Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Advancing hepatic cell carcinoma treatment through mitochondrial DNA targeting

Hepatic cell carcinoma (HCC), the fifth most prevalent malignancy worldwide and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality, poses significant therapeutic challenges.

29 Jul 2024

Understanding iron overload in β-thalassemia: Mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatments

β-Thalassemia is a genetic disorder characterized by reduced or absent synthesis of the beta chains of hemoglobin, leading to ineffective erythropoiesis and severe anemia.

29 Jul 2024

PUFA metabolites in umbilical cord blood may predict autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects learning capability and social behavior of people.

29 Jul 2024

Study unveils dual roles of TNF-α receptors in tissue regeneration and cell death

A study published in The EMBO Journal opens new perspectives to better understand how the molecular mechanisms involved in regenerative medicine work.

29 Jul 2024

Canadian experts urge caution on free genetic testing and data sharing

Free genetic testing, offered partially or fully subsidized by industry, may have trade-offs, and health systems in Canada must carefully weigh potential clinical, ethical, and legal considerations to protect patient data, authors argue in a CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) commentary https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.231588.

29 Jul 2024

New guidelines expand BRCA testing and screening for men

More and more studies show that men face risks of cancer from BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations that are most often associated with breast and ovarian cancers in women.

27 Jul 2024

Cellular competition determines X chromosome usage in female bodies

A new study published in Nature Genetics by the Lymphoid Development Group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences has reveals that the contribution of cells expressing maternal or paternal X chromosomes can be selectively skewed in different parts of the body. The study leverages human data from the 1000 Genomes Project combined with mouse models of human X chromosome-linked DNA sequence variation to advance our fundamental understanding of development in biologically female individuals who have two X chromosomes.

26 Jul 2024

New review highlights advances in diabetes research and treatment

A new paper surveying advances in diabetes pathogenesis and treatment explores the complex factors contributing to the onset and progression of the disease, suggesting that an understanding of these dynamics is key to developing targeted interventions to reduce the risk of developing diabetes and managing its complications.

25 Jul 2024

Understanding the epigenetic regulation of hepatic stellate cells in NAFLD

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting approximately 38% of the global population from 2016 to 2019.

25 Jul 2024

New insights into how genetic variants influence disease risk

A new study by scientists at deCODE Genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, shows that sequence variants drive the correlation between DNA methylation and gene expression. The same variants are linked to various diseases and other human traits.

25 Jul 2024

Study identifies genes increasing risk of severe COVID-19

Whether or not a person becomes seriously ill with COVID-19 depends, among other things, on genetic factors. With this in mind, researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, in cooperation with other research teams from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, investigated a particularly large group of affected individuals.

25 Jul 2024

Comprehensive analysis of Alzheimer’s brain tissue identifies novel biomarkers

From studying the human genome, to analyzing the way proteins are encoded, or monitoring RNA expression, researchers are rapidly gaining a far richer understanding of the complex genetic and cellular mechanisms that underpin dementia. But there's a catch: While new technologies are revealing myriad avenues for Alzheimer's research, it's impossible to know in advance which research pathways will lead to effective treatments.

25 Jul 2024

'Gene misbehavior' found to be surprisingly common among the healthy population

Scientists have uncovered that 'gene misbehavior' – where genes are active when they were expected to be switched off – is a surprisingly common phenomenon in the healthy human population.

24 Jul 2024

AI improves breast cancer staging by analyzing chromatin images

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT are using artificial intelligence to improve the categorization of breast cancer.

24 Jul 2024

Creating the first genetically susceptible mice for late-onset Alzheimer's

Mice don't get Alzheimer's - and while that's good news for mice, it's a big problem for biomedical researchers seeking to understand the disease and test new treatments.

24 Jul 2024

Oral-gut axis: How mouth bacteria impact your overall health

A recent review in Nature Reviews Microbiology highlights how oral and gut microbiomes interact, impacting overall human health. Oral microorganisms can enter the gut, contributing to dysbiosis and various diseases, necessitating further research on these complex interactions.

24 Jul 2024

GeneMAP: A new tTool for mapping metabolic gene functions

There's a glaring gap in our knowledge of cell metabolism: in many cases, we still don't know exactly how nutrients are transported into the cell.

23 Jul 2024

More types of lung cells can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 than previously thought, scientists report

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys, University of California San Diego and their international collaborators have reported that more types of lung cells can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 than previously thought, including those without known viral receptors.

23 Jul 2024