Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Air pollution may worsen rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and flare risk

A novel study shows that exposure to air pollution, especially fine particulate matter like dust, soot, and smoke (PM2.5), is associated with increased disease activity and flare risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

5 Aug 2026

Study maps how birth order tracks disease risk across 10 million siblings

Researchers analyzing claims from more than 10 million siblings linked first-born status to higher odds of several neurodevelopmental and allergic diagnoses, while second-born status tracked with substance abuse and gastrointestinal conditions. The observational study identified 150 significant birth-order associations across the phenome, but claims data and residual confounding prevent causal conclusions.

4 Aug 2026

3D DNA organization in rare immune cells can explain Crohn's disease risk

A new study co-led by Prof. Valeriya Malysheva, group leader at the VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology, has been published in Nature Genetics.

4 Aug 2026

Australian-first twin study aims to to unlock new insights into immune health

An Australian-first study of twins will seek to find out why two genetically similar people respond differently to infections, diseases and treatments.

4 Aug 2026

New genomic approach links rare immune cells to autoimmune disease risk

Much of how genetic risk leads to disease has remained hidden. In many cases, genetic variants linked to disease do not act on nearby genes along the chromosome.

4 Aug 2026

Complete medaka genome sequence reveals repetitive DNA with biological significance

Researchers sequenced the genomes of three medakas, or Japanese rice fish, which are a common model organism used for biological research, nearly 10 and 20 years ago.

3 Aug 2026

Cell village approach reveals genetic differences in cell fitness

How readily a cell divides and how well it survives is fundamental to life, shaping everything from organ size to the body's ability to withstand disease.

3 Aug 2026

Advances in X chromosome inactivation open therapeutic opportunities for X-linked genetic disorders

A new review explores how advances in understanding X chromosome inactivation (XCI) are creating potential therapeutic opportunities for a range of X-linked genetic disorders, including Rett syndrome, Fabry disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, and others.

3 Aug 2026

Study of lung immune cells uncovers roots of autoimmune disease

A massive analysis of immune cells in human tissue is yielding clues to the root cause of lung and autoimmune diseases.

3 Aug 2026

Sensitive parenting buffers against child ADHD risks from pregnancy

Research from Oregon Health & Science University's Center for Mental Health Innovation provides new evidence that the way caregivers interact with children when they're very young can protect against the negative effects of inflammation during pregnancy, including increased attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, symptoms in children.

3 Aug 2026

Cells share universal on switches but evolve unique strategy to silence genes

The signals that cells use to switch genes on have remained almost unchanged across two billion years of evolution, but the ones used to switch genes off vary dramatically from one branch of life to another, according to a new study from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona.

3 Aug 2026

Persistent financial hardship tracks with poorer memory and processing speed by midlife

Researchers linked persistent low income and financial hardship across early and mid-adulthood to poorer processing speed and verbal memory at age 53 in a British birth cohort. Neuroimaging suggested greater vulnerability to later brain atrophy among men, people from disadvantaged childhood backgrounds, and APOE-ε4 carriers, although these subgroup findings require replication.

2 Aug 2026

AI-powered blood test detects liver cancer across distinct populations

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center validated an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered blood test that accurately detected liver cancer in people from two geographically and biologically distinct populations and also uncovered the underlying biological signals that make the test effective.

31 Jul 2026

Ketamine boosts neuroplasticity through microglia in female brains

Doctors use ketamine on patients as general anesthesia before surgery. They also prescribe it in low doses for pain management, and more recently, it's been used for treatment-resistant depression where other drugs have failed.

31 Jul 2026

Natural compounds could combat drug-resistant malaria and babesiosis

As parasites become increasingly resistant to existing drugs, researchers at the University of California, Riverside are working to develop a new generation of treatments for two serious infectious diseases: malaria and babesiosis.

31 Jul 2026

Brain immune cells drive recovery from ketamine anesthesia in females

During ketamine anesthesia, the brain's nerve cells fall silent-as consciousness returns, they begin to reconnect.

31 Jul 2026

Scientists map protective cell networks hiding dormant breast tumor cells

Researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London and UCL Genetics Institute have created a detailed map of cells within breast tumors and identified distinct neighborhoods of proliferating and dormant cells.

31 Jul 2026

Genetic variants interact to increase early-onset atrial fibrillation risk

An estimated 10 million Americans have atrial fibrillation (AFib), according to the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

31 Jul 2026

Exposure to fungicides and insecticides alters onset of puberty in girls

The study, which tracked more than 500 Spanish girls between the ages of 7 and 10, links the presence of certain fungicides in urine to early menarche and that of the insecticide chlorpyrifos to delayed menarche, highlighting the impact of pesticides on pubertal development.

31 Jul 2026

Biotherapeutic metabolite repairs gut damage caused by HIV infection

Researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine have identified a naturally occurring metabolite that repairs gut damage caused by HIV infection and significantly improves the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the nonhuman primate model of HIV/AIDS.

30 Jul 2026