Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Inherited genetic variants play crucial role in cancer development and behavior

A new multicenter study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute-funded Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) and colleagues around the world, has discovered that the genes we are born with-known as germline genetic variants-play a powerful, underappreciated role in how cancer develops and behaves.

15 Apr 2025

Genetic diversity of malaria parasite challenges one size fits all strategies

Despite decades of efforts focused on mosquito eradication, drug therapies, and vaccines, malaria remains hard to beat, especially in Africa.

11 Apr 2025

Breakthrough in chicken genomics offers hope against avian influenza

An international team of researchers led by Professor Huaijun Zhou from the UC Davis Department of Animal Science has created the first-ever detailed map of how genes are regulated in chickens - a breakthrough that could help scientists breed birds that are more resistant to diseases like avian influenza.

10 Apr 2025

New data-sparse model accurately predicts individual glycemic responses

If you eat a snack - a meatball, say, or a marshmallow - how will it affect your blood sugar? It's a surprisingly tricky question: the body's glycemic response to different foods varies based on individual genetics, microbiomes, hormonal fluctuations, and more.

10 Apr 2025

Unlocking the power of MDA5 protein modifications in antiviral defense

Cleveland Clinic virology researchers have found that a specific protein modification to the immune protein MDA5 is key to how human bodies detect and respond to viruses and viral replication.

10 Apr 2025

Can psychedelics break compulsive eating habits in obesity?

A review by Oxford researchers explores how psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD may help disrupt compulsive eating behaviors in subsets of obese individuals. The paper outlines proposed neurobiological, epigenetic, and gut-brain mechanisms while emphasizing the need for human trials.

10 Apr 2025

Researchers uncover a new genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders

A seminal study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and their collaborators in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and Iceland has uncovered a new genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

10 Apr 2025

New study sharpens focus on genetic causes of asthma

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of genome regions containing thousands of genetic variants associated with asthma, but it's still not clear which variants have an actual causal link to the disease.

10 Apr 2025

Genetic breakthrough in psychiatry using long-read genomic sequencing

In a manuscript published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry titled Long-Read Genome Sequencing in Clinical Psychiatry: RFX3 Haploinsufficiency in a Hospitalized Adolescent With Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Behavioral Decompensation, authors describe how they leveraged long-read genomic sequencing (LRS) to make a genetic diagnosis in a17-year-old male with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and acute behavioral decompensation that would not have been possible by standard methods.

9 Apr 2025

Study uncovers conserved development and evolutionary innovations in the human hypothalamus

In a new study published in Developmental Cell on April 8, a research team led by Prof. WU Qingfeng at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has demonstrated the conserved cellular development and evolutionary innovations in the developing human hypothalamus.

9 Apr 2025

New molecular target identified for pancreatic cancer treatment

Researchers at City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. with its National Medical Center named top 5 in the nation for cancer by U.S. News & World Report, have identified a new molecular target for treating pancreatic cancer, reports a Gastroenterology study published today.

8 Apr 2025

Genetic tendency to sedentary behavior linked to higher heart disease risk

Although sedentary behavior may be an evolutionarily selected trait, it is still important to try to be physically active, says a new study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

8 Apr 2025

Proteins linked to Parkinson's and ALS found to protect mitochondria

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have discovered how a group of proteins linked to Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis act as "guardians" of mitochondria, small organelles, or subunits, within a cell that make and store energy and are found in almost all plants and animals.

8 Apr 2025