Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Zylka lab receives NIH grant to advance treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders

The National Institutes of Health have awarded two separate grants totaling $6.1 million to Mark Zylka, PhD, director of the UNC Neuroscience Center. One of the grants was co-awarded to Ben Philpot, PhD, associate director of the center at the UNC School of Medicine.

18 Sep 2019

Quanterix Serum Nf-L assay powers key trial and study results presented at ECTRIMS 2019

Quanterix, announce that its Simoa technology and Nf-L assays were used in many of the groundbreaking research and treatment developments.

From Quanterix 18 Sep 2019

Altered microbiome in fruit flies can drive evolutionary change

The expression "you are what you eat" has taken on new meaning. In an experiment in fruit flies, or Drosophila melanogaster, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found that adding different species of microbes to the flies' food caused populations to diverge genetically, racking up significant genomic changes in just five generations.

18 Sep 2019

Scientists pinpoint cause of fatal genetic disorder in children

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis appear to have solved a decades-long mystery regarding the precise biochemical pathway leading to a fatal genetic disorder in children that results in seizures, developmental regression and death, usually around age 3.

17 Sep 2019

Researchers discover link between alcohol-producing gut bacteria and NAFLD

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the build-up of fat in the liver due to factors other than alcohol. It affects about a quarter of the adult population globally, but its cause remains unknown.

17 Sep 2019

Strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease impairs function of human microglia

A study carried out with a new human stem cell-derived model reveals that the most prevalent genetic risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4), impairs the function of human brain immune cells, microglia. These findings pave the way for new, effective treatment approaches for AD. The results were published in Stem Cell Reports.

17 Sep 2019

Inherited genetic tendency appears to protect people from MRSA infections

An inherited genetic tendency appears to increase the likelihood that a person can successfully fight off antibiotic-resistant staph infections, according to a study led by Duke Health researchers.

17 Sep 2019

Research may provide better tools for designing personalized protocols for cancer patients

Diversity – at least among cancer cells – is not a good thing. Now, research from the Weizmann Institute of Science shows that in melanoma, tumors with cells that have differentiated into more diverse subtypes are less likely to be affected by the immune system, thus reducing the chance that immunotherapy will be effective.

17 Sep 2019

Developing a highly predictive genetic risk score for type 1 diabetes

Paul Tran is working to develop a highly predictive genetic risk score that will tell parents whether their baby is at significant risk for type 1 diabetes.

16 Sep 2019

Discovery opens up new opportunities to understand the genetics of cancer

University of Delaware molecular biologist Mona Batish and collaborators at Harvard Medical School and University of California, Los Angeles, have identified a new circular ribonucleic acid (RNA) that increases tumor activity in soft tissue and connective tissue tumors.

13 Sep 2019

Protein messengers from human microbiome shed light on human health

The human body has been studied for centuries, but there are still mysteries that are yet to unfold. For instance, it was discovered that there are trillions of bacteria living inside the body, those that are beneficial for health. Now, studies are focused on studying the human microbiome and how they affect health and well-being.

12 Sep 2019

Scientists discover new drug target for fatal lung condition

Scientists have identified a molecular pathway that contributes to the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a severe, often fatal condition that has no cure.

12 Sep 2019

Economic hardship over consecutive years accelerates aging

Genetics, lifestyle and environment are all factors that somehow influence when and how we all age. But the financial situation is also important.

12 Sep 2019

Scientists attempt to cure HIV using CRISPR, with varying results

Scientists have used the gene-editing technology CRISPR in an attempt to cure a person infected with HIV, with some success.

12 Sep 2019

Cancer disease incidence and severity influenced by gene mutation, tissue location

The KRAS gene is one of the commonly mutated genes in cancer. More than 40 percent of colorectal cancers have a mutated KRAS gene, or oncogene, that is at least partially responsible for cancer development.

12 Sep 2019

Simple genetic test may boost response rates in children with eosinophilic esophagitis

Personalized medicine - where the proper medicine and proper dose are used for the individual patient - moved a step closer to reality for children suffering from eosinophilic esophagitis, an inflammation of the food pipe often caused by an allergic reaction to certain foods.

12 Sep 2019

A gene that acts as master regulator of schizophrenia identified

Using computational tools to investigate gene transcription networks in large collections of brain tissues, a scientific team has identified a gene that acts as a master regulator of schizophrenia during early human brain development.

11 Sep 2019

LMRI scientists discover cause of debilitating eye disease

Scientists at the Lowy Medical Research Institute have discovered one cause of a progressive, debilitating eye disease called macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel).

11 Sep 2019

First genetic cause for a rare eye disease discovered

John A. Moran Eye Center physician-researcher Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD, and his patients at the University of Utah played a key role in the recent discovery of the first genetic cause for a rare eye disease.

11 Sep 2019

Gene coding error likely responsible for rare form of inherited 'short telomere' disease

By combing through the entire genetic sequences of a person with a lung scarring disease and 13 of the person’s relatives, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have found a coding error in a single gene that is likely responsible for a rare form of the disease and the abnormally short protective DNA caps on chromosomes long associated with it.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 11 Sep 2019

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Zylka lab receives NIH grant to advance treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders

Quanterix Serum Nf-L assay powers key trial and study results presented at ECTRIMS 2019

Altered microbiome in fruit flies can drive evolutionary change

Scientists pinpoint cause of fatal genetic disorder in children

Researchers discover link between alcohol-producing gut bacteria and NAFLD

Strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease impairs function of human microglia

Inherited genetic tendency appears to protect people from MRSA infections

Research may provide better tools for designing personalized protocols for cancer patients

Developing a highly predictive genetic risk score for type 1 diabetes

Discovery opens up new opportunities to understand the genetics of cancer

Protein messengers from human microbiome shed light on human health

Scientists discover new drug target for fatal lung condition

Economic hardship over consecutive years accelerates aging

Scientists attempt to cure HIV using CRISPR, with varying results

Cancer disease incidence and severity influenced by gene mutation, tissue location

Simple genetic test may boost response rates in children with eosinophilic esophagitis

A gene that acts as master regulator of schizophrenia identified

LMRI scientists discover cause of debilitating eye disease

First genetic cause for a rare eye disease discovered

Gene coding error likely responsible for rare form of inherited 'short telomere' disease

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

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