Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Cell's stress response is more nuanced and compartmentalized than previously thought

The body's cells respond to stress-toxins, mutations, starvation or other assaults-by pausing normal functions to focus on conserving energy, repairing damaged components and boosting defenses.

26 Mar 2025

Maternal obesity and smoking influence children’s obesity risk as teenagers or adults

A study finds that factors beyond a person's control, like socioeconomic status and whether their mom smoked or was obese, can influence whether they are overweight or obese as teenagers or adults.

26 Mar 2025

Researchers develop a reverse genetics system for African swine fever virus

Researchers from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have developed a reverse genetics system for African swine fever virus (ASFV).

26 Mar 2025

COVID-derived molecular mimics may be involved in triggering autoimmunity

COVID infection has been linked to higher risk of autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.

26 Mar 2025

Scientists uncover rare gene variants that help people live past 100

Researchers studying over 2,000 Ashkenazi Jewish centenarians uncovered two rare IGF-1 gene variants linked to exceptional longevity. These variants reduce IGF-1 receptor activity through either diminished receptor binding or lower circulating IGF-1 levels.

26 Mar 2025

This molecule links your diet to stroke and Alzheimer’s—here’s how to stop it

A new review explores how TMAO, a gut-derived metabolite from red meat and other foods, contributes to heart and brain diseases. It also highlights promising interventions—like plant-based diets, probiotics, and nutraceuticals—to lower TMAO levels and reduce health risks.

26 Mar 2025

Light intensity daily physical activities may reduce cancer risk

In a prospective cohort study of more than 85,000 adults in the United Kingdom, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and University of Oxford found that individuals who engaged in light- and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity daily physical activity had a lower risk of cancer than individuals who were more sedentary.

26 Mar 2025

City of Hope researchers uncover the two-step process of tumor formation

Researchers at City of Hope, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. with its National Medical Center named top 5 in the nation for cancer by U.S. News & World Report, have found that cell mutations are necessary but not always sufficient for tumors to form.

26 Mar 2025

Heart structure changes and their impact on organ function

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal. The heart is the central organ of the human circulatory system. Both congenital and acquired structural changes in the heart can lead to hemodynamic alterations affecting the function of various organs, including the brain.

26 Mar 2025

Genetic and environmental factors in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia affects millions worldwide, yet its causes remain one of the greatest medical mysteries. In an exclusive Genomic Press Interview, Dr. Consuelo Walss-Bass, a pioneering researcher in psychiatric genetics, shares how both genetic predisposition and environmental factors contribute to severe mental health disorders.

26 Mar 2025

Early antibiotic exposure may boost risk of diabetes later in life

Exposure to antibiotics during a key developmental window in infancy can stunt the growth of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and may boost risk of diabetes later in life, new research in mice suggests.

25 Mar 2025

New open-source tool identifies aging cells to help fight chronic diseases

For human health, prematurely aging cells are a big problem. When a cell ages and stops growing, its function changes, which can cause or worsen cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and other chronic diseases.

25 Mar 2025

Scientists find links between bipolar disorder and rare loss-of-function variants in two genes

Scientists at deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, reveal today in Nature Genetics associations between bipolar disorder and rare loss-of-function variants in two genes.

25 Mar 2025

Scientists uncover role of m6A in prostate cancer progression

Scientists at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of Toronto have revealed how a tiny chemical modification in RNA, known as m6A, plays a critical role in the progression of prostate cancer, including driving some of its most dangerous forms of the disease.

24 Mar 2025

The Colorado psychedelic mushroom experiment has arrived

Colorado regulators are issuing licenses for providing psychedelic mushrooms and are planning to authorize the state's first "healing centers," where the mushrooms can be ingested under supervision, in late spring or early summer.

24 Mar 2025

Study reveals key role of Treg cells in preventing autoimmune responses

During infections, the immune system needs to distinguish foreign antigens that are expressed by invading bacteria and viruses from self-antigens that are expressed by cells of the body.

22 Mar 2025

Bacteria use dormant phages to create immunity against viral invaders

Like people, bacteria get invaded by viruses. In bacteria, the viral invaders are called bacteriophages, derived from the Greek word for bacteria-eaters, or in shortened form, "phages."

22 Mar 2025

Advanced imaging technique reveals how nuclear pores regulate molecular movement

Just as cities must carefully manage the flow of cars in and out of downtown, cells regulate the movement of molecules into and out of the nucleus.

22 Mar 2025

250,000 whole genomes sequenced for AGD initiative to advance drug discovery

Nashville Biosciences LLC (NashBio), a leading clinical and genomic data company and wholly owned subsidiary of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and global DNA sequencing giant Illumina Inc. today announced that 250,000 whole genomes have been sequenced for the Alliance for Genomic Discovery (AGD) initiative.

21 Mar 2025

New enzyme target could lead to breakthrough therapies for Lyme disease

Researchers have discovered that an enzyme can serve as an ideal target for developing new therapeutics against Lyme disease, and most likely other tick-borne diseases as well.

20 Mar 2025