Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Immune system dysfunction can alter the link between cannabis use and psychosis

The presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood can boost the effects of daily cannabis use and heighten the risk of developing psychosis in adulthood.

16 Jun 2021

Alternate-day fasting has no specific health or metabolic benefits over standard daily diet

An alternate-day intermittent fasting schedule offered less fat-reducing benefits than a matched "traditional" diet that restricts daily energy intake, according to a new, 3-week randomized trial involving 36 participants.

16 Jun 2021

New study provides important insights into osteoporosis

Osteoporosis researchers at the UVA School of Medicine have taken a new approach to understanding how our genes determine the strength of our bones, allowing them to identify several genes not previously known to influence bone density and, ultimately, our risk of fracture.

16 Jun 2021

Researchers explore potential exposure to microbial agents in-utero

The human fetal immune system begins to develop early during gestation, however, factors responsible for fetal immune-priming remain elusive.

16 Jun 2021

Using natural killers from the immune system to target breast cancer cells

It sounds like a plot from a Quentin Tarantino movie -- something sets off natural killers and sends them on a killing spree.

16 Jun 2021

Research identifies distinctive inflammatory signature in a genetic form of ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that strikes nearly 5,000 people in the U.S. every year. About 10% of ALS cases are inherited or familial, often caused by an error in the C9orf72 gene.

16 Jun 2021

Gut microbiome impacts stroke severity and post-stroke functional impairment

New findings from Cleveland Clinic researchers show for the first time that the gut microbiome impacts stroke severity and functional impairment following stroke.

16 Jun 2021

Reducing coronavirus-related mortality through senolytics

A study recently published in the journal Science explores the concept of senescent cells (SnC) having a hyperinflammatory response and the use of a class of small molecules called senolytics to combat this.

16 Jun 2021

Researchers demonstrate a potentially powerful strategy for treating cystic fibrosis

UNC School of Medicine scientists led a collaboration of researchers to demonstrate a potentially powerful new strategy for treating cystic fibrosis (CF) and potentially a wide range of other diseases.

16 Jun 2021

Anti-viral treatment can stop the spread of lab modeled SARS-CoV-2 by 99.5%

A new approach focusing on cellular repair may be an effective strategy to address the pandemic.

16 Jun 2021

Anti-viral treatment can stop the spread of lab modeled SARS-CoV-2 by 99.5%

A new approach focusing on cellular repair may be an effective strategy to address the pandemic.

16 Jun 2021

A study on SARS-CoV-2 proteins for the development of COVID-19 drugs

The authors of the review have grouped the virus proteins into three categories, (a) host-entry, (b) self-acting, and (c) host-interacting. Additionally, individual SARS-CoV-2 proteins are evaluated to be either directly targeted by drugs or block virus-host interactions.

16 Jun 2021

Chronic inflammation causes aging of the pituitary gland

Stem cell biologist Hugo Vankelecom (KU Leuven) and his colleagues have discovered that the pituitary gland in mice ages as the result of an age-related form of chronic inflammation. It may be possible to slow down this process or even partially repair it. The researchers have published their findings in PNAS.

15 Jun 2021

Neanderthal-derived genetic locus influences COVID-19 severity in humans

Researchers in the United States and Estonia have identified four genetic variants on a chromosome 3 haplotype that may be responsible for driving the association between this locus and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Jun 2021

Repressing a protein that facilitates DNA repair to potentiate chemotherapy

Chemotherapy kills tumor cells by causing damage to them. One of the most effective ways of causing damage is to prevent the two DNA strands from separating so that the cellular machinery cannot read the instructions written in the genes.

15 Jun 2021

Differential localization may explain different physiological functions of receptors

In the heart there are two different subtypes of beta-adrenergic receptors - beta1 and beta2 - which are activated by the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline.

15 Jun 2021

UMSOM researchers develop two accurate, rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have developed two rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 that are nearly as accurate as the gold-standard test currently used in laboratories.

15 Jun 2021

Cancer cells use an aging gene to establish permanent footing

Researchers at the University of Helsinki and the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow have discovered how mutated cells promote their chances to form cancer. Typically, the accumulation of harmful cells is prevented by active competition between multiple stem cells in intestinal glands, called crypts.

15 Jun 2021

Prenatal exposure to air pollutants may increase infants' obesity risk

Women exposed to higher levels of air pollution during pregnancy have babies who grow unusually fast in the first months after birth, putting on excess fat that puts them at risk of obesity and related diseases later in life, new CU Boulder research shows.

15 Jun 2021

Study uncovers novel drug that effectively thwarts pancreatic tumors

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease in which malignant cells form in the tissues of the pancreas, a long and flat gland located behind the stomach that helps with digestion and blood sugar regulation.

14 Jun 2021