Feature Channels: Genetics

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New research from the University of California, San Francisco (USCF) and City of Hope in the July 2020 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network examines coverage trends for circulating tumor DNA testing, also known as gene sequencing of ctDNA or “liquid biopsies.” The researchers found coverage rate rose from 0% to 38% in three years. The policies also increased in scope from 2017-2019, going from one cancer type to 12.

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Researchers at the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai have started recruiting participants for a new clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of a low dose of ketamine in children diagnosed with ADNP syndrome (also known as Helsmoortel-VanDerAa syndrome), a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the activity dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) gene.

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UC Santa Cruz researchers played a crucial role in early planning of the human genome project, in assembling the genome sequence, developing tools for its visualization and ensuring it remained in the public domain. They continue to have a major role in the ongoing analysis of the human genome.

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What causes African hybrid honey bees (AHB), also known as killer bees, to be highly defensive and aggressive? York University researchers have found it was the mixing of African and European genetics that led to hyper-aggression in this invasive strain of honey bees.

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DALLAS – July 6, 2020 – UT Southwestern researchers have identified vast webs of small snippets of the genome that interact with each other and with genes to promote prostate cancer. Their findings, published June 22 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, could lead to new ways to treat the most common type of malignancy in American men other than skin cancer.

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Native to the Americas, the tequila bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) lives in caves in some of the hottest desert areas in Mexico.

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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have developed software to identify cancer-causing mutations lurking in vast regions of the human genome

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For the first time, scientists have shown that the bacterium that causes the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis interferes with tick gene expression for its survival inside cells and to spread to a new vertebrate host.

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University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have developed a safer and more efficient way to deliver a promising new method for treating cancer and liver disorders and for vaccination — including a COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna Therapeutics that has advanced to clinical trials with humans.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every Tuesday throughout the duration of the outbreak.

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By mapping molecular changes in the genome over time, UC San Diego researchers developed a formula to more accurately compare dog age to human age — a tool that could also help them evaluate how well anti-aging products work.

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Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute is pleased to announce that the American Cancer Society (ACS) has awarded Brooke Emerling, Ph.D., a Research Scholar Grant to study a new approach to targeting tumors that have a mutation in the p53 gene—the most altered gene in human cancers. The grants are often a career-launching award for “rising stars” in the cancer research arena.

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A team led by Case Western Reserve University medical researchers has developed a potential treatment method for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), a fatal neurological disorder that produces severe movement, motor and cognitive dysfunction in children. It results from genetic mutations that prevent the body from properly making myelin, the protective insulation around nerve cells.

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How did the earliest proteins arise, given that the amino acids needed to make them are themselves produced by other proteins – enzymes? The Weizmann Institute's Prof. Dan Tawfik and colleagues recreated primordial proteins to find the answer.

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Changes in blood platelets triggered by COVID-19 could contribute to the onset of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious complications in some patients who have the disease, according to University of Utah Health scientists. The researchers found that inflammatory proteins produced during infection significantly alter the function of platelets, making them “hyperactive” and more prone to form dangerous and potentially deadly blood clots.

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Progress can be safely considered synonymous with science. We have seen a tangible improvement over the last hundred years. But who are the people behind such a mysterious sphere as science? What is its future focus? And why are academic partnerships so important now? Explains MIPT geneticist Pavel Volchkov

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The SARS-CoV-19 virus initially has a limited capability to invade, attacking only one intracellular genetic target, the aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhRs).

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The most strongly disease-relevant genetic variants can be hard to localize in widespread scanning of the genome – but by zooming in on key genetic locations associated with these DNA methylation imbalances in multiple normal and cancer tissues, the scientists report they have uncovered promising new leads beneath the broader statistical signals.

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UC San Diego and Deerfield Management created Poseidon Innovation to support researchers working to advance disease-curing therapeutics by funding early stage projects and expediting the drug-development cycle. Poseidon announces it is funding three researchers.