Category: <span>Genetics</span>

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GENE THERAPY RESTORES VISION IN BLIND MICE

The Rain Has Gone Thanks to a new gene therapy targeting specific cells in the eye, blind mice have regained the ability to see. A team of neuroscientists developed a treatment that re-activated the Cngb1 gene, which when disabled causes light-detecting rod cells found in the retina to deteriorate, according to research recently published in the journal JNeurosci. The recovered rod cells not only regained the...

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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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Genes could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease

Tooth decay and gum disease impact on illness and healthcare spending, yet the role of genetics in dental problems is largely unknown. New research led by an international team, including researchers at the University of Bristol, suggests hereditary traits and factors such as obesity, education and personality could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease. Tooth decay and periodontitis, also known as gum disease, are among the most common diseases around the world but...

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New method divides patients with ulcerative colitis in groups

by  Karolinska Institutet Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found a way of using gene expression conserved across species to divide patients with the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis into two distinct groups. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications, and the researchers hope that the method can also be used to subdivide other autoimmune diseases. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel...

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COULD GENE MODIFICATION BE A SKELETON KEY FOR CURING ALZHEIMER’S?

While CRISPR technology is generating a new wave of optimism for curing neurological diseases, experts warn that it has to be one part of a larger approach. TARA FERNANDEZ It’s hard to ignore the fanfare. CRISPR and other genome-editing technologies are set to redefine the way we treat a vast array of illnesses, from cancer to inherited...

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Genetics may help predict the right blood pressure drug for you

Medication can play a huge role in reducing high blood pressure, a leading cause of stroke, heart attack and other serious health problems. Yet given the wide selection of drugs for doctors to choose from, figuring out which drug works best for someone is difficult. But researchers may have found a better way to predict the effectiveness and side...

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If you could learn every disease your child could possibly develop in life, would you?

Adding genomic sequencing results to traditional newborn screening means a baby could potentially test positive for numerous conditions that might not develop within their lifetime UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH CARE CHAPEL HILL, NC – Newborn screening is required in the U.S. and differs slightly depending on which state you live in. For the most part, it’s done before a newborn...

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Why Anti-vax Doctors Are Ordering 23andMe Tests

Naturopaths have long been obsessed with a gene called MTHFR. Now vaccine skeptics are testing for it too. David Reif, now a biologist at NC State, realized his old paper had taken on a dangerous second life when he saw it cited—not in the scientific literature, but in a court case. The paper was titled...

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Drug-resistant cancer cells create own Achilles heel

by Nicole Giese Rura,  Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research The cells of most patients’ cancers are resistant to a class of drugs, called proteasome inhibitors, that should kill them. When studied in the lab, these drugs are highly effective, yet hundreds of clinical trials testing proteasome inhibitors have failed. Now scientists may have solved the mystery of these cells’ surprising hardiness....