Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Combination therapy effective for patients with cholangiocarcinoma marked by BRAF mutations

In a Phase II trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the combination of dabrafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, and trametinib, a MEK inhibitor, achieved a 51% overall response rate (ORR) in patients with cholangiocarcinoma marked by the BRAF V600E mutation.

18 Aug 2020

Researchers identify shared molecular roots between lipid dysfunction and autism

Researchers at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University have identified a subtype of autism arising from a cluster of genes that regulate cholesterol metabolism and brain development.

18 Aug 2020

Study reports potential therapeutic target for lethal heart defect in children

When children are born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), they require a series of major surgical procedures to survive. But even with a repaired heart, as many as one in four children die from complications before age 25.

18 Aug 2020

Researchers solve a long-held mystery of X chromosome inactivation

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have solved a mystery that has long puzzled scientists: How do the bodies of female humans and all other mammals decide which of the two X chromosomes it carries in each cell should be active and which one should be silent?

18 Aug 2020

Switching off 'master regulator' may protect critical brain cells from Parkinson's-related damage

Switching off a molecular "master regulator" may protect the brain from inflammatory damage and neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, reports a study published today in Nature Neuroscience.

17 Aug 2020

Cashew shell compound may help repair damaged nerves

In laboratory experiments, a chemical compound found in the shell of the cashew nut promotes the repair of myelin, a team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

17 Aug 2020

New test could help predict survival of women with ovarian cancer

A global team of medical researchers led by UNSW have developed a test that could help to predict survival for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and pave the way towards personalized treatment.

17 Aug 2020

New treatment approach strengthens motor function and muscle of aged mice

In an aging society, one of the most important and urgent tasks of scientific research is to counteract the decline in motor function and muscle weakness that accompanies the aging process.

17 Aug 2020

Study opens new therapeutic avenue for treating glioblastoma tumors

New insight into a gene that controls energy production in cancer stem cells could help in the search for a more effective treatment for glioblastoma.

17 Aug 2020

Deciphering the largest CRISPR system

Professor Guillermo Montoya spoke to News-Medical on his research that involved visualizing the largest and most complex CRISPR system.

17 Aug 2020

Genome analysis helps detect 568 genes that drive cancer

Analysis of the genomes of 28,000 tumors from 66 types of cancer has led to the identification of 568 cancer driver genes

17 Aug 2020

COVID-19 virus acts as a 'sponge' to deplete specific host microRNAs

Why is the COVID-19 virus deadly, while many other coronaviruses are fairly innocuous and just cause colds?

15 Aug 2020

Nanoparticle carriers expand the effectiveness of gene therapies for human eye diseases

NIBIB-funded researchers have created nanoparticles for successful gene therapy of a mouse model of macular degeneration.

15 Aug 2020

Influenza-virus-based vaccine platform another viable option against SARS-CoV-2

In a novel proof of concept study, published on the bioRxiv preprint server, U.S. researchers used attenuated influenza viral particles that express severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding domain to induce neutralizing antibodies in mice – unveiling another viable vaccine candidate for preventing coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

14 Aug 2020

Gene variants help explain link between skin condition and food allergies

Two common variants in the KIF3A gene increase the risk of young children having a dysfunctional skin barrier and developing the skin condition atopic dermatitis.

14 Aug 2020

New research delineates how genetic variations cause atopic dermatitis

New research supported by the National Institutes of Health delineates how two relatively common variations in a gene called KIF3A are responsible for an impaired skin barrier that allows increased water loss from the skin, promoting the development of atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema.

14 Aug 2020

Newly identified gene could improve treatment for multiple sclerosis

The disease multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks the central nervous system and, with time, can give rise to muscle tremors and loss of balance.

14 Aug 2020

Experimental COVID-19 vaccine prevents severe disease in mice

Now, a novel experimental vaccine that is made from a mild virus genetically-modified to carry an essential gene from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronary disease (COVID-19), has shown promise in preventing pneumonia in mice infected with the virus.

14 Aug 2020

Study identifies new set of multi-tasking taste cells

Our mouths may be home to a newly discovered set of multi-tasking taste cells that - unlike most known taste cells, which detect individual tastes - are capable of detecting sour, sweet, bitter and umami stimuli.

13 Aug 2020