Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New UCLA study reveals genetic architecture of schizophrenia

A new study by UCLA scientists adds to the understanding of the genetic architecture of schizophrenia. Past research has shown the impact of commonly occurring genetic variants on a person's risk of developing schizophrenia. This new study focused instead on rare coding mutations that affect protein function. It found that patients with schizophrenia have a higher-than-normal share of these mutations.

9 Jul 2015

Huntsman Cancer Institute receives NCI's Comprehensive Cancer Center designation

The National Cancer Institute has awarded Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah its Comprehensive Cancer Center status, the highest designation possible.

9 Jul 2015

Researchers find way to measure the aging process in young adults

An international research team from the US, UK, Israel and New Zealand has found a way to measure the aging process in young adults -- a younger population than is usually tested in aging studies.

9 Jul 2015

MGH investigators report that medication could augment benefits of bariatric surgery

New findings about the mechanisms involved - or not involved - in the effects of the most common form of bariatric surgery suggest that combining surgery with a specific type of medication could augment the benefits of the procedure. In a report that has been published online in the journal Endocrinology, Massachusetts General Hospital investigators report that the effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) do not utilize neurologic pathways controlled by the serotonin 2C receptor.

9 Jul 2015

Scientists elucidate which mechanisms block natural killer cells and how this could be lifted

Natural killer cells of the immune system can fend off malignant lymphoma cells and thus are considered a promising therapeutic approach. However, in the direct vicinity of the tumor they lose their effect.

8 Jul 2015

City of Hope offers islet cell transplant program to cure type 1 diabetes

For patients with severe type 1 diabetes, a strict diet and insulin shots are sometimes not enough to sufficiently control their disease. What they need are insulin-producing cells of their own - currently only available through a still-experimental procedure known as islet cell transplantation.

8 Jul 2015

MU scientists develop RNAMiner tool to make genetic science easier

Technology rapidly is advancing the study of genetics and the search for causes of major diseases. Analysis of genomic sequences that once took days or months now can be performed in a matter of hours. Yet, for most genetic scientists, the lack of access to computer servers and programs capable of quickly handling vast amounts of data can hinder genetic advancements.

8 Jul 2015

Researchers develop novel technique to generate activated T cells to tackle advanced melanoma

T cells from patients with melanoma can trigger a protective immune response against the disease according to a new study out of University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

8 Jul 2015

Study looks at effects of three levels of vitamin D supplementation in overweight, obese blacks

The current recommended minimum daily dose of vitamin D is not sufficient to restore healthy vitamin D levels in overweight or obese blacks, researchers report.

8 Jul 2015

MGH-CEM researchers develop microfabricated device to analyze effects of pro-drugs on cancer cells

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine has developed a novel approach that dramatically simplifies the evaluation of the liver's drug-metabolizing activity and the potential toxic effects of the products of that activity on other organs.

8 Jul 2015

Georgia State University-led study identifies structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia patients

Structural brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia, providing insight into how the condition may develop and respond to treatment, have been identified in an internationally collaborative study led by a Georgia State University scientist.

7 Jul 2015

Discovery could pave way to new treatments for malaria

Scientists have discovered new ways in which the malaria parasite survives in the blood stream of its victims, a discovery that could pave the way to new treatments for the disease.

7 Jul 2015

City of Hope researchers to use patients' own modified T cells to treat advanced brain tumors

Already pioneers in the use of immunotherapy, City of Hope researchers are now testing the bold approach to cancer treatment against one of medicine's biggest challenges: brain cancer. This month, they will launch a clinical trial using patients' own modified T cells to fight advanced brain tumors.

7 Jul 2015

TCU, UNTHSC sign MOU to create new MD school in Fort Worth

Texas Christian University and the University of North Texas Health Science Center have entered into a memorandum of understanding to create a new MD school in Fort Worth. The school, planning to accept its first class in 2018, will be among the leading institutions in the nation in providing a team-oriented educational approach that benefits patients and shapes the future practice and business of medicine.

7 Jul 2015

LSD1 enzyme turns off genes needed to maintain cancer stem cell properties in glioblastoma

Cancer's ability to grow unchecked is often attributed to cancer stem cells, a small fraction of cancer cells that have the capacity to grow and multiply indefinitely. How cancer stem cells retain this property while the bulk of a tumor's cells do not remains largely unknown. Using human tumor samples and mouse models, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center discovered that cancer stem cell properties are determined by epigenetic changes -- chemical modifications cells use to control which genes are turned on or off.

7 Jul 2015

New portable system can produce life-saving NO from air by means of electrical spark

Treatment with inhaled nitric oxide (NO) has proven to be life saving in newborns, children and adults with several dangerous conditions, but the availability of the treatment has been limited by the size, weight and complexity of equipment needed to administer the gas and the therapy's high price.

7 Jul 2015

Breakthrough discovery could help young girls suffering from rare form of epilepsy

An international team, led by a University of Adelaide genetics expert, has made a breakthrough discovery which is expected to help thousands of young girls worldwide who are suffering from a rare yet debilitating form of epilepsy.

7 Jul 2015

Discovery reveals possibility of using water for finer analysis of the brain's functioning

To observe the brain in action, scientists and physicians use imaging techniques, among which functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the best known. These techniques are not based on direct observations of electric impulses from activated neurons, but on one of their consequences. Indeed, this stimulation triggers physiological modifications in the activated cerebral region, changes that become visible by imaging.

3 Jul 2015

Creating more effective vaccines against flu virus

Flu vaccines can be something of a shot in the dark. Not only must they be given yearly, there's no guarantee the strains against which they protect will be the ones circulating once the season arrives. New research by Rockefeller University scientists and their colleagues suggests it may be possible to harness a previously unknown mechanism within the immune system to create more effective and efficient vaccines against this ever-mutating virus.

3 Jul 2015

Study: Genes may not trigger heart disease in people suffering from migraine with aura

A new study suggests that genes may not be to blame for the increased risk of heart disease some studies have shown in people with migraine, especially those with migraine with aura. The research is published during Headache/Migraine Awareness Month in the inaugural issue of the journal Neurology Genetics, an open access, or free to the public, online-only, peer-reviewed journal from the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Jul 2015

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New UCLA study reveals genetic architecture of schizophrenia

Huntsman Cancer Institute receives NCI's Comprehensive Cancer Center designation

Researchers find way to measure the aging process in young adults

MGH investigators report that medication could augment benefits of bariatric surgery

Scientists elucidate which mechanisms block natural killer cells and how this could be lifted

City of Hope offers islet cell transplant program to cure type 1 diabetes

MU scientists develop RNAMiner tool to make genetic science easier

Researchers develop novel technique to generate activated T cells to tackle advanced melanoma

Study looks at effects of three levels of vitamin D supplementation in overweight, obese blacks

MGH-CEM researchers develop microfabricated device to analyze effects of pro-drugs on cancer cells

Georgia State University-led study identifies structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia patients

Discovery could pave way to new treatments for malaria

City of Hope researchers to use patients' own modified T cells to treat advanced brain tumors

TCU, UNTHSC sign MOU to create new MD school in Fort Worth

LSD1 enzyme turns off genes needed to maintain cancer stem cell properties in glioblastoma

New portable system can produce life-saving NO from air by means of electrical spark

Breakthrough discovery could help young girls suffering from rare form of epilepsy

Discovery reveals possibility of using water for finer analysis of the brain's functioning

Creating more effective vaccines against flu virus

Study: Genes may not trigger heart disease in people suffering from migraine with aura

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