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Gene-based blood test may predict treatment success in people with metastatic melanoma

A test that monitors blood levels of DNA fragments released by dying tumor cells may serve as an accurate early indicator of treatment success in people in late stages of one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer, a new study finds.

From New York University (NYU) 15 Feb 2021

Study uncovers how harmless E.coli gut bacteria turn deadly

An international team of scientists has determined how harmless E.coli gut bacteria in chickens can easily pick up the genes required to evolve to cause a life-threatening infection.

From University of Bath 15 Feb 2021

Innovative system allows complete study of SARS-CoV-2 mutant spectrum by ultrasequencing

Researchers have designed a program that allows the complete study of the SARS-CoV-2 mutant spectrum by ultrasequencing.

15 Feb 2021

Researchers use mouse models to explain how cancer cells spread

Most tumors consist of a heterogenous mix of cells. Genetic mutations found only in some of these cells are known to aid with the spread and progression of cancer.

15 Feb 2021

Study reveals key process by which plants switch between different stress responses

To design effective strategies that protect significant agricultural crops from climate change, it is important to understand how plants react to stressful environmental conditions.

15 Feb 2021

Enzyme in fruit fly larvae plays key role in waking up brain stem cells

Researchers studying an enzyme in fruit fly larvae have found that it plays an important role in waking up brain stem cells from their dormant 'quiescent' state, enabling them to proliferate and generate new neurons.

12 Feb 2021

Genomic test helps identify prostate cancer patients who may benefit from hormone therapy

A commercially available genomic test may help oncologists better determine which patients with recurrent prostate cancer may benefit from hormone therapy, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and 15 other medical centers.

12 Feb 2021

New way to quantify the key characteristics of RNA-binding proteins

A research team from Case Western Reserve University has discovered a new way to quantify the main characteristics of proteins that bind to RNA in cells—a finding that may enhance one’s interpretation of how gene regulation is disrupted in infections, neurodegenerative diseases, or cancer.

11 Feb 2021

Scientists identify mystery protein that explains the origins of Parkinson's Disease

Researchers have made a “vital step” toward inferring the origins of Parkinson’s disease—a neurological condition that is rapidly growing in the world.

11 Feb 2021

Daytime napping is partly regulated by a person's genes

How often a person takes daytime naps, if at all, is partly regulated by their genes, according to new research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in Nature Communications.

11 Feb 2021

Inherited genetic variation plays a role in how patients respond to cancer immunotherapy

For all their importance as a breakthrough treatment, the cancer immunotherapies known as checkpoint inhibitors still only benefit a small minority of patients, perhaps 15 percent across different types of cancer. Moreover, doctors cannot accurately predict which of their patients will respond.

11 Feb 2021

Study examines the largest and most diverse genetic sequencing data sets

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and their colleagues published a new analysis today in the journal Nature from genetic sequencing data of more than 53,000 individuals, primarily from minority populations.

11 Feb 2021

Scientists discover how the 3D structure of eye-lens proteins is formed

The lens of the human eye gets its transparency and refractive power from the fact that certain proteins are densely packed in its cells.

11 Feb 2021

Scientists use new approach to avert drug resistance in glioblastomas

In far too many cases over the years, scientists have discovered promising new cancer treatments, only to report later that the tumor cells found ways to become resistant. These disappointing results have made overcoming drug resistance a major goal in cancer research.

11 Feb 2021

Researchers identify tumor suppressor gene involved in stress response

Even the larvae of the Drosophila fly contain adult progenitor cells. And these cells are the only ones that are preserved throughout the growth and are responsible for the development of adult tissues and organs.

11 Feb 2021

Unusual DNA folding leads to higher mutation rates

DNA sequences that can fold into shapes other than the classic double helix tend to have higher mutation rates than other regions in the human genome.

From Penn State University 10 Feb 2021

Study provides insights into genetic landscape of common inherited kidney disease

A study has described genetic changes in patients with the most common form of hereditary kidney disease that affects an estimated 12.5 million people worldwide.

10 Feb 2021

Certain coronaviruses steal hosts’ genes to evade their immune system

Certain coronaviruses can add some genes, that belong to the host they infected, to their genetic pool. In this manner, they can merge and be less noticeable in the immune system.

9 Feb 2021

New study facilitates the use of gene editing technique on plants

A new study performed by the IBMCP of UPV University enables the use of the CRISPR genomic editing technique on plants.

9 Feb 2021

New platform may accelerate genomic medicine research, drug therapies

A research team, headed by Cleveland Clinic, has designed a novel personalized genomic medicine platform that would help speed up genomic medicine studies as well as genome-informed drug discovery. The results of the new study have been recently published in the Genome Biology journal.

9 Feb 2021