Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

A data-rich atlas of the developing human brain

For the nascent brain of a human embryo to develop into the complex organ that controls human consciousness, a finely tuned sequence of genetic events has to take place; hundreds of genes are activated and deactivated in a precise symphony.

30 Jun 2020

Genomic sequencing to provide precision medicine for aromatase deficiency

An international team of scientists from Switzerland Spain, has studied the genetic basis of aromatase deficiency, a rare metabolic disorder that prevents the production of estrogens in humans, according to new research in JCEM.

30 Jun 2020

COVID-19 triggers changes in blood platelets

Changes in blood platelets triggered by COVID-19 could contribute to the onset of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious complications in some patients who have the disease, according to University of Utah Health scientists.

30 Jun 2020

Salk Institute expands research to find treatments and cures for COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the globe, the Salk Institute joins in efforts to understand the fundamental science behind the novel coronavirus to pave the way to treatments and cures.

30 Jun 2020

SAFB1 may be a diagnostic marker for neurodegenerative diseases, shows study

Bristol scientists have discovered a novel pathology that occurs in several human neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease.

30 Jun 2020

Researchers identify new step in brain cell mechanism that shows promise for treating epilepsy

Researchers have identified a critical new step in how brain cells function in people with one of the most common forms of epilepsy.

30 Jun 2020

Glitches in DNA replication have important implications for treating cancer

USC researchers peering deep inside a living cell have discovered something surprising: Its system for preventing genetic damage linked to diseases can fail so badly that the cell would be better off without it.

30 Jun 2020

Spike protein and human ACE2 binding ability shows SARS-CoV-2 viral adaptation

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports some important findings that could shed light on this question. As the pandemic marches on, having claimed over 500,000 lives and caused well over 10 million infections to date, the task of defining and predicting factors that predispose to infectivity across species becomes ever more critical.

30 Jun 2020

A glycan analysis of SARS-CoV-2 ACE2 complex

Researchers in the U.S. have produced molecular dynamic simulations of the Spike protein found on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its interaction with the host cell receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

29 Jun 2020

Bioengineered uterine tissue can support normal pregnancies, study shows

In new research from the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), scientists have shown that bioengineered uteri supported fertilization, fetal development, and live birth with normal offspring.

29 Jun 2020

Researchers develop potential new therapy for common form of muscular dystrophy

Researchers have designed a potential new treatment for one of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy, according to a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

29 Jun 2020

Antibiotic resistance genes tend to persist in E. coli through 'genetic capitalism'

We have known for some time that over-use of antibiotics is causing a frightening increase in antibiotic resistance in bacteria, through the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance genes.

29 Jun 2020

Study unravels CNL6 mystery in Batten disease

Batten disease is a family of 13 rare, genetically distinct conditions. Collectively, they are the most prevalent cause of neurodegenerative disease in children, affecting 1 in 12,500 live births in the U.S. One of the Batten disease genes is CLN6.

29 Jun 2020

Scientists discover osmotic stress as stimulator of cellular waste disposal

Cellular waste disposal, where autophagy and lysosomes interact, performs elementary functions, such as degrading damaged protein molecules, which impair cellular function, and reintroducing the resulting building blocks such as amino acids into the metabolic system.

29 Jun 2020

Researchers show how upregulation of a single gene by SARs-CoV-2 can trigger cytokine storm

The SARS-CoV-19 virus initially has a limited capability to invade, attacking only one intracellular genetic target, the aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhRs).

29 Jun 2020

Study shows how gut bacteria helps people resist cholera

Cholera can kill within hours if left untreated, and it sickens as many as 4 million people a year. In a new article in the journal Cell, researchers describe how gut bacteria helps people resist the disease.

29 Jun 2020

Remodeling may make neurons more prone to Alzheimer's disease

Neurons that regularly remodel are more prone to Alzheimer's disease and die when that remodeling goes awry, a new study suggests. The work is the first to track the progression of Alzheimer's at the genetic and molecular levels within neurons vulnerable to the disease.

29 Jun 2020

NUS researchers discover protein that promotes cancer progression

Cancers arise when the genetic code of normal cells is altered, causing excessive growth. Researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore have discovered a protein that drives the growth of cancers of the esophagus or liver by altering the genetic code in a novel way.

29 Jun 2020

New model helps study human hippocampal neurons

Neuroscientists and stem cell researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a research model that allows studying human hippocampal neurons, the brain cells primarily affected by Alzheimer's disease pathology.

29 Jun 2020

Similarities between coronaviruses and human genes promote infection

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 shows that the proportion of A/T pairing in viral genomes may increase the tendency to infect humans because of the matching molecular features in some host genes, that increases the susceptibility of the host to the virus.

28 Jun 2020