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Genetics news

Genetics

Largest genetic study to date identifies 13 new DNA regions linked to dyslexia

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental condition estimated to affect between 5–10% of people living in most countries, irrespective of their educational and cultural background. Dyslexic individuals experience persistent difficulties ...

Genetics

One-time gene therapy could end lifelong transfusions for rare blood disease

Thanks to in-utero blood transfusion technology, what was once a fatal diagnosis in the womb can now result in live births. However, this medical advancement created a new challenge: a growing population of children born ...

Genetics

CRISPR approach offers hope for severe childhood brain disorder

When brain development gets off to a bad start, the consequences are lifelong. One example is a condition called SCN2A haploinsufficiency, in which children are born with just one functioning copy of the SCN2A gene—instead ...

Genetics

AI-powered CRISPR could lead to faster gene therapies

Stanford Medicine researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool to help scientists better plan gene-editing experiments. The technology, CRISPR-GPT, acts as a gene-editing "copilot" supported by AI to help researchers—even ...

Oncology & Cancer

Research links DNA replication failure to cancer therapy

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Communications, reveals that cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) promote DNA replication licensing in human cells by relieving inhibitory signals from RB tumor suppressor ...

Genetics

Gene therapy safeguards hearing, balance in preclinical test

Scientists from the Gray Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University introduced an innovative gene therapy method to treat impairments in hearing and balance caused by inner ear dysfunction. According to the ...

Genetics

Cell defect in exosomes linked to development of Alzheimer's

They're tiny particles—with potentially huge human consequences. Researchers from Aarhus University have identified a defect in the production of so-called exosomes in cells, associated with a mutation seen in dementia ...

Oncology & Cancer

Surprising new roles discovered for known blood cancer gene DNMT3A

A gene called DNMT3A is important for guiding blood stem cells into forming all the cell types present in blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. When this gene accumulates mutations—which might ...

Genetics

Large-scale study links dyslexia genetics to brain structure

Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty in which genes often play a role. How do genes associated with dyslexia relate to brain structure in the general population? In a large-scale study published in Science Advances, a ...

Genetics

New gene therapy could alleviate chronic pain, researchers find

Pain is meant to be a defense mechanism. It creates a strong sensation to get us to respond to a stimulus and prevent ourselves from further harm. But, sometimes injuries, nerve damage, or infections can cause long-lasting, ...

Genetics

Genetic testing moving into the mainstream, study finds

Genetic testing, which has expanded in recent years with advances in technology and the development of consumer products, is on a path to widespread acceptance in the U.S., researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center found. ...

Genetics

Researchers discover molecular events leading to Rett syndrome

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital and collaborating institutions have gained new insights into the molecular changes leading ...

Genetics

Collaborative seeks to change children's lives through genetics

A 14-year-old girl was having back pain after a car accident and visited an orthopedic clinic at Boston Children's Hospital. In the course of her care, she joined the Children's Rare Disease Collaborative (CRDC), a hospital-wide ...

Genetics

Mini-brains reveal how mitochondrial mutations affect brain cells

Researchers at the University of Bergen have used advanced stem cell technology to develop mini-brains, also called brain organoids, that can mimic disease processes caused by mitochondrial failure. This could open new avenues ...

Oncology & Cancer

High-altitude gene variant linked to better blood cancer prognosis

Two researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) have discovered a gene variant found in high-altitude Andean populations that they believe could be a new biomarker for predicting the severity ...

Genetics

New drug strategy targets rare immune disorders' genetic roots

Several rare immune disorders are caused by mutations in the patient's DNA. In a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology, the University of Surrey and its collaborators found that targeting the mutated pathways ...