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New center at UCLA focuses on the microbiome’s role in disease prevention

Among the most promising areas of scientific inquiry is the study of the human microbiome and its effect on health. To fuel more rapid progress in this field, Andrea and Donald Goodman and Renee and Meyer Luskin have made a $20 million gift to establish the UCLA Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center.

16 Feb 2023

Novel mechanism of DNA repair occurring in neurons uncovered

"Use it or lose it" goes the adage, applied liberally to everything from our muscles to our minds, especially as we age.

16 Feb 2023

Researchers construct the first chromosome-scale reference genome of Plantago ovata

Scientists have for the first time constructed the reference genome for the source of the popular fiber supplement, psyllium husk, which could boost supplies of the versatile plant-derived product.

16 Feb 2023

Novel approach removes the barriers of lifesaving cancer genetic services

Genetic counseling and genetic testing for mutations in certain genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes -; can help people understand their risk of certain types of cancer that can run in families, and improve outcomes through prevention, early detection, and targeted treatments.

16 Feb 2023

How the immune response in the brain aggravates epilepsy

Biologists at the University of Iowa have conclusively connected epilepsy with the brain’s immune system.

15 Feb 2023

IGSF3-mediated potassium dysregulation drives glioma-related epilepsy

Glioma is one of the most aggressive malignant primary brain tumors. A common feature of glioma is the presence of localized, intermittent seizures referred to as glioma-related epilepsy, which is known to promote tumor growth. However, the mechanism involved at the molecular level is still not clear.

15 Feb 2023

Analyzing the immune microenvironment around Hodgkin lymphoma tumors

The most detailed study of Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, has offered considerable insight into what tumor cells must do to sustain. The Wellcome Sanger Institute discovered that cancer cells utilize signals to attract specific types of immune cells and direct them not to attack.

15 Feb 2023

Versatile molecular toolbox expands the scope of gene regulation

Rice University scientists have enlisted widely used cancer therapy systems to control gene expression in mammalian cells, a feat of synthetic biology that could change how diseases are treated.

15 Feb 2023

Study reveals how two proteins enable drug-resistant MRSA bacterium to secrete toxins

Antimicrobial resistance represents one of the top 10 global public health threats according to the World Health Organization, and scientists have been scrambling to find new tools to cure the most deadly drug-resistant infections.

14 Feb 2023

Study charts seasonal and circadian genetic variation across the human body

The daily rotation of Earth and its yearly voyage around the Sun marks the natural rhythm of life on the planet.

14 Feb 2023

Study finds similar levels of DNA damage in vapers and smokers

E-cigarettes-; used regularly by more than 10% of U.S. teens and more than 3% of adults-; were once pitched as a healthy alternative to tobacco cigarettes.

14 Feb 2023

UChicago scientists shed light on the longstanding puzzle of RNA methylation

University of Chicago scientists have discovered a new wrinkle in our understanding of how our genes work.

14 Feb 2023

Study reveals the mechanisms that prevent effective cancer cell death

Cancer is a disease driven by gene mutations. These mutated genes in cancer fall into two major categories: tumor suppressors and oncogenes. Mutations in tumor suppressor genes can allow tumors to grow unchecked – a case of no brakes – while mutations in oncogenes can activate cell proliferation, pushing the gas pedal all the way to the floor.

14 Feb 2023

New software helps identify genes that play vital roles in the development

Computer software developed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis can predict what happens to complex gene networks when individual genes are missing or dialed up more than usual.

14 Feb 2023

Review highlights the pathological significance of CEACAM1, 5, and 6

A new review was published in Genes & Cancer on February 1, 2023, entitled, "CEACAMS 1, 5, and 6 in disease and cancer: interactions with pathogens."

14 Feb 2023

Engineering a phage's DNA by introducing modified CRISPR-Cas machinery genes

Bacteriophages (or phages) are viruses that infect bacteria. They are the most abundant biological entity, and they can be found wherever bacteria live. To propagate themselves, phages inject their DNA into their bacterial hosts.

13 Feb 2023

New models provide better understanding of how life originated

The first signs of life emerged on Earth in the form of microbes about four billion years ago. While scientists are still determining exactly when and how these microbes appeared, it's clear that the emergence of life is intricately intertwined with the chemical and physical characteristics of early Earth.

13 Feb 2023

Two-step screening of aroma compounds reveals a novel and effective modulator of dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are important players of the immune system with important functions such as the identification of infectious pathogens, production of cytokines (chemical signalers of the immune system), presentation of antigens to activate T-cells, and more.

13 Feb 2023

A treatment strategy to hasten cancer cell death

Gene mutations are the cause of cancer. Tumor suppressors and oncogenes are the two main groups of these altered genes in cancer. Mutations in oncogenes can drive cell proliferation, pushing the gas pedal to the floor, whereas mutations in tumor suppressor genes can cause tumors to grow unchecked—a situation in which there is no control.

13 Feb 2023

Rare disease involving speech and motor coordination difficulties identified

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health recently identified a new neurological condition characterized by issues with motor coordination and speech. Their observations were published in the journal npj Genomic Medicine.

From National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) 13 Feb 2023