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Fastest-evolved regions of the human genome diverged rapidly after split from chimpanzee ancestor

A team of Duke researchers has identified a group of human DNA sequences driving changes in brain development, digestion and immunity that seem to have evolved rapidly after our family line split from that of the chimpanzees, but before we split with the Neanderthals.

24 Nov 2022

RNA-targeting strategy to repair the genetic cause of ALS and dementia

Researchers at UF Scripps Biomedical Research have created a potential treatment for a major factor in the development of ALS and dementia that functions by removing disease-causing RNA segments.

24 Nov 2022

Launch of stem cells into space to investigate stem cell aging

Lab tests on astronaut Scott Kelly’s blood cells after he returned from a year-long stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) showed telomeric and pre-leukemic changes.

From UC San Diego 24 Nov 2022

The influence of genes and small molecules on personal disease risk

Each individual has a unique chemical fingerprint. Small molecules in the blood, like fats or sugars, have a significant impact on how the human body responds to stress, which diseases people are predisposed to, and how serious an illness will be.

23 Nov 2022

Molecular motion of “undruggable” proteins reveals drug-binding sites

“Undruggable” proteins, whose structures and roles in disease are known but who appear unable to be targeted by drugs that will bind to them, present some of the hardest problems in disease treatment.

23 Nov 2022

The critical role of amino acid sensing pathways in driving colorectal cancer

A dietary modification may be essential to improving colon cancer treatment, according to research from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.

22 Nov 2022

Atypical antibody shows extremely potent zika-resistant activity

A group of researchers led by Weill Cornell Medicine, New York-Presbyterian, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigators has discovered an unusual type of antibody that, even at extremely low concentrations, neutralizes the Zika virus and renders the virus infection undetectable in preclinical models.

22 Nov 2022

Mitochondria play a crucial role in the regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway

Mitochondria are highly regarded as the cell's powerhouse. However, these cellular organelles are essential for more than only energy production: Professor Konstanze Winklhofer and her colleagues at Ruhr University Bochum’s Faculty of Medicine have found that mitochondria play an essential role in signal transduction in innate immune pathways.

21 Nov 2022

Revealing the functional significance of DDX41 in great detail

The DDX41 gene encodes the nuclear enzyme DEAD-box-type RNA helicase. Hematopoietic malignancies are caused by DDX41 mutations. However, the mechanism behind the development of this malignancy remains unknown.

21 Nov 2022

Waste disposal mechanism of mitochondria to remove mtDNA mutations

University of Cologne researchers have uncovered the mechanism by which cells can get rid of mutated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)—the heart of each of our cells, the mitochondria.

17 Nov 2022

Applying “programmable molecular scissors” to combat COVID-19 infection

As an approach that could be used to create a new class of antiviral drugs, synthetic biology was used by Cambridge scientists to artificially create enzymes programmed to attack the genetic code of SARS-CoV-2 and eliminate the virus.

17 Nov 2022

A gene’s function in embryonic development

An international study led by the medical school at the University of Bonn has discovered a gene that is crucial to the growth of the human embryo. Abnormalities of different organ systems may occur if it is changed.

16 Nov 2022

New guidelines for genomic consent benefit patients and researchers

How can Canada maximize the benefits of human genomic sequencing to deepen knowledge of disease? For researchers and decision-makers in this expanding field, new guidance published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) establishes the essential components for obtaining patient consent.

16 Nov 2022

Revealing cancer development in people carrying inherited BRCA1 mutations

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered that people who inherit a mutant copy of the BRCA1 gene may develop mutations and cancer due to error-prone DNA replication and repair.

16 Nov 2022

New study figures out which patients will react to immunotherapy

According to a new study, patients with head and neck cancer who have more chromosome 9 genetic material in their cancer cells survive three times longer after accepting immunotherapy than patients who have less of it.

From New York University (NYU) 15 Nov 2022

HIV’s covert methods of evading treatment and immunity

According to Duke Health researchers, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) appears to be driven into a latent state, lurking in cells only to erupt once more. This immune response likely evolved to help fight infections.

15 Nov 2022

NIH funds research on mRNA vaccines to stop cancer development

The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health has awarded a multidisciplinary team of Weill Cornell Medicine researchers a five-year $5.7 million grant to support a center dedicated to creating messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines to prevent the development of cancer in at-risk groups.

15 Nov 2022