Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New gene therapy for Pompe disease may replace currently available treatments

After decades investigating a rare, life-threatening condition that cripples the muscles, Duke Health researchers have developed a gene therapy they hope could enhance or even replace the only FDA-approved treatment currently available to patients.

27 Jan 2017

Johns Hopkins researchers create mature cardiomyocytes in the laboratory from stem cells

Generating mature and viable heart muscle cells from human or other animal stem cells has proven difficult for biologists.

26 Jan 2017

Combination assessment may rule out presence of OSA in children with Down syndrome

A combination of parental questionnaires and inexpensive diagnostic procedures that can be performed as part of a primary care visit may be able to rule out the presence of obstructive sleep apnea in people with Down syndrome.

26 Jan 2017

Missing gene may cause kidney and urinary tract defects in people with DiGeorge syndrome

Loss of function of the CRKL gene causes kidney and urinary tract defects in people with DiGeorge syndrome, a multinational team of scientists led by Columbia University Medical Center has found.

25 Jan 2017

Researchers show how social environment can have large impact on weight and health in mice

The genetics of nearby mice can have a large impact on one animal's weight and health, according to a report by Amelie Baud and Oliver Stegle of the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL - EBI) in Hinxton, United Kingdom, published on January 25th, 2017 in PLOS Genetics.

25 Jan 2017

UCLA-led researchers identify potential TB drug regimen that may cut treatment time up to 75%

Taking a new approach toward tuberculosis therapy, a UCLA-led research team has devised a potential drug regimen that could cut the treatment time by up to 75 percent, while simultaneously reducing the risk that patients could develop drug-resistant TB.

25 Jan 2017

Islets from rat-grown mouse pancreases can help reverse disease in diabetic mice

Mouse pancreases grown in rats generate functional, insulin-producing cells that can reverse diabetes when transplanted into mice with the disease, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo.

25 Jan 2017

IU study shows how fruit fly growth shares biochemical similarities with cancer cells

Scientists who study a molecule known to play a role in certain types of cancers and neurodegenerative disorders have a powerful new tool to study this compound due to research conducted at Indiana University.

25 Jan 2017

Shorter chromosome 'caps' linked to higher burden of disease later in life

New research indicates that people who had more infections as babies harbor a key marker of cellular aging as young adults: the protective stretches of DNA which "cap" the ends of their chromosomes are shorter than in adults who were healthier as infants.

25 Jan 2017

BRCA1 gene required for survival of blood forming stem cells, UT Southwestern study finds

Researchers at from the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that the BRCA1 gene is required for the survival of blood forming stem cells, which could explain why patients with BRCA1 mutations do not have an elevated risk for leukemia.

25 Jan 2017

Scientists develop new method to accurately determine gene expression in single cells

At Baylor College of Medicine, scientists have developed a method that allows them to accurately determine the genes expressed in single cells.

25 Jan 2017

Immigration fears among Latina mothers linked to lower birth weight babies

With deportation and discrimination fears currently on the minds of many in the United States, a University of Michigan study shows that the stress from an historic immigration raid is associated with Latina mothers delivering babies with lower birth weights, and sometimes early.

24 Jan 2017

Researchers reveal central role of new key players in meiosis

Where would we be without meiosis and recombination? For a start, none of us sexually reproducing organisms would be here, because that's how sperm and eggs are made. And when meiosis doesn't work properly, it can lead to infertility, miscarriage, birth defects and developmental disorders.

24 Jan 2017

Nicotine normalizes genetically-induced brain impairments linked to schizophrenia

A steady stream of nicotine normalizes genetically-induced impairments in brain activity associated with schizophrenia, according to new research involving the University of Colorado Boulder.

24 Jan 2017

Researchers find new way to quantify olfactory sensory neurons using PET radiotracer

Olfactory health - how well we are able to smell - is a reliable marker of the health of the brain, but the "smell identification tests" commonly used in studies of olfactory health do not offer a complete picture of what is happening.

24 Jan 2017

Researchers discover mutation hotspots that act like backseat drivers for breast cancer development

Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have discovered 'hotspots' of mutations in breast cancer genomes, where mutations thought to be inactive 'passengers' in the genome have now been shown to possibly drive further cancerous changes.

23 Jan 2017

Novel approach for imaging immune cell movements identifies initial steps in inflammatory arthritis

Using a novel approach for imaging the movement of immune cells in living animals, researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases have identified what appear to be the initial steps leading to joint inflammation in a model of inflammatory arthritis.

20 Jan 2017

Public health experts support new federal rule to protect nonsmoking public housing residents

In response to a new federal rule mandating smoke-free policies in federally funded public housing authorities, three public health experts applaud the efforts of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to protect nonsmoking residents from the harmful effects of tobacco exposure.

20 Jan 2017

Salk Institute researchers reveal how to curb immune enthusiasm

Normally when we think of viruses, from the common cold to HIV, we want to boost people's immunity to fight them.

20 Jan 2017

Precision medicine advances diagnosis and treatment of children with brain tumors

Precision medicine - in which diagnosis and treatments are keyed to the genetic susceptibilities of individual cancers - has advanced to the point where it can now impact the care of a majority of children with brain tumors, a new study by investigators at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center suggests.

20 Jan 2017

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New gene therapy for Pompe disease may replace currently available treatments

Johns Hopkins researchers create mature cardiomyocytes in the laboratory from stem cells

Combination assessment may rule out presence of OSA in children with Down syndrome

Missing gene may cause kidney and urinary tract defects in people with DiGeorge syndrome

Researchers show how social environment can have large impact on weight and health in mice

UCLA-led researchers identify potential TB drug regimen that may cut treatment time up to 75%

Islets from rat-grown mouse pancreases can help reverse disease in diabetic mice

IU study shows how fruit fly growth shares biochemical similarities with cancer cells

Shorter chromosome 'caps' linked to higher burden of disease later in life

BRCA1 gene required for survival of blood forming stem cells, UT Southwestern study finds

Scientists develop new method to accurately determine gene expression in single cells

Immigration fears among Latina mothers linked to lower birth weight babies

Researchers reveal central role of new key players in meiosis

Nicotine normalizes genetically-induced brain impairments linked to schizophrenia

Researchers find new way to quantify olfactory sensory neurons using PET radiotracer

Researchers discover mutation hotspots that act like backseat drivers for breast cancer development

Novel approach for imaging immune cell movements identifies initial steps in inflammatory arthritis

Public health experts support new federal rule to protect nonsmoking public housing residents

Salk Institute researchers reveal how to curb immune enthusiasm

Precision medicine advances diagnosis and treatment of children with brain tumors

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