Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Matchmaker Exchange platform launched for uncovering rare disease genes

In a special issue of Human Mutation, a team including investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital has announced the launch of the Matchmaker Exchange - a way for the rare disease community to share information and find new connections. Matchmaker Exchange connects databases of genetic information and symptoms that physicians and investigators can "match" with a patient's rare disease.

25 Sep 2015

Protein-coding gene identified as tumor suppressor for acute myeloid leukemia

A protein-coding gene called hnRNP K has been identified as a tumor suppressor for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a finding that could be important for investigating how best to target treatment of a blood cancer striking mostly older individuals.

24 Sep 2015

New technique allows scientists to see blood-forming stem cells present in the bone marrow

A team of scientists at the Children's Research Institute at UT Southwestern has become the first to use a tissue-clearing technique to localize a rare stem cell population, in the process cracking open a black box containing detailed information about where blood-forming stem cells are located and how they are maintained.

24 Sep 2015

City of Hope receives gift to open new Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research

The Judy and Bernard Briskin Family Foundation has announced a gift to launch the new Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research at City of Hope, the third named center within City of Hope's new Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplantation Institute. The generous gift will enable the institution to further its already considerable accomplishments in the field of myeloma treatment and research.

24 Sep 2015

Discovery opens door to more targeted, effective treatments for cancer

In a discovery that could lead to more targeted and effective treatments for certain lung and prostate cancers, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified two new cancer-causing gene mutations - mutations that may be particularly susceptible to cancer-fighting drugs already approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. One of the gene mutations also may play a key role in early menopause.

24 Sep 2015

Research suggests potential drug targets to stop cancer spread

It only takes seconds: one cancerous cell breaks off from a tumor, slips into the bloodstream and quickly lodges elsewhere in the body. These colonizers may bloom into deadly metastatic cancer right away or lie dormant for years, only to trigger a recurrence decades after the primary tumor is removed.

24 Sep 2015

Study uses genome- and epigenome-editing tools to determine disease-causing variants

A paper receiving advance online release in Nature Medicine describes a strategy for meeting one of today's most significant challenges in genomic medicine - determining whether a specific DNA variant in the non-protein-coding genome is the actual disease-causing variant of an associated disease risk.

24 Sep 2015

MIT neuroscientists identify brain circuit critical in forming episodic memory

When you remember a particular experience, that memory has three critical elements -- what, when, and where. MIT neuroscientists have now identified a brain circuit that processes the "when" and "where" components of memory.

24 Sep 2015

New analysis shows rare gene mutations cause half of all ASD cases

A team led by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) this week publishes in PNAS a new analysis of data on the genetics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

23 Sep 2015

S. Lawrence Zipursky to receive 2015 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University

Columbia University will award the 2015 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize to S. Lawrence Zipursky, PhD, for discovering a molecular identification system that helps neurons to navigate and wire the brain. Zipursky is a professor of biological chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

23 Sep 2015

NeoGenomics introduces new NeoSITE Cervical FISH assay

NeoGenomics, Inc., a leading provider of cancer-focused genetic testing services, announced today an expansion of its comprehensive FISH (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization) testing menu to include a new NeoSITE Cervical assay to provide additional diagnostic information on abnormal Pap smears.

23 Sep 2015

Obese firefighters twice as likely to attempt weight lose if advised by health care providers

Overweight firefighters are twice as likely to attempt to lose weight if their health care provider gives them weight loss advice, according to new research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health. The results were published in this month's print edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

23 Sep 2015

UNC Lineberger earns 'exceptional' rating from NCI for major grant application

The UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center earned an "exceptional" rating from the National Cancer Institute for a major grant application associated with the center's multidisciplinary research.

23 Sep 2015

New gene mutation linked to fatal swelling in unborn and newborn babies

Scientists have discovered a new gene mutation that causes potentially fatal swelling in unborn and newborn babies. Identifying the gene is the first step toward a future diagnostic test and targeted treatment for this condition.

23 Sep 2015

Novel mechanism may help explain the virulence of 1918 'Spanish' flu

While yearly outbreaks of flu kill about 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide, the 1918 "Spanish" flu infected one-third of the world's population and killed 50 million to 100 million. Chad Petit, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, has discovered a novel mechanism for one 1918 flu virus protein that may help explain the virulence of that unusually deadly pandemic.

23 Sep 2015

University of Adelaide study sheds light on the activity of cancer-suppressing gene

University of Adelaide researchers have uncovered the role played by a gene which suppresses the development of cancer. The findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE, open new opportunities for scientists to find treatments for cancer.

23 Sep 2015

Study: National school-based mental health program improves behavioral and academic outcomes in students

A national school-based mental health program that is now reaching almost one quarter of all elementary school students in Chile appears to have produced significant improvements in both behavioral and academic outcomes, such as attention problems and school attendance, among participating students.

22 Sep 2015

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Matchmaker Exchange platform launched for uncovering rare disease genes

Protein-coding gene identified as tumor suppressor for acute myeloid leukemia

New technique allows scientists to see blood-forming stem cells present in the bone marrow

City of Hope receives gift to open new Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research

Discovery opens door to more targeted, effective treatments for cancer

Research suggests potential drug targets to stop cancer spread

Study uses genome- and epigenome-editing tools to determine disease-causing variants

MIT neuroscientists identify brain circuit critical in forming episodic memory

New analysis shows rare gene mutations cause half of all ASD cases

S. Lawrence Zipursky to receive 2015 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University

NeoGenomics introduces new NeoSITE Cervical FISH assay

Obese firefighters twice as likely to attempt weight lose if advised by health care providers

UNC Lineberger earns 'exceptional' rating from NCI for major grant application

New gene mutation linked to fatal swelling in unborn and newborn babies

Novel mechanism may help explain the virulence of 1918 'Spanish' flu

University of Adelaide study sheds light on the activity of cancer-suppressing gene

Study: National school-based mental health program improves behavioral and academic outcomes in students

New cell type appears to drive life-threatening food allergies

Family history: The most vital risk factor for prostate cancer

Millennials need to eat less and exercise more to prevent obesity

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting