Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Changes in placenta could mean males born to older mothers more prone to heart problems

A new study in rats shows that older mother rats develop poorer placentas which are in turn related to later risk of heart problems in their male offspring. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, shows that both male and female offspring are smaller in size when the mother is older. However, the placental development in older mothers with male fetuses is especially impaired, leading to worse placental function. As a result, heart problems are more common in later life in these offspring, as is high blood pressure.

28 Nov 2019

New vaccine against bovine TB

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports says that for the first time a vaccine has been created against bovine tuberculosis that can be given without affecting the ability to diagnose tuberculosis later using the PPD skin test.

28 Nov 2019

Contagious cancers in the oceans much more common than once thought

Researchers have found that a type of cancer affecting shellfish is spreading across the Atlantic Ocean and spilling into the Pacific Ocean as well. The study titled, “A single clonal lineage of transmissible cancer identified in two marine mussel species in South America and Europe,” is published this week in the latest issue of the journal eLife.

28 Nov 2019

NIH Statement for World AIDS Day outlines efforts to end the HIV epidemic

With World AIDS Day on 1st December, we are reminded by the NIH of the work that needs to be done to end the HIV Epidemic.

28 Nov 2019

Placenta changes in older mothers linked to greater odds of heart problems in male offspring

Placenta changes could mean male offspring of older mums more likely to develop heart problems in later life, rat study finds.

28 Nov 2019

Gene discovery in fruit flies could provide clues to counteract mitochondrial diseases

Scientists have identified a protein in fruit flies that can be targeted to reverse the effects of disease-causing mutations in mitochondrial genes. The discovery could provide clues about how to counteract human mitochondrial diseases, for which there is currently no cure.

28 Nov 2019

UCLA scientists discover link between a protein and human blood stem cell self-renewal

UCLA scientists have discovered a link between a protein and the ability of human blood stem cells to self-renew. In a study published today in the journal Nature, the team reports that activating the protein causes blood stem cells to self-renew at least twelvefold in laboratory conditions.

27 Nov 2019

Prostate cancer 'super responders' could live for two years or more on immunotherapy

Some men with advanced prostate cancer who have exhausted all other treatment options could live for two years or more on immunotherapy, a major clinical trial has shown.

27 Nov 2019

Research findings provide novel therapeutic space to induce scarless regenerative healing

Abnormal scarring is a serious threat resulting in non-healing chronic wounds or fibrosis. Scars form when fibroblasts, a type of cell of connective tissue, reach wounded skin and deposit plugs of extracellular matrix.

27 Nov 2019

Mystery surrounds gene edited babies one year on

A year back Chinese scientist He Jiankui was in the news for all the wrong reasons. He had helped create the world’s first genetically edited human babies. After a year the world is still in dark about the whereabouts and health of the babies he had created and he himself has been not seen since January this year.

27 Nov 2019

Potential new treatment for mitochondrial diseases discovered from fruit fly genes

Researchers have discovered a way to reverse the impact of disease-causing mitochondrial mutations by targeting fruit fly gene.

27 Nov 2019

Study finds autism-related genetic mutations in aging brains of Alzheimer's patients

Researchers believe that autism is caused by mutations that occur sporadically in the egg or sperm or during pregnancy.

26 Nov 2019

Research could help design better flu vaccines

Each year millions of Americans become sick with the flu, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized and tens of thousands die. Getting the flu shot can reduce the chances of infection. But, at best, the vaccine is only effective 40% to 60% of the time, according to the CDC.

26 Nov 2019

Few things to know before buying at-home genetic testing kits

At-home genetic testing kits, also known as direct-to-consumer or lab-to-consumer DNA tests, are growing in popularity - especially as holiday gifts.

26 Nov 2019

Study points to two types of motion that keeps cells in shape

The health of cells is maintained, in part, by two types of movement of their nucleoli, a team of scientists has found. This dual motion within surrounding fluid, it reports, adds to our understanding of what contributes to healthy cellular function and points to how its disruption could affect human health.

26 Nov 2019

Splicing factor enhances ability of triple negative breast cancers to grow and metastasize

If your DNA is a cookbook, a single gene is a recipe. But it's a flexible recipe that if edited one way can make a pie; edited another way can make a cake. And that difference can mean cancer, as a team of researchers who looked at those gene editors writes in the 26 November issue of Cell Reports.

26 Nov 2019

Innovative migraine prophylaxis could endanger people with chronic high blood pressure

The neuropeptide αCGRP (α calcitonin gene-related peptide) works in two different ways. It leads to inflammation and dilates the blood vessels right at the release point of the nerve cells, for example in the meninges, which can trigger migraine attacks. However, it has a completely different effect on the heart, as has now been discovered by a team of researchers at the University of Zurich.

26 Nov 2019

Sheffield research receives £800k to develop new gene therapy to treat CVD

Cardiac research in Sheffield has received a major boost from the British Heart Foundation in the form of an £800,000 award to develop a new gene therapy to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD).

26 Nov 2019

Fertility treatments cause epigenetic changes in mouse embryos, study finds

Though epigenetic disorders - diseases caused by faulty gene expression - are still rare overall, babies born using fertility treatments have up to an 11-fold higher risk of inheriting them.

26 Nov 2019

Discovery may provide clues for treatment of autism and schizophrenia

Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified that a gene critical to clearing up unnecessary proteins plays a role in brain development and contributes to the development of autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia.

25 Nov 2019

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Changes in placenta could mean males born to older mothers more prone to heart problems

New vaccine against bovine TB

Contagious cancers in the oceans much more common than once thought

NIH Statement for World AIDS Day outlines efforts to end the HIV epidemic

Placenta changes in older mothers linked to greater odds of heart problems in male offspring

Gene discovery in fruit flies could provide clues to counteract mitochondrial diseases

UCLA scientists discover link between a protein and human blood stem cell self-renewal

Prostate cancer 'super responders' could live for two years or more on immunotherapy

Research findings provide novel therapeutic space to induce scarless regenerative healing

Mystery surrounds gene edited babies one year on

Potential new treatment for mitochondrial diseases discovered from fruit fly genes

Study finds autism-related genetic mutations in aging brains of Alzheimer's patients

Research could help design better flu vaccines

Few things to know before buying at-home genetic testing kits

Study points to two types of motion that keeps cells in shape

Splicing factor enhances ability of triple negative breast cancers to grow and metastasize

Innovative migraine prophylaxis could endanger people with chronic high blood pressure

Sheffield research receives £800k to develop new gene therapy to treat CVD

Fertility treatments cause epigenetic changes in mouse embryos, study finds

Discovery may provide clues for treatment of autism and schizophrenia

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging