Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study explores role of genes in depression vulnerability

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics a study explored the role of genes in depression vulnerability. The financial crisis that has afflicted Greece since 2008 has adversely affected the physical and mental health of the population, with reports pointing to a rise in the prevalence of depression from 3.3% prior to the crisis to 12.3% in 2013.

24 Oct 2017

Mysterious DNA modification appears more in the brain under stress

With advances in genomics, scientists are discovering additional components of the DNA alphabet in animals. Do these unusual chemical modifications of DNA have a special meaning, or are they just signs that cellular machines are making mistakes?

24 Oct 2017

Study discovers new genetic risk loci linked to children's food allergies

What role do genes play in egg, milk, and nut allergies? A study published in Nature Communications, led by the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, has found five genetic risk loci that point to the importance of skin and mucous membrane barriers and the immune system in the development of food allergies.

24 Oct 2017

Genomic roots of ovarian tumors may arise in fallopian tubes, study suggests

Some scientists have suspected that the most common form of ovarian cancer may originate in the fallopian tubes, the thin fibrous tunnels that connect the ovaries to the uterus.

24 Oct 2017

Study finds lung cancer driver ALK-fusion in mucosal melanoma

Melanomas caused by sun exposure have been matched with targeted treatments and immunotherapies, in many cases dramatically extending patients' lives. However, there are other kinds of melanoma not related to sun exposure and because they are caused by different genetic changes, they are not susceptible to the same targeted treatments.

23 Oct 2017

APA shines light on important trends in psychology

Psychology is hot, and it's only getting hotter. It's critical to the development of such technological innovations as self-driving cars and smart devices.

23 Oct 2017

Brazilian scientists examine how benzopyrene can cause cancer

Benzo[a]pyrene is a potent carcinogen and mutagen present in cigarette smoke, automotive exhaust, burnt wood fumes, barbecued and smoked meat etc.

23 Oct 2017

Adequate vitamin D during childhood linked to decreased risk of islet autoimmunity

Getting enough vitamin D during infancy and childhood is associated with a reduced risk of islet autoimmunity among children at increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes, according to a study published this week in the journal Diabetes.

23 Oct 2017

Researchers discover new regulatory role for protein that links diet and disease

A team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered how uncontrolled vitamin A metabolism in the gut can cause harmful inflammation.

23 Oct 2017

Penn researchers provide new insights into how Notch drives growth of B-cell cancers

Notch is one of the most frequently mutated genes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common leukemia in adults in the United States. It is also often mutated in other common B cell tumors, such as mantle cell lymphoma.

23 Oct 2017

Research provides insight on Y-shape in proteins associated with glaucoma

So unheard of was what researchers discovered in a protein associated with glaucoma that for over two years they ran it through a gauntlet of lab tests and published a new research paper on it. The tests validated what they initially saw.

23 Oct 2017

Queen's University Belfast leads new research to better understand biology of prostate cancer

Queen's University Belfast has led the world's largest research study using a diagnostic test developed by Almac Diagnostics, to better understand the biology of prostate cancer tumors, which could lead to a transformation in how prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated.

23 Oct 2017

Health scientists uncover gene linked to lung fibrosis

Health scientists at the University of Leicester and University of Nottingham have heralded the discovery of a gene associated with lung fibrosis as 'a potential new avenue of treatment for further research into this terrible disease.'

23 Oct 2017

Study elucidates how obesity makes breast cancer more aggressive

Obesity leads to the release of cytokines into the bloodstream which impact the metabolism of breast cancer cells, making them more aggressive as a result. Scientists from Helmholtz Zentrum München, Technische Universität München, and Heidelberg University Hospital report on this in 'Cell Metabolism'. The team has already been able to halt this mechanism with an antibody treatment.

23 Oct 2017

Study identifies predictors of poor outcomes in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients

A new study from UT Southwestern suggests that more people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy could live longer by identifying and more aggressively treating patients with certain risk factors.

20 Oct 2017

Serum metabolites linked to NAFLD may be heritable, research shows

Serum metabolites associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease may be heritable, according to research presented this week at The Liver Meeting - held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

20 Oct 2017

Gene circuit can be used to switch on inside cancer cells and stimulate immune attack, study suggests

A new study, conducted by researchers at MIT, suggests that a recently developed synthetic gene circuit can stimulate the immune system to kill cancer cells when it identifies indications of the cancer. The gene circuit will only stimulate a therapeutic response when it identifies two particular cancer markers.

20 Oct 2017