Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists estimate the impact of genetic risk factors on the loss of healthy life years

Researchers have, for the first time, systematically estimated the impact of a range of different disease-associated genetic risk factors on the loss of healthy life years. Knowing the contribution of different genetic risk factors on disease burden can help prioritise and design interventions using genetic information.

12 Sep 2022

Exercise hormone reduces protein levels linked to Parkinson's disease

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have shown that a hormone secreted into the blood during endurance, or aerobic, exercise reduces levels of a protein linked to Parkinson's disease and halts movement problems in mice.

12 Sep 2022

Small molecule inhibitor found to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

In a new study, researchers developed RK-33, a small molecule inhibitor of DDX3, and evaluated its efficacy against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs).

12 Sep 2022

Role of the transketolase-like 1 gene in the development of the modern human brain

In a new study, researchers demonstrated how transketolase-like 1 (TKTL1) gene expression influenced neocortical neurogenesis in modern humans.

12 Sep 2022

Self-replicating intradermal RNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers assessed the efficiency of a controllable self-replicating ribonucleic acid (c-srRNA) vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

12 Sep 2022

Pollutant particles in the air trigger lung cancer in non-smokers

A new mechanism has been identified through which very small pollutant particles in the air may trigger lung cancer in people who have never smoked, paving the way to new prevention approaches and development of therapies, according to late-breaking data [to be] reported at the ESMO Congress 2022 by scientists of the Francis Crick Institute and University College London, funded by Cancer Research UK. The particles, which are typically found in vehicle exhaust and smoke from fossil fuels, are associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk, accounting for over 250,000 lung cancer deaths globally per year.

12 Sep 2022

Tumor-derived factors stimulate effector trogocytosis and inhibit CAR T cells

The immune system is equipped to respond not just to external invaders - think viruses, bacteria, and parasites - but also to internal threats, namely, cancer. Yet, frequently, malignancies overcome the immune system's defenses and evade detection.

12 Sep 2022

Jumping gene plays an important role in reducing depression, fear, and anxiety

First characterized in Prof. Tadashi Yamamoto's former lab in Japan in 1996, the gene Tob is well known for the role it plays in cancer. Previous research has also indicated that it has a hand in regulating the cell cycle and the body's immune response.

9 Sep 2022

New technology can capture stray ovarian cancer cells from a simple blood test

A new type of technology can capture stray ovarian cancer cells from a simple blood test and successfully predict cancer in people who have a lesion or cyst in the pelvic region, according to a new study by a Wilmot Cancer Institute physician/scientist.

9 Sep 2022

UT Southwestern scientists identify genetic mutations that contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Using a genetic screening platform developed by a UT Southwestern Nobel Laureate, scientists with the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified genetic mutations that contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), providing a potential future target for therapeutic interventions.

9 Sep 2022

Wayne State receives $11.3 million NIH award to tackle health problems caused by VOCs

Wayne State University has received a five-year, approximately $11.3 million award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to create a new Superfund Research Program, the "Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness and Research (CLEAR)."

9 Sep 2022

Understanding the molecular pathways that underly nutrient switch in starving cancer cells

Cancer cells often grow in environments that are low in nutrients, and they cope with this challenge by switching their metabolism to using proteins as alternative "food".

9 Sep 2022

Study helps understand how dietary therapies work for epilepsy

Calorie restriction has long been associated with reduced seizures in epilepsy. New research from Boston Children's Hospital helps explain how fasting affects neurons in the brain and could lead the way to new approaches that would avoid the need for fasting or restrictive diets. The findings were published August 30 in the journal Cell Reports.

9 Sep 2022

Novel method for gene editing of hPSCs yields up to 84% knockout efficiency

A Penn State-led team of interdisciplinary researchers has developed techniques to improve the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9, the genome editing technique that earned the Nobel Prize in 2020.

9 Sep 2022

New data analysis approach could help uncover the genetic basis of many diseases

In the era of Big Data, obtaining a huge amount of information is the easy part; knowing what to do with it is another story entirely.

9 Sep 2022

All SARS-CoV-2 variants neutralized by a potent new antibody

Researchers describe a mouse model used to generate a VH1-2 heavy chain (HC)- and Vκ1-33 light chain (LC)-based recombinant antibody that broadly neutralized all severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants, including the newly emergent Omicron sub-variant BA.5.

9 Sep 2022

A single genomic change may have given modern humans an advantage over Neanderthals

A single amino acid change in the transketolase-like 1 (TKTL1) protein may have given modern humans an advantage over more ancient contemporaries like Neanderthals by enabling increased neocortical neurogenesis, researchers report.

9 Sep 2022

Scientists identify genetic variants linked to an increased risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma

Why did my child get cancer? Clinicians have longed for a way to help answer this question. Doctors knew Hodgkin lymphoma sometimes occurs in families, but why this happens has been a mystery. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have now helped solve it.

9 Sep 2022

Prenatal exposure to air pollution increases risk of childhood allergic rhinitis and asthma

In a recent study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, researchers assessed the impact of prenatal exposure to air pollution on immune perturbations.

8 Sep 2022

Animal models for studying the impacts of hormonal contraception

In a recent study published in the Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology journal, researchers assessed the impact of hormonal contraceptives (HC) on the brain and stress.

8 Sep 2022

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Scientists estimate the impact of genetic risk factors on the loss of healthy life years

Exercise hormone reduces protein levels linked to Parkinson's disease

Small molecule inhibitor found to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Role of the transketolase-like 1 gene in the development of the modern human brain

Self-replicating intradermal RNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

Pollutant particles in the air trigger lung cancer in non-smokers

Tumor-derived factors stimulate effector trogocytosis and inhibit CAR T cells

Jumping gene plays an important role in reducing depression, fear, and anxiety

New technology can capture stray ovarian cancer cells from a simple blood test

UT Southwestern scientists identify genetic mutations that contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Wayne State receives $11.3 million NIH award to tackle health problems caused by VOCs

Understanding the molecular pathways that underly nutrient switch in starving cancer cells

Study helps understand how dietary therapies work for epilepsy

Novel method for gene editing of hPSCs yields up to 84% knockout efficiency

New data analysis approach could help uncover the genetic basis of many diseases

All SARS-CoV-2 variants neutralized by a potent new antibody

A single genomic change may have given modern humans an advantage over Neanderthals

Scientists identify genetic variants linked to an increased risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma

Prenatal exposure to air pollution increases risk of childhood allergic rhinitis and asthma

Animal models for studying the impacts of hormonal contraception

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