Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Latest Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Scientists propose a promising new tool based on optogenetics to study neurons

In many human endeavors, having good tools for a particular task is an essential requirement to obtain the best results possible, and neuroscience is no different than other scientific fields in this regard.

19 Aug 2020

Drugs designed to lower alpha-ketoglutarate levels could help fight DIPG tumors

Every year, 150 to 300 children in the United States are diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs), aggressive and lethal tumors that grow deep inside the brain, for which there are no cures.

19 Aug 2020

RNA-based therapeutic approach could be used to cure hereditary diseases

Short RNA molecules can be used as medication. Their effectiveness is based on the genetic information they carry: therapeutic RNA can bind to the body's own RNA and thus influence how it functions.

19 Aug 2020

Novel gene editing approach removes latent herpes simplex virus 1

Infectious disease researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have used a gene editing approach to remove latent herpes simplex virus 1, or HSV-1, also known as oral herpes.

19 Aug 2020

Study shows DNA damage causes cells to reprogram themselves into stem cells

Researchers have discovered that when DNA in the moss Physcomitrella patens is damaged, it causes cells to reprogram on their own to change into stem cells.

19 Aug 2020

'Survival of the fittest': How meiotic drivers shape the evolution of gamete formation

It can be hard to dispute the common adage 'survival of the fittest'. After all, "most of the genes in the genome are there because they're doing something good," says Sarah Zanders, PhD, assistant investigator at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research

18 Aug 2020

Study shows how mitochondrial defects lead to neurodevelopmental diseases

The tiny organelles mitochondria supply the energy crucial for all cells in the human body, specifically in the brain that consumes an excessive amount of fuel.

18 Aug 2020

Study shows how proteins act as a defense mechanism to protect their own DNA

Viruses usually inject their DNA into a host cell to multiply. As soon as this foreign material penetrates the intracellular fluid, it activates a defense mechanism called the cGAS-STING pathway.

18 Aug 2020

Novel technology can minimize errors in DNA testing

Today's DNA testing is highly accurate, but errors still occur due to the limited genetic information accessible with current technologies. These errors can have serious impact on people's lives.

18 Aug 2020

New discovery offers hope for people at risk of antibiotic-resistant infections

There is new hope for approximately 700,000 people who die each year from antibiotic resistant infections, with University of Queensland researchers discovering how bacteria share antibiotic-resistance genes.

18 Aug 2020

Extrachromosomal DNA with potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes

The multiplication of genes located in extrachromosomal DNA that have the potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes across many cancer types, according to a Nature Genetics study published Aug. 17, 2020 by a team of researchers including Professors Vineet Bafna and Dr.Paul Mischel of the University of California San Diego and Professor Roel Verhaak of Jackson Laboratories.

From UC San Diego 18 Aug 2020

Protective anti-prion antibodies found in humans

Antibodies targeting the normal PrP version of the prion protein have been found in humans selected at random with no history of any associated transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

18 Aug 2020

Switching off 'master regulator' may offer neuroprotection from Parkinson's-related damage

Switching off a molecular "master regulator" may protect the brain from inflammatory damage and neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, reports a study published today in Nature Neuroscience.

18 Aug 2020

Genome analysis helps identify 568 cancer driver genes

Analysis of the genomes of 28,000 tumors from 66 types of cancer has led to the identification of 568 cancer driver gene.

18 Aug 2020

Regulating cancer stemness using combination of nanotechnology and genetic engineering

The development of chemotherapeutic agents with selective anti-cancer activities is increasingly unattractive due to the emergence of resistance, poor targeting of cancer tissues, and subsequent metastasis.

18 Aug 2020

Novel technique of biofortification converts leaves into nutrient stores

A new collaborative study led by researchers from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) in Barcelona and the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP) in Valencia describes a promising strategy to improve the nutritional benefits of crops.

18 Aug 2020

Researchers show how two X chromosomes communicate during embryo development

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have solved a mystery that has long puzzled scientists: How do the bodies of female humans and all other mammals decide which of the two X chromosomes it carries in each cell should be active and which one should be silent?

18 Aug 2020

SIDT1 in the mammalian stomach mediates absorption of dietary miRNAs

In a new study published in Cell Research, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University School of Life Sciences, China, reports that SIDT1 in the mammalian stomach mediates host uptake of dietary and orally administered microRNAs (miRNAs), thus exerting biological functions in the host.

18 Aug 2020

Researchers identify a new gene to treat multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease that affects the central nervous system and can eventually lead to muscle tremors and thus loss of balance.

17 Aug 2020

Study sheds light on genetic and molecular mechanisms involved in atopic dermatitis

The KIF3A gene contains common variants that raise the risk of a dysfunctional skin barrier and ultimately lead to a skin condition, called atopic dermatitis.

17 Aug 2020