Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Novel approach uses small amounts of tissue to quantify PD-L1 expression levels in tumors

Immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as the anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab, have become important tools for managing non-small-cell lung cancer.

14 Feb 2019

Movement impairments in autism can be reversed through behavioral training

Researchers from Cardiff University have established a link between a genetic mutation and developmental movement impairments in autism.

13 Feb 2019

Study discovers new therapy for aggressive blood cancer

Acute myeloid leukemia is the most common form of acute leukemia. It is characterized by an increase of malignant myeloid progenitor cells at the expense of mature blood cells.

13 Feb 2019

Increased activity of EHMT2 gene deficient neurons could cause autism in humans

A novel investigation into the impacts of neuronal mutations on autism-related characteristics in humans has been described in the open-access journal eLife.

13 Feb 2019

New study provides insights into developmental organization of the brain

What makes us human, and where does this mysterious property of "humanness" come from? Humans are genetically similar to chimpanzees and bonobos, yet there exist obvious behavioral and cognitive differences.

13 Feb 2019

New process efficiently reprograms stem cells in one step using measles virus vector

Induced pluripotent stem cells, the workhorse of many regenerative medicine projects, start out as differentiated cells that are reprogrammed to pluripotent stem cells by exposure to a complex set of genetic cocktails.

13 Feb 2019

Microbiologists identify enzyme that makes Helicobacter so adaptable

The bacterial pathogen Helicobacter pylori owes its worldwide distribution to its genetic adaptability. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Munich microbiologists have identified an enzyme that plays a vital role in the flexible control of global gene expression in the species.

13 Feb 2019

Robots, AI to diagnose and treat patients soon

Soon the complaints about the short time doctors spend with their patients may be a thing of the past. Robots, artificial speakers (smart speakers like Siri or Alexa) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help lend an ear to patient complaints says a report from the NHS.

12 Feb 2019

Lactate activates multiple genes that modulate neuronal activity

A genome-wide study led by Dean Pierre Magistretti sheds light on the mechanisms through which lactate regulates long-term memory formation and neuroprotection.

12 Feb 2019

Newly discovered genetic disorder opens way for future diabetes drugs

Knowledge of a newly discovered genetic disorder, which means that a person cannot produce the protein TXNIP (thioredoxin interacting protein) in their cells, can open for the development of new diabetes drugs.

12 Feb 2019

Frequency of heteroresistance has been greatly underestimated, study finds

When antibiotics are used to treat bacteria susceptible to them, the treatment usually works. Nevertheless, the antibiotic chosen is sometimes ineffective. One of the reasons for this is heteroresistance, a phenomenon explored in depth by Uppsala and Emory University researchers in a new study.

12 Feb 2019

Study reveals how one mutation causes the most common inherited intellectual disability

Research published today (Feb. 11, 2019) reveals how one mutation causes fragile X, the most common inherited intellectual disability.

12 Feb 2019

NIH scientists zero in on genes associated with AMD

National Eye Institute scientists led a collaborative study and zeroed in on genes associated with age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss and blindness among people age 65 and older.

12 Feb 2019

Rare gene mutations associated with colorectal cancer also cause breast cancer

Rare mutations in the NTHL1 gene, previously associated with colorectal cancer, also cause breast cancer and other types of cancer.

12 Feb 2019

Rapid progression of age-related diseases may result from formation of vicious cycles

Biologist Aleksey Belikov from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology has proposed that rapid progression of age-related diseases may result from the formation of so-called vicious cycles. An example of this is when toxic products of a biochemical reaction trigger that same reaction to happen again.

12 Feb 2019

Researchers discover new therapeutic target for rare, aggressive pediatric cancers

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that malignant rhabdoid tumors, a rare pediatric cancer without effective treatments, may be sensitive to drugs that block the cancer cell's ability to dispose of misfolded proteins.

12 Feb 2019

Human brain protein linked with autism has an effect on fruit fly behavior

A mutant gene that encodes a brain protein in a child with autism has been placed into the brains of fruit flies. Fruit flies hosting that gene produce the variant human brain protein and show abnormal behaviors of fear, repetitive activity and altered social interaction, reminiscent of autism impairments.

12 Feb 2019