Researchers at WashU Medicine have identified a possible way to make glioblastoma cells vulnerable to different types of immunotherapy. The strategy, which they demonstrated in cells in the lab, forces brain cancer cells to display targets for the immune system to attack. Their study was published in Nature Genetics.
Tag: Epigenetic
Scientists create first map of DNA modification in the developing human brain
A UCLA-led study has created a map of DNA modification in two regions of the brain critical to learning, memory and emotional regulation. The map offers a benchmark for ensuring stem cell-based models accurately replicate human brain development.
MD Anderson Research Highlights for September 4, 2024
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.
Beyond the Genome: Project to Map DNA Modifications and Gene Activity Across Lifespan, Generations
Long-term, heritable changes in gene activity fundamentally shape our biology, trigger many of our diseases, and set the clock on how we age. Now, a team of U of U Health scientists is starting an ambitious project to map these changes across the entire human genome.
Epigenetic insights: how hybrid poplar regenerates shoots
Hybrid poplar tissue culture regeneration involves intricate changes in DNA methylation, significantly impacting gene expression. This study reveals the dynamic epigenetic landscape during shoot organogenesis, offering crucial insights into allele-specific DNA methylation and its regulatory role in gene expression.
MD Anderson Research Highlights for September 21, 2023
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.
$1.8 Million NIH Grant Supports Head and Neck Cancer Research
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers Lluis Morey, Ph.D., and Ramiro Verdun, Ph.D., have received a $1.8 million NIH R01 grant to study the epigenetic mechanisms that drive head and neck cancers.
Biological Age, Not Birthdate May Reveal Healthy Longevity
UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Study reports that epigenetic age acceleration is associated with lower odds of living to be 90 years old and could be used as a biomarker for healthy longevity and to estimate functional and cognitive aging.
New machine learning technique shows how drugs can be repurposed
A new machine learning method to model gene expression levels might improve the identification of genes that cause human diseases, according to a new study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers.
New measure of sperm age may be predictor of pregnancy success
A novel technique to measure the age of male sperm has the potential to predict the success and time it takes to become pregnant, according to a newly published study by researchers at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.
Drugs showing promise in cancer trials reduce scarring for scleroderma, study shows
Epigenetic drugs that have shown promise in cancer trials significantly reduce scarring in the cells of patients with scleroderma, a new study shows. Results reveal that drugs that inhibit BRD4, known to play a role in cancer, also affect fibrosis in scleroderma. Researchers tested BRD4 inhibitors on the skin fibroblasts of scleroderma patients and in mouse models of skin fibrosis, finding that the treatment stopped scarring in both human-derived cells and in animals.
Drug-Induced Liver Injury, Translational microRNA Biomarkers, and More Featured in January 2021 Toxicological Sciences
in the January 2021 issue, Toxicological Sciences offers an engaging slate of research in toxicology, from endocrine toxicology and biomarkers to genetic and epigenetic toxicology and mixtures toxicology.
Discovery: How Colorado Potato Beetles Beat Pesticides
New research shows that pesticide alter how Colorado potato beetles manage their DNA. These changes were passed down two generations suggesting that rapid resistance to pesticides may not require beetles to evolve their genetic code. Instead they may simply use existing genes to tolerate toxins already found in potatoes. The scientists were surprised that these epigenetic changes, triggered by a single tiny dose of pesticide, were maintained through multiple rounds of sexual reproduction.
Faculty Receives Grant to Examine the Effect of HIV on Children’s Epigenetic Patterns
Rutgers School of Public Health instructor, Stephanie Shiau, has been awarded a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health R21 grant to examine the effect of HIV infection and/or exposure during pregnancy on epigenetic patterns in children.
Hackensack Meridian CDI Scientists Find One-Two Punch Working against Stubborn Pancreatic Cancer in Preclinical Models
Changing gene expression, then deploying immune checkpoint inhibitors, shows promise in battling one of the most treatment-resistant types of cancer in preclinical models
UIC to study how adolescent binge drinking impacts adult behavior
The University of Illinois Chicago has received $4.5 million in continuation funding from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to support the UIC site of the national Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood, or NADIA, consortium.
The Gut Microbiome, CRISPR/Cas-9, and More Featured in August 2020 Toxicological Sciences
The August 2020 issue of Toxicological Sciences includes exciting advances in toxicology research. The edition features pieces on biotransformation, toxicokinetics, and pharmacokinetics; developmental and reproductive toxicology; and more.
Epigenetic Changes in ADNP Syndrome, a Cause of Autism, Do Not Indicate Profound Presentation of the Disorder
A study led by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai found that two different blood epigenetic signatures associated with ADNP syndrome (also known as Helsmoortel-Van Der Aa syndrome) have only a modest correlation with clinical manifestations of the syndrome.
The Power of Epigenetics in Human Reproduction
A multinational research team emphasizes the clinical need to understand the characteristics of epigenetic regulation of reproductive function and the underlying mechanisms of adaptive responses for properly informed decisions on treating patients from diverse backgrounds.
Prostate cancer metastasis linked to revival of dormant molecular program
When prostate cancer progresses to a more-dangerous metastatic state, it does so by resurrecting dormant molecular mechanisms that had guided the fetal development of the prostate gland but had been subsequently switched off, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Hackensack Meridian CDI Scientists Uncover Signposts in DNA that Pinpoint Risks for Cancers and other Diseases
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.
NEI researchers link age-related DNA modifications to susceptibility to eye disease
National Eye Institute (NEI) researchers profiling epigenomic changes in light-sensing mouse photoreceptors have a clearer picture of how age-related eye diseases may be linked to age-related changes in the regulation of gene expression. The findings, published online April 21 in Cell Reports, suggest that the epigenome could be targeted as a therapeutic strategy to prevent leading causes of vision loss, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
New drug target for prostate cancer found in the non-coding genome
Scientists at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have identified the drivers of a crucial gene involved in prostate cancer, revealing new targets for drug design.
Researchers identified a set of cis-regulatory elements – namely enhancers and the promoter – in the non-coding region of the genome, which affect the expression of FOXA1 gene, one of the major drivers or oncogenes involved in prostate cancer development.
Fertility Treatment, Not Maternal Age, Causes Epigenetic Changes in Mouse Offspring
Epigenetic disorders are more common among children born through assisted reproductive technology. A new mouse study suggests that the fertility treatments themselves are to blame, not the age of the mother.