Genetic News and Research

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Genetic predispositions affect the efficacy of COVID-19 drugs

A paper recently uploaded to bioRxiv* aimed to utilize genome-wide CRISPR screening to identify genes involved in modulating the activity of COVID-19 drugs.

29 Oct 2020

Study shows how cancer remodels human chromosomes for its own purposes

Scientists have shown that cancer rebuilds the architecture of human chromosomes, which allows the disease to take hold and spread.

28 Oct 2020

RNA-centric mechanism regulates microRNAs linked to cancer, neurological disorders

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs—that is, bits of genetic code that act as key gene regulators in various aspects of biological processes.

28 Oct 2020

Study shows genetic analysis with RNA sequencing can increase diagnostic yield

In the world of rare genetic diseases, exome and genome sequencing are two powerful tools used to make a diagnosis.

28 Oct 2020

Study sheds new light on penicillin allergy

Scientists have reported the first strong evidence of the role of HLA-B, a crucial histocompatibility complex gene, in penicillin allergy.

27 Oct 2020

Researchers develop new sensors to detect gene activity

A team of researchers have developed genetic sensors that are capable of detecting the activity of genes, instead of only the genes themselves.

From The University of Warwick 27 Oct 2020

Researchers identify genes associated with autism spectrum disorder

The lack of some genes in the BEC/TCEAL cluster could be related to some alterations associated with the autism spectrum disorder, according to a preclinical study published in the journal Genome Biology, and led by Professor Jordi Garcia Fernàndez, from the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), and researcher Jaime Carvajal, from the Andalusian Centre for Developmental Biology - University Pablo de Olavide (CSIC-UPO).

27 Oct 2020

Scientists develop human airway stem cells to accelerate research on COVID-19, influenza

For the first time, researchers have successfully created airway basal stem cells in vitro from induced pluripotent stem cells by reprogramming blood cells taken from patients.

27 Oct 2020

Researchers reveal the features of T cells for treating multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder that develops as immune cells attack the nervous system. T cells are a critical part of our immune system, with a complex array of subtypes - some drive the autoimmune response, while others try to suppress it.

27 Oct 2020

Ketogenic diets can prevent or reverse heart failure caused by metabolic process

Research from Saint Louis University finds that high fat or "ketogenic" diets could completely prevent, or even reverse heart failure caused by a metabolic process.

27 Oct 2020

Increased weight is causally protective for breast and prostate cancer

Although a recent campaign by Cancer Research UK emphasized obesity as a risk factor for cancer on par with smoking, the scientific literature on the relationship between increased weight and cancer risk is not so clear.

27 Oct 2020

Researchers identify new potential therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 infection

To identify new potential therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2, a team of scientists at the New York Genome Center, New York University, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, performed a genome-scale, loss-of-function CRISPR screen to systematically knockout all genes in the human genome.

27 Oct 2020

Researchers propose new way to exploit the weaknesses of cancer cells

Each cell in the human body continuously divides to create new cells. This process occurs without humans’ knowledge.

26 Oct 2020

Study shows how genetic variability may shape mathematical performance in children

According to a study, DNA variation in a gene is linked to early anatomical variations in a region of the brain that plays a crucial role in quantity representation.

26 Oct 2020

Study links gut hormone to Parkinson’s dementia

A team of researchers have discovered that a gut hormone, called ghrelin, is a crucial regulator of new nerve cells that form in the adult brain.

26 Oct 2020

Scientists explain the role of transcription factors in genetic diseases

Transcription factor proteins can be described as the light switches of the human genome. These proteins bind to DNA and allow genes to turn “on” or “off.”

26 Oct 2020

Study indicates underlying molecular sources in COVID-19 variability

Humans have different susceptibilities to SARS-CoV-2, and eventually develop varying degrees of fatigue, fever, and breathing problems.

26 Oct 2020

Study: Early travel restrictions have significantly limited the spread of COVID-19 virus

The coronavirus, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has one official name--SARS-CoV-2. But according to virologists, mutations lead to hundreds of genetically-distinct versions of the virus.

23 Oct 2020

Scientists develop lab-grown lung model to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of Duke University researchers has developed a lab-grown living lung model that mimics the tiny air sacs of the lungs where coronavirus infection and serious lung damage take place. This advance has enabled them to watch the battle between the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and lung cells at the finest molecular scale.

23 Oct 2020

Research demonstrates an agriculturally amenable epigenetic breeding method

Novel grafted plants -- consisting of rootstock epigenetically modified to "believe" it has been under stress -- joined to an unmodified scion, or above-ground shoot, give rise to progeny that are more vigorous, productive and resilient than the parental plants.

23 Oct 2020