Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Study reveals why individuals carrying identical gene mutations have varying disease severity

Researchers at the New York Genome Center and Columbia University have uncovered a molecular mechanism behind one of biology's long-standing mysteries: why individuals carrying identical gene mutations for a disease end up having varying severity or symptoms of the disease.

20 Aug 2018

BU professor receives $1.2 million grant to study impact of TBI, military service on Alzheimer's disease

Jesse Mez, MD, MS, assistant professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, has received a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the United States Department of Defense to study the impact of traumatic brain injury and military service on Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

20 Aug 2018

Study shows that rogue proteins may underlie some ALS and frontotemporal dementia cases

ALS -- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, slowly robbing its victims of their ability to walk, talk, breathe and swallow.

20 Aug 2018

Researchers find STAT3 as therapeutic target for chronic active EBV infection

Tokyo Medical and Dental University study shows that ruxolitinib-induced inhibition of STAT3 activity blocks survival and reduces pro-inflammatory cytokine production in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected clonally proliferating T- or NK-cells in Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection.

20 Aug 2018

Those who are emotionally stable when young may remain the most stable as they age

How much do you change between high school and retirement? The answer depends on whether you're comparing yourself to others or to your younger self.

17 Aug 2018

New project to combat DMD-related fibrosis receives major funding boost

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of the most common congenital diseases in the world, affecting one in 3,500 Canadian males. DMD is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene that results in progressive muscle degeneration and there are currently no effective treatments for DMD.

17 Aug 2018

Female mosquitoes quickly evolve selective mating behavior when faced with threats

Certain female mosquitoes quickly evolve more selective mating behavior when faced with existential threats from other invasive mosquito species, with concurrent changes to certain genetic regions, according to new research from North Carolina State University.

17 Aug 2018

Brief exposures to stressors can be beneficial to cells, shows study

We've all heard the expression: "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Now, research led by a Salk Institute scientist suggests why, at a cellular level, this might be true.

17 Aug 2018

Discovery may help broaden the scope of defenses against HPV

Yale Cancer Center scientists have filled in a key gap in understanding the unusual route by which the Human papillomavirus infects cells.

16 Aug 2018

Research uncovers miscarriage cause, identifies potential targets for treatment

Tragic miscarriages for a couple have led to a discovery with potentially broad implications for future disease treatments, according to a team of researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. They identified a previously undiscovered gene mutation underlying hydrops fetalis – a fatal condition to fetuses due to fluid buildup in the space between organs.

16 Aug 2018

Hearts of newborn piglets can completely heal after heart attacks

While pigs still cannot fly, researchers have discovered that the hearts of newborn piglets do have one remarkable ability. They can almost completely heal themselves after experimental heart attacks.

15 Aug 2018

Parental life span linked with increased longevity and health in daughters

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that women whose mothers lived to at least age 90 were more likely to also live to 90, free of serious diseases and disabilities.

15 Aug 2018

Scientists reveal role of 'junk DNA' in cancer dissemination

The more scientists explore so-called "junk" DNA, the less the label seems to fit.

14 Aug 2018

'Zombie' gene protects elephants from cancer, study finds

An estimated 17 percent of humans worldwide die from cancer, but less than five percent of captive elephants - who also live for about 70 years, and have about 100 times as many potentially cancerous cells as humans - die from the disease.

14 Aug 2018

Scientists identify mutational signatures in ovarian cancer

Scientists have identified distinct patterns of genetic mutation among patients with ovarian cancer that could help them personalise treatment in the future.

14 Aug 2018

Researchers transform research tool to study neuronal function

Puzzled by their experimental results, a team of scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital investigated why a research tool that was expected to suppress neuronal activity actually was stimulating it.

14 Aug 2018

New study focuses on promise of gene therapy for Amish nemaline myopathy

A new comprehensive natural history study about Amish nemaline myopathy in the Old Order Amish population focuses on the promise of gene therapy for this lethal disorder.

14 Aug 2018

New method provides a 'big picture' of genetic influences on traits and diseases

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a powerful method for characterizing the broad patterns of genetic contributions to traits and diseases. The new method provides a "big picture" of genetic influences that should be particularly helpful in designing future genetic studies and understanding potential for genetic risk prediction.

14 Aug 2018

New genome analysis could identify people at higher risk of common deadly diseases

A research team at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Harvard Medical School reports a new kind of genome analysis that could identify large fractions of the population who have a much higher risk of developing serious common diseases, including coronary artery disease, breast cancer, or type 2 diabetes.

13 Aug 2018

Altered nitrogen metabolism may contribute to emergence of new cancer mutations

Nitrogen is a basic building block of all the body's proteins, RNA and DNA, so cancerous tumors are greedy for this element. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in collaboration with colleagues from the National Cancer Institute and elsewhere, have now shown that in many cancers, the patient's nitrogen metabolism is altered, producing detectable changes in the body fluids and contributing to the emergence of new mutations in cancerous tissue.

13 Aug 2018

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Study reveals why individuals carrying identical gene mutations have varying disease severity

BU professor receives $1.2 million grant to study impact of TBI, military service on Alzheimer's disease

Study shows that rogue proteins may underlie some ALS and frontotemporal dementia cases

Researchers find STAT3 as therapeutic target for chronic active EBV infection

Those who are emotionally stable when young may remain the most stable as they age

New project to combat DMD-related fibrosis receives major funding boost

Female mosquitoes quickly evolve selective mating behavior when faced with threats

Brief exposures to stressors can be beneficial to cells, shows study

Discovery may help broaden the scope of defenses against HPV

Research uncovers miscarriage cause, identifies potential targets for treatment

Hearts of newborn piglets can completely heal after heart attacks

Parental life span linked with increased longevity and health in daughters

Scientists reveal role of 'junk DNA' in cancer dissemination

'Zombie' gene protects elephants from cancer, study finds

Scientists identify mutational signatures in ovarian cancer

Researchers transform research tool to study neuronal function

New study focuses on promise of gene therapy for Amish nemaline myopathy

New method provides a 'big picture' of genetic influences on traits and diseases

New genome analysis could identify people at higher risk of common deadly diseases

Altered nitrogen metabolism may contribute to emergence of new cancer mutations

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