Imagine a word processor that allowed you to change letters or words but balked when you tried to cut or rearrange whole paragraphs. Biologists have faced such constraints for decades. They could add or disable genes in a cell or even—with the genome-editing technology CRISPR—make precise changes within genes. Those capabilities have led to recombinant DNA technology, genetically modified organisms, and...
Tag: <span>Gene</span>
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Onset mechanism of schizophrenia is different between males and females, new study shows
Posted Today Schizophrenia affects more than 21 million people worldwide. It is a mental disorder, characterized by a decreased ability to understand reality. People with this condition suffer from unclear or confused thinking, hearing voices, violent thoughts and other symptoms. Men are affected more often than women, which is why scientists set out looking for...
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Could targeting variants of this gene help fight Alzheimer’s disease?
By Catharine Paddock PhD Fact checked by Carolyn Robertson Scientists have identified gene variants that appear able to alter the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by changing levels of a protein that is present in cerebrospinal fluid. In a recent Science Translational Medicinepaper, the international team describes how variants in the MS4A4A gene influence the risk...
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Genetic testing and family tree research are revealing painful family secrets, research says
by Tony Trueman, European Sociological Association Genealogical research and genetic testing are revealing skeletons in family closets and causing rifts among members, a new study shows. Family members have discovered they are unrelated or have relatives from an unexpected ethnic group, the research says. Katy Barbier-Greenland and Associate Professor Deborah Dempsey of Swinburne University, Australia,...
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Moles on the body largely influenced by genetics, finds new study
KING’S COLLEGE LONDON A study published this week in the journal Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research has found that genes have a greater influence than previously thought not only on the number of moles you have but also where they are on your body. Survival of skin cancer is known to be influenced by gender, with female patients demonstrating higher rates of survival linked...
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Scientists home in on six forms of exercise to best combat obesity genes
A team of scientists from Taiwan is suggesting not all exercise is equal when it comes to those with a genetic propensity for obesity trying to lose weight. The study concluded jogging was better for weight loss than either swimming or cycling in those subjects with a genetic predisposition for obesity. The new study looked...
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New method helping to find deletions and duplications in the human genome
by Sam Sholtis, Pennsylvania State University A new machine-learning method accurately identifies regions of the human genome that have been duplicated or deleted—known as copy number variants—that are often associated with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The new method, developed by researchers at Penn State, integrates data from several algorithms that attempt to identify copy number variants from exome-sequencing data—high-throughput DNA sequencing of only the...
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Gene repair improves memory and seizures in adult autism model
by The Scripps Research Institute A new study challenges the presumption that people born with developmental brain disorders such as severe autism will benefit from medical interventions only if treated during a narrow window in infancy or early childhood. Writing in the journal eLife, an open-access scientific journal, the Rumbaugh lab at Scripps Research in Florida reports improvement in...
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Unpaired 1 — A new candidate gene to contribute to lifespan regulation
INSILICO MEDICINE, INC. Wednesday, April 3, 2019 – Alexey Moskalev, Ph.D., Head of the Laboratory of Geroprotective and Radioprotective technologies, and co-authors from the Institute of biology of Komi Science Center of RAS announce the publication of a scientific article titled “Effects of unpaired 1 gene over expression on the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster” in BMC...
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Second male birth control pill passes human safety tests
A new male birth control pill passed tests of safety and tolerability when healthy men used it daily for a month, and it produced hormone responses consistent with effective contraception, according to researchers at two institutions testing the drug. The Phase 1 study results were presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in New Orleans. Stephanie Page,...