Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

New low-cost microfluidic device brings single-cell technology to bedside

Single-cell analysis holds enormous potential to study how individual cells influence disease and respond to treatment, but the lack of cost-effective and user-friendly instrumentation remains challenging.

23 Feb 2018

Patients at risk of heart disease do not always understand genetic test results

University of Sydney researchers are raising concerns over the need for informed decision making for genetic testing after a study published today finds patients at risk of inherited heart disease do not always understand test results or the impact results will have on their life.

23 Feb 2018

Genetic variants make Asians and Europeans more prone to severe dengue

As globalization and climate change spread tropical infectious diseases around the globe, not all populations have the same degree of susceptibility.

23 Feb 2018

Child’s snacking patterns could be linked to genetics, study finds

Whether your child asks for crackers, cookies or veggies to snack on could be linked to genetics, according to new findings from the Guelph Family Health Study at the University of Guelph.

23 Feb 2018

Asthmatics have lower degree of DNA methylation in certain immune cells

Children with asthma have epigenetic DNA changes in certain cells of their immune system, a major international study involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet shows. The finding, which is presented in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, can one day lead to improved diagnostics and treatment.

23 Feb 2018

Researchers describe important step toward gene therapy for patients with Sandhoff disease

Babies with the rare, deadly genetic disorder Sandhoff disease begin to miss developmental milestones just months after birth. Lacking muscle tone, they never learn to sit up, develop heads too large to lift and eventually suffer uncontrollable seizures. There is no cure.

22 Feb 2018

Scientists decode molecular structure of healthy huntingtin protein

Mutations on a single gene, the huntingtin gene, are the cause of Huntington's disease. They lead to an incorrect form of the correspondent protein.

22 Feb 2018

Study sheds light on biological mechanisms that drive rare pediatric neurogenetic disorders

Researchers studying a rare genetic disorder that causes severe, progressive neurological problems in childhood have discovered insights into biological mechanisms that drive the disease, along with early clues that an amino acid supplement might offer a targeted therapy.

22 Feb 2018

Epigenetic changes due to normal aging process linked to cancer risk

Some scientists have hypothesized that tumor-promoting changes in cells during cancer development--particularly an epigenetic change involving DNA methylation--arise from rogue cells escaping a natural cell deterioration process called senescence.

22 Feb 2018

Neuroscientists discover novel mechanism of action behind schizophrenia

An international team of researchers led by a Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine scientist has uncovered a novel mechanism in which a protein--neuregulin 3--controls how key neurotransmitters are released in the brain during schizophrenia.

21 Feb 2018

Antibiotic-producing bacterium releases more metabolites than assumed

The bacterium Streptomyces chartreusis is an antibiotic-producing bacterium that releases more metabolites into the surrounding medium than scientists assumed based on the analysis of the genome. Many of the substances are likely released to mediate interactions with its environment.

21 Feb 2018

Penn study sheds new light on immune cell identity

Almost all cells in the human body have identical DNA sequences, yet there are 200-plus cell types with different sizes, shapes, and chemical compositions. Determining what parts of the genome are read to make protein and which are silenced is orchestrated by proteins called transcription factors.

21 Feb 2018

Researchers discover five new genetic changes that may increase pancreatic cancer risk

In what is believed to be the largest pancreatic cancer genome-wide association study to date, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute, and collaborators from over 80 other institutions worldwide discovered changes to five new regions in the human genome that may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.

21 Feb 2018

Researchers create minuscule, light-powered wires to modify electrical signaling between neurons

The human brain largely remains a black box: How the network of fast-moving electrical signals turns into thought, movement and disease remains poorly understood. But it is electrical, so it can be hacked--the question is finding a precise, easy way to manipulate electrical signaling between neurons.

21 Feb 2018

Some genes can drive both metastasis and initial stages of tumor growth

In spite of the difference between the cell functions responsible for giving rise to a tumor and for the metastasis of this same tumor, studies at IRB Barcelona using the fly Drosophila melanogaster reveal that some genes can drive both phenomena.

21 Feb 2018

Cutting either carbs or fats shaves off excess weight in the same proportion, study reveals

New evidence from a study at the Stanford University School of Medicine might dismay those who have chosen sides in the low-fat versus low-carb diet debate.

21 Feb 2018

Low protein levels linked to posture and gait problems in Parkinson’s, finds study

A new study has linked low levels of alpha-synuclein in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Parkinson’s to postural instability and gait difficulty.

21 Feb 2018

Bioactive compound limits collateral damage in the kidneys after heart attack

A heart attack triggers an acute inflammatory response at the damaged portion of the heart's left ventricle. If this acute inflammation lingers, it can lead to stretching of the ventricle and heart failure. The inflammation can claim another victim -- the kidneys.

21 Feb 2018

Study reveals biological relevance of sex in effects of D-galactose induced aging

A research study by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in collaboration with the University of La Laguna demonstrates in mice the biological relevance of sex in the effects of accelerated ageing caused by a chronic treatment of D-galactose, a sugar found abundantly in milk and to a lesser extent in fruits and vegetables.

20 Feb 2018

Researchers target abnormal epigenetic mechanisms involved in childhood cancers

Several childhood cancer cell types show features of immature neural cells, and there is evidence suggesting that these tumors may arise from neural crest stem cells that underwent abnormal changes during embryonic development.

20 Feb 2018

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

New low-cost microfluidic device brings single-cell technology to bedside

Patients at risk of heart disease do not always understand genetic test results

Genetic variants make Asians and Europeans more prone to severe dengue

Child’s snacking patterns could be linked to genetics, study finds

Asthmatics have lower degree of DNA methylation in certain immune cells

Researchers describe important step toward gene therapy for patients with Sandhoff disease

Scientists decode molecular structure of healthy huntingtin protein

Study sheds light on biological mechanisms that drive rare pediatric neurogenetic disorders

Epigenetic changes due to normal aging process linked to cancer risk

Neuroscientists discover novel mechanism of action behind schizophrenia

Antibiotic-producing bacterium releases more metabolites than assumed

Penn study sheds new light on immune cell identity

Researchers discover five new genetic changes that may increase pancreatic cancer risk

Researchers create minuscule, light-powered wires to modify electrical signaling between neurons

Some genes can drive both metastasis and initial stages of tumor growth

Cutting either carbs or fats shaves off excess weight in the same proportion, study reveals

Low protein levels linked to posture and gait problems in Parkinson’s, finds study

Bioactive compound limits collateral damage in the kidneys after heart attack

Study reveals biological relevance of sex in effects of D-galactose induced aging

Researchers target abnormal epigenetic mechanisms involved in childhood cancers

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