Genomics

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Mysterious DNA modification appears more in the brain under stress

With advances in genomics, scientists are discovering additional components of the DNA alphabet in animals. Do these unusual chemical modifications of DNA have a special meaning, or are they just signs that cellular machines are making mistakes?

24 Oct 2017

Research provides insight into how two stands of double helix separate during replication

Life would be impossible if the DNA in dividing cells were replicated with anything less than near-perfect precision. Every time a nucleated cell commits to becoming two cells, every "letter" of its genome must be replicated once and only once.

24 Oct 2017

New synthetic genetic tool measures and manipulates protein aggregation in live cells

A common thread ties seemingly unlinked disorders like Alzheimer's disease and type II diabetes together. This thread is known as protein aggregation and happens when proteins clump together. These complexes are a hallmark of many diseases but have recently been linked to beneficial functions as well.

20 Oct 2017

Gene circuit can be used to switch on inside cancer cells and stimulate immune attack, study suggests

A new study, conducted by researchers at MIT, suggests that a recently developed synthetic gene circuit can stimulate the immune system to kill cancer cells when it identifies indications of the cancer. The gene circuit will only stimulate a therapeutic response when it identifies two particular cancer markers.

20 Oct 2017

Chromosomes may be entangled, research finds

Everyone knows that long bits of yarn, or charging cables and the like, tend to get quickly tangled and form nasty knots. Little is known about the structures of our genetic material, chromosomes, which also consist of long strings that -- according to our experience -- should be likely to become knotted. However, up to now it has not been possible to study this experimentally.

20 Oct 2017

Researchers discover new function in gene-regulatory protein

Researchers at Umeå and Stockholm universities in Sweden and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US have published a new study in the journal Molecular Cell.

20 Oct 2017

New RNA switch achieves gene activation thousands of times better than nature

If scientists could precisely regulate gene expression, they could turn off the genes responsible for illness and disease and turn on those that enhance health and the immune system.

19 Oct 2017

TGen project to develop standard operating procedures for single-cell RNA sequencing

The Translational Genomics Research Institute today announced grant support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative donor advised fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, that will help revolutionize how researchers identify the genetic source of diseases and how best to treat each patient.

17 Oct 2017

Northwestern scientists discover 'wasabi receptor' for pain in flatworms

A Northwestern University research team has discovered how scalding heat and tissue injury activate an ancient "pain" receptor in simple animals. The findings could lead to new strategies for analgesic drug design for the treatment of humans.

17 Oct 2017

Genetic diversity plays major role in evolution of drug resistance

Researchers have shown that genetic diversity plays a key role in enabling drug resistance to evolve. Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the Institute for Research on Cancer and Ageing of Nice in France, show that high genetic diversity can prime new mutations that cause drug resistance.

17 Oct 2017

Columbia scientists receive grant from CZI to construct atlas of cells in human spinal cord

Scientists at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute today received a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative donor advised fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, to construct an atlas of gene activity of all cells in the human spinal cord.

17 Oct 2017

New model predicts how E. coli bacteria respond to temperature changes, genetic mutations

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a genome-scale model that can accurately predict how E. coli bacteria respond to temperature changes and genetic mutations.

13 Oct 2017

Study helps understand basic mechanisms of mitochondrial DNA maintenance

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have discovered a novel mechanism safeguarding mitochondrial DNA. The study, published in PNAS earlier this week, was carried out in close collaboration with research groups from CBMSO in Madrid, Spain, and Umeå University in Sweden.

13 Oct 2017

MIT researchers develop new technique to screen for genes that protect against diseases

Using a modified version of the CRISPR genome-editing system, MIT researchers have developed a new way to screen for genes that protect against specific diseases.

12 Oct 2017

Whole genome sequencing could help better understand genetic abnormalities underlying autism

An analysis of the complete genomes of 2,064 people reveals that multiple genetic variations could contribute to autism. The work suggests that scanning whole genomes may one day be useful for clinical diagnostics.Autism has genetic roots, but most cases can't be explained by current genetic tests.

12 Oct 2017

TSRI scientists demonstrate repurposing of DNA to create new substances

DNA evolved to store genetic information, but in principle this special, chain-like molecule can also be adapted to make new materials. Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute have now published an important demonstration of this repurposing of DNA to create new substances with possible medical applications.

12 Oct 2017

New computer program identifies different cell types based on gene expression patterns

"How many different cell types are there in a human body? And how do these differences develop? Nobody really knows," says Professor Stein Aerts from KU Leuven and VIB, Belgium. But thanks to a new method developed by his team, that may be about to change.

10 Oct 2017

Effects of having familiar, good neighbors revealed in bird study

Birds who live next door to family members or to other birds they know well are physically healthier and age more slowly, according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

10 Oct 2017

Penn Medicine professor receives New Innovator Award from NIH

Hao Wu, PhD, an assistant professor of Genetics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has received a New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health. These awards provide each recipient $1.5 million over five years to pursue high-risk, high-reward investigations that could have implications for human health.

9 Oct 2017

New microcapsules represent promising vectors for application of genome-editing tools

Researchers from Tomsk Polytechnic University jointly with their colleagues from St. Petersburg, Hamburg and London have conducted a study in the course of which it was found out that polymer and hybrid silica-coated microcapsules are more efficient in genome-editing when applying CRISPR-Cas9 system.

6 Oct 2017

Genomics

Mysterious DNA modification appears more in the brain under stress

Research provides insight into how two stands of double helix separate during replication

New synthetic genetic tool measures and manipulates protein aggregation in live cells

Gene circuit can be used to switch on inside cancer cells and stimulate immune attack, study suggests

Chromosomes may be entangled, research finds

Researchers discover new function in gene-regulatory protein

New RNA switch achieves gene activation thousands of times better than nature

TGen project to develop standard operating procedures for single-cell RNA sequencing

Northwestern scientists discover 'wasabi receptor' for pain in flatworms

Genetic diversity plays major role in evolution of drug resistance

Columbia scientists receive grant from CZI to construct atlas of cells in human spinal cord

New model predicts how E. coli bacteria respond to temperature changes, genetic mutations

Study helps understand basic mechanisms of mitochondrial DNA maintenance

MIT researchers develop new technique to screen for genes that protect against diseases

Whole genome sequencing could help better understand genetic abnormalities underlying autism

TSRI scientists demonstrate repurposing of DNA to create new substances

New computer program identifies different cell types based on gene expression patterns

Effects of having familiar, good neighbors revealed in bird study

Penn Medicine professor receives New Innovator Award from NIH

New microcapsules represent promising vectors for application of genome-editing tools

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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