevance and offspring outcomes still need testing.

17 May 2026

Aged immune cells may drive memory decline by releasing a brain-aging protein

A preclinical mouse study in Immunity suggests that aged circulating CD8+ T cells can disrupt hippocampal function and impair learning and memory. The findings point to granzyme K, a secreted factor linked to age-associated CD8+ T cells, as a potential target for restoring aspects of cognition in aging.

17 May 2026