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Clinical genetics news

Genome editing in rats enables more accurate estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer models

Rat disease models have played an integral role in scientific discovery and cancer research, including Nobel Prize–winning work from Charles Huggins on hormone therapy for prostate cancer in 1966. However, technical challenges ...

Researchers discover new form of hereditary prostate cancer

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have identified a new form of hereditary prostate cancer that, while rare, can cause aggressive disease at a young age. The discovery paves the way for genetic testing programs ...

New approach to gene correction for iron storage disease

Hereditary primary hemochromatosis is caused by a single faulty building block in a gene. This leads to iron overload, which can have serious consequences for organs and joints. In preclinical studies, researchers have already ...

Why does Parkinson's disease affect more men than women?

New research presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2026 has discovered some of the genetic changes in brain cells that may help explain why more men than women develop Parkinson's disease.

National rare disease registry may improve care for patients

In Sweden, more than 500,000 individuals live with a rare condition. Globally, approximately 7,000 distinct rare diseases have been identified, the majority of which have a genetic etiology. Expertise regarding these diagnoses ...

Genetic testing changes care for pulmonary fibrosis patients

A new Mayo Clinic study shows that integrating telomere length evaluation and genetic testing into pulmonary care can significantly change how physicians diagnose and treat pulmonary fibrosis—in some cases even redirecting ...

New approach could transform epilepsy treatment

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have used an advanced gene-editing technique to correct the underlying cause of a severe form of epilepsy in lab mice. This breakthrough could one day lead to new treatments ...

How does mitochondrial DNA influence human health?

Some of your most important life partners are the mitochondria that power all your cells. You and these little cellular powerhouses are in a 1.5-billion-year-old evolutionary relationship—but mitochondria brought some baggage. ...

Study identifies genetic drivers of resistant hypertension

Cedars-Sinai investigators have identified distinct genetic variants associated with resistant hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that remains uncontrolled despite medication. Their findings, published in the journal ...

Rare MGRN1 gene variant tied to fetal heart malformations

The Human Genetics Research Group of the University of Tartu Faculty of Medicine has identified a gene whose defect may cause congenital heart malformations in the fetus. The MGRN1 gene has not previously been associated ...

Scalable sensors lower the cost of studying genetic disorders

Researchers have demonstrated a new class of low-cost, scalable sensors that can be used to monitor electrical activity in human cerebral organoids. Because electrical signals are key to understanding brain function, this ...

Probing a paradoxical drug response for irregular heartbeat

Irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, can be treated with various procedures or medication, but not all medications work for all patients. In fact, one arrhythmia medication can actually cause arrhythmia in people with a common ...