Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

A step toward precision medicine: New drug targets for heart failure

Researchers identify several promising drug targets for heart failure and its clinical subtypes.

14 Feb 2025

DNA’s organization influences the risk of smoking-induced lung cancer

The study from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Prof. Sheera Adar and her graduate student Elisheva Heilbrun-Katz from The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada in the Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with Prof. Raluca Gordan from Duke University and the University of Massachusetts, has uncovered how the structure and chemical modifications of DNA affect the damage caused by cigarette smoke and the body’s ability to repair it.

14 Feb 2025

Hospital sink drains found to harbor dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria

We hope to be cured when we stay in hospital. But too often, we acquire new infections there. Such 'healthcare-associated infections' (HAI) are a growing problem worldwide, taking up an estimated 6% of global hospital budgets.

14 Feb 2025

Interferon pathway activation identified as key driver in OPLL pathogenesis

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a progressive spinal disease characterized by ectopic bone formation in the spine, leading to severe neurological symptoms due to spinal cord compression. This condition is more prevalent in Asian countries and has been associated with various genetic and hormonal factors.

14 Feb 2025

Engineering safe and effective vaccinia virus vectors for next-generation vaccines

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Vaccinia virus (VACV) confers cross-protective immunity against the variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, and has therefore been extensively exploited as a preventive vaccine. Despite the global eradication of smallpox in the 1980s, research efforts involving VACV have continued due to the potential threat of the variola virus being used as a bioweapon, which poses grave risks to human health.

14 Feb 2025

Researchers identify genetic cause of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor Genetics and collaborating institutions provided a long-awaited and rare genetic diagnosis in a child with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a type of developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), associated with a severe, complex form of epilepsy and developmental delay.

14 Feb 2025

New insight into gut stem cell aging

A recent study led by Associate Professor Takuya Yamamoto and Researcher May Nakajima-Koyama has revealed that maintaining a delicate balance between interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling is essential for preserving the intestinal stem cell population during aging.

13 Feb 2025

New biomarker can accurately predict outcomes in meningiomas and breast cancers

Using a new technology and computational method, researchers from Fred Hutch Cancer Center and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered a biomarker capable of accurately predicting outcomes in meningioma brain tumors and breast cancers.

13 Feb 2025

Discovery of gene silencer offers hope for autosomal dominant leukodystrophy

A team led by University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health geneticists has shown, for the first time, that a gene "silencer" that resides in junk DNA is directly sparing people from a devastating and fatal progressive neurological disease.

13 Feb 2025

New atlas reveals aging’s impact on breast tissue and cancer risk

Aging is a privilege, but it also brings risks-including an increased likelihood of developing age-related diseases including cancer.

13 Feb 2025

Researchers discover genetic mutation linked to toxic protein buildup in Alzheimer's

The root causes of most forms of Alzheimer's disease largely remain a mystery. Now, researchers have revealed a new piece of the puzzle.

13 Feb 2025

Study reveals key mechanisms behind cancer cells adapting to extra chromosomes

Cancer cells have special adaptation mechanisms that allow them to proliferate despite changes in their genetic makeup.

13 Feb 2025

Enzyme found in lymphatic cells enhances immune activity against tumors

When a tumor develops, it creates a structure around itself called the tumor stroma, within which blood and lymphatic vessels ensure nutritional and respiratory biological exchanges.

13 Feb 2025

Breakthrough discovery reveals key role of ovoid cells in object recognition memory

Take a look around your home and you'll find yourself surrounded by familiar comforts-photos of family and friends on the wall, well-worn sneakers by the door, a shelf adorned with travel mementos.

13 Feb 2025

Guardian molecule found to prevent cancer cells from changing identity

A guardian molecule ensures that liver cells do not lose their identity. This has been discovered by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Hector Institute für Translational Brain Research (HITBR), and from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).

13 Feb 2025