Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Two potent small molecules appear to suppress tumor growth in multiple cancers

City of Hope scientists have identified and developed two potent small molecules that appear to suppress tumor growth in multiple cancers even when other treatments cease to work, possibly due to the development of drug resistance.

16 Jun 2020

Cancer results from interaction between individual’s genetics and exposure to carcinogens

A new study led by the University of Hawai?i Cancer Center looks into how and why certain individuals develop cancer and others do not.

16 Jun 2020

Scientists evaluate SARS-CoV-2 infection risks in livestock, poultry, pets and wildlife

A large-scale single-cell screening endeavor on a wide variety of animals showed that cells targeted by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are most abundant in cats, but are also found in other animals – unveiling a valuable resource for controlling the ongoing disruptive coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

16 Jun 2020

Researchers develop a simple tool for making mouse models of COVID-19

Until there are effective treatments or vaccines, the COVID-19 pandemic will remain a significant threat to public health and economies around the world. A major hurdle to developing and testing new anti-viral therapies and vaccines for COVID-19 is the lack of good, widely available animal models of the disease.

16 Jun 2020

Research team generates comprehensive developmental map of human T-cells

Chintan Parekh, MD, of The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, has led a team of investigators that generated a comprehensive roadmap for how T-cells develop in the human thymus.

16 Jun 2020

Persistent DNA damage in the placenta can affect embryonic growth

Scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have shown that a dysfunctional placenta can play a previously unrecognized role during the earliest stages of development in mouse models of Cornelia de Lange syndrome.

16 Jun 2020

Common cholesterol drugs could slow breast cancer metastasis to the brain

A new study from the University of Notre Dame shows drugs used to treat high cholesterol could interfere with the way breast cancer cells adapt to the microenvironment in the brain, preventing the cancer from taking hold.

16 Jun 2020

Researchers receive federal funding to rapidly repurpose FDA-approved drugs for COVID-19

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine will be partnering on an agreement funded by the federal government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to rapidly test hundreds of drugs, approved and marketed for other conditions, to see whether any can be repurposed to prevent or treat COVID-19.

16 Jun 2020

Antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) suppresses replication of SARS-CoV-2

A study conducted by researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg has shown that the antidepressant agent fluoxetine may be an effective drug for the early treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among at-risk groups.

16 Jun 2020

New discovery could open door to next generation malaria vaccine

In an unprecedented first, scientists at Seattle Children's Research Institute have developed a genetically attenuated parasite (GAP) that arrests late in the liver stage of human malaria.

16 Jun 2020

Exercise has profound protective effect in mouse models of Friedreich's ataxia

A top exercise researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine is urging clinical trials of exercise in patients with Friedreich's ataxia after finding that physical activity has a "profound" protective effect in mouse models of the debilitating genetic disease.

16 Jun 2020

Novel antisense drug shows promise to improve health of people with NAFLD

Using a first-of-its-class drug in a clinical trial, an international research effort headed by a scientist at University of California San Diego School of Medicine reports that inhibition of a key enzyme safely and effectively improved the health of persons with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a chronic metabolic disorder that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

16 Jun 2020

UCLA receives nearly $14 million NIH grant to investigate immunotherapy to destroy HIV

UCLA researchers and colleagues have received a $13.65 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate and further develop an immunotherapy known as CAR T, which uses genetically modified stem cells to target and destroy HIV.

16 Jun 2020

Accelerating the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer with Mass-Spectrometry Based Techniques

An interview with Livia Eberlin, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, discussing the development of mass-spectrometry based techniques for cancer diagnosis and improved clinical outcomes.

From Pittcon 16 Jun 2020

Researchers analyze immune properties of ancient human DNA

Could remnants of DNA from a now-extinct human subspecies known as the Denisovans help boost the immune functions of modern humans?

16 Jun 2020

Early genetic rescue may be a potential therapy in autism spectrum disorder

A mouse study by Craig Powell, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues suggests that early genetic rescue may be a potential therapy in autism spectrum disorder or ASD.

16 Jun 2020

Micro-dystrophin gene therapy can improve outcomes in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers from Nationwide Children's Hospital have published in JAMA Neurology results from the first four patients treated in the first clinical trial of systemic delivery of micro-dystrophin gene therapy in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) - and initial findings suggest that the therapy can provide functional improvement that is greater than that observed under the standard of care.

16 Jun 2020

Human antibodies provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2 in animal tests

A team led by Scripps Research has discovered antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease, when tested in animals and human cell cultures.

15 Jun 2020

Tracing coronavirus habitats with genomics

Now, a new study by researchers at the University of Ottawa and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports the differences in genomes of viruses that are exposed to antiviral proteins vs. those that are not. This host-derived pressure on the virus to adapt may help devise newer ways to build an effective vaccine.

15 Jun 2020

Molecular approach can improve diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is a serious problem associated with a wide variety of lung diseases, which can lead to right ventricular dysfunction and death.

15 Jun 2020