Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Doughnut-shaped circles of ecDNA provide tumor cells with a malignant twist

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA encodes information, not only in its sequence but also in its shape.

21 Nov 2019

Study uncovers new Alzheimer's risk gene

A new paper in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology finds a gene that may help explain a large part of the genetic risk for developing Alzheimer's disease.

21 Nov 2019

Scientists discover new molecular drivers of Parkinson's disease

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have uncovered new molecular drivers of Parkinson's disease using a sophisticated statistical technique called multiscale gene network analysis.

20 Nov 2019

Oral vaccination with cholera toxin helps counteract age-associated obesity

Here the research team tested a safe and well-established microbe-based immune adjuvant to restore immune homeostasis and counteract inflammation-associated obesity in animal models.

19 Nov 2019

MU researchers describe Down syndrome-associated catatonia

Down syndrome, due to an extra chromosome 21, occurs in 250,000 children and adults in the United States, making it the country's most common chromosomal disorder. Inherited heart defects, thyroid cancer, celiac disease and developmental disabilities are common Down syndrome complications.

19 Nov 2019

Biogerontology Research Foundation launches Longevity AI Consortium at King's College London

The Biogerontology Research Foundation announces the official launch of the Longevity AI Consortium, which has been established at King's College London with the strategic and financial support of the Biogerontology Research Foundation.

18 Nov 2019

BGU researchers discover gene that causes nighttime atrial fibrillation

Genetic studies spanning three generations of a Persian Jewish family by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. have identified a gene that causes nighttime atrial fibrillation (AFib).

18 Nov 2019

Researchers identify “mutational footprint” caused by chemotherapy that leads to side effects

Researchers have characterized the "mutational footprint" that results from chemotherapy and leads to long-term side effects.

18 Nov 2019

Sudden death due to heart disease – it could be in the genes

More than 220,000 American adults die suddenly of cardiac causes – a phenomenon called sudden cardiac death. Some sources put it as closer to 400,000. Both inexplicable and distressing, this has been the subject of a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific session.

17 Nov 2019

Early diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy associated with improved outcomes

Women who are diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) during late pregnancy or within a month following delivery are more likely to experience restored cardiac function and improved outcomes compared to those who are diagnosed later in the postpartum period, according to a new study from Penn Medicine.

17 Nov 2019

Rare DNA variants linked to sudden cardiac death

Sudden cardiac death affects 220,000 U.S. adults annually, most of whom have no prior symptoms of a heart issue.

17 Nov 2019

Broccoli's effects on kidney health may depend on individual's genetics

New research indicates that the benefits of a dietary compound on kidney health may depend on an individual's genetics. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of JASN, may be helpful for tailoring interventions to prevent or treat kidney disease.

15 Nov 2019

Key Alzheimer's gene variants act differently among Caribbean Hispanics based on ancestry

Researchers looking to uncover the mysteries of Alzheimer's disease have revealed new insights from old variants.

15 Nov 2019

Scientists reverse learning and memory deficits with drugs in animal model of Down syndrome

In a surprising finding using the standard animal model of Down syndrome (DS), scientists were able to correct the learning and memory deficits associated with the condition -- the leading genetic cause of cognitive disability and the most frequently diagnosed chromosomal disorder in the U.S. -- with drugs that target the body's response to cellular stresses.

15 Nov 2019

Study sheds light on how Zika virus causes microcephaly in newborns

A new study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine revealed how in utero Zika virus infection can lead to microcephaly in newborns. The team discovered that the Zika virus protein NS4A disrupts brain growth by hijacking a pathway that regulates the generation of new neurons.

14 Nov 2019

Promising method to identify aggressive breast cancers that will respond to immunotherapy

University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have discovered a promising method to identify aggressive breast cancer tumors that will respond to drugs that unleash the immune system against cancer.

14 Nov 2019

Alzheimer's Association's funding enables expansion of aging study in longest running birth cohort

The Alzheimer's Association and University College London are partnering to study brain aging and dementia in 500 individuals whose health and health-related behaviors have been documented since birth.

14 Nov 2019

Fight for Sight funds new project to create UK’s first large-scale glaucoma biobank

Fight for Sight is funding a project to create the UK’s first large-scale glaucoma biobank, a new tool that will help personalize glaucoma treatment and identify patients most at risk of sight loss.

14 Nov 2019

Regular co-use of pain and sleep medications may increase risk of frailty in older adults

Researchers from the Oregon Research Institute and Florida Atlantic University are the first to demonstrate statistically significant links between self-reported regular use of prescription drugs for pain and/or sleep, and longitudinal risk of frailty in adults ages 65 and older.

13 Nov 2019

Tall people more likely to develop atrial fibrillation

Size may matter when it comes to having a safe and steady heart. A new study shows tall people are more likely to develop from an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation (AFib).

13 Nov 2019