Genetic News and Research

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Scientists unravel the proteins that trigger some cancerous tumors

Even on a good day, DNA is constantly getting damaged. Nicks, scratches, breaks: the delicate strands that carry life's genetic code take a beating as they jumble about in the course of their work. If left untreated, errors accumulate, with fatal consequences -- such as cancerous tumors -- for the cell and the organism.

11 Jun 2021

Novel platform may lead to more improved gene therapies

Researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences have developed polypeptide-based materials that serve as effective vectors in delivering gene therapies.

11 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 virus does not spread on hospital surfaces

By observing what was going on across the world in early 2020, researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine knew that their region will soon be flooded with patients infected with COVID-19—the disease caused by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

From UC San Diego 11 Jun 2021

Study reveals a preliminary genetic link to dyspraxia

Researchers from Oxford Brookes University have found certain genes that can potentially reveal critical information about the biology of developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also called dyspraxia.

11 Jun 2021

ASU study reveals how diets high in saturated fats cause colon cancer

For decades, physicians and dieticians have urged people to limit their intake of high fat foods, citing links to poor health outcomes and some of the leading causes of death in the U.S., such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

10 Jun 2021

Pre-trained viruses are more effective in countering antibiotic resistance

The risk of antibiotic resistance increases as bacteria continue to evade even the most powerful contemporary medicinal treatments. Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms threaten to take more than 10 million lives by 2050, as present-day treatments prove ineffective.

9 Jun 2021

International travelers may pick up AMR genes from different destinations

According to a research work published in the Genome Medicine journal, travelers abroad may contract bacteria and other vectors with genes that confer antibiotic resistance, which linger in the travelers’ gut when they return home.

9 Jun 2021

Developing computational tools to illuminate how genetic factors impact the brain

Liang Zhan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, received a $500,000 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to develop computational tools that improve our understanding of the human brain.

From University of Pittsburgh 8 Jun 2021

Consuming large amounts of daily caffeine may increase the risk of glaucoma

Consuming large amounts of daily caffeine may increase the risk of glaucoma more than three-fold for those with a genetic predisposition to higher eye pressure according to an international, multi-center study.

8 Jun 2021

Single biomarker in the blood can accurately indicate underlying neurodegeneration

Levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood can identify those who might have neurodegenerative diseases such as Down's syndrome dementia, motor neuron disease (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia, when clinical symptoms are not definitive.

8 Jun 2021

Harmful DNA mutations play a key role in the conservation of threatened species

Researchers in Lund, Copenhagen, and Norwich have demonstrated that detrimental mutations in DNA play a vital—but often overlooked—role in vulnerable species translocation and conservation initiatives.

8 Jun 2021

New species of marine scale worm give evidence of male dwarfism

An evolutionary riddle awaited in the Kumano Sea, off the southeast coast of Japan. Hermit crabs abandoned shells and mollusks were among the materials retrieved from the muddy sea floor by the researchers.

8 Jun 2021

New insights on how synovial sarcoma develops and spreads

A new study published today in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, reports findings that may change the understanding of how synovial sarcoma develops and spreads.

7 Jun 2021

Study describes the impact of DNA methylation on the 3D structure of genome

Although all cells in an organism share the same DNA sequence, their shapes, roles, and even lifespans differ drastically.

4 Jun 2021

New process reinvigorates the search for natural drugs to treat cancers

A research team has devised a new method that might revitalize the hunt for natural product medications to treat viral infections, cancer, and other diseases.

4 Jun 2021

News study may lead to future therapeutic strategies against obesity, diabetes

The gut and the brain communicate with each other in order to adapt satiety and blood sugar levels during food consumption. The vagus nerve is an important communicator between these two organs.

3 Jun 2021

Scientists design new gene drive to stop the transmission of devastating diseases

CRISPR-based technologies offer enormous potential to benefit human health and safety, from disease eradication to fortified food supplies. As one example, CRISPR-based gene drives, which are engineered to spread specific traits through targeted populations, are being developed to stop the transmission of devastating diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.

From UC San Diego 3 Jun 2021

Scientists generate first-ever maps of genome's motions before and after cell differentiation

The organization of the human genome relies on physics of different states of matter - such as liquid and solid - a team of scientists has discovered.

3 Jun 2021

New method can help diagnose unsolved cases of rare diseases across Europe

Experts in rare diseases have recently described the results of a collaboration to diagnose individuals living with unsolved cases of rare disorders throughout Europe.

3 Jun 2021

New study on genotype-phenotype associations sheds light on human complex traits, diseases

A new study analyzing the association between an individual's genetics (genotype) and their observable characteristics resulting from the interaction of genetics and the environment (phenotype), contributes new knowledge to the understanding of human complex traits and diseases.

2 Jun 2021