Genetics News and Research

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Genetics is the study of genes and heredity. Heredity is the passing of genetic information and traits (such as eye color and an increased chance of getting a certain disease) from parents to offspring.

Hudsonalpha researchers help elucidate functional elements of the genome

Although the Human Genome Project sequenced a nearly-complete human genome almost 20 years ago, only about two percent of the genes in the human genome have been extensively studied and identified as protein-coding genes. Proteins form the basis of living tissues and play a central role in biological processes.

3 Aug 2020

Genetic analysis helps determine causal relationships between diabetes, obesity and NAFLD

Diabetes, obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are all common diseases that can lead to serious health implications.

3 Aug 2020

New and unique class of carbohydrate receptors discovered

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are surface-exposed carbohydrates that surround and protect bacteria and are involved in biofilm formation, cell-to-cell interactions, immune evasion, and pathogenesis.

31 Jul 2020

'Marie Kondo' enzyme helps fruit fly embryos to clean out maternal proteins

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have discovered a protein in fruit fly embryos, dubbed Marie Kondo, that destroys maternal proteins.

29 Jul 2020

Researchers uncover a novel mechanism by which cancer cells adapt to stress

Collaborative Cancer Research UK-funded studies from University of Oxford researchers have uncovered a new mechanism by which cancer cells adapt to the stresses they encounter as they grow and respond to therapies.

29 Jul 2020

Human genome may explain the neonatal origins of immune and inflammatory diseases

A study published in the journal Nature Communications has pinpointed a number of areas of the human genome that may help explain the neonatal origins of chronic immune and inflammatory diseases of later life, including type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and coeliac disease.

29 Jul 2020

A novel approach to identify cancer targets using 'synthetic lethality'

With advances in genome sequencing, cancer treatments have increasingly sought to leverage the idea of "synthetic lethality," exploiting cancer-specific genetic defects to identify targets that are uniquely essential to the survival of cancer cells.

28 Jul 2020

Community-based genetic screening has potential to identify individuals at risk for inherited diseases

In a new study published today in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers behind the Healthy Nevada Project® suggest that community-based genetic screening has the potential to efficiently identify individuals who may be at increased risk for three common inherited genetic conditions known to cause several forms of cancer and increased risk for heart disease or stroke.

28 Jul 2020

Research identifies TLR7 gene that predisposes individuals to severe COVID-19

Current observations suggest that the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causes severe symptoms mainly in elderly patients with chronic disease.

27 Jul 2020

New study shows how T cells function in atherosclerosis

High cholesterol kills. In fact, one in four Americans will die from the consequences of atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaques of fat and cholesterol in the arteries. Statins have helped reduce mortality, but millions are still at risk.

27 Jul 2020

Experimental mRNA-based vaccine protects animals against SARS-CoV-2

An experimental messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) elicits protective immune responses in mice and non-human primates, researchers report on July 23rd in the journal Cell.

27 Jul 2020

Study shows how cancer develops resistance to chemotherapy

Cancer's knack for developing resistance to chemotherapy has long been a major obstacle to achieving lasting remissions or cures. While tumors may shrink soon after chemotherapy, many times they eventually grow back.

24 Jul 2020

Study shows KBTBD2 gene plays a key role in regulating insulin sensitivity

Deleting a key gene in mice in just their fat made tissues throughout these animals insulin resistant, in addition to other effects, a new study by UT Southwestern researchers shows.

24 Jul 2020

New startup launched to overcome the challenge of delivering next-generation therapeutics

Harvard University's Office of Technology Development (OTD) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health today announced the launch of Vesigen Therapeutics, a startup company that aims to overcome the challenge of delivering next-generation therapeutics, such as gene-editing complexes, RNA molecules, and other large proteins, to intracellular targets in specific tissues of interest.

23 Jul 2020