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Unrepaired DNA Damage Can Persist for Years and Lead to Cancer Mutations

While most known types of DNA damage are fixed by our cells’ in-house repair mechanisms, some forms of DNA damage evade repair and can persist for many years, new research shows. This means that the damage has multiple chances to generate harmful mutations, which can lead to cancer.

15 Jan 2025

Brazilian Study Offers Fresh Perspectives on Pancreatic Cancer Genetics

Pancreatic cancer has recently been included in the list of diseases about which Brazil's National Cancer Institute (INCA) periodically publishes statistics.

9 Dec 2024

Discovery of Large Tandem Duplications Opens New Avenues for Cancer Treatment

Cancer researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have discovered that mutations in certain genes can lead to the accumulation of DNA errors, resulting in a specific type of genetic change known as large tandem duplications (TDs) that can arise from the collision of two critical cellular processes: transcription and DNA replication.

21 Nov 2024

New Microbe with Potential to Revolutionize Biomanufacturing and Carbon Capture

A unique strain of cyanobacteria, or algae, isolated from volcanic ocean vents has been found by an international team of researchers from the United States and Italy.

30 Oct 2024

New Study Links Cannabis Use to DNA Methylation Changes in Mental Health Pathways

Research reveals that frequent high-potency cannabis use alters DNA methylation, affecting mitochondrial and immune genes, with implications for mental health.

25 Oct 2024

Melanin May Act as a "Drug Sponge," Influencing Medication Effectiveness

Skin pigmentation may act as a "sponge" for some medications, potentially influencing the speed with which active drugs reach their intended targets, a pair of scientists report in a perspective article published in the journal Human Genomics.

15 Oct 2024

Study Reveals Epigenetic Changes in Sperm from Non-Genetic Infertility Causes

How non-genetic factors can induce epigenetic modifications to the sperm and cause male infertility.

3 Jul 2024

Unraveling Gardnerella Diversity in the Vaginal Microbiome

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that multiple species of Gardnerella, bacteria sometimes associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV) and pre-term birth, can coexist in the same vaginal microbiome.

21 May 2024

Decoding Aging: The Role of Stochastic Variation in Biological Clocks

Aging clocks can measure the biological age of humans with high precision. Biological age can be influenced by environmental factors such as smoking or diet, thus deviating from the chronological age that is calculated using the date of birth.

10 May 2024

UCI Researchers Receive $1.19 Million Grant to Unravel the Genetic Basis of Nicotine Addiction

A three-year, $1.19 million grant from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program will allow University of California, Irvine researchers to explore how specific sections of DNA might influence nicotine addiction.

26 Apr 2024

New Theory Links Gene Length to Cellular Decline

A gene’s length may have more to do with aging than particular “aging genes.” Reduced expression of long genes may be the cause of many aging-related changes, according to researchers writing an opinion piece that was published in the journal Trends in Genetics on March 21st, 2023.

25 Mar 2024

Unraveling the Role of Gene Length in Aging

Aging may be less about specific "aging genes" and more about how long a gene is. Many of the changes associated with aging could be occurring due to decreased expression of long genes, say researchers in an opinion piece publishing March 21 in the journal Trends in Genetics.

22 Mar 2024

Significant Increase in Antibiotic Resistance Genes Found in Humans and Livestock

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have discovered a significant connection between the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes and the development of resistance to new drugs in specific pathogens

23 Feb 2024

Epidemiology and Genetic Underpinnings of Clonal Hematopoiesis

A comprehensive new study from deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, published today in Nature Genetics, provides insights into the epidemiology and somatic and germline genetics of clonal hematopoiesis.

7 Nov 2023

Sunflowers’ Unique Sun-Tracking Mechanism Unveiled

Sunflowers are renowned for their ability to track the sun’s movement across the sky by turning their faces towards it.

1 Nov 2023

New Breakthrough of Genetic Marker Improves Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis

A study of more than 22,000 people with multiple sclerosis has discovered the first genetic variant associated with faster disease progression, which can rob patients of their mobility and independence over time.

29 Jun 2023

Scientists Discover Gene That Plays a Key Role in Determining the Risk for Vascular Diseases

University of School of Medicine researchers have identified a gene that plays a crucial role in determining our risk for heart attacks, deadly aneurysms, coronary artery disease and other dangerous vascular conditions.

19 Apr 2023

Poor Sleep Combined With High Genetic Susceptibility Results in Greater Asthma Risk

Poor quality sleep may bolster a person's genetic susceptibility to asthma, potentially doubling their risk of being diagnosed with the condition, suggests a large UK Biobank study, published in the open access journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research.

6 Apr 2023

Common Epstein-Barr virus may be a trigger for multiple sclerosis

In 1868, French physician Jean-Martin Charcot, known as the founder of modern neurology, defined a disease entity in which multiple plaques formed in the brain and spinal cord, with varying physical symptoms, called Sclérose en plaques, or in English as multiple sclerosis (MS).

24 Mar 2023

New compound found in cigarette smoke damages human lung cells’ DNA

Once in a while, people are exposed to possibly detrimental substances in the environment or through their habits or diets. For instance, a compound discovered in cigarette and industrial smoke, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), is responsible to damage DNA.

23 Feb 2023