Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Dogs could help monitor how environmental chemicals impact human health

Man's best friend may also be man's best bet for figuring out how environmental chemicals could impact our health.

1 Jun 2020

UTA cancer researcher establishes new lab with CPRIT award

With $2 million in support from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, The University of Texas at Arlington has added an emerging leader in cancer biology to its faculty and fortified its cancer research enterprise.

1 Jun 2020

Researchers discover genetic cause of 'differences in sexual development'

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, the Institut Pasteur and their clinical collaborators have identified a cause of testicular tissue developing in people with female chromosomes.

1 Jun 2020

Genetic screening could be effective at detecting undiagnosed cases of prostate cancer

Genetic screening for prostate cancer in GP surgeries could be effective at picking up otherwise undiagnosed cases of the disease, a new pilot study shows.

31 May 2020

When flu season converges with COVID-19

As if the COVID-19 pandemic isn't scary enough, the flu season is not far away. How severe will the flu season be as it converges with the COVID-19 outbreak? What can we do to prepare?

30 May 2020

Scientists identify factors influencing outcomes in kidney cancer patients treated with immunotherapy

By analyzing tumors from patients treated with immunotherapy for advanced kidney cancer in three clinical trials, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists have identified several features of the tumors that influence their response to immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs.

30 May 2020

The ‘eureka moment’ of rapid COVID-19 test inventor

The inventor of a ground-breaking COVID-19 test described his ‘eureka moment’ when he realised he could adapt existing tech to create a rapid virus test.

30 May 2020

New genetic engineering technique sets the stage for advances in medicine and beyond

From bacteria-made insulin that obviates the use of animal pancreases to a better understanding of infectious diseases and improved treatments, genetic engineering of bacteria has redefined modern medicine. Yet, serious limitations remain that hamper| progress in numerous other areas.

30 May 2020

Study analyzes cancer diagnosis in children with birth defects

Scientific studies suggest that children with birth defects are at increased risk of cancer. However, it has not been assessed whether the type of cancer, the age at which they are diagnosed or the extent of cancer spread at the time of diagnosis, is different for children with birth defects compared to children without birth defects.

29 May 2020

Using gene therapy to help the body to make its own cancer drugs

Imagine that we could instruct our bodies to make the drugs they need themselves. The gene technology that makes this possible is called mRNA therapy, which may become a major tool in the treatment of multiple diseases.

29 May 2020

Combination therapy does not show superior efficacy in newly diagnosed myeloma

The combination of carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (KRd) did not show superior efficacy in patients with newly diagnosed myeloma absent a high-risk disease prognosis, compared with the standard of care--bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd).

29 May 2020

Researchers identify risk factors for fatty liver disease

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have uncovered an unexpected connection between an imbalance of electrons in liver cells and many metabolic problems that increase the risk for conditions such as cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease.

29 May 2020

Scientists from gnomAD Consortium release first set of discoveries on human genetic variation

For the last eight years, the Genome Aggregation Database Consortium (and its predecessor, the Exome Aggregation Consortium, or ExAC), has been working with geneticists around the world to compile and study more than 125,000 exomes and 15,000 whole genomes from populations around the world.

28 May 2020

Faulty ApoE4 gene increases risk for Alzheimer’s and for COVID-19

It has not been clear whether dementia worsens the infection or if it has resulted from the patient's old age and the severity of care home outbreaks. Now, a new study sheds light on the reason why people with dementia are at a high risk of developing severe disease caused by the coronavirus disease.

27 May 2020

Researchers develop promising immunotherapy treatment for glioblastoma

Researchers of McMaster University and the University of Toronto have developed a promising immunotherapy treatment for a deadly form of adult brain cancer called glioblastoma.

27 May 2020

Researchers are taking inventory of drugs used to treat COVID-19

With doctors and researchers around the world searching for effective treatments for COVID-19, many drugs approved to treat other diseases are being used in hopes that they'll be effective against the virus, a use that's known as "off-label."

27 May 2020

A new approach to predict the evolutionary mechanisms of melanoma

Melanoma is a malignant tumour resulting from the transformation of melanocytes, the cells in the skin that undertake to synthesise melanin, a complex polymer which protects us from the negative effects of solar radiation.

27 May 2020

Researchers investigate the early development of ovarian cancer

Researchers from the group of Hans Clevers at the Hubrecht Institute have modeled the development and progression of high-grade serous ovarian cancer in mini-versions of the female reproductive organs of the mouse.

27 May 2020

Lymph node and distant metastases develop through different evolutionary mechanisms, study shows

The evolutionary processes underlying metastasis-the development of secondary malignant growths away from the primary tumor site-in human patients are still incompletely understood.

26 May 2020

Antimalarial drug shows promise as potential therapy for aggressive brain cancer

Glioblastoma multiforme is an aggressive form of cancer in the brain that is typically fatal. But new findings by VCU Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers could help increase the effectiveness of the most common current treatments with the addition of lumefantrine, an FDA-approved drug used to treat malaria.

26 May 2020