Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers have a promising lead on COVID-19 treatment

By taking a lesson from prostate cancer, researchers now have a promising lead on treatment for COVID-19. Two proteins, ACE2 and TMPRSS2, help the coronavirus gain entry and replicate within cells. TMPRSS2 is well-known to Arul Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D. His lab discovered that TMPRSS2 fuses with the ETS gene to drive more than half of all prostate cancers. They also knew that TMPRSS2 was regulated by the androgen receptor.

21 Dec 2020

Study depicts previously unknown molecular mechanism underlying healthy brain development

A research team led by Michael Fox, a professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, has identified the type of brain cell that produces collagen 19, a protein that is crucial for the formation of inhibitory circuits in the brain.

21 Dec 2020

Study provides new insights into the molecular underpinnings of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A UT Southwestern research team has catalogued gene activity in the skeletal muscle of mice, comparing healthy animals to those carrying a genetic mutation that causes Duchene muscular dystrophy (DMD) in humans.

21 Dec 2020

Absence of anti-tumor protein may cause resistance to EGFR-targeting therapies

The absence of a protein that works to prevent tumor formation may explain why some patients are resistant to a common cancer therapy, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

21 Dec 2020

The weak spot of colon cancer stem cells

Colon cancer stem cells have one weak spot: the enzyme Mll1. An MDC team led by Walter Birchmeier has now shown in Nature Communications that blocking this protein prevents the development of new tumors in the body.

21 Dec 2020

Stem cell engineering used to identify gene signaling pathway linked to schizophrenia

Using human-induced pluripotent stem cells engineered from a single family's blood samples, a gene signaling pathway linked to a higher risk for developing schizophrenia was discovered by scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

21 Dec 2020

Brain tissue analysis may help explain enduring mysteries about PTSD

A post-mortem analysis of brain tissue from people who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may help explain enduring mysteries about the disorder, such as why women are more susceptible to it and whether a dampened immune system response plays a role in dealing with stress, a team headed by Yale University researchers has found.

21 Dec 2020

COVID-19: Meta-analysis unveils adversely affected biological processes in infected lung cells

The researchers Wasco Wruck and Prof. James Adjaye from the Institute of Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine, Medical Faculty of Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Germany, employed a bioinformatic approach on transcriptome data pertaining to human lung epithelial cells infected with SARS-CoV-2.

21 Dec 2020

Study confirms the feasibility of RT-qPCR on extraction-free inactivated SARS-CoV-2 samples

A new paper reports superior results using an alternative test protocol for RT-qPCR testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

21 Dec 2020

Researchers use precision medicine strategy to identify a new genetic skeletal disorder

Researchers of the "Cell Biology and Physiology-LABRET" group of the University of Malaga (UMA), together with the Networking Biomedical Research Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), have described a new genetic skeletal disorder based on a precision medicine strategy.

21 Dec 2020

Researchers create new polymer to deliver DNA and RNA-based therapies for diseases

University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers in the Department of Chemistry have created a new polymer to deliver DNA and RNA-based therapies for diseases.

21 Dec 2020

Researchers identify novel mechanism by which CREB3L3 protein protects against atherosclerosis

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba identify a novel mechanism by which the protein CREB3L3 protects against atherosclerosis.

21 Dec 2020

Researchers discover more accurate technique to study gene responsible for innate immunity

An infant's odd case of rare encephalitis not typically found in children led researchers to discover never before seen genetic mutations and a more accurate technique to examine the IRAK4 gene responsible for innate immunity.

20 Dec 2020

New understanding of physical properties of chromatin may show how genome is encoded and decoded

University of Alberta researchers have found an answer to a fundamental question in genomic biology that has eluded scientists since the discovery of DNA: Within the nucleus of our cells, is the complex package of DNA and proteins called chromatin a solid or a liquid?

20 Dec 2020

Study identifies biomarker gene signature that indicates potential liver toxicity

When agrochemical and pharmaceutical companies develop new products, they must test extensively for potential toxicity before obtaining regulatory approval. This testing usually involves lengthy and expensive animal studies.

18 Dec 2020

Study finds how macrophages may contribute to a therapeutic weak spot in breast cancer

Breast cancer, the second most common cancer in the United States, can result from a number of cellular misregulations, such as deficiencies in the DNA-repairing breast cancer gene, BRCA.

18 Dec 2020

AOAC INTERNATIONAL issues Certificates of Validation for three test kits that detect SARS-CoV-2

AOAC INTERNATIONAL announced today that it has issued Certificates of Validation for three proprietary test kits that detect SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 illness, on environmental surfaces.

18 Dec 2020

Research at Advanced Photon Source laid the groundwork for effective COVID-19 vaccines

There is light at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic tunnel. Several vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 are now in clinical trials, with one -- developed by Pfizer/BioNTech -- already having been approved for emergency use in the United States.

18 Dec 2020

Anti-hypertension drug may be key to extending lifespan, shows study

A stress response of mitochondria, the part of our cells that produce energy to power bodily functions, is important to a longer life.

18 Dec 2020

Rapid no-frills detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva with LAMP-Cas13

A new paper that appeared as a preprint on the medRxiv* server in December 2020 describes a nucleic acid test validated on saliva samples.

18 Dec 2020

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers have a promising lead on COVID-19 treatment

Study depicts previously unknown molecular mechanism underlying healthy brain development

Study provides new insights into the molecular underpinnings of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Absence of anti-tumor protein may cause resistance to EGFR-targeting therapies

The weak spot of colon cancer stem cells

Stem cell engineering used to identify gene signaling pathway linked to schizophrenia

Brain tissue analysis may help explain enduring mysteries about PTSD

COVID-19: Meta-analysis unveils adversely affected biological processes in infected lung cells

Study confirms the feasibility of RT-qPCR on extraction-free inactivated SARS-CoV-2 samples

Researchers use precision medicine strategy to identify a new genetic skeletal disorder

Researchers create new polymer to deliver DNA and RNA-based therapies for diseases

Researchers identify novel mechanism by which CREB3L3 protein protects against atherosclerosis

Researchers discover more accurate technique to study gene responsible for innate immunity

New understanding of physical properties of chromatin may show how genome is encoded and decoded

Study identifies biomarker gene signature that indicates potential liver toxicity

Study finds how macrophages may contribute to a therapeutic weak spot in breast cancer

AOAC INTERNATIONAL issues Certificates of Validation for three test kits that detect SARS-CoV-2

Research at Advanced Photon Source laid the groundwork for effective COVID-19 vaccines

Anti-hypertension drug may be key to extending lifespan, shows study

Rapid no-frills detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva with LAMP-Cas13

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging