Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

IAS 2019 plenary program spotlights urgent developments in HIV science

The International AIDS Society has announced the plenary presentations that will lead the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science, which will take place in Mexico City, Mexico, on 21-24 July 2019. IAS 2019 is the largest open scientific conference on HIV and is expected to bring together more than 6,000 participants from more than 140 countries.

8 Feb 2019

Researchers generate transplantable, functional B-1 cells from mice

Functional B-1 cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells are capable of long-term engraftment and secrete natural antibodies after transplantation in mice, researchers report February 7 in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

8 Feb 2019

IDT supports innovative synthetic biology start-ups with grant program

Integrated DNA Technologies’ Synthetic Biology Start-up Grant Program has once again benefited innovative start-ups in their missions to impact sustainable manufacturing, human health, and/or humanitarian causes.

From Integrated DNA Technologies 8 Feb 2019

Simple drug cocktail converts neighboring glial cells into functional new neurons

A simple drug cocktail that converts cells neighboring damaged neurons into functional new neurons could potentially be used to treat stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and brain injuries.

8 Feb 2019

New DNA-based nanomachines can be used for gene therapy of cancer

Scientists from ITMO in collaboration with their international colleagues proposed new DNA-based nanomachines that can be used for gene therapy of cancer.

8 Feb 2019

Physical activity may help fight depression in seniors

The benefits of exercise are widely known but kinesiologists at McMaster University have for the first time found that physical activity may help fight depression in seniors by stimulating muscle-generated mood boosters.

8 Feb 2019

Cloning-free Nested CRISPR uses long DNA fragments for efficient gene editing

CRISPR is a technique that is revolutionizing biomedical research through high-precision genome editing. However, even though it allows the creation or correction of mutations consisting of a single or few nucleotides with relative ease, it still possesses limitations upon introducing larger fragments of DNA in the genome.

8 Feb 2019

Study shows precision medicines could aid more breast cancer patients via RNA-targeting

When women or men receive the worrisome diagnosis of breast cancer, that news comes with an important piece of information, namely, whether their cancer is HER2-positive or HER2-negative.

8 Feb 2019

Mutations in folliculin gene affect embryo implantation

New information is unfolding on the genetic controls of an early turning point in pregnancy. As the tiny, dividing cell mass, the blastocyst, travels from the oviduct and lodges in the wall of the uterus, the cells must exit their pre-implantation state and be ready for post-implantation development.

7 Feb 2019

Insufficient sleep mirrored by DNA from blood leukocytes

An insufficient amount of sleep and qualitatively poor sleep are common among the general population. Prior studies have indicated that prolonged insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality are associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular diseases, dementia and psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying this connection are not well known.

7 Feb 2019

Detecting and mapping of chemicals inside a biological cell

How are chemicals distributed in a cell? Chinese scientists have developed a combined mass spectrometry and biological imaging device that enables direct, label-free detection, and high-resolution mapping of chemicals inside a biological cell.

7 Feb 2019

Scientists untangle how microbes manufacture key antibiotic compound

For decades, scientists and doctors have known that bacteria in soil were capable of manufacturing streptozotocin, an antibiotic compound that is also an important treatment for certain types of pancreatic cancer.

7 Feb 2019

'Satellite' stem cells more likely to develop into fat cells after rotator cuff tears

Why are fat deposits more likely to occur after tears of the shoulder's rotator cuff, compared to other types of muscle injuries? An increased propensity of stem cells within with rotator cuff muscles to develop into fat cells may explain the difference, reports a study in the February 6, 2019 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

7 Feb 2019

Researcher studies how sickle cell disease affects blood flow and oxygen delivery

Sickle Cell Disease is rare but devastating. Due to a genetic mutation affecting hemoglobin, the component of the red blood cell that carries oxygen, a reduced amount of oxygen is supplied to vital tissues and organs.

7 Feb 2019

Zebrafish offers clue to alleviate gastrointestinal distress related to autism

University of Miami researchers have discovered a clue in the humble zebrafish's digestive tract that, one day, could help people on the autism spectrum alleviate one of the most common yet least studied symptoms of their disorder: gastrointestinal distress.

7 Feb 2019

Binge drinking in adolescence causes lasting changes in emotional center of brain

Binge drinking in adolescence has been shown to have lasting effects on the wiring of the brain and is associated with increased risk for psychological problems and alcohol use disorder later in life.

7 Feb 2019

New acute porphyria treatment shows promising results in clinical study

Acute porphyria is a group of uncommon diseases that can cause severe, potentially life-threatening attacks of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and paralysis. Liver transplantation is currently the only effective treatment available for the most seriously afflicted patients.

7 Feb 2019

New study points to potential cure for addiction

The Akay Lab biomedical research team at the University of Houston is reporting in the journal Nature Scientific Reports that a possible cure for addiction may be found by following the pathways of significantly altered dopamine neurons in newborns who were chronically exposed to nicotine in utero.

7 Feb 2019

A new treatment for Chlamydia via Canadian researchers

A new way to prevent and treat one of the commonest sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been developed by the researchers at the University of Manitoba and the University of Waterloo. This new method is more of a gene therapy than antibiotic therapy against the infection.

6 Feb 2019

Drug cocktail may help combat breast cancer

MYC, a gene with high cancer-initiating potential, is overexpressed in over 40% of breast cancers. While MYC programs breast cancer cells to build more macromolecules (anabolic metabolism) it also creates a metabolic vulnerability by making them more sensitive to a type of cell death known as apoptosis.

6 Feb 2019