Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Scientists identify viable new approach to making more stem cells from cord blood

International stem cell scientists, co-led in Canada by Dr. John Dick and in the Netherlands by Dr. Gerald de Haan, have discovered the switch to harness the power of cord blood and potentially increase the supply of stem cells for cancer patients needing transplantation therapy to fight their disease.

14 Jul 2016

Researchers discover strong genetic risk factor for IgA nephropathy

An international research collaboration has discovered a strong genetic risk factor for IgA nephropathy (IgAN) - the most common inflammatory kidney disease worldwide - and related renal dysfunction.

14 Jul 2016

VIB research reveals new insights into ALS

Research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) conducted by VIB-KU Leuven has led to interesting and unexpected conclusions.

14 Jul 2016

Researchers identify new drug target for treating children with CNS-PNET

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are the largest group of malignant brain tumors in children. They can arise from the brain's cerebellum or, more rarely, from tissue located throughout the central nervous system (CNS).

14 Jul 2016

Gut microbiota could influence person's likelihood of developing colon cancer

The microscopic organisms that live in our gut do more than help us digest food. A new study in rats bolsters a growing body of evidence that the complex mix of microorganisms found in the gut, known as gut microbiota, could influence a person's likelihood of developing colon cancer.

13 Jul 2016

Two new studies find potential genetic cause and new treatment method for autoimmune diseases

The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc. is spotlighting two new research studies originally reported in ScienceDaily.

13 Jul 2016

Changes in cavefish metabolism could lead to new insights into diabetes

Cavefish that live in dark caves with only sporadic access to food show symptoms similar to diabetes, but don't appear to experience any health problems.

13 Jul 2016

Researchers discover new biological pathway involved in Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have identified a new biological pathway involved in Alzheimer's disease. In experiments using fruit flies, blocking the pathway reduced the death of brain cells, suggesting that interfering with the pathway could represent a promising new strategy to treat the disease in human patients.

13 Jul 2016

Impact of diet may depend on individual’s genetic composition

If you've ever seen a friend have good results from a diet but then not been able to match those results yourself, you may not be surprised by new findings in mice that show that diet response is highly individualized.

13 Jul 2016

Scientists identify timing of major metabolic shift in developing neurons

Our brains can survive only for a few minutes without oxygen. Salk Institute researchers have now identified the timing of a dramatic metabolic shift in developing neurons, which makes them become dependent on oxygen as a source of energy.

13 Jul 2016

New streamlined approach to genetic testing benefits women with ovarian cancer

A new streamlined approach to genetic testing for women with ovarian cancer provides testing rapidly and affordably, allowing many more patients to benefit from personalised cancer management and their relatives to benefit from cancer prevention strategies.

13 Jul 2016

Scientists use machine learning to interpret mosquito genome

Scientists are using machine learning to identify important sequences of DNA within the mosquito genome that regulate how the insect's cells develop and behave.

12 Jul 2016

Recellularized colon model helps identify cancer driver genes involved in CRC progression

Genetic mutations are a major cause of cancer, and tracking the role of each gene in cancer pathogenesis has long been an important tool in the fight against a disease that is expected to kill more than 1.6 million people this year.

11 Jul 2016

High frequency of alleles could increase risk of lupus in non-Europeans

Non-Europeans have a higher frequency of the gene variants that increase the risk of lupus as compared to the European population, a new study from researchers at the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' and King's College London, has confirmed.

11 Jul 2016

New study suggests potential role for gut microbiota in diabetes remission after bypass surgery

Studies have shown that bariatric surgery can lead to remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in rodents and humans, but this beneficial effect cannot be explained solely by weight loss.

11 Jul 2016

UChicago to help enroll 150,000 participants in President’s PMI Cohort Program

The University of Chicago is one of three Illinois academic institutions that will work together to help launch President Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program to enroll 1 million or more participants in a national research effort designed to find better ways to prevent and treat disease based on lifestyle, environment and genetics.

11 Jul 2016

UH cardiologists implant first Abbott Absorb stent on patient with coronary artery disease

University Hospitals Case Medical Center is among the first in the country - and the first in Ohio - to offer and deploy the Abbott Absorb stent, a completely bioresorbable stent.

11 Jul 2016

NIH selects VUMC to play foundational role in PMI Cohort Program

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been chosen by the National Institutes of Health to be the Data and Research Support Center for the Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program, a landmark study of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors affecting the health of a million or more people, federal officials have announced.

11 Jul 2016

Five-year NIH grant awarded to four NYC medical centers for PMI Cohort Program

Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine, in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian and NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, have been awarded a grant from the NIH for approximately $4 million in fiscal year 2016 to enroll participants in the Cohort Program of President Barack Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI)—a large-scale research effort to improve our ability to prevent and treat disease based on individual differences in lifestyle, environment and genetics.

11 Jul 2016

UH implants Abbott's Absorb dissolving stent on coronary artery disease patient

University Hospitals Case Medical Center is among the first in the country - and the first in Ohio - to offer and deploy the Abbott Absorb stent, a completely bioresorbable stent. The Absorb stent works exactly as its traditional metallic predecessors in that it opens a blocked coronary artery, with one major exception - it dissolves completely in the body two to three years after implantation.

10 Jul 2016