Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Study characterizes biochemical mechanism of cancer-linked enzyme

A new study led by scientists at IUPUI and Indiana University Bloomington is the first to describe a biochemical mechanism that increases the activity of a molecule whose presence is observed in many types of cancer.

21 Oct 2020

UK researchers to investigate the neurological and neuropsychiatric effects of COVID-19

A grant worth over two million pounds has been awarded to clinical researchers from the University of Liverpool and King's College London to investigate the neurological and neuropsychiatric effects of COVID-19.

21 Oct 2020

New DNA-cutting tool could advance gene editing for novel treatments

Gene editing for the development of new treatments, and for studying disease as well as normal function in humans and other organisms, may advance more quickly with a new tool for cutting larger pieces of DNA out of a cell's genome, according to a new study by UC San Francisco scientists.

21 Oct 2020

Scientists may be able to prevent cancer by controlling the ANP32E and H2AZ proteins

Someday, scientists may be able to prevent cancer by controlling two proteins that operate deep inside the quagmire of epigenetic cell fate transitions, a new paper suggests.

21 Oct 2020

University of Surrey professor proposes new theory of consciousness

Electromagnetic energy in the brain enables brain matter to create our consciousness and our ability to be aware and think, according to a new theory developed by Professor Johnjoe McFadden from the University of Surrey.

20 Oct 2020

The connection between severe COVID-19 and white blood cell counts

However, in other research, white blood cells' exact roles and subtypes in severe COVID-19 are still unclear. The team writes, "It is unknown if blood cell counts before infection are associated with the risk of developing severe COVID-19." They explained that the numbers of these cell types could be influenced by several factors such as age, gender, disease status, and medications.

19 Oct 2020

Comparative analysis reveals common vulnerabilities across coronaviruses

Three lethal human respiratory syndromes associated with coronavirus (CoV) infections have emerged in the past two decades. They are severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in 2019.

18 Oct 2020

Researchers discover mechanism that regulates neocortical dendrite development

The research group of Takao Kohno (Nagoya City University) and Mitsuharu Hattori (Nagoya City University), Takahiko Kawasaki (National Institute of Genetics), and Kazunori Nakajima (Keio University School of Medicine) found a new mechanism by which superficial neurons correctly develop their dendrites.

16 Oct 2020

Exposure to ancient parasites may be linked to humans’ response to coronavirus

Why are some people more resilient to viruses than others? The answer has eluded scientists for centuries and, in the age of COVID-19, has come to represent one of the holy grails of biomedical research.

16 Oct 2020

Researchers discover a new way to isolate critical neurons in zebrafish

By exposing larval zebrafish to a well-known optical illusion, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology and National Institute of Genetics in Japan have found a clever way to isolate key clusters of neurons critical to processing the direction of motion in the zebrafish's environment.

16 Oct 2020

Mendelian randomization helps evaluate impact of circulating proteins in COVID-19

Researchers identify circulating proteins influencing COVID-19 susceptibility and severity by employing a large-scale two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study.

15 Oct 2020

New technology precisely diagnoses sickle cell disease in a minute

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have developed a new way to diagnose diseases of the blood like sickle cell disease with sensitivity and precision and in only one minute.

15 Oct 2020

Small molecule restores normal heart development in animal model with rare genetic disorder

A research team at the Greenwood Genetic Center has successfully used small molecules to restore normal heart and valve development in an animal model for Mucolipidosis II (ML II), a rare genetic disorder. Progressive heart disease is commonly associated with ML II.

15 Oct 2020

Experts to address factors that cause low dairy consumption in low- and middle-income countries

Low dairy consumption is common among low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); however, with the demand for milk in these countries projected to increase over the next few decades, there is an opportunity to improve the lives of millions of people from the nutritional benefits of dairy products.

15 Oct 2020

New saliva tests can enable early detection and diagnosis of COVID-19, head & neck cancer

Summit Biolabs, Inc., an early-stage molecular diagnostics company specializing in saliva-based testing for COVID-19 and head & neck cancer, and the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine (CCPM) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus announced today a broad strategic collaboration involving research, development and commercialization of saliva liquid-biopsy tests for early cancer detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 and other viral contagions.

15 Oct 2020