Genetics

Genetics is the study of genes and heredity. Heredity is the passing of genetic information and traits (such as eye color and an increased chance of getting a certain disease) from parents to offspring.

How Do Genetic Mutations Cause Disease?

Mutations in genes can lead to genetic disorders, impacting health. Understand the types, causes, and implications of genetic mutations and disease.

What is Genetic Anticipation?

History of Genetics

The Importance of Genetic Counseling In Healthcare And Medicine

Genetics and Gene Expression

Applications of the Expanded Genetic Code

Von Recklinghausen Disease Expressivity

Genotype Versus Phenotype

Genetic Inheritance

Genetic Change

The Role of Alternative Splicing in Disease

Genetics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

See more featured articles »

Genetics Research and Technology

What is the Expanded Genetic Code?

START and STOP Codons

What is Cytogenetics?

Genetic Regulation of Fingers and Toes Development

Genetic Risk Associated with Social Anxiety

Latest Genetics News and Research

Novel analysis identifies unique proliferation gene alterations in diverse cancer patients

New research to be presented today (Monday) at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics shows that a cancer patient's genetic ancestry can have a significant effect both on how their disease progresses and their survival. In the largest study of its kind, researchers examined nearly 1,900 specific genetic changes in tumors in order to measure whether certain mutations were more common in patients with different historic geographic origins.

15 Jun 2026

Researchers map rare DHDDS disease mechanism using lab-grown mini brains

Variants in the DHDDS gene cause a severe neurodegenerative condition, characterized by tremors, seizures, coordination and learning difficulties, usually manifesting in early childhood. This Parkinson's-like condition is extremely rare, and until recently, parents were told that there was nothing that could be done to slow down its progression.

15 Jun 2026

Genetic data may predict steroid side effect risk

Oral corticosteroids (OCSs) are widely used and effective in the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, asthma, and autoimmune diseases. They work by reducing inflammation, relieving pain, and calming the immune system.

14 Jun 2026

Noninvasive sequencing expands prenatal genetic screening capabilities

While non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) has revolutionised prenatal diagnostics by allowing the detection of a number of genetic problems in a fetus, it is currently limited and thus misses many genetic causes of abnormalities.

12 Jun 2026

Renowned physician‑scientist to lead Houston Methodist's cell and gene therapy research

Malcolm Brenner, an internationally recognized physician‑scientist renowned for his leadership in cell and gene therapy, has been tapped to lead the newly formed Houston Methodist Center for Cell and Gene Therapy.

12 Jun 2026

Cellular process discovery may lead to new cancer treatments

A molecular geneticist at Montana State University has discovered a cellular process once believed impossible by scientists – the creation of the amino acid cysteine within a living cell when the cell's primary systems to do so fail. The discovery may one day lead to new cancer treatments.

12 Jun 2026

New peptide strategy may protect brain cells involved in Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil have discovered a new strategy that may protect neurons and other brain cells involved in Parkinson's disease in the future.

12 Jun 2026

New genetic driver found for rare small intestinal cancers

A signaling system known as the Wnt pathway plays a central role in how cells in the intestine grow, divide, and renew themselves.

12 Jun 2026

Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor researcher joins ARIA IMPACT Network to advance autism therapies

Dr. Jimmy Holder, associate professor in pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Principal investigator at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, and his team have received a grant for up to $17.25 million from Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA) to become a part of the Innovative Medicine and Precision Approaches to Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Network.

11 Jun 2026

Review uses evolutionary lens to examine modern human aging rates

A review article now published in "Nature Reviews Genetics" brings together evolutionary theory, comparative genomics and large-scale human genetics to explain why we age and why aging rates differ among individuals and species.

11 Jun 2026

Experts propose unified framework to advance the future of high-altitude medicine

As increasing numbers of people live, work, and travel at high altitudes, experts are calling for a major shift in how altitude-related health conditions are understood, diagnosed, and treated.

11 Jun 2026

First-in-the-world gene therapy delivers missing gene directly to infant’s brain, marking historic milestone in precision medicine

An eight-month-old baby from Israel has become the first human ever to receive an experimental gene therapy designed to replace a missing gene responsible for a devastating neurological disease that until now offered no hope of survival.

11 Jun 2026

Researchers identify genetic cause of severe childhood lung disease

A new report in the American Journal of Human Genetics describes a novel disorder caused by biallelic loss-of-function variants in the TMEM63B gene, which results in severe lung disease.

10 Jun 2026

Study identifies an important driver of inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, together with Newcastle University's Translational and Clinical Research Institute and the Department of Immunology at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, have identified an important driver of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

10 Jun 2026

New study maps early genetic disruptions in Rett syndrome

To better understand what drives the emergence of symptoms in Rett syndrome, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital took a closer look at brain cells in mice modeling Rett syndrome before symptoms appeared.

10 Jun 2026

NIH awards $1 million five-year grant to study the genetics of cataracts in children

Jennifer Rossen, MD, a pediatric ophthalmologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, recently received a $1 million five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Eye Institute (NIH/NEI) to study the genetics of cataracts in children.

10 Jun 2026

Philanthropic investment expands collaborative network for autoimmune research

NYU Langone Health today announced a new philanthropic investment from longtime supporters Judy and Stewart Colton as part of a $15 million gift shared across three Colton Consortium institutions: NYU Langone, Yale University, and Tel Aviv University.

10 Jun 2026

New meningioma atlas uncovers clues to tumor aggressiveness

One of the most detailed maps to date of meningioma - the most common brain tumor in adults - reveals how the tumor's surrounding environment helps drive disease behavior and patient outcomes, according to new research from Mayo Clinic.

9 Jun 2026

New geroscience initiative aims to accelerate anti‑aging therapies

Albert Einstein College of Medicine has launched the Batia and Idan Ofer program for Validation of Interventions Targeting Aging and Longevity (BIO-VITAL), a new initiative designed to help biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies advance therapies that target the biology of aging.

9 Jun 2026

Uninherited parental genes leave lasting imprint on children's lives

Our parents' genes, even the ones we didn't inherit, leave a measurable lasting imprint on our lives. An international team led by researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health developed a new approach to analyze genetic data from tens of thousands of families.

9 Jun 2026