Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Breakthrough Alzheimer's discovery

A new study has found that the neurons in the brain can alter their genetic make-up unlike other cells of the body which remain constant.

22 Nov 2018

Lower levels of protein make squamous carcinoma cells more invasive

Loss of a protein called TRIM29 promotes cancer cell invasion in a common type of skin cancer, suggesting a novel diagnostic marker and a possible therapeutic target.

21 Nov 2018

Pharmacogenetic tests don't provide much information for prescribing antidepressants or antipsychotics

Pharmacogenetic tests are marketed as an aid to psychiatrists in selecting the antidepressant or antipsychotic medication that will work best in individual patients, based on their genetic makeup.

21 Nov 2018

Starved ticks try harder to find hosts

Ticks are hardy little brutes that can go as long as a year without a meal. Now scientists at the University of Cincinnati say the hungrier ticks are, the harder they try to find you or other hosts. The findings could have implications for the spread of tick-borne disease such as Lyme or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

21 Nov 2018

Researchers awarded $7 million funding in Pancreatic Cancer Collective’s 'New Therapies Challenge'

The Pancreatic Cancer Collective, the strategic partnership of the Lustgarten Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer, has awarded a total of $7 million in first-round "New Therapies Challenge" grants to seven teams of top cancer researchers to explore new pancreatic cancer treatments, the American Association for Cancer Research, the Scientific Partner of SU2C, announced today.

21 Nov 2018

Stand Up to Cancer supports potential approach to more efficiently target pancreatic cancer

Research on a new way of deploying the immune system against pancreatic cancer, an exceptionally lethal cancer that has so far resisted new immunotherapies, will receive $1 million in initial funding from Stand Up to Cancer.

21 Nov 2018

Gut protein mutations protect against spikes in blood glucose levels

Why is it that, despite consuming the same number of calories, sodium and sugar, some people face little risk of diabetes or obesity while others are at higher risk? A new study by investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital has uncovered mutations in a gene that appear to help drive this difference.

21 Nov 2018

Genetic therapy may help children with Angelman syndrome to overcome seizures

Angelman syndrome is a genetic disease with no cure. Children grow up with severe intellectual disabilities and a range of other problems, arguably the worst of which are epileptic seizures. Now scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have found evidence that genetic therapy may prevent the enhanced seizure susceptibility.

21 Nov 2018

Study uncovers new mechanism controlling the master cancer regulator

Of the more than 23,000 genes in the human genome, only a handful assume a very central role in signal transduction and growth regulation. Of these, the three genes encoding RAS proteins are particularly important, as they are found mutated in over 25% of human cancers.

20 Nov 2018

Scientists identify three genes responsible for recurrent molar pregnancies

A team of scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and McGill University have identified three genes responsible for recurrent molar pregnancies, a rare complication that occurs when a non-viable pregnancy with no embryo implants in the uterus.

20 Nov 2018

Researchers shed light on molecular mechanisms of heart valvular disease

About three per cent of the world's population is affected by valvular heart diseases. It is also the most common cause of heart surgery, as no drug-based treatment is available.

20 Nov 2018

Low-protein, high-carb diet may promote healthy brain ageing

Researchers at the University of Sydney have shown that a low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet may be the key to healthy brain ageing and longevity.

20 Nov 2018

MRI scans may help predict dementia risk

One day, MRI brain scans may help predict whether older people will develop dementia, new research suggests.

20 Nov 2018

Buyers of short-term health plans: Wise or shortsighted?

Supporters of the nation's health law condemn them. A few states, including California and New York, have banned them. Other states limit them.

20 Nov 2018

Breakthrough technology offers new hope to people with glaucoma, retinitis and macular degeneration

In January 2009, the life of engineer Michel Meunier, a professor at Polytechnique Montréal, changed dramatically. Like others, he had observed that the extremely short pulse of a femtosecond laser (0.000000000000001 second) could make nanometer-sized holes appear in silicon when it was covered by gold nanoparticles.

20 Nov 2018

Scientists uncover unexpected 'foreign' genes in tiny itch-inducing chigger mite

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have uncovered some unexpected 'foreign' genes in the tiny itch-inducing chigger mite and its more benign but enormous cousin, the giant velvet mite.

20 Nov 2018

Vitamin D critical to early development of vertebrates, study suggests

New research from Portland State University finds vitamin D, or a lack thereof can trigger or suspend embryonic development in a species of fish. The study also provides evidence suggesting the vitamin is critical to the early development of vertebrates generally.

20 Nov 2018

Scientists use cryo-EM to capture freeze-frames of molecule’s 'lock-and-load' on DNA

Pushing the limits of cryo-electron microscopy, University of California, Berkeley, scientists have captured freeze-frames of the changing shape of a huge molecule, one of the body's key molecular machines, as it locks onto DNA and loads the machinery for reading the genetic code.

20 Nov 2018

Study warns that potential epigenetic therapy may boost lung cancer stem cells

Epigenetic therapies -- targeting enzymes that alter what genes are turned on or off in a cell -- are of growing interest in the cancer field as a way of making a cancer less aggressive or less malignant.

20 Nov 2018

Researchers identify multisystem disorder caused by bi-allelic variants in CCDC47 gene

Researchers and clinicians through a multicenter collaboration have identified a novel multisystem disorder caused by bi-allelic variants in the CCDC47 gene. Their findings are reported in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

20 Nov 2018

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Breakthrough Alzheimer's discovery

Lower levels of protein make squamous carcinoma cells more invasive

Pharmacogenetic tests don't provide much information for prescribing antidepressants or antipsychotics

Starved ticks try harder to find hosts

Researchers awarded $7 million funding in Pancreatic Cancer Collective’s 'New Therapies Challenge'

Stand Up to Cancer supports potential approach to more efficiently target pancreatic cancer

Gut protein mutations protect against spikes in blood glucose levels

Genetic therapy may help children with Angelman syndrome to overcome seizures

Study uncovers new mechanism controlling the master cancer regulator

Scientists identify three genes responsible for recurrent molar pregnancies

Researchers shed light on molecular mechanisms of heart valvular disease

Low-protein, high-carb diet may promote healthy brain ageing

MRI scans may help predict dementia risk

Buyers of short-term health plans: Wise or shortsighted?

Breakthrough technology offers new hope to people with glaucoma, retinitis and macular degeneration

Scientists uncover unexpected 'foreign' genes in tiny itch-inducing chigger mite

Vitamin D critical to early development of vertebrates, study suggests

Scientists use cryo-EM to capture freeze-frames of molecule’s 'lock-and-load' on DNA

Study warns that potential epigenetic therapy may boost lung cancer stem cells

Researchers identify multisystem disorder caused by bi-allelic variants in CCDC47 gene

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research