Children News and Research

RSS

One Breakthrough DNA Test Replaces Fifteen Standard Rare Disease Diagnostics

A new test provides a much more complete picture of DNA than current standard diagnostics and leads to a diagnosis more often.

15 Jun 2026

New Open Access Connectome Unveils Intricate Fruit Fly Neural Connections

In a first, a large, international team led by multiple labs at Harvard Medical School and Princeton University has published a complete wiring diagram of all the connections between neurons in the central nervous system of an adult fruit fly.

9 Jun 2026

New Study Proves Research Models Accurately Replicate Cancer ecDNA Loops

Damage to DNA in cancer cells can lead to pieces breaking off chromosomes and floating away, like icebergs cracking off from a glacier. Just as icebergs are a threat to ships and their crew, these scattered bits of DNA loom large to physicians and cancer patients by having titanic effects on tumor progression and treatment resistance.

8 Jun 2026

Scientists Identify Epigenetic Mechanism Behind Lifelong Maternal Brain Modifications

Becoming a mother changes the brain not just temporarily, but for life.

5 Jun 2026

New Molecular Map Traces Human Disease Genes Back to LECA

A University of Texas at Austin-led team has reconstructed the most detailed map to date of the molecular machines that carried out the functions of life in an ancient ancestor that gave rise to all complex life on Earth, including us, shedding new light on genetic causes of human diseases.

28 May 2026

Cells Sense Abnormal RNA Patterns to Silence Jumping Genes

Transposons, DNA sequences that can self-replicate and move (jump) throughout the genome, are widespread and can affect cell survival if left unchecked. Cells control these "jumping genes" by silencing them, but little was known about how cells recognize and defend themselves from invading transposons.

27 May 2026

New 3D-Printed Trays Help Produce Functioning Human Gut Organoids Twice as Fast

Thanks to special 3D-printed scaffolding trays designed by experts at Cincinnati Children's, researchers can now produce larger versions of functional human gut organoids twice as fast as previous methods-and these organoids grow their own nerve cells.

23 May 2026

Researchers Use Yeast Sugar Molecules to Extend COVID Vaccine Immunity in Mice

In a new study published in Nature Immunology, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital demonstrated that pairing the original COVID-19 mRNA vaccine with an immune system enhancer, known as an adjuvant, extended the duration of the vaccine's protection in mice from a few months up to two years. The combo also showed a more pronounced response against omicron viral components than the vaccine alone.

23 May 2026

AI Designs Custom Miniproteins to Precisely Control Cell Receptors

G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs, sit in the plasma membrane, the boundary that defines the inside and outside of a living cell. They communicate with nearly every physiological process in our bodies - from the ability to see and smell, to sensing of adrenaline, insulin, nutrients and medicines.

22 May 2026

Scientists Find Key Genetic Boundary That Dictates Immune System Failure

Not all broken genes fail in the same way: some simply stop working, while others interfere with what still works.

22 May 2026

How Minimal Medical Care Shifts Amazonian Villagers' Unique Gut Bacteria

Even minimal exposure to modern medicine can rapidly change the human microbiome. In a new study publishing May 20 in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports, researchers reveal that the gut microbes of remote Amazonian Indigenous communities began shifting toward patterns more commonly seen in urban, industrialized populations after only a few medical visits.

21 May 2026

Protein Plays Dual Role by Silencing Thousands of Genes While Keeping Vital Ones Active

The causes of male infertility can be hard to diagnose, with many tests failing to detect genetic defects. Sometimes, infertility doesn't even involve the genes themselves. It can arise from improper folding of the father's DNA in the sperm. If a couple conceives, this mispackaged DNA can damage the lifelong health of the child.

21 May 2026

Stimulating Early Brain Circuits Partially Restores Vocal Defects Caused by Genetic Mutations

Communication begins long before children learn to speak. Researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in Taiwan have now uncovered how early brain activity helps build developing communication circuits via regulating FOXP2/Foxp2, a gene linked to human speech and communication disorders.

20 May 2026