Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Researchers discover new and rare skeletal disease

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered a new and rare skeletal disease. In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine they describe the molecular mechanism of the disease, in which small RNA molecules play a role that has never before been observed in a congenital human disease.

25 Feb 2019

Specific gene variation associated with ADHD could be tied to substance addiction

Some variations in the gene LPHN3 -associated with the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in kids and adults- could favor likelihood to smoke, consume alcohol, cannabis and other addictive substances, according to an article published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, from the Nature Publishing Group.

25 Feb 2019

Study provides vital clues to why some people have higher COPD risk than others

A group of researchers led by the Universities of Leicester and Nottingham has discovered genetic differences that put some people at higher risk than others of developing chronic lung disease.

25 Feb 2019

Scientists identify cause of devastating pediatric brain disorder

An international effort led by physician-scientists at Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, in collaboration with a team at the Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre, has identified the cause of a devastating pediatric brain disorder paving the way for the first step in developing potential therapies for this rare neurodegenerative condition.

25 Feb 2019

Older biologic age associated with increased risk of developing breast cancer

Biologic age, a DNA-based estimate of a person's age, is associated with future development of breast cancer, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health.

23 Feb 2019

Study unravels genetic basis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy cases in Finland

One third of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy cases in Finland are caused by one of the four major mutations, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital shows.

23 Feb 2019

Breast cancer study: Family-history-based models perform better than non-family-history based models

A team of researchers led by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Professor Mary Beth Terry, PhD, evaluated four commonly used breast cancer prediction models and found that family-history-based models perform better than non-family-history based models, even for women at average or below-average risk of breast cancer.

22 Feb 2019

Akna protein plays a key role in the regulation of neural stem cells

The use of stem cells to repair organs is one of the foremost goals of modern regenerative medicine.

22 Feb 2019

New study finds how high-fat diets fuel colorectal cancer growth

As cancer death rates drop overall, doctors have noted a frightening anomaly: deaths from colorectal cancer in people under 55 appear to be creeping up. According to the American Cancer Society, deaths in this younger group increased by 1 percent between 2007 and 2016.

22 Feb 2019

Onset of puberty depends on gap between parents' and child's height

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers have found that the age puberty hits is based on the gap between the parents' and child's ultimate height, not genetics.

22 Feb 2019

New identified biomarker predicts patients who might benefit from HER2-targeted agents

In an effort to further individualize therapy and avoid over-treating patients, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center report a new study using PET scans has identified a biomarker that may accurately predict which patients with one type of HER2-positive breast cancer might best benefit from standalone HER2-targeted agents, without the need for standard chemotherapy.

22 Feb 2019

A comprehensive, multinational review of peppers around the world

A comprehensive and multinational review of peppers/chilis (Capsicum species) with academic and scientific input from points across the globe, such as Argentina, Brazil, Taiwan, Mexico, Italy, Hungary, Austria, and the United States sets out to explore various aspects of interest concerning this horticulturally important crop.

22 Feb 2019

Researchers discover several genes linked to increased use of alcohol and tobacco

The use of alcohol and tobacco is closely linked to several diseases, and is a contributing factor in many deaths.

21 Feb 2019

Discovery of potent compound in native California shrub may lead to treatment for Alzheimer's

The medicinal powers of aspirin, digitalis, and the anti-malarial artemisinin all come from plants. A Salk Institute discovery of a potent neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory chemical in a native California shrub may lead to a treatment for Alzheimer's disease based on a compound found in nature.

21 Feb 2019

Mogrify to accelerate novel IP and cell therapies using $3.7m USD funding

Mogrify today announced a second close on its seed funding, bringing the total raised to $3.7 million USD, and the appointment of Darrin Disley as CEO.

20 Feb 2019

Scientists probe into the mind of worms to unravel how memories form

Try as you might, some events cannot be remembered. Known in psychology as memory blocking, the phenomenon has remained elusive since first described more than half a century ago.

20 Feb 2019

New computational tool searches for factors that cause specific diseases

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have developed and tested a new computational tool, Candidate Driver Analysis, which will search for combinations of factors that are likely to cause a specific disease.

20 Feb 2019

Newly developed gene therapy helps decelerate aging process

Aging is a leading risk factor for a number of debilitating conditions, including heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease, to name a few. This makes the need for anti-aging therapies all the more urgent. Now, Salk Institute researchers have developed a new gene therapy to help decelerate the aging process.

20 Feb 2019

Researchers explain why T cells lose their protective ability in inflamed tissues

Regulatory T cells make sure that immune responses are not too strong and that inflammation is inhibited. This makes them highly interesting for therapies against inflammatory autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

20 Feb 2019

Gene therapy restores hearing in mice with congenital genetic deafness

In collaboration with the universities of Miami, Columbia and San Francisco, scientists from the Institut Pasteur, Inserm, CNRS, Collège de France, Sorbonne University and the University of Clermont Auvergne have managed to restore hearing in an adult mouse model of DFNB9 deafness - a hearing disorder that represents one of the most frequent cases of congenital genetic deafness.

19 Feb 2019