Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Personalized medicine promises better treatment options for cystic fibrosis patients

For a highly variable disease like cystic fibrosis, personalized medicine promises treatments based on individual factors, down to the molecular level. This promise is especially alluring for the treatment of children with cystic fibrosis, who are at particular risk for complications that could affect them throughout their lives.

25 Mar 2016

Lack of UBE3A gene causes Angelman syndrome

The gene UBE3A plays a critical role in early neurological development. If UBE3A is overexpressed - or if the enzymatic function of UBE3A protein is hyperactive - autism ensues. A lack of functional UBE3A causes Angelman syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe developmental delay, motor deficits, absence of speech, and, in most cases, epilepsy.

25 Mar 2016

Scientists unravel genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder

The types of gene mutations that contribute to autism are more diverse than previously thought, report researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the March 24 online issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics. The findings, they say, represent a significant advance in efforts to unravel the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

25 Mar 2016

Study uncovers role of small RNAs in fine-tuning egg development

All multicellular organisms that reproduce sexually rely on eggs to support early life. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Ludwig Cancer Research used the tiny roundworm C. elegans as a model to better understand how eggs enable embryonic development, using only the materials already present in them.

25 Mar 2016

Scientists identify gene associated with cleft lip and palate

Leading scientists have identified an important gene that is associated with cleft lip and palate.Experts say the discovery is a step closer to understanding how this birth defect arises, and will help in the development of medical approaches to prevent the disfiguring condition.

25 Mar 2016

Genetic testing in women with ovarian cancer helps determine prognosis

A study examining mutations in DNA repair genes in women with advanced ovarian cancer found that the disease remained at bay longer in women with the mutations than without, and that women having cancers with these mutations lived longer.

24 Mar 2016

Defective PTCHD1 gene in brain creates symptoms associated with autism and ADHD

Evidence is mounting that a gene called PTCHD1 helps the brain sort between important sights and sounds — and distractions. This gene is active in a brain region that attaches more attention to a conversation with your boss, for instance, than to an air conditioner buzzing in the background.

24 Mar 2016

NIHR research program aims to increase safety, well-being of victims of DVA

Researchers at the University of Bristol have received more than £2.5 million from the National Institute for Health Research to carry out research that aims to increase the safety and well-being of victims of domestic violence and abuse (DVA).

24 Mar 2016

Research: X and Y DNA swapping may occur more often than previously thought

It turns out that the rigid "line in the sand" over which the human sex chromosomes---the Y and X--- go to avoid crossing over is a bit blurrier than previously thought. Contrary to the current scientific consensus, Arizona State University assistant professor Melissa Wilson Sayres has led a research team that has shown that X and Y DNA swapping may occur much more often.

24 Mar 2016

Blood test can predict risk of developing TB disease long before it manifests

A landmark study published this month in the leading medical journal, The Lancet, reports the discovery of a blood test that can predict whether someone is likely to develop tuberculosis (TB) disease, long before the disease manifests.

23 Mar 2016

Penn neurologists uncover new genetic cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT) is a family of inherited disorders of the peripheral nervous system, affecting approximately one in 2,500 Americans. Its most common iteration, CMT1, comes in many forms, most of which have to date been linked to a small set of causative genes.

23 Mar 2016

Deleting microRNA-155 prevents diet-induced obesity in female mice

Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center seeking a way to combat the growing epidemic of obesity have found that deleting microRNA-155 in female mice prevents diet-induced obesity.

23 Mar 2016

Research findings offer new way to differentiate, treat patients with lung cancer

Research in Manchester has identified mutations in lung cancer that is key to tumour growth, offering a new way to differentiate and treat some patients with the disease.

23 Mar 2016

Addition of just two DNA bases to LdAQP1 gene helps Black Fever parasite to overcome antimonial drugs

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute scientists show how the parasite responsible for the neglected tropical disease Black Fever (visceral leishmaniasis) can become resistant to drug treatment. Studying the whole genomes of more than 200 samples of Leishmania donovani revealed that the addition of just two bases of DNA to a gene known as LdAQP1 stops the parasite from absorbing antimonial drugs.

23 Mar 2016

SLU researchers discover compound that disrupts fibrotic process

Saint Louis University researchers have found that a type of compound that disrupts the process that causes fibrosis (scarring) in the lungs and liver also shows promise in preventing and treating fibrosis in yet another organ, the pancreas. The research was conducted in an animal model.

23 Mar 2016

Pediatric researchers find gene variants that can strongly increase bone strength in girls

Pediatric researchers have found that rare genetic changes strongly increase the likelihood that a child will have higher bone density, but only in girls.

23 Mar 2016

UC San Diego Health participates in nationwide clinical study on hemophilia B gene therapy

The Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center at UC San Diego Health has joined a nationwide clinical trial testing a potential gene therapy that may one day provide a better and long-lasting treatment for people with hemophilia B.

23 Mar 2016

Whole genome sequencing of chimpanzee parasite reveals clues about human malaria

Understanding the origins of emerging diseases - as well as more established disease agents -- is critical to gauge future human infection risks and find new treatment and prevention approaches. This holds true for malaria, which kills more than 500,000 people a year. Symptoms, including severe anemia, pregnancy-associated malaria, and cerebral malaria, have been linked to the parasite's ability to cause infected red blood cells to bind to the inner lining of blood vessels.

22 Mar 2016

Researchers develop unique approach to track, label neural stem cells

An overwhelming number of researchers still struggle within the black hole of the effectiveness and safety of stem cell therapy for neurological diseases. While the complexity of understanding how neurons grow, connect and function has long been studied, it remains a mystery, one that graduate student Forrest Goodfellow in the University of Georgia Regenerative Bioscience Center is helping unravel.

22 Mar 2016

Role of dietary restriction in lifespan extension

The role of dietary restriction in extending lifespan is the subject of research being conducted at the MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, by visiting scientist Markus Schosserer, Ph.D., of the biotechnology department at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, in Austria.

22 Mar 2016

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Personalized medicine promises better treatment options for cystic fibrosis patients

Lack of UBE3A gene causes Angelman syndrome

Scientists unravel genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder

Study uncovers role of small RNAs in fine-tuning egg development

Scientists identify gene associated with cleft lip and palate

Genetic testing in women with ovarian cancer helps determine prognosis

Defective PTCHD1 gene in brain creates symptoms associated with autism and ADHD

NIHR research program aims to increase safety, well-being of victims of DVA

Research: X and Y DNA swapping may occur more often than previously thought

Blood test can predict risk of developing TB disease long before it manifests

Penn neurologists uncover new genetic cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

Deleting microRNA-155 prevents diet-induced obesity in female mice

Research findings offer new way to differentiate, treat patients with lung cancer

Addition of just two DNA bases to LdAQP1 gene helps Black Fever parasite to overcome antimonial drugs

SLU researchers discover compound that disrupts fibrotic process

Pediatric researchers find gene variants that can strongly increase bone strength in girls

UC San Diego Health participates in nationwide clinical study on hemophilia B gene therapy

Whole genome sequencing of chimpanzee parasite reveals clues about human malaria

Researchers develop unique approach to track, label neural stem cells

Role of dietary restriction in lifespan extension

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting