Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

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

LIG1 loss reveals new treatment strategy for aggressive breast cancer

Loss of one copy of the DNA Ligase I (LIG1) gene in triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) with TP53 mutations confers resistance to chemotherapy, but researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have identified a vulnerability in these cells and used it to their advantage.

16 Jul 2026

Researchers identify new genetic pathway driving epilepsy and seizures

Researchers have uncovered a novel biological pathway that can lead to seizures when disrupted. The findings also provide a new approach to improve the diagnosis of epilepsy, for which a genetic cause cannot be found in about 50 % of individuals with the condition

16 Jul 2026

New model improves short- and long-term disease risk prediction

Researchers developed ALADYNOULLI, a Bayesian generative model that combines longitudinal health records, age, and polygenic risk to identify reproducible disease signatures across more than 683,000 participants. In UK Biobank testing, the framework achieved stronger short- and long-term risk discrimination than established clinical scores while revealing disease subgroups and genetic associations.

16 Jul 2026

Targeting CMPK2-intervened redox metabolism to mitigate hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury

HIRI is a major clinical challenge that occurs when blood supply to the liver is temporarily interrupted and then restored, as commonly seen in liver resection and liver transplantation.

16 Jul 2026

Researchers identify immune cell receptor that drives organ aging process

We may age at different rates, but none of us escapes aging. A study in mice and in human cells by Stanford Medicine researchers pins much of the blame on a particular type of immune cell's increased inability, with advancing age, to gobble up another immune cell type.

16 Jul 2026

Specialized dendritic cells found to coordinate antitumor immunity

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified the immune cell that acts as the architect and coordinator of powerful immune hubs that form inside tumors and plays a key role in antitumor immunity.

16 Jul 2026

Blood-based gene tests show promise for pancreatic cancer screening

Researchers at Kanazawa University report the blood-based gene expression tests may enable early pancreatic cancer screening and improve long-term survival.

16 Jul 2026

New biological feedback loop helps the immune system attack colorectal cancers

A subset of cancers, known as microsatellite instability (MSI) and deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) cancers, are more visible to the immune system than others.

16 Jul 2026

Experimental KRAS vaccine safely generates durable immune response against pancreatic cancer

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Skip Viragh Center for Pancreatic Cancer report that an experimental vaccine targeting mutant KRAS, one of the most common genetic drivers of pancreatic cancer, was safe and generated durable immune responses aimed at preventing the cancer in people at high risk.

16 Jul 2026

Weill Cornell Medicine receives DoD grant to target triple-negative breast cancer

Weill Cornell Medicine has received a $2.5 million, three-year grant from the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop therapies with fewer side effects for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat breast cancers.

16 Jul 2026

Genome-mining tool reveals new antibiotic hidden in a silent gene cluster

Researchers developed DiscERN, a genome-mining platform that combines four complementary algorithms to identify evolutionarily related biosynthetic gene clusters and prioritize candidates for experimental study. The approach revealed discomycin A, a previously unknown calcium-dependent lipopeptide antibiotic with potent activity against several Gram-positive bacteria.

15 Jul 2026

Fruit fly study uncovers gene behind seasonal winter dormancy

Researchers at Washington State University have discovered a molecular "winter lock" that keeps animals in a less active winter state until favorable conditions return, a discovery that could improve pest control and lead to a better understanding of seasonal health conditions in humans.

15 Jul 2026