Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study adds more evidence that intestinal microbiome plays substantial role in obesity

A new Johns Hopkins study of mice with the rodent equivalent of metabolic syndrome has added to evidence that the intestinal microbiome - a "garden" of bacterial, viral and fungal genes - plays a substantial role in the development of obesity and insulin resistance in mammals, including humans.

6 Feb 2018

UIC scientists identify new chemical compound to stop bacteria from causing sickness

A study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry is the first to describe a signaling pathway that affects communication -- a process called quorum sensing -- between Streptococcus bacteria cells.

6 Feb 2018

New CRISPR gene-editing technique can correct majority of mutations that cause DMD

Scientists have developed a CRISPR gene-editing technique that can potentially correct a majority of the 3,000 mutations that cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) by making a single cut at strategic points along the patient's DNA, according to a study from UT Southwestern Medical Center.

6 Feb 2018

Scientists develop new system to match genetic anomalies with precision medicine treatments

A team of computer scientists from the University of Delaware and Georgetown University has developed a new system to rapidly determine which cancer drugs are likely to work best given a patient's genetic markers.

6 Feb 2018

Next-generation ‘active genetics’ tool opens new horizons

In 2015, University of California San Diego biologists Ethan Bier and Valentino Gantz developed a breakthrough technology known as "active genetics," which results in parents transmitting a genetic trait to most of their offspring (instead of 50 percent receiving the trait under standard inheritance).

6 Feb 2018

Detailed phenotypic information on resistance genes can guide future drug development

The genes that are able to equip bacteria with resistance to clinically used antibiotics have been found in many different natural environments. Nevertheless, a functional overview of the resistance genes found in common human bacterial pathogens has been missing so far.

6 Feb 2018

Researchers identify potential 'first-line' treatment for rare bone loss disease

A possible 'first-line' treatment for a rare bone loss disease has been identified by a research team led by Tohoku University in Japan. The research findings, published in the journal Molecular Cell, could also provide insight into treating age-related osteoporosis.

6 Feb 2018

Researchers report technical advances in production of HIV vaccines

Research on HIV over the past decade has led to many promising ideas for vaccines to prevent infection by the AIDS virus, but very few candidate vaccines have been tested in clinical trials.

6 Feb 2018

Researchers uncover novel therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes

Researchers from Kanazawa University and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo report, in Nature Communications, a new mechanism for regulating glucose uptake by the liver which has implications for type 2 diabetes and its treatment.

6 Feb 2018

Scientists discover rare hypertension disease gene

More than a billion people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension). Prolonged hypertension damages blood vessels, which can result in damage to the heart, the kidneys, and the brain. Possible consequences include heart attack, kidney failure, and stroke.

5 Feb 2018

Study shows connection between genetic variants for ADHD and educational attainment

A study published in the February 2018 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that five novel genetic variants associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been identified by exploiting genetic overlap between ADHD and educational attainment.

5 Feb 2018

Moffitt study identifies new drug target that may reduce GVHD risk

Stem cell transplants can cure patients with high-risk leukemia or lymphoma. Graft-versus-host disease is a potentially life-threatening side effect that occurs when the donor's immune cells attack the recipient's normal tissues.

5 Feb 2018

Novel method can edit genes with substantially fewer errors

Gene therapy is an emerging strategy to treat diseases caused by genetic abnormalities. One form of gene therapy involves the direct repair of a defective gene, using genome-editing technology such as CRISPR-Cas9. Despite its therapeutic potential, genome editing can also introduce unwanted and potentially harmful genetic errors that limit its clinical feasibility.

5 Feb 2018

Researchers use innovative method to screen kinases for cancer drug's effectiveness

In recent years, a powerful suite of drugs known as kinase inhibitors have been developed to treat cancer and other diseases. Primary targets of such drugs include a family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) which protrude from cell surfaces like antennae and can activate cancer-related pathways in virtually all types of cancer when signaling molecules bind with them.

5 Feb 2018

Novel grape-derived compounds could be developed as therapeutic agents for treatment of depression

In a study to be published online February 2 in Nature Communications, scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai describe an extensive analysis of novel grape-derived compounds, dihydrocaffeic acid (DHCA) and malvidin-3'-O-glucoside (Mal-gluc),which might be developed as therapeutic agents for the treatment of depression.

2 Feb 2018

Study uncovers potential targets for treatment of aggressive triple-negative breast cancers

As part of a breast-cancer diagnosis, doctors analyze the tumor to determine which therapies might best attack the malignancy.

2 Feb 2018

Researchers discover gene network that regulates the motor neuron development in growing embryo

UCLA researchers have discovered the inner workings of a gene network that regulates the development of spinal motor neurons in the growing chicken and mouse embryo.

2 Feb 2018

Researchers move closer to solving puzzle of 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome

Researchers are closer to solving the puzzle of a complex neurological condition called 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome. Individuals with this condition are missing a small piece of chromosome 15 that usually contains six genes, but which one of the genes is responsible for the clinical characteristics of patients has not been clear.

2 Feb 2018

Higher susceptibility of some babies to Zika virus has a genetic origin, study shows

Microcephaly, brain calcification, skeletal alterations, auditory and visual deficits - these are examples of the damage that can be caused by Zika virus in babies born to mothers infected during pregnancy.

2 Feb 2018

New modular platform offers robust biological approach that targets endless number of diseases

The biological complexity of cancer and other diseases demands a more formidable arsenal of therapies than currently available. Most therapeutic approaches ignore the dynamic molecular network of genes, targeting instead only very few selected disease-related genes.

1 Feb 2018

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study adds more evidence that intestinal microbiome plays substantial role in obesity

UIC scientists identify new chemical compound to stop bacteria from causing sickness

New CRISPR gene-editing technique can correct majority of mutations that cause DMD

Scientists develop new system to match genetic anomalies with precision medicine treatments

Next-generation ‘active genetics’ tool opens new horizons

Detailed phenotypic information on resistance genes can guide future drug development

Researchers identify potential 'first-line' treatment for rare bone loss disease

Researchers report technical advances in production of HIV vaccines

Researchers uncover novel therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes

Scientists discover rare hypertension disease gene

Study shows connection between genetic variants for ADHD and educational attainment

Moffitt study identifies new drug target that may reduce GVHD risk

Novel method can edit genes with substantially fewer errors

Researchers use innovative method to screen kinases for cancer drug's effectiveness

Novel grape-derived compounds could be developed as therapeutic agents for treatment of depression

Study uncovers potential targets for treatment of aggressive triple-negative breast cancers

Researchers discover gene network that regulates the motor neuron development in growing embryo

Researchers move closer to solving puzzle of 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome

Higher susceptibility of some babies to Zika virus has a genetic origin, study shows

New modular platform offers robust biological approach that targets endless number of diseases

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