Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Specific odors from malaria infected individuals attract more mosquitoes

Malaria causes the bodies of its human hosts to emit specific odors from the skin that make the hosts even more attractive to mosquitoes, which invites further bites and risks infection of more mosquitoes and wider transmission of the disease.

17 Apr 2018

Researchers discover potential hurdle for personalized medicine

A recent study has shown that loss of the Erk oncogene can stimulate tumorigenesis in cells where Ras has been eliminated. The findings may have important consequences for the development of personalized medicines that target Ras.

17 Apr 2018

Discovery of 100 new genes may aid research into pigmentation diseases

A new study identified more than 100 genes that play a key role in determining the color of human hair. The findings may have important implications for pigmentation diseases such as melanoma.

17 Apr 2018

Large ALS-causing protein aggregates protect rather than harm neurons

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have made a significant advance in the understanding of the complex and fatal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

17 Apr 2018

Precancerous colon polyps in Lynch syndrome patients display immune activation

Colon polyps from patients with Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition that raises colorectal cancer risk, display immune system activation well before cancer development, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

16 Apr 2018

Anti-PD-1 treatment reduces tumor size and post-surgical relapse of lung cancer

A drug given to early stage lung cancer patients before they undergo surgery showed major tumor responses in the removed tumor and an increase in anti-tumor T-cells that remained after the tumor was removed, which resulted in fewer relapse cases in the patients.

16 Apr 2018

Breakthrough study promises to bring gene-editing technology much closer to therapeutic reality

Imagine a future where a guided biomachine put into your body seeks out defective gene sequences in each cell and edits in the correct information with precision accuracy.

13 Apr 2018

'Molecular microscope' system for transplant biopsy more effective than conventional methods

A transplant biopsy system that uses gene chips to read molecules is far safer and more effective than existing approaches used for heart transplant biopsies and is showing promising results for lung transplant biopsies, new University of Alberta-led research shows.

13 Apr 2018

Versatile mouse model opens doors to new targeted cancer therapies

Researchers from the Seve Ballesteros Foundation-CNIO Brain Tumour Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have developed an extremely powerful and versatile mouse model that will improve cancer research and accelerate pre-clinical testing of novel targeted therapies. Their work appears in Nature Communications.

13 Apr 2018

Scientists from Cure First and SEngine Precision Medicine discover common link in 28% of all cancers

Seattle scientists from Cure First, a non-profit research organization, and SEngine Precision Medicine, a biotech developing targeted, more effective, and less toxic cancer therapeutics, co-authored one of 27 high-profile papers published today by Cell Press.

13 Apr 2018

New 'lymphoma micro-reactor' device targets chemo-resistant tumors

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that is diagnosed in the U.S. more than 70,000 times annually, arises from overly proliferating immune cells within the body's lymph nodes, which are connected to a network of lymph vessels through which lymphatic fluid flows.

12 Apr 2018

New, sensitive HBV assay may allow earlier detection of hepatocellular carcinoma

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A study published in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics describes a new HBV assay that offers advantages over currently used methods because it has the capability to detect closed circular DNA (cccDNA) in serum, single cells, and preserved tissue samples.

12 Apr 2018

CU Anschutz scientists receive $3.8 million DoD grant to boost EB research

Scientists from the Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine are part of a consortium awarded $3.8 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to move discoveries in stem cell-created skin grafts into the manufacturing stage, bringing further hope to victims of debilitating inherited skin diseases.

12 Apr 2018

UCLA scientists identify four subtypes of melanoma with different drug sensitivities

Melanoma, a relatively rare but deadly skin cancer, has been shown to switch differentiation states - that is, to regress to an earlier stage of development - which can lead it to become resistant to treatment.

12 Apr 2018

New population of lung stem cells may be key for regenerating airways after injury

The human airway is a system of branching tubes that connects the nose and mouth with the lungs and allows us to inhale air, extract the vital oxygen, and exhale the waste product carbon dioxide.

12 Apr 2018

LSD1 enzyme regulates skeletal muscle differentiation and metabolic activity

Our bodies convert food into energy for all life activities. These metabolic processes allow the cells that make up our bodies to produce (anabolism) and consume (catabolism) energy molecules from nutrients.

12 Apr 2018

Research team identifies new mutation behind heart failure in South Asians

An international research team involving Karolinska Institutet has identified a new mutation in South Asians that, in combination with a known mutation in the same gene, increases the risk of cardiomyopathy and heart failure.

12 Apr 2018

Aberrant protein prevents self-cleaning of nerve cells in ALS

Scientists have discovered that TDP-43 interferes with lysosomal pathways responsible for its clearance and induces autophagy in ALS.

12 Apr 2018

Study explores relationship between age at menopause and memory

Entering menopause at a later age may be associated with a small benefit to your memory years later, according to a study published in the April 11, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Apr 2018

Researcher explores how children develop immunity to malaria as they grow older

Across the world, over 200 million cases of malaria and nearly 500,000 deaths from the disease occur annually--more than 90 percent of which happen in Africa. Children in Africa can be diagnosed with malaria two or three times a year, a rate that decreases as they become older and develop immunity. But the way children generate and maintain this immunity remains a mystery.

11 Apr 2018