Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Scientists use new method to draw map of cancer's family tree

A new method to take the DNA fingerprint of individual cancer cells is uncovering the true extent of cancer's genetic diversity, new research reveals.

19 Nov 2013

Mutations affecting immune system play important role in breast cancer

Mutations in the genes that defend the body against cancer-related viruses and other infections may play a larger role in breast cancer than previously thought, according to a study at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

19 Nov 2013

Habitual dietary intake of monozygotic twins associated with fecal microbiota composition

The establishment of microbial populations in the gastrointestinal-tract is a complex process, involving microbial and host interactions eventually resulting in a dense and stable population.

18 Nov 2013

Researchers identify genes that put children at high risk of serious asthma attacks

An international team spearheaded by researchers from the University of Copenhagen has identified the genes that put some children at particularly high risk of serious asthma attacks, including one not previously suspected of being implicated in the disease.

18 Nov 2013

Researchers explore how certain molecular signaling pathways control aging across all species

Fruit flies are notoriously short-lived but scientists interested in the biology of aging in all animals have begun to understand why some fruit flies live longer than others. They have documented a direct association between insulin and life span, for example, and have observed a tradeoff between prolific reproduction and longevity. A new study, which may have broad implications across species, ties those findings more closely together by tracing an insulin signaling cascade through to protein quality control in muscle tissue and shortened life span.

18 Nov 2013

Researchers develop novel system to image worm brain activity

A research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and The Rockefeller University in New York has developed a novel system to image brain activity in multiple awake and unconstrained worms. The technology, which makes it possible to study the genetics and neural circuitry associated with animal behavior, can also be used as a high-throughput screening tool for drug development targeting autism, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and other brain disorders.

18 Nov 2013

Researchers generate three-dimensional kidney structures from human stem cells

Diseases affecting the kidneys represent a major and unsolved health issue worldwide. The kidneys rarely recover function once they are damaged by disease, highlighting the urgent need for better knowledge of kidney development and physiology.

18 Nov 2013

Scientists discover gene associated with high risk of severe childhood asthma.

An international scientific team has discovered a gene associated with a high risk of severe childhood asthma. The specific gene variant may be an actual cause of this form of asthma, a leading cause of hospitalization in young children.

17 Nov 2013

Mount Sinai biologist wins NIH Director's New Innovator Awards for High-Risk, High Reward Research

Arvin Dar, PhD, structural and chemical biologist in oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is one of 41 national recipients of the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Awards for High-Risk, High Reward Research. The award will support Dar's research into Ras-dependent cancers, specifically investigating how to combat mutations in Ras, a protein implicated in at least one of every five cancers.

16 Nov 2013

Genetic mutations in parasite cause over 100 million cases of malaria annually in Africa

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute have discovered recent genetic mutations in a parasite that causes over 100 million cases of malaria annually-changes that may render tens of millions of Africans who had been considered resistant, susceptible to infection.

16 Nov 2013

Genome sequence data indicates that common species of malaria may evolve to become bigger threat

Provocative new research shows that the Plasmodium vivax parasite, responsible for nearly 20 million cases of malaria in 2010, may be "rapidly evolving" to overcome the natural resistance conferred by a blood type found in millions of Africans, scientists reported today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

16 Nov 2013

Collaborative initiative set up to create precision medicine treatment pathways for advanced cancers

The Joint Center for Cancer Precision Medicine, a collaborative initiative among Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, has been established to create "precision medicine treatment pathways" for patients with advanced cancers and to speed the development of personalized therapies.

16 Nov 2013

MGH investigators identify molecule that plays key role in the breakdown of kidney filter

One of the most devastating side effects of diabetes is kidney failure, and one of the earliest signs of kidney damage is a disruption of the organ's filtering capacity. Diabetes patients who develop kidney failure must go on dialysis, seriously limiting their quality of life and placing them at significantly increased risk of death. The incidence of kidney disease is increasing with rising rates of obesity-associated type 2 diabetes, but very little progress has been made towards protecting the kidney's filter barrier during the past 50 years.

