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Genetics news

Genetics

Telomere protection failure: How genetic mutations cause pulmonary fibrosis

A research group from the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) has found that an alteration in the POT1 gene prevents lung tissue from regenerating, which over time makes breathing difficult. The mutation prevents telomeres, ...

Genetics

Genetic test predicts response to weight-loss drugs

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a genetic test that can help predict how people will respond to weight loss medications such as GLP-1s.

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 ...

Oncology & Cancer

New treatments found for tough blood cancers

Researchers from King's have identified a new way to treat certain blood cancers using existing drugs, by turning a once-dismissed part of our DNA into a therapeutic target.

Oncology & Cancer

Melanoma 'cellular compass' discovery could help curb metastasis

Researchers have discovered a protein which is critical for steering melanoma cancer cells as they spread throughout the body. The malignant cells become dependent on this protein to migrate, pointing to new strategies for ...

Genetics

Hibernator 'superpowers' may lie 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. ...

Genetics

Research confirms role of DJ-1 gene in Parkinson's disease

A mutant DJ-1 gene causes recessive Parkinson's disease, but the molecular mechanism of this process has not been well studied. To understand how DJ-1 hydrolyzes cyclic 3-phosphoglyceric anhydride—a highly reactive, toxic ...

Genetics

Why some strep infections turn deadly: A genetic clue

A group of researchers led by the University of Osaka have identified a novel genetic mutation in Streptococcus pyogenes, a common bacterium which causes strep throat, significantly associated with severe invasive infections.