Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study of rare genetic disorder that causes severe eyesight problems

Nagano prefecture is home to a group of people effected with a rare genetic neurodegenerative disorder called familial amyloid polyneuropathies. This disease impacts the gene encoding protein transthyretin which is produced in the liver and also eyes.

3 Apr 2020

Investigating Human Disease with Mass Spectrometry-based Proteomics

Dr. Andrew Webb describes how his lab uses mass spectrometry-based techniques to understand the role of post-translational modifications in human disease.

From Bruker Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry 3 Apr 2020

Starving pancreatic cancer cells of cysteine may induce tumor ferroptosis

A new study from Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests a compound in development for a rare kidney stone disease may have potential against pancreatic cancer.

2 Apr 2020

New study offers clues to why autism is more common in boys than in girls

A new study in Neuron offers clues to why autism spectrum disorder is more common in boys than in girls. National Institutes of Health scientists found that a single amino acid change in the NLGN4 gene, which has been linked to autism symptoms, may drive this difference in some cases.

2 Apr 2020

Nanoneedle technology licensed for early detection of disease, biomarker discovery

A Boston-based startup company, NanoMosaic LLC, intends to commercialize a high-throughput, high-sensitivity platform for analyte detection developed at Harvard University.

2 Apr 2020

Variations in skin-related genes influence how efficient we make vitamin D

Genetic variations in the skin can create a natural sunscreen, according to University of Queensland researchers investigating the genes linked with vitamin D.

2 Apr 2020

Psychoactive ingredient in marijuana may impair ability to produce viable embryos

Female eggs exposed to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, have an impaired ability to produce viable embryos, and are significantly less likely to result in a viable pregnancy, according to an animal study accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.

2 Apr 2020

Immunotherapy may benefit mCRPC patients with specific markers of immune activation

Although metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer typically has limited response to immunotherapy, a subset of patients with pretreatment evidence of active T-cell responses in their tumors experienced prolonged survival following treatment with ipilimumab in a Phase II trial at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

1 Apr 2020

Researchers identify risk gene for Alzheimer's development

Researchers from the University of British Columbia and the Central South University in China have for the first time identified a gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

1 Apr 2020

Inherited gene mutation can predispose children to SHH medulloblastoma

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and the German Cancer Research Center have identified ELP1 as a novel predisposition gene in the SHH subgroup of pediatric medulloblastoma.

1 Apr 2020

New Vivalytic Viral Respiratory Tract Infection Array can identify SARS-CoV-2 virus

A game-changing point of care coronavirus test from global diagnostics company Randox Laboratories and leading technology manufacturer Bosch Healthcare Solutions will launch in April 2020.

From Randox Laboratories Ltd. 1 Apr 2020

Researchers publish review on HIV-1 Rev Regulatory complex in “Current HIV Research” journal

A team of researchers led by Patrick E. H. Jackson at the Myles H. Thaler Center for HIV and Human Retrovirus Research, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, has published a review on the subject of the HIV-1 Rev Regulatory complex (dubbed the HIV-1 Rev Regulatory Axis) in the journal, Current HIV Research.

1 Apr 2020

New method helps preserve testicular cells, could save endangered feline species

A research team at the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) developed a method to isolate and cryopreserve testicular cells.

1 Apr 2020

GABA is a key regulator to metamorphosis, shows study

Metamorphosis, or a dramatic change in physical appearance, is a normal part of the life cycle of many animals, carried out to take advantage of different ecological niches.

1 Apr 2020

Spit and feces test positive for SARS CoV-2 even after recovery

A new study reveals that samples of sputum and feces continue to test positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus even after a person has recovered from COVID-19 and nasopharyngeal secretions test negative for the virus.

31 Mar 2020

Study reveals how hormone leptin contributes to weight loss

Some call it baby fat. But recent research has shown that adults have it too--which is a good thing. Brown fat, the so-called good fat that can protect against obesity and associated health risks, like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, is located in small pockets throughout the body.

31 Mar 2020