Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Researchers identify suicide toxin in the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis

The bacteria responsible for tuberculosis can be killed by a toxin they produce unless it is neutralized by an antidote protein. The European team of scientists behind this discovery is coordinated by researchers from the Institute of Pharmacology and Structural Biology and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.

18 Feb 2019

Researchers identify multiple genetic variants associated with body fat distribution

A new breakthrough from the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits consortium, which includes many public health researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, identifies multiple genetic variants associated with how the body regulates and distributes body-fat tissue.

18 Feb 2019

Scientists discover trigger that turns strep infections into devastating disease

Houston Methodist infectious disease scientists have discovered a previously unknown trigger that turns a relatively run-of-the-mill infection into a devastatingly ravenous, flesh-eating disease.

18 Feb 2019

Study finds genetic vulnerability to use of menthol cigarettes

A genetic variant found only in people of African descent significantly increases a smoker's preference for cigarettes containing menthol, a flavor additive.

15 Feb 2019

UVA scientists find potential explanation for mysterious cell death in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s

Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a potential explanation for the mysterious death of specific brain cells seen in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

15 Feb 2019

Scientists implicate hidden genes in the severity of autism symptoms

Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have implicated a largely hidden part of the human genome in the severity of autism symptoms, a discovery that could lead to new insights into the disorder and eventually to clinical therapies for the condition.

15 Feb 2019

HDL proteome behaves like a tiny Velcro ball that is rolling on surfaces

Cholesterol carried in high-density lipoprotein particles, or HDL cholesterol, has been dubbed the good cholesterol, because people whose HDL levels are high have a lower risk of developing heart disease. That link was first established in 1977 and has been confirmed over and over in epidemiological studies.

15 Feb 2019

Cell manipulation could soon halt or reverse aging

Researchers have shown that tweaking the tiny inner parts of a cell could prevent the damage caused due to aging.

15 Feb 2019

Scientists shed light on damaging cell effects linked to aging

Some of the damaging cell effects linked to aging could be prevented by manipulating tiny parts of cells, a study shows.

14 Feb 2019

Oxford Genetics appoints Jocelyne Bath as new Chief Operating Officer

Oxford Genetics, a leader in innovative synthetic biology-based technologies for biologics discovery, development and delivery, announces the appointment of their new Chief Operating Officer, Jocelyne Bath.

From OXGENE 13 Feb 2019

Increased activity of EHMT2 gene deficient neurons could cause autism in humans

A novel investigation into the impacts of neuronal mutations on autism-related characteristics in humans has been described in the open-access journal eLife.

13 Feb 2019

New study provides insights into developmental organization of the brain

What makes us human, and where does this mysterious property of "humanness" come from? Humans are genetically similar to chimpanzees and bonobos, yet there exist obvious behavioral and cognitive differences.

13 Feb 2019

New DNA methylation GrimAge tool allows you to predict lifespan and healthspan

The Grim Reaper arrives for each of us eventually--wouldn't it be nice to know when? Now UCLA researchers have developed a new tool to help you plan ahead for your date with the Angel of Death.

13 Feb 2019

Comparison of cancer genes across species helps prioritize targets for new cancer therapies

Cancer genes in mucosal melanoma, a rare and poorly understood subtype of melanoma, have been compared in humans, dogs and horses for the first time by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators.

12 Feb 2019

NIH scientists zero in on genes associated with AMD

National Eye Institute scientists led a collaborative study and zeroed in on genes associated with age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss and blindness among people age 65 and older.

12 Feb 2019

Researchers map extremely complex chromosome aberrations using DNA puzzle pieces

Using puzzle pieces from four different DNA analyses, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have been able to map three extremely complex chromosome aberrations.

12 Feb 2019

Human brain protein linked with autism has an effect on fruit fly behavior

A mutant gene that encodes a brain protein in a child with autism has been placed into the brains of fruit flies. Fruit flies hosting that gene produce the variant human brain protein and show abnormal behaviors of fear, repetitive activity and altered social interaction, reminiscent of autism impairments.

12 Feb 2019

Study can have implications in the vaccination policies against Hepatitis A

Researchers of the University of Barcelona have analyzed, with massive sequencing techniques for the first time, the evolution of the Hepatitis A virus with samples from patients.

11 Feb 2019

Individualized diets more effective in controlling blood glucose levels, study finds

An individualized diet based on a person's genetics, microbiome and lifestyle is more effective in controlling blood glucose (sugar) levels than one that considers only nutritional composition of food, Mayo Clinic researchers have confirmed.

11 Feb 2019

When genomic sequencing fails to diagnose a rare disease

Routine sequencing has given unprecedented insight into the genetics of rare diseases, but genomics fails to diagnose up to half of patients who are tested. That's the problem German scientists tackled in a recent study in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.

11 Feb 2019