16 Nov 2013

ESBC joins with Athena Breast Health Network to advance personalized breast cancer risk assessment

Edith Sanford Breast Cancer (ESBC), part of the Sanford Health system based in Sioux Falls, SD, today announced it is partnering with the Athena Breast Health Network, a University of California program, to advance the use of a personalized breast cancer risk assessment.

16 Nov 2013

Researchers identify gene responsible for Warburg Micro syndrome

A collaborative team of researchers led by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Edinburgh has identified a gene responsible for Warburg Micro syndrome, a rare genetic disease characterized by eye, brain and endocrine abnormalities. Patients with Warburg Micro syndrome are severely physically and mentally challenged, unable to learn how to walk or speak and become blind and paralyzed from an early age.

15 Nov 2013

Identifying 'sensome' of microglia could improve treatments for neurodegenerative disorders

Massachusetts General Hospital investigators have used a new sequencing method to identify a group of genes used by the brain's immune cells - called microglia - to sense pathogenic organisms, toxins or damaged cells that require their response.

15 Nov 2013

Sorrento Therapeutics to acquire San Diego-based Concortis Biosystems

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. announced today the entry into a definitive agreement to acquire San Diego-based Concortis Biosystems, Corp. in a deal that provides Sorrento with a comprehensive technology platform for generation of antibody drug conjugates (ADC). Under the terms of the agreement dated November 11, 2013, subject to satisfaction of certain closing conditions, upon closing, Sorrento will issue an aggregate of 1,331,978 shares of its common stock to the Concortis shareholders.

14 Nov 2013

Acquired resistance to cancer therapies: an interview with Dr Rajendra Kumari, Chief Scientific Officer at PRECOS

Cancer can be treated by a number of different ways depending on the location, grade and stage of tumour. A patient's age, medical history and lifestyle will also be taken into consideration and a combination of treatments will also be adopted to provide maximum effect.

14 Nov 2013

Researchers generate most complete genome sequences from single cells and individual neurons

Researchers led by bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have generated the most complete genome sequences from single E. coli cells and individual neurons from the human brain. The breakthrough comes from a new single-cell genome sequencing technique that confines genome amplification to fluid-filled wells with a volume of just 12 nanoliters.

14 Nov 2013

Research findings call for a rethinking of cancer genetics

Johns Hopkins researchers report that the deletion of any single gene in yeast cells puts pressure on the organism’s genome to compensate, leading to a mutation in another gene. Their discovery, which is likely applicable to human genetics because of the way DNA is conserved across species, could have significant consequences for the way genetic analysis is done in cancer and other areas of research, they say.

14 Nov 2013

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Scientists use new method to draw map of cancer's family tree

Mutations affecting immune system play important role in breast cancer

Habitual dietary intake of monozygotic twins associated with fecal microbiota composition

Researchers identify genes that put children at high risk of serious asthma attacks

Researchers explore how certain molecular signaling pathways control aging across all species

Researchers develop novel system to image worm brain activity

Researchers generate three-dimensional kidney structures from human stem cells

Scientists discover gene associated with high risk of severe childhood asthma.

Mount Sinai biologist wins NIH Director's New Innovator Awards for High-Risk, High Reward Research

Genetic mutations in parasite cause over 100 million cases of malaria annually in Africa

Genome sequence data indicates that common species of malaria may evolve to become bigger threat

Collaborative initiative set up to create precision medicine treatment pathways for advanced cancers

MGH investigators identify molecule that plays key role in the breakdown of kidney filter

ESBC joins with Athena Breast Health Network to advance personalized breast cancer risk assessment

Researchers identify gene responsible for Warburg Micro syndrome

Identifying 'sensome' of microglia could improve treatments for neurodegenerative disorders

Sorrento Therapeutics to acquire San Diego-based Concortis Biosystems

Acquired resistance to cancer therapies: an interview with Dr Rajendra Kumari, Chief Scientific Officer at PRECOS

Researchers generate most complete genome sequences from single cells and individual neurons

Research findings call for a rethinking of cancer genetics

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