Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Public education messaging can slow the spread of COVID-19

A novel new study suggests that the behavior public officials are now mandating or recommending unequivocally to slow the spread of surging COVID-19--wearing a face covering--should come with a caveat. If not accompanied by proper public education, the practice could lead to more infections.

15 Jan 2021

Targeting RNA splicing can activate antiviral immune pathways in triple negative breast cancers

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered how therapeutics targeting RNA splicing can activate antiviral immune pathways in triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) to trigger tumor cell death and signal the body's immune response.

15 Jan 2021

New method uses artificial intelligence to map intestinal bacteria using feces

The intestines and their bacteria are sometimes called our ’second brain’, but studying these bacteria in their natural environment is difficult. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen have developed a method that uses artificial intelligence to map intestinal bacteria using feces.

15 Jan 2021

Omega-3 diet helps Arctic ground squirrels to hibernate a little warmer than normal

By feeding arctic ground squirrels special diets, researchers have found that omega-3 fatty acids, common in flax seed and fish oil, help keep the animals warmer in deep hibernation.

15 Jan 2021

Scientists discover genetic variations that have a drastic impact on small molecules

The human organism requires a variety of small molecules, such as sugars or fats, in order to function properly.

14 Jan 2021

Researchers identify a simple way to eliminate sequencing errors produced by portable DNA sequencer

Researchers have found a simple way to eliminate almost all sequencing errors produced by a widely used portable DNA sequencer, potentially enabling scientists working outside the lab to study and track microorganisms like the SARS-CoV-2 virus more efficiently.

13 Jan 2021

Antigenic "supersite" could improve design of COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have defined an antigenic “supersite” within the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could have important implications for the design of vaccines to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

12 Jan 2021

Inherited or transmitted gut microbes affect skeletal development in animals

Gut microbes passed from female mice to their offspring, or shared between mice that live together, may influence the animals' bone mass, says a new study published today in eLife.

12 Jan 2021

Researchers identify shorter form of ACE2 that lacks SARS-CoV-2 binding site

A shadow over the promising inhaled interferon beta COVID-19 therapy has been cleared with the discovery that although it appears to increase levels of ACE2 protein - coronavirus' key entry point into nose and lung cells - it predominantly increases levels of a short version of that protein, which the virus cannot bind to.

12 Jan 2021

Researchers develop new technique to more efficiently isolate and identify rare T cells

Scientists from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have developed a technique that will enable researchers to more efficiently isolate and identify rare T cells that are capable of targeting viruses, cancer and other diseases.

12 Jan 2021

Mosaic mutations during embryonic development can cause autism spectrum disorder

Two studies in today's Nature Neuroscience, led by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and Harvard Medical School (HMS), implicate mosaic mutations arising during embryonic development as a cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The findings open new areas for exploring the genetics of ASD and could eventually inform diagnostic testing.

11 Jan 2021

Study uncovers strong links between a person's diet, gut microbes and health

Diets rich in certain plant-based foods are linked with the presence of gut microbes that are associated with a lower risk of developing conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to recent results from a large-scale international study that included researchers from King's College London, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Trento, Italy, and health science start-up company ZOE.

11 Jan 2021

Trinity researchers discover key mechanism underlying bacterial skin colonization in atopic dermatitis

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered a key mechanism underlying bacterial skin colonization in atopic dermatitis, which affects millions around the globe.

11 Jan 2021

Study: 20% of glioblastomas are fueled by overactive mitochondria

A new study has found that up to 20% of glioblastomas--an aggressive brain cancer--are fueled by overactive mitochondria and may be treatable with drugs currently in clinical trials.

11 Jan 2021

Biomarkers can predict how genetically identical cells behave differently under stress

A set of biomarkers not traditionally associated with cell fate can accurately predict how genetically identical cells behave differently under stress, according to a UT Southwestern study.

8 Jan 2021

MSU researchers show how microbes could soak up toxic pollutants

When Michigan State University's Gemma Reguera first proposed her new research project to the National Science Foundation, one grant reviewer responded that the idea was not "environmentally relevant."

8 Jan 2021

Vanderbilt researcher proposes an explanatory paradigm for the cause of autism

A unifying explanation of the cause of autism and the reason for its rising prevalence has eluded scientists for decades, but a theoretical model published in the journal Medical Hypotheses describes the cause as a combination of socially valued traits, common in autism, and any number of co-occurring disabilities.

8 Jan 2021

Advanced nanomaterial-based biosensing platform rapidly detects COVID-19 antibodies

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University report findings on an advanced nanomaterial-based biosensing platform that detects, within seconds, antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 Jan 2021

Researchers develop new statistical method that generates significant genetic insights

Pleiotropy analysis, which provides insight on how individual genes result in multiple characteristics, has become increasingly valuable as medicine continues to lean into mining genetics to inform disease treatments. Privacy stipulations, though, make it difficult to perform comprehensive pleiotropy analysis because individual patient data often can't be easily and regularly shared between sites.

8 Jan 2021

Study shows how new antibiotic resistance genes arise from random DNA sequences

An important and still unanswered question is how new genes that cause antibiotic resistance arise. In a new study, Swedish and American researchers have shown how new genes that produce resistance can arise from completely random DNA sequences. The results have been published in the journal PLOS Genetics.

8 Jan 2021

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Public education messaging can slow the spread of COVID-19

Targeting RNA splicing can activate antiviral immune pathways in triple negative breast cancers

New method uses artificial intelligence to map intestinal bacteria using feces

Omega-3 diet helps Arctic ground squirrels to hibernate a little warmer than normal

Scientists discover genetic variations that have a drastic impact on small molecules

Researchers identify a simple way to eliminate sequencing errors produced by portable DNA sequencer

Antigenic "supersite" could improve design of COVID-19 vaccines

Inherited or transmitted gut microbes affect skeletal development in animals

Researchers identify shorter form of ACE2 that lacks SARS-CoV-2 binding site

Researchers develop new technique to more efficiently isolate and identify rare T cells

Mosaic mutations during embryonic development can cause autism spectrum disorder

Study uncovers strong links between a person's diet, gut microbes and health

Trinity researchers discover key mechanism underlying bacterial skin colonization in atopic dermatitis

Study: 20% of glioblastomas are fueled by overactive mitochondria

Biomarkers can predict how genetically identical cells behave differently under stress

MSU researchers show how microbes could soak up toxic pollutants

Vanderbilt researcher proposes an explanatory paradigm for the cause of autism

Advanced nanomaterial-based biosensing platform rapidly detects COVID-19 antibodies

Researchers develop new statistical method that generates significant genetic insights

Study shows how new antibiotic resistance genes arise from random DNA sequences

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