Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

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

Penn study suggests future precision medicine approach to treating diabetes, other metabolic disorders

In the first study of its kind, Penn researchers have shown how an anti-diabetic drug can have variable effects depending on small natural differences in DNA sequence between individuals. Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Raymond Soccio, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, aim to apply this knowledge to develop personalized approaches to treating diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

3 Jul 2015

Review article provides in depth survey of studies focusing on retinoblastoma protein's role in apoptosis

Retinoblastoma protein RB1, which is named after a form of pediatric tumor of the eye, is among the most common genetically regulated cellular proteins to malfunction in human cancer. RB1 was also the first tumor suppressor gene to be identified and its modes of inactivation in retinoblastoma tumors provided the basis for the ground-breaking two-hit hypothesis by the geneticist Alfred G. Knudson in the 70s, according to which cancer is due to the accumulation of multiple 'hits' or mutations in certain genes.

3 Jul 2015

DTC genetic testing has negative consequences in children

A woman coping with the burden of familial breast cancer can't help but wonder if her young daughter will suffer the same fate. Has she inherited the same disease-causing mutation? Is it best to be prepared for the future, or to wait? During the last decade, genetic tests have been through a sea change, both in their availability and the technologies behind them. Today there are at least 34 companies that offer direct to consumer (DTC) DNA testing, some of which return health results. And now it is possible to sequence someone's entire genetic code for the price of a laptop.

3 Jul 2015

Afamelanotide treatment improves quality of life in people with erythropoietic protoporphyria

A novel synthetic hormone that makes certain skin cells produce more melanin significantly increases pain-free sun exposure in people with erythropoietic protoporphyria, a rare, genetic disorder resulting in excruciating pain within minutes of sun exposure.

3 Jul 2015

Researchers discover link between acute liver failure and specific gene mutations in young children

Acute liver failure is a rare yet life-threatening disease for young children. It often occurs extremely rapidly, for example, when a child has a fever. Yet in around 50 percent of cases it is unclear as to why this happens. Now, a team of researchers working on an international research project headed by Technische Universität München, the Helmholtz Zentrum Munich and Heidelberg University Hospital have discovered a link between the disease and mutations in a specific gene.

3 Jul 2015

Researchers establish link between NBAS gene and acute liver failure

Acute liver failure is a rare yet life-threatening disease for young children. It often occurs extremely rapidly, for example, when a child has a fever. Yet in around 50 percent of cases it is unclear as to why this happens. Now, a team of researchers working on an international research project headed by Technische Universität München (TUM), the Helmholtz Zentrum Munich and Heidelberg University Hospital have discovered a link between the disease and mutations in a specific gene.

2 Jul 2015

UTHealth researchers discover new light-activated proteins that work as 'off switches' for brain cells

Light switches for neurons have made enormous contributions to brain research by giving investigators access to "on switches" for brain cells. But, finding "off switches" has been much more challenging.

2 Jul 2015

Wayne State University awarded grant to explore new MS pathology model

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has provided a grant to a Wayne State University School of Medicine professor to explore a new model of MS pathology.

2 Jul 2015

Histones steadily replaced in brain cells throughout life, find Mount Sinai researchers

For decades, researchers in the genetics field have theorized that the protein spools around which DNA is wound, histones, remain constant in the brain, never changing after development in the womb.

2 Jul 2015

R. Rodney Howell receives ASHG’s annual Advocacy Award

The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) has named R. Rodney Howell, MD, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Chairman Emeritus of Pediatrics, and Member of the Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, as the first recipient of its new, annual Advocacy Award.

1 Jul 2015

Certain colon cancer genes take a step back to move forward

Recent Weizmann Institute studies are revealing a complex picture of cancer progression in which certain genes that drive tumor growth in the earlier stages get suppressed in later stages - taking a step back to move forward.

1 Jul 2015

Study: Around 6% survive cardiac arrest outside of hospital setting

Cardiac arrest strikes almost 600,000 people each year, killing the vast majority of those individuals, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Every year in the U.S., approximately 395,000 cases of cardiac arrest occur outside of a hospital setting, in which less than 6 percent survive. Approximately 200,000 cardiac arrests occur each year in hospitals, and 24 percent of those patients survive. Estimates suggest that cardiac arrest is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. behind cancer and heart disease.

1 Jul 2015

ASHG declares 2015 recipients of annual Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education

The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) has named Robert L. Nussbaum, M.D., chief medical officer of invitae and clinical professor of medicine (volunteer) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); Roderick R. McInnes, CM, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital and Alva chair in human genetics, Canada Research chair in neurogenetics, and professor of human genetics and biochemistry at McGill University; and Huntington F. Willard, Ph.D., president and director of the Marine Biological Laboratory and professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago; as the 2015 recipients of its annual Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education.

1 Jul 2015

Males may play positive role in development of offspring's brains before pregnancy

A new study from Indiana University provides evidence in mice that males may play a positive role in the development of offspring's brains starting before pregnancy.

1 Jul 2015

Dietary fat intake could potentially ease mitochondrial disease, shows research

Mice that have a genetic version of mitochondrial disease can easily be mistaken for much older animals by the time they are nine months old: they have thinning grey hair, osteoporosis, poor hearing, infertility, heart problems and have lost weight. Despite having this disease at birth, these mice have a "secret weapon" in their youth that staves off signs of aging for a time.

1 Jul 2015

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

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

Penn study suggests future precision medicine approach to treating diabetes, other metabolic disorders

Review article provides in depth survey of studies focusing on retinoblastoma protein's role in apoptosis

DTC genetic testing has negative consequences in children

Afamelanotide treatment improves quality of life in people with erythropoietic protoporphyria

Researchers discover link between acute liver failure and specific gene mutations in young children

Researchers establish link between NBAS gene and acute liver failure

UTHealth researchers discover new light-activated proteins that work as 'off switches' for brain cells

Wayne State University awarded grant to explore new MS pathology model

Histones steadily replaced in brain cells throughout life, find Mount Sinai researchers

R. Rodney Howell receives ASHG’s annual Advocacy Award

Certain colon cancer genes take a step back to move forward

Study: Around 6% survive cardiac arrest outside of hospital setting

ASHG declares 2015 recipients of annual Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education

Males may play positive role in development of offspring's brains before pregnancy

Dietary fat intake could potentially ease mitochondrial disease, shows research

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