Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Latest Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Microglia Replacement Therapy Offers Hope for Genetic Disorders Affecting the Brain

Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, genetic disorders affecting the brain, have no effective treatment and are typically fatal within the first years of life.

7 Aug 2025

Parkinson’s Gene Mutation Blocks Vital Neuroprotective Signals

GBA1 mutations impair ciliary Hedgehog signaling in Parkinson's disease, reducing neuroprotective factors and highlighting a shared pathogenic pathway.

7 Aug 2025

Ribosome Levels Drop During Early Brain Development

A team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists has identified a specific stage of neurodevelopment when differentiating neural cells produce fewer ribosomes, which are responsible for making proteins.

6 Aug 2025

Uncovering How Cells Precisely Control Protein Production

It's known as biology's central dogma: All living organisms' genetic information is stored in DNA, which is transcribed into RNA, which is translated into proteins that perform nearly all essential tasks in a cell.

6 Aug 2025

New Computational Tool Reveals How Long Non-Coding RNAs Control Gene Expression

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are a type of RNA molecule that do not carry instructions to make proteins. Instead, they influence how other genes are expressed.

6 Aug 2025

Maternal Genetics May Play a Larger Role in Child’s Weight Than Paternal Genes

A mother's genetics may play a bigger role in determining whether a child becomes overweight than a father's, as a result of a concept known as genetic nurture, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

6 Aug 2025

Case Western Researchers Use Stem Cells to “Shut Off” Nerve Cell Strain

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an incurable neurological disease that affects motor neurons, which are nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that regulate voluntary muscle movement and breathing.

6 Aug 2025

Prime Editing Reverses Symptoms of Severe Childhood Neurological Disease

Scientists use a precise form of gene editing called prime editing to correct the most common genetic mutations that cause alternating hemiplegia of childhood, a rare and severe neurological disorder that begins in infancy.

From The Jackson Labs 6 Aug 2025

There’s Something Fishy Going on with Great White Sharks that Scientists Can’t Explain

White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) almost went bottom-up during the last ice age, when sea levels were much lower than they are today and sharks had to get by with less space.

6 Aug 2025

CD276 Antibody Strategy Offers Hope For Immune-Resistant Lung Tumors

The study highlights 8H8_SDIE's role in activating NK cells against NSCLC, offering a new strategy for patients resistant to conventional immunotherapies.

6 Aug 2025

UCLA Researchers Reprogram Stem Cells to Produce Continuous Cancer-Fighting T Cells

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, UCLA scientists have shown it's possible to reprogram a patient's blood-forming stem cells to generate a continuous supply of functional T cells, the immune system's most powerful cancer-killing agents.

5 Aug 2025

New PCE Systems Enable Precise Genome Engineering Across Kilobase to Megabase Scales

A team of Chinese researchers led by Prof. GAO Caixia from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed two new genome editing technologies, known collectively as Programmable Chromosome Engineering (PCE) systems.

5 Aug 2025

Small Changes in Brain Enzyme May Have Shaped Modern Human Behavior

The evolutionary success of our species may have hinged on minute changes to our brain biochemistry after we diverged from the lineage leading to Neanderthals and Denisovans about half a million years ago.

5 Aug 2025

Hemostatic Dressing Developed for Severe Burn Injuries

A team led by Dr. Chao Zhong and Bolin An of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, along with Dr. Yan Liu of Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, created a novel hemostatic dressing based on bacterial cellulose (BC) that allows for quick and long-lasting bleeding control.

4 Aug 2025

New Genetic Research Reveals Hibernation Secrets Hidden in Human DNA

Animals that hibernate are incredibly resilient. They can spend months without food or water, muscles refusing to atrophy, body temperature dropping to near freezing as their metabolism and brain activity slow to a crawl.

1 Aug 2025

Newly Evolved Genes in Peach Offer Clues to Crop Adaptation

The emergence of new genes plays a critical role in driving species-specific traits and adaptive evolution.

1 Aug 2025

AI Tool Accelerates Hunt for Elusive Genome‐Encoded Microproteins

Proteins sustain life as we know it, serving many important structural and functional roles throughout the body.

1 Aug 2025

Mitochondrial Gene Found to Regulate Wood Formation in Poplar

Mitochondria are widely known as the "powerhouses" of the cell, generating the energy needed for life. But in plants, their role goes far beyond metabolism.

31 Jul 2025

Cancer Cells Trigger Instant Energy Surge When Squeezed

Cancer cells mount an instant, energy‑rich response to being physically squeezed, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications.

31 Jul 2025

Thalamus Found to Modulate Cortical Sensitivity to Touch

The cerebral cortex processes sensory information via a complex network of neural connections. How are these signals modulated to refine perception? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has identified a mechanism by which certain thalamic projections target neurons and modify their excitability.

31 Jul 2025