Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Penn research reveals additional pathway for origin of colon cancer

Cancer researchers already know of some oncogenes and other factors that promote the development of colon cancers, but they don't yet have the full picture of how these cancers originate and spread. Now researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have illuminated another powerful factor in this process.

6 Aug 2015

Study uncovers role of intra-abdominal fat cells in development and progression of IBD

Intra-abdominal fat cells may contribute to the development and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study published in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the basic science journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

6 Aug 2015

Diets high in sodium could be a novel risk factor in development of multiple sclerosis

Here's another reason to put the salt shaker down: New research in mice shows that diets high in sodium may be a novel risk factor in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) by influencing immune cells that cause the disease. Although this research does implicate salt intake as a risk factor, it is important to note that dietary salt is likely just one of the many environmental factors contributing to this complex disease, and very much influenced by one's genetic background.

6 Aug 2015

New biosensors detect efficient microbial workers that produce chemical, pharmaceutical commodities

Super productive factories of the future could employ fleets of genetically engineered bacterial cells, such as common E. coli, to produce valuable chemical commodities in an environmentally friendly way.

5 Aug 2015

Findings by Joslin scientists may lead to early detection, treatment of complications in type 1 diabetes

Joslin scientists have advanced understanding of how the cellular repair process is impaired in type 1 diabetes, which can cause cell death and lead to complications. The findings appear in the August issue of Cell Metabolism.

5 Aug 2015

Rice University scientists identify genetic mechanism that allows bacteria to resist antibiotics

Rice University scientists are developing strategies to keep germs from evolving resistance to antibiotics by heading them off at the pass.

5 Aug 2015

New ACMG Scope of Practice of the Specialty of Medical Genetics document released

The field of medical genetics is swiftly evolving. It's a period of rapid scientific discovery, new technologies and subsequent translation into medical practice, public policy and public health. But what role should the Medical Genetics specialist have since genetics impacts all patients and specialties in some way? In an effort to clearly define the changing role of the specialty of Medical Genetics and the distinction between Medical Geneticists and other genetics healthcare professionals, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics has has just released a new "Scope of Practice of the Specialty of Medical Genetics" document, revising its earlier 2008 Policy Statement.

4 Aug 2015

NYSCF scientists design new robotic platform to automate generation of patient-specific stem cells

Scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute successfully designed a revolutionary, high-throughput, robotic platform that automates and standardizes the process of transforming patient samples into stem cells.

4 Aug 2015

New Tel Aviv University study sheds light on precise trigger of deadly melanoma

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, and melanoma, which accounts for 2% of skin cancer cases, is responsible for nearly all skin cancer deaths. Melanoma rates in the US have been rising rapidly over the last 30 years, and although scientists have managed to identify key risk factors, melanoma's modus operandi has eluded the world of medical research.

4 Aug 2015

New MS therapies associated with risks and side effects, require active management strategy

Advances in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis have been good news for patients, but side effects and risks mean that an active management strategy and constant monitoring are essential.

3 Aug 2015

BUSM researchers find new way to detect and treat basal-like breast cancer

A new way to detect - and perhaps treat - one of the deadliest types of breast cancer has been found. Led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), the study appears online in Breast Cancer Research.

3 Aug 2015

Animal study shows children exposed to famine grow smaller, become susceptible to metabolic diseases

Starvation early in life can alter an organism for generations to come, according to a new study in roundworms. The effects are what Duke University biologist Ryan Baugh terms a "bet-hedging strategy."

3 Aug 2015

Environmental factors promote genetic mutations, have underappreciated effect on disease, evolution

Washington State University researchers say environmental factors are having an underappreciated effect on the course of disease and evolution by prompting genetic mutations through epigenetics, a process by which genes are turned on and off independent of an organism's DNA sequence.

3 Aug 2015

BRCA gene mutations and ovarian cancer: an interview with Dr Matulonis, Harvard Medical School

The BRCA gene encodes for the BRCA proteins, BRCA1 and BRCA2. These proteins are very important in repairing DNA, which they do by correcting double-stranded breaks.

2 Aug 2015

Reducing incorrect gene expression can extend lifespan of cells

Working with yeast and worms, researchers found that incorrect gene expression is a hallmark of aged cells and that reducing such "noise" extends lifespan in these organisms. The team published their findings this month in Genes & Development.

31 Jul 2015

New synthetic gene drives could one day improve human health and the environment

Gene drives are genetic elements - found naturally in the genomes of most of the world's organisms - that increase the chance of the gene they carry being passed on to all offspring, and thus, they can quickly spread through populations. Looking to these natural systems, researchers around the world, including some Wyss Institute scientists, are developing synthetic gene drives that could one day be leveraged by humans to purposefully alter the traits of wild populations of organisms to prevent disease transmission and eradicate invasive species.

31 Jul 2015

DNA study reveals potential treatments to delay or prevent onset of Huntington's disease

Scientists from Cardiff University believe that a treatment to prevent or delay the symptoms of Huntington’s disease could now be much closer, following a major breakthrough.

31 Jul 2015

Intracellular microlasers may allow accurate measurement of small changes occurring within cells

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have induced structures incorporated within individual cells to produce laser light.

30 Jul 2015

Detailed molecular analyses reveal new treatment options for aggressive childhood leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children. It can occur in various forms, differing not only by specific changes in the genetic material of the leukemia cells but also by their response to therapies. Now, an international team of scientists from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hannover, Heidelberg, Kiel, and Zurich have succeeded in decoding the molecular characteristics of an as yet incurable subtype of leukemia, paving the way for new therapeutic approaches.

30 Jul 2015

NEJM publishes positive clinical results from Phase 2 clinical study of volanesorsen

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leader in RNA-targeted therapeutics, and Akcea Therapeutics, its wholly owned subsidiary, announced today that The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has published positive clinical results from a Phase 2 clinical study evaluating volanesorsen (formerly ISIS-APOCIII Rx) in patients with very high to severely high triglycerides.

30 Jul 2015

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Penn research reveals additional pathway for origin of colon cancer

Study uncovers role of intra-abdominal fat cells in development and progression of IBD

Diets high in sodium could be a novel risk factor in development of multiple sclerosis

New biosensors detect efficient microbial workers that produce chemical, pharmaceutical commodities

Findings by Joslin scientists may lead to early detection, treatment of complications in type 1 diabetes

Rice University scientists identify genetic mechanism that allows bacteria to resist antibiotics

New ACMG Scope of Practice of the Specialty of Medical Genetics document released

NYSCF scientists design new robotic platform to automate generation of patient-specific stem cells

New Tel Aviv University study sheds light on precise trigger of deadly melanoma

New MS therapies associated with risks and side effects, require active management strategy

BUSM researchers find new way to detect and treat basal-like breast cancer

Animal study shows children exposed to famine grow smaller, become susceptible to metabolic diseases

Environmental factors promote genetic mutations, have underappreciated effect on disease, evolution

BRCA gene mutations and ovarian cancer: an interview with Dr Matulonis, Harvard Medical School

Reducing incorrect gene expression can extend lifespan of cells

New synthetic gene drives could one day improve human health and the environment

DNA study reveals potential treatments to delay or prevent onset of Huntington's disease

Intracellular microlasers may allow accurate measurement of small changes occurring within cells

Detailed molecular analyses reveal new treatment options for aggressive childhood leukemia

NEJM publishes positive clinical results from Phase 2 clinical study of volanesorsen

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