Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Brain protein indicates a link between circadian rhythm dysfunction and Alzheimer's Disease

Fractured sleep, daytime sleepiness and other signs of disturbance in one's circadian rhythm are common complaints of people with Alzheimer's disease, and the problems only get worse as the disease progresses.

17 Dec 2020

Clemson grad student focuses on studying how genes interact in a normal brain

You must first understand how something works normally before you can figure out why it's broken.

16 Dec 2020

Mother's diet while breastfeeding can shape the profile of human milk oligosaccharides

Research has shown that human milk is the optimal nutrition source for neonates and infants. It confers protection against both immediately life-threatening infant diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis, as well as later onset diseases in adults, like obesity, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

16 Dec 2020

Neanderthal gene variant increases risk of severe COVID-19

Researchers in Germany have conducted a study showing that between 2 and 8% of people in Eurasia carry a genetic variant inherited from Neanderthals that significantly increases the risk of becoming critically ill with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Dec 2020

Genes play a decisive role in cruciate ligament injuries

It has long been known that the choice of shoe, surface and type of sport can all be contributing factors when someone suffers an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now observed that genes also play a decisive role.

15 Dec 2020

Scientists show a sort of signature in the brains of lonely people

This holiday season will be a lonely one for many people as social distancing due to COVID-19 continues, and it is important to understand how isolation affects our health.

15 Dec 2020

Hybrid approach reveals details about genes involved in Meier-Gorlin syndrome

Meier-Gorlin syndrome, or MGS, is a rare genetic developmental disorder that causes dwarfism, small ears, a small brain, missing patella and other skeletal abnormalities. In severe cases, MGS results in miscarriages and stillbirths.

14 Dec 2020

MIPT researchers use zebrafish to study chronic stress

A team of researchers led by MIPT's Allan Kalueff has studied chronic stress in zebrafish and determined that the animal can serve as a valuable model species for research into the associated brain diseases, complementing research currently done on rodents.

14 Dec 2020

Study shows long-term consequences of peripubertal stress

This work has investigated the long-term consequences of stress experienced at this critical period of life in rodents, in collaboration with the Behavioural Genetics laboratory at the Brain and Mind Institute of the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (Switzerland), led by the Spanish researcher Carmen Sandi.

14 Dec 2020

Research provides new insights into Glioblastoma invasiveness

One of the hallmarks of Glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive type of brain cancer, is its high invasive capacity, which leads to its expansion into the normal brain tissue.

11 Dec 2020

Study uncovers genetic risks of Takayasu arteritis

In a paper published today in the American Journal of Human Genetics, a group of international collaborators led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine identified new genetic associations that can predict individual susceptibility to a rare inflammatory disease called Takayasu arteritis.

11 Dec 2020

UCLA researchers identify gene that could help predict cervical cancer treatment response

UCLA researchers have identified a potential diagnostic marker that could help predict how likely someone with cervical cancer is to respond to the standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation.

11 Dec 2020

Genetic differences play a vital role in early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

The two clinically used methods for detecting amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease do not give unambiguous results, with the risk of incorrect or delayed care interventions.

11 Dec 2020

Researchers analyze prevalence of COVID-19 in human post-mortem ocular tissues

COVID-19 has been found in conjunctival swabs and tears of infected patients, according to a new study published in The Ocular Surface.

11 Dec 2020

Study sheds new light on reflexive behaviors

When you touch a hot stove, your hand reflexively pulls away; if you miss a rung on a ladder, you instinctively catch yourself.

10 Dec 2020

Hematoxylin compounds can selectively kill CALR mutant cancer cells

Patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN), a group of malignant diseases of the bone marrow, often have a carcinogenic mutated form of the calreticulin gene (CALR).

10 Dec 2020

High error rates found in human egg cells

A new study has found that there is a high level of meiotic recombination failure in human immature egg cells (oocytes).

10 Dec 2020

Study shows association between chemotherapy benefit and menopausal status in breast cancer patients

After a median follow-up of 5.1 years, among women with lymph node-positive early-stage breast cancer and a recurrence score of 25 or lower who received adjuvant endocrine therapy with or without chemotherapy, postmenopausal patients had no added benefit from chemotherapy, while premenopausal patients who received chemotherapy had improved invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) and an early indication of improved overall survival (OS), according to data from the SWOG S1007 RxPONDER clinical trial presented at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-11.

9 Dec 2020

Tomatoes could become a new, natural source of Parkinson's disease drug

Scientists have produced a tomato enriched in the Parkinson's disease drug L-DOPA in what could become a new, affordable source of one of the world's essential medicines.

9 Dec 2020

Study shows how YTHDF3 plays a significant role in cancer metastasis

Approximately 200,000 cancer patients are diagnosed with brain metastases each year, yet few treatment options exist because the mechanisms that allow cancer to spread to the brain remain unclear.

9 Dec 2020