Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers decode factors that contribute to risk of developing motor neuron disease

Trinity College Dublin researchers have found that one in 347 men and one in 436 women can be expected to develop motor neuron disease during their lifetime.

25 Jul 2019

Researchers turn to single-cell analysis to understand a pediatric brain tumor

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, alongside others, have revealed the cells of origin for specific subtypes of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor.

25 Jul 2019

Salk study unlocks new way to target hard-to-treat cancers

Now, a new Salk Institute study, published on July 24, 2019, in the journal Science Advances, shows that researchers could target these hard-to-treat cancers by pursuing drugs that keep a cellular "switch," called CREB, from triggering tumor growth.

25 Jul 2019

New vaccine shows promise against toughest HIV strains

A new study reports successful immunization against a so-far invincible “death star” strain of an HIV-related laboratory virus (SIVmac239) and another tough strain. The new approach also achieves long-term protection with a single dose, showing that gene therapy could allow broad and durable protection, based on a modified form of the CD4 protein that allows HIV entry into human cells.

24 Jul 2019

Fat cells may be egging on melanoma cells to become more aggressive

A new study has shown that fat cells could be implicated in the transformation of the melanoma cells in the skin into highly malignant cells that spread to the different organs of the body. A team from the Tel Aviv University, led by Prof. Carmit Levy and Dr. Tamar Golan of the Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry at TAU's Sackler School of Medicine published their findings in the journal Science Signaling this week.

24 Jul 2019

Measuring pupil dilation and heart rate using AI could enable earlier diagnosis of autism

Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders often aren't diagnosed until a child is a few years of age, when behavioral interventions and speech/occupational therapy become less effective.

24 Jul 2019

Researchers explore stem cells for answers to how fragile X syndrome develops

The lab of Yongchao Ma, PhD, from Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, discovered how the genetic defect in fragile X syndrome – a type of autism – delays production of neurons (nerve cells) at a critical time in the embryo's brain development.

24 Jul 2019

Extracellular vesical microRNAs from fat cells can disrupt disposal of cholesterol

A multi-institutional team led by research faculty at Children's National in Washington, D.C., finds that extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from kids' fat can play a pivotal role in ratcheting up risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease well before any worrisome symptoms become visible.

24 Jul 2019

Brain protein mutation from an autistic person alters behavior in mice

A de novo gene mutation that encodes a brain protein in a child with autism has been placed into the brains of mice.

24 Jul 2019

Algorithm based on ‘first impressions’ of immune cells may help predict onset of diseases

First impressions are important – they can set the stage for the entire course of a relationship. The same is true for the impressions the cells of our immune system form when they first meet a new bacterium.

24 Jul 2019

Women who inherit BRCA mutations have high risk of developing cancer

Women who inherit harmful mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

24 Jul 2019

Gene mutation in the brain of autism patients alters behaviors in mice

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a wide range of possible causes, including genetics and environmental factors. Now, a new study suggests that a brain protein mutation may shed light on the mechanism of neurological and developmental illness.

23 Jul 2019

Altered protein and mutated clusters of genes in Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis and treatment has been a challenge and this is mainly due to the varying degrees of degeneration and cognitive damage seen in different patients. The researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine for the first time used the transcriptome to assess the proteins made from the genes in patients with AD, that could help in diagnosis.

23 Jul 2019

Common feature that makes cancer cells appear bloated could be their potential weak spot

In a study using yeast cells and data from cancer cell lines, Johns Hopkins University scientists report they have found a potential weak spot among cancer cells that have extra sets of chromosomes, the structures that carry genetic material.

23 Jul 2019

DCCNet demonstrates use of Parsortix system for single cell CTC analysis

ANGLE plc, a world-leading liquid biopsy company, is pleased to announce that one of its leading customers, the Disseminated Cancer Cell Network, Duesseldorf, an interdisciplinary team of cancer researchers and clinicians, has published new results in a peer-reviewed journal of work done to develop a “robust, reliable and cost-efficient workflow” for enrichment of single circulating tumor cells.

23 Jul 2019

Exosomes can restore health to brain cells affected by developmental disease

Like overpacked suitcases unloaded from the underbelly of a jet, molecular satchels called exosomes are continuously deployed from all cells in the body—each one brimming with an assortment of contents that another cell may unpack and use.

23 Jul 2019

Evolutionary gene loss may explain heightened risk of cardiovascular disease in humans

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine say the loss of a single gene two to three million years ago in our ancestors may have resulted in a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease in all humans as a species, while also setting up a further risk for red meat-eating humans.

23 Jul 2019