Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers identify genetic mutation that causes idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Researchers in Japan have identified a genetic mutation that causes a severe lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by killing the cells lining the lung's airways.

10 Oct 2019

Suppressing brain immune cells might prevent or delay the onset of dementia

Messy tangles of a protein called tau can be found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and some other neurodegenerative diseases. In Alzheimer's, the tangles coalesce just before tissue damage becomes visible in brain scans and people start to become forgetful and confused.

10 Oct 2019

BIA Separations launches CORNERSTONE Exosome Process Development Solution

BIA Separations, a leading bio-chromatography development and manufacturing company, today announced the introduction of its CORNERSTONE Exosome Process Development Solution, designed to help drug-developers overcome critical development bottlenecks in the preparation of exosomes for clinical use.

10 Oct 2019

New solution can limit spread of wild-released gene drives to target populations

By altering the heritability of certain traits, gene drive technologies have the potential to spread desired genes through wild populations.

10 Oct 2019

Former smokers and light smokers not exempt from lung function decline

People who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a day cause long-term damage to their lungs, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

9 Oct 2019

Scientists identify strong genetic markers for PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most commonly occurring and seriously debilitating disorder that happens when a person gets exposed to traumatic events, including sexual assault, combat, and natural disaster.

9 Oct 2019

Using tape strips to obtain skin biomarkers in children with atopic dermatitis

Applying strips of adhesive tape to skin lesions and non-lesional skin is a non-invasive way to obtain biomarkers to track the severity of early-onset pediatric eczema or atopic dermatitis in infants and young children, researchers report for the first time.

9 Oct 2019

Cedars-Sinai breast radiologist explains benefits of 3D mammography for every woman

If it's October, it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when pink ribbons sprout up on everything from suit lapels to yogurt containers, reminding women to turn their attention to breast health -- especially mammograms.

9 Oct 2019

Cholera pathogen can acquire large stretches of genetic material from neighboring bacteria

In 2015, EPFL researchers led by Melanie Blokesch published a seminal paper in Science showing that the bacterium responsible for cholera, Vibrio cholerae, uses a spring-loaded spear to literally stab neighboring bacteria and steal their DNA.

8 Oct 2019

Biology and computers meld to help understand how breast cancer develops

Among the most deadly killers in the area of cancer, breast cancer is also extremely difficult to treat, once it has spread to the bones. Not only does it metastasize rapidly, but it comprises a variety of cell types and also depends on the input from many other non-breast cells during the initiation, growth and spread of the cancer. This complexity makes it more difficult to develop targeted therapies in this condition.

8 Oct 2019

Differences at the single-cell level can predict responses to BRAF inhibitor therapy

Patients with advanced melanoma have been able to live longer because of several newly approved targeted treatment options, including BRAF and MEK inhibitors. However, patients will often have different responses to the same treatment due to genetic variability.

8 Oct 2019

New grants support research on mechanics of tumor cells

At the cellular level, cancer can be viewed as a mechanical engineering challenge. The disease alters the structure and function of cells and tissues, which are meant to perform very specific tasks.

8 Oct 2019

Histone modifications play important role in 'zygotic genome activation'

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology observed changes to the gene-regulating factors during zebrafish development and discovered that modifications to "histone H3", one of the proteins around which DNA is bound, play an important role in "zygotic genome activation" or transition of control of zebrafish embryonic development from maternal material to the zygote .

8 Oct 2019

Cholera-causing bacteria steal large stretches of intact DNA to become more efficient

A new paper shows that the cholera germ is an inveterate and rapacious gene stealer, robbing other competing bacteria of up to 150 genes (over 150,000 base pairs) in a single attack. To put this in perspective, the cholera pathogen carries only about 4,000 genes altogether.

8 Oct 2019

New insight into meningioma - possibility of targeted therapy

A new study published in the journal Oncotarget shows that certain mutations in the brain tumor called meningioma may help identify patients who have a better chance of recovery. This could help physicians make better clinical decisions based on more accurate diagnoses. It has also unveiled some of the genes that go wrong in meningiomas, as well as showing how targeted therapy could one day help fight this tumor.

7 Oct 2019