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Clinical genetics news

DNA sequencing reveals how rare cancer spread between twins before birth

Two identical sisters came into the world carrying the same rare cancer. They lost their lives to an undifferentiated sarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer driven by a unique gene fusion (MN1::ZNF341). The story began before they ...

Genomic cancer driver study reveals new clues to why some prostate cancers become aggressive

Why do some prostate cancers grow slowly for years, while others progress quickly to life-threatening metastatic disease? An international team of researchers co-led by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and ...

AI tool helps identify harmful epilepsy genetic variants

A new artificial intelligence tool developed by Northwestern Medicine scientists and collaborating institutions can help determine whether genetic variants associated with a severe form of childhood epilepsy will cause disease, ...

Reversing age by reprogramming gene expression networks

Every organ and tissue progressively loses function and integrity as it ages. In fact, researchers have identified "hallmarks of aging" that not only present specific processes impacted by age, but are also thought of as ...

Aspirin rarely used for colorectal cancer prevention

People with Lynch syndrome have a significantly increased risk of developing colorectal cancer and other types of cancer due to a hereditary predisposition. The CAPP2 study had already shown in this high-risk group that acetylsalicylic ...

Rare aging disorder links 'biological clock' to disease

Scientists have discovered a rare genetic condition that causes people to age at a much faster rate, offering fresh insights into the aging process. The study shows for the first time how a "biological clock" present in every ...

Gene discovery could help prevent stroke in young people

UVA Health stroke researchers have identified a distinct and temporary pattern of gene behavior during cervical artery dissections, a leading cause of stroke in young people. These unusual gene changes may help explain the ...

Reproduction affects health—and so does biological sex

Starting one's sex life and having children at a young age can run in the family. But can pregnancy have beneficial health effects, and do the partner's genes contribute to them? "We are just beginning to understand how pregnancy ...

What a 'silenced' chromosome can tell us about autoimmunity

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus, is an autoimmune disorder that occurs more frequently in women. Having multiple X chromosomes has been associated with an increased risk of developing lupus; ...

Why pollution affects some asthma patients more than others

For many people with asthma, air-quality advisories are harbingers of worsening symptoms. But for reasons science has struggled to explain, the extent to which pollution exacerbates asthma varies widely from person to person.