Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Cannabis use may alter gene linked to autism in male sperm

Researchers from Duke University Medical centre, Durham, USA have come up with an important study that shows that use of cannabis among men could alter a specific gene in their sperm that is linked to autism. The study titled, “Cannabis use is associated with potentially heritable widespread changes in autism candidate gene DLGAP2 DNA methylation in sperm,” and is published in the latest issue of the journal Epigenetics.

28 Aug 2019

Gold nanoparticles used successfully in prostate tumour trial

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York have reported a pilot clinical trial with a “nanoparticle-based photothermal cancer therapy” for prostate cancers. Their work with this targeted therapy is published in a study titled, “Gold nanoshell-localized photothermal ablation of prostate tumors in a clinical pilot device study,” in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Science.

28 Aug 2019

New therapy may kill cancer cells in inherited breast cancer

Breast cancer begins when the cells in the breast begin to grow out of control. The cells form a tumor, which can become malignant if they invade and spread to surrounding tissues. Like any other cancers, breast cancer has many risk factors that can’t be changed, like family history.

28 Aug 2019

New study helps explain why lung tumors turn aggressive

Lung cancer is the number 1 killer among cancers, especially when it is of the non-small cell type. Among these, adenocarcinomas are the most common and aggressive type. These tumors also show a strong tendency to show dedifferentiation, or loss of the features that characterize a mature lung cell.

28 Aug 2019

Supervised exercise following concussion improves recovery, study suggests

After a sports-related concussion, traditional recovery recommendations have previously called for weeks or months of rest, depending on the duration of a person's symptoms.

28 Aug 2019

Scientists identify PoEMs that promote breast cancer metastasis

When breast cancer cells spread through the body, they do so mainly through the lymph system that normally removes excess fluid and waste products from our tissues.

28 Aug 2019

New cellular processes controlling the formation of lymphatic valves found

Lymphedema, resulting from a damaged lymphatic system, can be a debilitating disease in which excess protein-rich fluid (lymph) collects in soft tissues and causes swelling -- most often in the arms or legs.

28 Aug 2019

Researchers find a weak spot in cancer cells

Cancer cells form tumors. This statement, simple as it seems, hides a complex failure of normal immune responses that should eliminate tumor cells from the body before they ever form viable cancer masses.

28 Aug 2019

$1.5 million grant from BRAIN Initiative will help develop new tools to study astrocytes

In the brain, cells called astrocytes are at least as abundant as neurons, but are much less understood.

27 Aug 2019

Scientists reveal cancer cells' immune weak spot

Scientists have found a vulnerability in cancer cells that could make them more susceptible to being destroyed by the immune system, according to a new report in eLife.

27 Aug 2019

Researchers study biological risk potential of nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are smaller than five nanometres - a nanometre being one millionth of a millimetre - which corresponds approximately to the size of macromolecules. Such tiny particles are very easily absorbed in body cells.

27 Aug 2019

Failure of glial cells in the brain triggers epileptic seizures, study finds

Epileptic seizures can happen to anyone. But how do they occur and what initiates such a rapid response?

27 Aug 2019

Genetically altering protein in colon cancer cells may enhance efficacy of chemotherapy

Colorectal cancer outcomes may improve by genetically altering an immune-regulatory protein in cancer cells, making the cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy. That's according to new Mayo Clinic research.

27 Aug 2019

New study provides unprecedented insights into retina's genetic code

Australian scientists have led the development of the world's most detailed gene map of the human retina, providing new insights which will help future research to prevent and treat blindness.

27 Aug 2019

Study shows microRNA can protect the heart from reperfusion injury

Heart muscle can continue to die even after restoring blood following a heart attack, and scientists have new evidence that one way to help it live is by boosting levels of a tiny RNA that helped the heart form.

27 Aug 2019

Remodeling unhealthful gut microbiomes with the help of synthetic peptides

You are what you eat - right down to the microbiome living in your gut. Diet can affect which microbes are in the intestinal tract, and research has shown that harmful gut microbiome changes can lead to illnesses such as heart disease, obesity and cancer.

27 Aug 2019

NIH announces new round of funding for Research Centers in Minority Institutions

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, part of the National Institutes of Health, has funded three new awards and renewed the awards of eight institutions previously funded under the Research Centers in Minority Institutions Specialized Centers program.

26 Aug 2019