Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Lab-grown brain organoids and the brains of preemie babies generate similar electrical impulses

Brain organoids — also called mini-brains — are 3D cellular models that represent aspects of the human brain in the laboratory. Brain organoids help researchers track human development, unravel the molecular events that lead to disease and test new treatments.

30 Aug 2019

The Kavli Foundation gifts $3 million to support neuroscience research at Salk

The Salk Institute announced today that The Kavli Foundation has committed $3 million to support ongoing neuroscience research at Salk as part of the joint UCSD-Salk Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind.

29 Aug 2019

New NC State-led project to focus on the future of biomanufacturing

A new 5-year project led by North Carolina State University will sponsor an international collaborative research and training program in biomanufacturing science and technology.

29 Aug 2019

New model system uses red blood cells to study malaria invasion

Researchers at the University of Bristol and Imperial College London have established a new model system that uses red blood cells grown in the laboratory to study how malaria parasites invade red blood cells.

29 Aug 2019

'Clock in a dish' provides new way to replicate developmental disorders

In early mammalian development, timing is everything. For healthy development to occur -- whether it be three weeks for a mouse or nine months for a human -- embryos follow the lead of oscillating genes, which turn on and off in precise cycles and trigger different development milestones. Oscillating genes are conductors keeping time in a symphony of growth.

29 Aug 2019

Inflammation in the lungs triggers silent mutation to cause pulmonary hypertension

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that inflammation in the lungs of rats, triggered by something as simple as the flu, may wake up a silent genetic defect that causes sudden onset cases of pulmonary hypertension, a deadly form of high blood pressure in the lungs.

29 Aug 2019

[BC]2 conference focuses on use of big data in molecular medicine

From 9 to 11 September, the [BC]2 Basel Computational Biology Conference, organized by the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, will bring together international and Swiss-based scientists working in this field, in one of the key bioinformatics events in Europe: a prime opportunity to hear from leading experts, from precision oncology to infectious diseases.

29 Aug 2019

Hyperactive signaling pathway blocks cell division in the aging brain

Scientists from Basel have investigated the activity of stem cells in the brain of mice and discovered a key mechanism that controls cell proliferation.

29 Aug 2019

UC San Francisco scientists identify second 'short sleep' gene after 10-year search

After a decade of searching, the UC San Francisco scientists who identified the only human gene known to promote "natural short sleep" -- lifelong, nightly sleep that lasts just four to six hours yet leaves individuals feeling fully rested -- have discovered a second.

28 Aug 2019

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