Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Impairing critical partnership between brain cells can lead to Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have discovered that impairing a critical partnership between brain cells can lead to neurodegeneration. The study published in Cell Metabolism reports a mechanism by which two types of brain cells, neurons and glia, normally support each other's functions.

30 Sep 2017

Researchers provide new insights into vertebrae formation

Like a string of pearls, the spine is made of a series of similar vertebrae. A so-called segmentation clock creates this repetitive arrangement in developing embryos: Each time the clock ticks, a vertebra starts to form.

27 Sep 2017

Cellular messaging mechanism could lead to new way of treating disease

A newly discovered cellular messaging mechanism could lead to a new way to deliver therapeutics to tissues affected by disease, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

27 Sep 2017

Genetic testing can improve safety of common blood thinner, study shows

Warfarin is a blood thinner that is commonly prescribed to patients to prevent life-threatening blood clots. Despite its longtime use, warfarin remains tricky to dose because a person's genetic makeup influences how the drug is processed in the body.

27 Sep 2017

Existing drugs may be able to improve therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia, mice study shows

Two drugs, already approved for safe use in people, may be able to improve therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a blood cancer that affects myeloid cells, according to results from a University of Iowa study in mice.

26 Sep 2017

Rutgers scientists use genetic engineering technique to create brain cells for studying Tourette’s

Scientists at Rutgers University-New Brunswick used a genetic engineering technique for the first time to create brain cells from the blood cells of individuals in a three-generation family with Tourette syndrome to help determine what causes the disease.

25 Sep 2017

Study identifies novel molecular interactions that explain cognitive defects in Parkinson's disease

A study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, from Nature publishing group, describes the identification of a novel molecular pathway that can constitute a therapeutic target for cognitive defects in Parkinson's disease.

25 Sep 2017

Scientists find complex personalities among tiny fishes

Scientists from the University of Exeter studied how guppies behaved in various situations and found complex differences between individuals.

25 Sep 2017

“Super malaria” resistant to standard medications in South East Asia

The spread of a single multidrug resistant malaria parasite strain in Vietnam is cause for alarm say researchers.

25 Sep 2017

Study identifies two genes involved in invasive group A Streptococcus infections

Group A Streptococcus bacteria cause a variety of illnesses that range from mild nuisances like strep throat to life-threatening conditions including pneumonia, toxic shock syndrome and the flesh-eating disease formally known as necrotizing fasciitis.

22 Sep 2017

Genome-wide study reveals how transposons get prepared for jumping

The genome of a typical organism consists of many genes that are stringed like beads. This alignment has been surprisingly stable even over very long evolutionary periods. In addition to these genes, there are also many mobile elements, referred to as parasitic, that are spread across the whole genome and aggregated into different families according to their relatedness.

22 Sep 2017

Multi-gene test found to be better at identifying older adults at risk for Alzheimer's

A new test that combines the effects of more than two dozen genetic variants, most associated by themselves with only a small risk of Alzheimer's disease, does a better job of predicting which cognitively normal older adults will go on to develop Alzheimer's dementia than testing only for the well-known genetic variant APOE E4, a scientific team led by researchers at UC San Francisco and UC San Diego has found.

22 Sep 2017

Targeting mutant p53 specific binding protein could lead to new therapeutic strategies for cancer patients

Research by Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey investigators shows the targeting of a binding protein of mutant p53 known as Rac1 could lead to new therapeutic strategies for patients whose cancer carries mutations in the p53 gene.

22 Sep 2017

NCI selects UTSW cancer researcher to receive Outstanding Investigator Award

The National Cancer Institute has selected UT Southwestern Medical Center cancer researcher Dr. Ralph DeBerardinis to receive its prestigious Outstanding Investigator Award.

22 Sep 2017

Researchers use gene therapy to restore hearing and balance in mouse model of Usher syndrome

Hearing loss, sometimes associated with other disorders such as balance defects, is the most common sensory deficit, affecting more than 280 million people worldwide, according to WHO. In France, one child in 700 is born with severe or profound hearing loss, and one in every 1,000 will lose their sense of hearing before adulthood.

22 Sep 2017

New syndrome caused by biallelic mutations predisposes the body to tumors

A new syndrome caused by biallelic mutations - those produced in both gene copies inherited from the mother and father - in the FANCM gene predisposes the body to the appearance of tumours and causes rejection to chemotherapy treatments.

22 Sep 2017

New tool can provide reliable, valid assessment of individual's wisdom level

Researchers at University of San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new tool called the San Diego Wisdom Scale to assess an individual's level of wisdom, based upon a conceptualization of wisdom as a trait with a neurobiological as well as psychosocial basis.

20 Sep 2017

Study may provide insights into treating autism and other neuropsychiatric disorders

Alterations in a naturally occurring chemical in the brain called serotonin have been linked to a number of neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder as well as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

20 Sep 2017

Researchers receive $11.5 million program project grant to eliminate drug resistant malaria

Texas Biomedical Research Institute researchers, Dr. Tim Anderson and Dr. Ian Cheeseman, have partnered with researchers at the University of Notre Dame and the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Seattle to pursue studies in drug resistant malaria.

20 Sep 2017

Alcohol use may induce changes to cholesterol-regulating gene

In an analysis of the epigenomes of people and mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the National Institutes of Health report that drinking alcohol may induce changes to a cholesterol-regulating gene.

20 Sep 2017

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Impairing critical partnership between brain cells can lead to Alzheimer's disease

Researchers provide new insights into vertebrae formation

Cellular messaging mechanism could lead to new way of treating disease

Genetic testing can improve safety of common blood thinner, study shows

Existing drugs may be able to improve therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia, mice study shows

Rutgers scientists use genetic engineering technique to create brain cells for studying Tourette’s

Study identifies novel molecular interactions that explain cognitive defects in Parkinson's disease

Scientists find complex personalities among tiny fishes

“Super malaria” resistant to standard medications in South East Asia

Study identifies two genes involved in invasive group A Streptococcus infections

Genome-wide study reveals how transposons get prepared for jumping

Multi-gene test found to be better at identifying older adults at risk for Alzheimer's

Targeting mutant p53 specific binding protein could lead to new therapeutic strategies for cancer patients

NCI selects UTSW cancer researcher to receive Outstanding Investigator Award

Researchers use gene therapy to restore hearing and balance in mouse model of Usher syndrome

New syndrome caused by biallelic mutations predisposes the body to tumors

New tool can provide reliable, valid assessment of individual's wisdom level

Study may provide insights into treating autism and other neuropsychiatric disorders

Researchers receive $11.5 million program project grant to eliminate drug resistant malaria

Alcohol use may induce changes to cholesterol-regulating gene

Sequencing & Genomics: Elevating Science and Healthcare 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