Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 evolved mutations to evade the immune system

The Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 - the first "variant of concern" - evolved mutations that allowed it to more efficiently suppress the immune system's early response to infection, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco's Quantitative Biosciences Institute and University College London.

24 Dec 2021

Are our bowel habits written in our DNA?

In this interview, News-Medical talks to Dr. Mauro D’Amato about how there could be clues about the regularity of bowel movements within our genes.

24 Dec 2021

Recently evolved region of the ‘dark genome’ provides clues to treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Scientists investigating the DNA outside our genes - the 'dark genome' - have discovered recently evolved regions that code for proteins associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

23 Dec 2021

Omicron has enhanced infectivity that is only weakly neutralized by vaccination or prior infection

Scientists used virus-like particles and found that Omicron showed increased infectivity, relative to the B.1 and B.1.1 strains, which was similar to the Delta variant.

23 Dec 2021

Blocking function of a blood-clotting protein may help prevent or treat periodontal disease

Blocking function of a blood-clotting protein prevented bone loss from periodontal (gum) disease in mice, according to research led by scientists at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health.

23 Dec 2021

New insights into how red meat-rich diet increases cardiovascular disease risk

A Cleveland Clinic-led study has revealed new insights into how a diet rich in red meat increases risk for cardiovascular disease. The findings were published in Nature Microbiology and build on more than a decade of research by lead author Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD.

23 Dec 2021

Impact of the rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Southern Africa

A new study has focused on the genomic profile and early transmission dynamics of Omicron. This study revealed the dominance of the Omicron variant in regions with high levels of population immunity.

23 Dec 2021

Assessing the clinical severity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

A recent preprint examines the proportion of Omicron infection and the risk of severe disease with this variant of SARS-CoV-2.

23 Dec 2021

Decline in protection against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in prior infected and fully vaccinated

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers investigated the distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta and Omicron variants among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive individuals who were either naive, fully vaccinated, or had a previous infection to further investigate possible escape from vaccine- or infection-induced immunity by Omicron compared to Delta.

22 Dec 2021

Eating sugar is healthy for some Greenlanders with a genetic variation

A genetic variation among some Greenlanders makes sugar healthy – significantly more than for most people.

22 Dec 2021

Newly discovered species of Enterococcus bacteria named after the John Innes Centre

A newly discovered species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been named after the academic institute where it was identified – the John Innes Centre.

22 Dec 2021

Amino acid valine plays a key role in the growth of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A molecular building block of many animal proteins, the amino acid valine, plays a key role in cancerous growth seen in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a new study shows.

22 Dec 2021

Researchers identify new mechanism for DNA invasion of adenoviral COVID-19 vaccines

Adenoviruses have a linchpin protein that stabilizes their DNA until it reaches the infected cell's nucleus. The protein then detaches from the viral genome, and the virus uncoats. Only then are the genes released into the nucleus, which is necessary for the production of new viruses.

22 Dec 2021

Transcription factor Blimp1 identified as potential target for modulating T-reg activity to treat cancer

In cancer, a major obstacle to anti-tumor immunity and immunotherapy treatment is the infiltration of regulatory T cells, or T-reg cells, into a tumor. These immune cells generally turn down the immune response, and they can prevent the immune system from destroying cancer cells.

22 Dec 2021

Researchers use network modeling to hone in on cancer gene interactions critical to malignancy

Wilmot Cancer Institute researchers are a step closer to understanding the complex gene interactions that cause a cell to become malignant.

21 Dec 2021

Star-shaped cells in the brain regulate cognitive flexibility

As we live in a dynamically changing environment, it is important for our brain to not only learn new things but also to modify existing memories.

21 Dec 2021

Deletion of autism-linked gene diminishes myelin in mice

Myelin, a sheath of insulation around nerves that enables electrical impulses to efficiently travel through the central nervous system, is diminished in mice that have a gene deletion associated with autism spectrum disorder, new research finds.

21 Dec 2021

Diagnostic assays that use the 2019-nCoV-N1 primer-probe are unlikely to be impacted by Omicron variant

A new study aimed to detect the genomic material of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, such as the recently emerged variant of concern (VOC) Omicron.

21 Dec 2021

Identifying a recurring pattern in broadly neutralizing antibodies that can target an epitope on SARS-CoV-2

Interesting research decrypts a recurring sequence in antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and identifies it to be a board neutralizing antibody that targets a conserved epitope on the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein.

21 Dec 2021

Cheap and accessible methods for genome sequencing will help tackle future pandemics

A worldwide consortium of scientists, led by the Earlham Institute and the University of Liverpool in the UK, mark a significant milestone in equipping researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with cheap and accessible methods for sequencing large collections of bacterial pathogens - at a cost of less than $10USD per genome.

21 Dec 2021

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 evolved mutations to evade the immune system

Are our bowel habits written in our DNA?

Recently evolved region of the ‘dark genome’ provides clues to treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Omicron has enhanced infectivity that is only weakly neutralized by vaccination or prior infection

Blocking function of a blood-clotting protein may help prevent or treat periodontal disease

New insights into how red meat-rich diet increases cardiovascular disease risk

Impact of the rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Southern Africa

Assessing the clinical severity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

Decline in protection against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in prior infected and fully vaccinated

Eating sugar is healthy for some Greenlanders with a genetic variation

Newly discovered species of Enterococcus bacteria named after the John Innes Centre

Amino acid valine plays a key role in the growth of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Researchers identify new mechanism for DNA invasion of adenoviral COVID-19 vaccines

Transcription factor Blimp1 identified as potential target for modulating T-reg activity to treat cancer

Researchers use network modeling to hone in on cancer gene interactions critical to malignancy

Star-shaped cells in the brain regulate cognitive flexibility

Deletion of autism-linked gene diminishes myelin in mice

Diagnostic assays that use the 2019-nCoV-N1 primer-probe are unlikely to be impacted by Omicron variant

Identifying a recurring pattern in broadly neutralizing antibodies that can target an epitope on SARS-CoV-2

Cheap and accessible methods for genome sequencing will help tackle future pandemics

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting