Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Researchers develop CRISPR-based method to control pests with precision-guided genetics

Using the CRISPR gene editing tool, Nikolay Kandul, Omar Akbari and their colleagues at UC San Diego and UC Berkeley devised a method of altering key genes that control insect sex determination and fertility.

8 Jan 2019

Prevalence of left-handedness is lower among breastfed infants, finds study

Bottle feeding infants are associated with left-handedness, according to a new study from the University of Washington. The study found that the prevalence of left-handedness is lower among breastfed infants as compared to bottle-fed infants.

8 Jan 2019

PAC1R mutation in children with autism may be linked to severity of social problems

A mutation of the gene PAC1R may be linked to the severity of social deficits experienced by kids with autism spectrum disorder, finds a study from a multi-institutional research team led by Children's faculty.

8 Jan 2019

Salk researchers reveal clues into early development of ASD

Autism spectrum disorder is a relatively common developmental disorder of communication and behavior that affects about 1 in 59 children in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite its prevalence, it is still unclear what causes the disease and what are the best ways to treat it.

7 Jan 2019

Faulty immune receptor in HIV patients could be reason why many experience complications

For HIV patients, treatments that control the infection have come a long way. But many still struggle with a host of other disease-related complications such as neurocognitive disorders, cardiovascular issues, diabetes and chronic inflammation.

7 Jan 2019

Genes are involved in development of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of heart arrhythmia. About ten per cent of everyone over age 75 develop this condition, in which the two upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat much faster than the main chambers (the ventricles), creating a fluttering feeling in the chest.

7 Jan 2019

Gut microbes play important role in protecting against arsenic toxicity, research shows

Research conducted at Montana State University shows that microbes in the human gut play an important role in protecting against arsenic toxicity, a problem that affects an estimated 200 million people who are exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water.

4 Jan 2019

Bulldogs' screw tails linked to rare inherited syndrome in humans

With their small size, stubby faces and wide-set eyes, bulldogs, French bulldogs and Boston terriers are among the most popular of domestic dog breeds. Now researchers at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine have found the genetic basis for these dogs' appearance, and linked it to a rare inherited syndrome in humans.

3 Jan 2019

Researchers reveal cause of possible genetic problems in mitochondria

A group of researchers from the Andalusian Centre for Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine has revealed the importance of eliminating any excess of defective products that might have accumulated in the mitochondria, as its presence generates mitochondrial instability and information loss on the mitochondrial genome.

3 Jan 2019

Alzheimer’s Disease: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future

An interview with Dr. Lloyd Tran, discussing the major barriers to Alzheimer’s research and development over the past 40 years.

From Alzheimer International Society 3 Jan 2019

New study highlights development of functional skills in people with Down syndrome

When expectant parents learn their child will be born with Down syndrome, they invariably have questions about what this diagnosis will mean for their son or daughter and for the rest of their family.

3 Jan 2019

Meta-analysis of adults with autism shows large impairments in key cognitive domains

The first comprehensive, systematic review and meta-analysis of adults with autism shows that despite having an intact IQ, these adults have medium to large impairments in four key social- and non-social cognitive domains: theory of mind, emotion perception and knowledge, processing speed, and verbal learning and memory.

3 Jan 2019

Researchers identify genes that drive male-female brain differences, trigger initiation of puberty

Researchers have identified a group of genes that induces differences in the developing brains of male and female roundworms and triggers the initiation of puberty, a genetic pathway that may have the same function in controlling the timing of sual maturation in humans.

3 Jan 2019

Study provides new insights into how genes are activated

In a study in Nature, researchers at Karolinska Institutet present a new method for analyzing how instructions in the genome control how our genes are activated in individual cells.

2 Jan 2019

Molecular signatures reveal why women are more likely to die from glioblastoma

Scientists have discovered molecular signatures that reveal why women are more likely to develop and die from the brain cancer, glioblastoma.

2 Jan 2019

Salk scientists show how brain cells filter information in groups

When we perceive the world around us, certain objects appear to be more noticeable than others, depending on what we do. For example, when we view a forest-covered mountain from a distance, the forest looks like a large green carpet. But as we get closer, we start noticing the individual trees, and the forest fades to the background.

2 Jan 2019

Researchers compile atlas of genetic influences on osteoporosis

A ground-breaking new study led by researchers from the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) has succeeded in compiling an atlas of genetic factors associated with estimated bone mineral density (BMD), one of the most clinically relevant factors in diagnosing osteoporosis.

2 Jan 2019

Genetically diverse mouse models improves usability for precision medicine for Alzheimer's

Incorporating genetic diversity into a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease resulted in greater overlap with the genetic, molecular and clinical features of this pervasive human disease, according to a study funded by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health.

28 Dec 2018

Kidney disease risk gene found in more populations than previously known

In the largest population genomics investigation to date, a team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Stanford University, and the University of Colorado have discovered that kidney disease risk variants of the gene APOL1, previously known to affect African and African American populations, are also found at appreciable frequencies in Caribbean and Latin American populations.

28 Dec 2018

Scientists discover two therapies that slow progression of pediatric leukemia in mice

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered two successful therapies that slowed the progression of pediatric leukemia in mice, according to three studies published over the last two years in the journal Cell, and the final paper published Dec. 20 in Genes & Development.

24 Dec 2018

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Researchers develop CRISPR-based method to control pests with precision-guided genetics

Prevalence of left-handedness is lower among breastfed infants, finds study

PAC1R mutation in children with autism may be linked to severity of social problems

Salk researchers reveal clues into early development of ASD

Faulty immune receptor in HIV patients could be reason why many experience complications

Genes are involved in development of atrial fibrillation

Gut microbes play important role in protecting against arsenic toxicity, research shows

Bulldogs' screw tails linked to rare inherited syndrome in humans

Researchers reveal cause of possible genetic problems in mitochondria

Alzheimer’s Disease: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future

New study highlights development of functional skills in people with Down syndrome

Meta-analysis of adults with autism shows large impairments in key cognitive domains

Researchers identify genes that drive male-female brain differences, trigger initiation of puberty

Study provides new insights into how genes are activated

Molecular signatures reveal why women are more likely to die from glioblastoma

Salk scientists show how brain cells filter information in groups

Researchers compile atlas of genetic influences on osteoporosis

Genetically diverse mouse models improves usability for precision medicine for Alzheimer's

Kidney disease risk gene found in more populations than previously known

Scientists discover two therapies that slow progression of pediatric leukemia in mice

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging