Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New model may explain why certain cancer cells are resistant to therapy

Cancer's knack for developing resistance to chemotherapy has long been a major obstacle to achieving lasting remissions or cures.

24 Jul 2020

Gene in fat cells plays a key role in regulating insulin sensitivity

Deleting a key gene in mice in just their fat made tissues throughout these animals insulin resistant, in addition to other effects, a new study by UT Southwestern researchers shows.

23 Jul 2020

Genetic testing can help make well-informed decisions about heart health

Genetic testing and counseling for inherited cardiovascular diseases may help patients and their families make well-informed decisions about managing their heart health, according to "Genetic Testing for Inherited Cardiovascular Diseases," a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published today in the Association's journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine.

23 Jul 2020

Study shows how leptin regulates the presence of neurons in fat

There's no doubt that you can lose fat by eating less or moving more--yet after decades of research, the biology underlying this equation remains mysterious.

23 Jul 2020

New regulatory mechanism reveals complex intricacies of plant immune responses

To ensure survival, living organisms are equipped with defensive systems that detect threats and respond with effective counter measures.

23 Jul 2020

Vesigen Therapeutics to develop and commercialize novel drug-delivery technologies

Harvard University's Office of Technology Development (OTD) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health today announced the launch of Vesigen Therapeutics, a startup company that aims to overcome the challenge of delivering next-generation therapeutics, such as gene-editing complexes, RNA molecules, and other large proteins, to intracellular targets in specific tissues of interest.

23 Jul 2020

UVA scientists harness the potential of quantum computers to study genetic diseases

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists are harnessing the mind-bending potential of quantum computers to help us understand genetic diseases - even before quantum computers are a thing.

22 Jul 2020

Genes and cardiovascular health can raise or lower dementia risk, study finds

Individuals with genetic risk factors for dementia can still reduce their risk by improving their cardiovascular health.

21 Jul 2020

Novel genetic measure could improve osteoporosis screening

An international team of scientists has developed a novel genetic measure that could dramatically improve how doctors assess the risk of sustaining a fracture due to osteoporosis or fragility.

21 Jul 2020

Early detection of cancer four years before conventional diagnosis using non-invasive blood test

An international team of researchers has developed a non-invasive blood test that can detect whether an individual has one of five common types of cancers, four years before the condition can be diagnosed with current methods. The test detects stomach, esophageal, colorectal, lung and liver cancer.

21 Jul 2020

NIH project homes in on COVID racial disparities

While the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Hispanic Americans is no secret, federal officials have launched studies of the disparity that they hope will better prepare the country for the next great epidemic.

21 Jul 2020

Drug discovery pipeline to exploit transcription factors for cancer therapy

Cancer is a leading cause of death and one of the most complex challenges to modern medicine. By employing cutting-edge technologies that precisely measure the effects of candidate targets and drugs on the fundamental process of transcription, the new start-up company QUANTRO Therapeutics strives to radically change the precision and scope of cell-based drug screening.

21 Jul 2020

Prostate tumors reactivate dormant molecular program during metastatic progression

When prostate cancer progresses to a more-dangerous metastatic state, it does so by resurrecting dormant molecular mechanisms that had guided the fetal development of the prostate gland but had been subsequently switched off, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

20 Jul 2020

Mutant zebrafish opens a window into evolutionary history of human spine

A chance mutation that led to spinal defects in a zebrafish has opened a little window into our own fishy past.

20 Jul 2020

$Genetic markers can improve screening for osteoporotic fracture risk$

Genetic markers can improve screening for osteoporotic fracture risk

A new study shows that genetic pre-screening could reduce the number of screening tests needed to identify individuals at risk for osteoporotic fractures. Douglas P. Kiel, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center in the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, is an author on the report published this month in PLOS (Public Library of Science) Medicine.

20 Jul 2020

Developing a Better Understanding of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

In this interview, Dr. Andrea Dunaif talks to News-Medical about their genetic analysis study which suggests there are different subtypes of PCOS.

20 Jul 2020

Researchers unravel key mechanisms behind the mysteries of aging

Molecular biologists and bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have unraveled key mechanisms behind the mysteries of aging. They isolated two distinct paths that cells travel during aging and engineered a new way to genetically program these processes to extend lifespan.

16 Jul 2020