Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Developing new approaches to fight against multi-resistant pathogens

Developing fundamentally new approaches against multi-resistant germs: This is the goal of the new Bavarian research network bayresq.net which started in January 2020.

9 Feb 2020

Understanding the genetic background of idiopathic ketotic hypoglycemia

Lisa is two years old. She often gets uneasy--shaking and sweating--especially in the morning. She vomits and refuses to eat. Her mother, Karoline, knows she has to act before Lisa starts to deteriorate.

9 Feb 2020

Study provides new insight into the regenerative capacity of mammalian embryos

A calf was born from an embryo lacking cells which form a large part of the placenta, providing new insight into the regenerative capacity of mammalian embryos.

9 Feb 2020

Genomic sequencing technique helps understand gut microbiota one cell at a time

A population of microorganisms living in our intestine, known as the gut microbiota, plays a crucial role in controlling our metabolism and reducing the risk of conditions such as obesity and diabetes.

9 Feb 2020

New strategy uses iPSCs to regulate immune reaction to transplanted tissues

Scientists suggest a new strategy that uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to regulate immune reaction to transplanted tissues.

9 Feb 2020

New gene therapy improves vision in blind mice

Mice born blind have shown significant improvement in vision after undergoing a new gene therapy developed by a team of Japanese scientists.

7 Feb 2020

Research provides new insights into molecular basis of X-chromosome inactivation

Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg and Institut Curie in Paris have shown that the protein SPEN plays a crucial role in the process of X-chromosome inactivation, whereby female mammalian embryos silence gene expression on one of their two X chromosomes.

7 Feb 2020

Gene therapy approach could pave the way for treatment of Stargardt disease

A leading Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford has shared the details of his research which could pave the way for a new treatment for sight loss condition Stargardt disease.

7 Feb 2020

Rejuvenate Bio secures license to commercialize gene therapy for treating age-related diseases in dogs

Rejuvenate Bio has secured a license to commercialize a gene therapy technology developed at the Wyss Institute to treat multiple age-related diseases in dogs, which could open the door to similar treatments for humans in the future.

6 Feb 2020

Coronavirus - pandemic or not?

The coronavirus strain called 2019-nCoV has been causing widespread illness in China, with 28,276 affected by the virus and over 565 deaths worldwide, mostly in China. As of now, it is already more deadly than the SARS epidemic that raged between 2002 and 2004.

6 Feb 2020

Largest genome study sheds light on how genetic glitches trigger tumor formation

It is well-known that when a gene mutates, it triggers tumor formation by stimulating abnormal cell growth and proliferation. Cancer starts from a mutant gene that kickstarts a series of abnormal growth, forming a tumor. However, the exact mechanism of how this happens remains unclear.

6 Feb 2020

Researchers discover new mutational phenomenon chromothripsis in cancer

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and EMBL-EBI have carried out the largest analysis across cancer types of the newly discovered mutational phenomenon chromothripsis.

6 Feb 2020

New insight into genomic alterations associated with telomere maintenance mechanisms in cancer

To gain an infinite lifespan, cancer cells need to maintain the ends of their chromosomes, known as telomeres. They achieve this in various different ways.

6 Feb 2020

Analyzing cancer-specific alterations found in tumor's RNA

Researchers at EMBL-EBI were among the leaders of a large international consortium that carried out a joint analysis of data from over 1000 donors of more than 25 cancer types, studying data on their whole genomes along with tumor transcriptome data, which indicates the genes that are active within a tumor.

6 Feb 2020

Scientists identify gene as potential therapeutic target for dementia in people with Parkinson's

Dementia is one of the most debilitating consequences of Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological condition characterized by tremors, stiffness, slow movement and impaired balance.

6 Feb 2020

UMass Amherst study aims to develop new test for BRCA-positive lactating moms

Breastfeeding women with a pathogenic BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation face a significant risk, even at a young age, of breast and ovarian cancer.

6 Feb 2020

Researchers discover new genetic drivers of cancer

The discovery of genetic drivers of cancer can have critical implications for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients, yet genome analysis has focused primarily on only 1-2% of the whole genome - the part that contains the code for making proteins.

5 Feb 2020