Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Cellular mechanism protects genes from damaging effects of mutation

Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered that a cellular mechanism preferentially protects plant genes from the damaging effects of mutation.

5 Jan 2018

Researchers discover genetic mechanism for resistance to immunotherapy drugs

An urgent question for cancer scientists is why immunotherapy achieves dramatic results in some cases but doesn't help most patients.

5 Jan 2018

Why Should We Weigh Every Protein in the Human Body?

Our mission is to advance the measurement of human proteins with greater precision, to bring to the world the benefits of absolute molecular specificity when it comes to interrogating proteins at the molecular level.

From Pittcon 5 Jan 2018

Newly identified germline variations increase risk of relapse or second cancers in leukemia patients

Newly identified germline variations in a key tumor suppressor gene predispose individuals to develop leukemia as children and leave them with a 1-in-4 chance of developing a second cancer later. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, which appears today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

5 Jan 2018

UC Davis expert expresses caution on genetically engineered HSCs

In a commentary published in the Jan. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, UC Davis researcher William Murphy expressed cautious optimism about efforts to genetically engineer hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to temporarily resist cell death during transplantation.

4 Jan 2018

Sleeping sickness actually caused by acceleration of biological clocks

Sleeping sickness could use a more encompassing moniker. An international study from the O'Donnell Brain Institute shows one of Africa's most lethal diseases is actually a circadian rhythm disorder caused by the acceleration of biological clocks controlling a range of vital functions besides sleep.

4 Jan 2018

MGH study points toward potential strategy for treating X-linked disorders

A study from a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators points toward a potential strategy for treating X-linked disorders - those caused by mutations in the X chromosome - in females.

4 Jan 2018

Genetic labeling helps researchers track behavior of blood cells

By tagging bone marrow cells of mice with a genetic label, or barcode, researchers were able to track and describe the family tree of individual blood cells as they form in their natural environment.

4 Jan 2018

Genetic changes help mosquitoes to develop pesticide resistance

For decades, chemical pesticides have been the most important way of controlling insects like the Anopheles mosquito species that spreads malaria to humans.

4 Jan 2018

'Thunder' protein activity may be associated with behavioral disorders like schizophrenia

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report they have identified rare genetic variations in a protein called Thorase, which is responsible for breaking down receptors at the connections between neurons in the brain.

3 Jan 2018

Researcher shows how rank order can be used to identify complex gene interactions

Genome sequencing has revolutionized genetics. It also requires new mathematical tools to help life scientists make sense of enormous amounts of data.

3 Jan 2018

Experts look for ways to end dietary deficiencies in essential micronutrients

One of the most ambitious programmes to provide lasting improvements in nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa begins today when a diverse multinational team of experts from agriculture to ethics start looking for ways to end dietary deficiencies in essential micronutrients.

3 Jan 2018

Researchers discover novel genes responsible for Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have identified several new genes responsible for Alzheimer's disease (AD) including those leading to functional and structural changes in the brain and elevated levels of AD proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

3 Jan 2018

Study suggests potential means of stalling or even reversing diabetes-related blindness

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a cell signaling pathway in mice that triggers vision loss in patients with diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion – diseases characterized by the closure of blood vessels in the retina, leading to blindness.

3 Jan 2018

Researchers discover way to enhance effectiveness and safety of sonogenetics

Researchers at Duke University have discovered a way to enhance the effectiveness and safety of sonogenetics or ultrasonic modulation, emerging techniques that use sound waves to control the behavior of individual neurons or to promote tissue growth and wound healing in other cells.

3 Jan 2018

Novel nanomedicine prolongs survival of pancreatic tumor-bearing mice

A new Tel Aviv University study pinpoints the inverse correlation between a known oncogene -- a gene that promotes the development of cancer -- and the expression of an oncosuppressor microRNA as the reason for extended pancreatic cancer survival.

2 Jan 2018

Discovery of potential biomarker for Huntington's disease may help postpone disease onset

A new discovery of a potential biomarker for Huntington's disease (HD) could mean a more effective way of evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for this neurological disease.

2 Jan 2018

Macrophages play major role in helping early breast cancer cells spread even before tumor develops

Mount Sinai researchers have discovered that normal immune cells called macrophages, which reside in healthy breast tissue surrounding milk ducts, play a major role in helping early breast cancer cells leave the breast for other parts of the body, potentially creating metastasis before a tumor has even developed, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

2 Jan 2018

Research sheds light on role of epigenetics in placing egg cells into stasis

Keeping egg cells in stasis during childhood is a key part of female fertility. New research published today (1st January) in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology sheds some light on the role of epigenetics in placing egg cells into stasis.

2 Jan 2018

Gene therapy with CAR T-cells could create long-term immunity from HIV

Through gene therapy, researchers engineered blood-forming stem cells (hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, or HSPCs) to carry chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) genes to make cells that can detect and destroy HIV-infected cells.

29 Dec 2017