Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Potential genetic test for earlier Alzheimer's diagnosis

A new study published in the journal Epigenetics in February 2020 reports that changes in the methylation status of the Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) gene could help diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD) earlier. This study shows for the first time that methylation of this gene is a common feature in AD.

1 Mar 2020

Researchers explore the role of SLC25A32 in cancer cell proliferation

Oncotarget Volume 11 Issue 8 reported that while it is known that cancer cells require one-carbon and FAD-dependent mitochondrial metabolism to sustain cell proliferation, the role of SLC25A32 in cancer cell growth remains unexplored.

28 Feb 2020

Novel technique helps trace individual chromosomes during embryonic development

The spatial arrangement of genetic material within the cell nucleus plays an important role in the development of an organism.

28 Feb 2020

Gene therapy regenerates functional new neurons in mouse models of HD

Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare disease characterized by abnormal chorea movement and caused by Huntingtin (Htt) gene mutation and neurodegeneration in a brain area called striatum.

28 Feb 2020

New discovery may be useful for developing novel cancer treatments

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered that our cells replicate their DNA much more loosely than previously thought.

28 Feb 2020

Readers and tweeters dive into debate over ‘Medicare for All’

Your criticism about former Vice President Joe Biden’s "Medicare for All" cost estimates is spot-on but leaves out important savings.

28 Feb 2020

Research reveals key role of a protein in rare Batten disease

Professor Stéphane Lefrançois, a researcher at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), is working on Batten disease, a neurodegenerative genetic disease that primarily affects children. His research focuses on the most common form of the disease - Batten CLN 3 - which is caused by mutations in the protein of the same name and for which there is still no cure.

28 Feb 2020

Gene-editing technology may lead to new model for studying Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease researchers have used gene-editing tools to introduce the disorder's most common genetic mutation into marmoset monkey stem cells and to successfully tamp down cellular chemistry that often goes awry in Parkinson's patients.

27 Feb 2020

Nanoparticles containing gliadin could allow celiac disease patients to eat a normal diet

Celiac disease affects 0.3-2.4% of people in most countries world-wide, and approx. 2% in Finland. Celiac patients suffer from a variety of symptoms, typically intestinal complaints, such as diarrhea, but are often symptom-free.

27 Feb 2020

Eating less prolongs life

A new study published in the journal Cell in February 2020 reports that eating less is associated with better immunity, reduce inflammation all over the body, and reduced odds of diseases related to old age, as well as increasing the odds of living longer.

27 Feb 2020

Cancer chemical from common gut microbe

Many common gut bacteria carry cancer-causing mutations, says a new study published in the journal Nature on the 27th February 2020.

27 Feb 2020

Scientists reveal ability to reverse Huntington's disease-causing DNA repeat mutations in the lab

Neurodegenerative diseases, like Huntington's disease and myotonic dystrophy, are often referred to as DNA repeat diseases, named because of long repeated sequences in the DNA of patients. Increasing repeat expansion length in the affected tissues contribute to earlier age of disease onset and worsen the progression and severity of the disease over time.

27 Feb 2020

Increased numbers of bacterial cells could be associated with anti-microbial resistance

Scientists from the University of Surrey have identified mutations in a gene in an Escherichia coli (E. coli) model that could help explain a form of anti-microbial resistance (AMR) known as 'persistence'.

27 Feb 2020

Drug used for breast, renal cancers may provide survival benefit for patients with head and neck cancers

A targeted therapy drug used for breast and kidney cancers may also extend progression-free survival for patients with advanced head and neck cancer who are at high risk for recurrence after standard treatment.

27 Feb 2020

First human vaginal non-redundant gene catalog released

University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences researchers have created the first catalog of genes that comprise the community of microbes, which inhabit the human vagina.

26 Feb 2020

Study reveals the effects of pre-surgical chemotherapy on breast cancer genome

Results from one of the first studies to determine the effects of pre-surgical, or neoadjuvant, chemotherapy on the breast cancer genome offer up two key insights.

26 Feb 2020

UC researchers uncover potential new treatment for patients with metastatic melanoma

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have uncovered a potentially more beneficial treatment regimen for patients with metastatic melanoma.

26 Feb 2020

Study contributes to better understanding of rare KAT6A syndrome

A research team has described five new cases of a rare disease -known as KAT6A syndrome- of which there are only eighty dominant cases worldwide.

26 Feb 2020

New form of gene editing slows ALS progression in mice

With a new CRISPR gene-editing methodology, scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign inactivated one of the genes responsible for an inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - a debilitating and fatal neurological disease for which there is no cure.

26 Feb 2020