The lab of Jason Stein, PhD, associate professor of genetics and member of the UNC Neuroscience Center, has created a controlled model system that could help researchers know more about the genetic variants that increase one’s risk for developing a psychiatric disorder.
Tag: Genomics
Additional research highlights from the 2024 ASTRO Annual Meeting
In addition to the studies featured on the press program (details here) for the 2024 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting, the following studies were recommended by ASTRO experts and may be of interest to journalists.
Molecular Designs Announces Acquisition of Lamda Biotech
Molecular Designs, a leading provider of PCR assays, associated reagents and equipment, is excited to announce the acquisition of Lamda Biotech, a specialized provider of research products for application in molecular biology, functional genomics, proteomics and gene therapy.
Clinical trial results show low-intensity therapy can achieve positive outcomes for certain pediatric leukemia subtypes
Using genomics and early treatment response to guide risk-stratification and low-intensity therapy use for ETV6::RUNX1 and high-hyperdiploid B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia benefits patients.
Eurofins Genomics US Expands Capabilities with New GMP Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Facility
Eurofins Genomics US is proud to announce the opening of a new world-class oligonucleotide manufacturing facility. The expansion significantly increases manufacturing capacity and capabilities, allowing Eurofins Genomics US to meet the ever-growing global demand for GMP-grade and research use oligonucleotides.
MD Anderson and collaborators to launch project studying T cells on International Space Station
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and collaborators are initiating a research project that will send T cells to the International Space Station (ISS) to study the effects of prolonged microgravity on cell differentiation, activation, memory and exhaustion.
From genomes to gardens: introducing the HortGenome Search Engine for horticultural crops
The HortGenome Search Engine (HSE) introduces a groundbreaking tool that transforms the exploration of horticultural crops’ genetics. Enabling swift access and analysis of data from over 500 plant species, HSE enhances our ability to decode complex genetic networks.
LJI scientists develop new method to match genes to their molecular ‘switches’
LA JOLLA, CA—Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have developed a new computational method for linking molecular marks on our DNA to gene activity. Their work may help researchers connect genes to the molecular “switches” that turn them on or off. This research, published in Genome Biology, is an important step toward harnessing machine learning approaches to better understand links between gene expression and disease development.
Scientists Share the Genomic Research Transforming Healthcare at 2024 CGM Symposium
The 120 attendees are using Utah’s uniquely strong genetics resources to answer fundamental biological questions and develop solutions to urgent issues in human health.
Sea Surveillance
Off the southeastern tip of Greenland in mid-June, Hayley DeHart, a genomics and marine scientist at APL, disembarked Lindblad Expedition’s National Geographic Endurance — a 407-foot (124-meter) ice-cutting cruise ship — and stepped into a small Zodiac inflatable motorboat.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Launches “Empower the Possible” Campaign with Historic 10-Year, $100 Million Commitment from Nationwide Foundation
Nationwide Children’s Hospital is honored to announce that it has received a historic 10-year commitment of $100 million from the Nationwide Foundation. This landmark announcement marks the public launch of the hospital’s “Empower the Possible” campaign that with other gifts brings the campaign’s fundraising total to more than $270 million, more than halfway to the campaign goal of $500 million.
A New Gene-Editing System Tackles Complex Diseases
Current methods to model or correct mutations in live cells are inefficient, especially when multiplexing — installing multiple point mutations simultaneously across the genome. Researchers from the UC San Diego have developed new, efficient genome editing tools called multiplexed orthogonal base editors (MOBEs) to install multiple point mutations at once.
Gene Expression and Bioinformatics Tools to Optimize Cancer Therapy
In the field of biomedical research and genomics, the advancement of bioinformatics technologies and tools is opening new frontiers in the understanding of diseases and their diagnosis and treatment.
CHOP Researchers Identify Causal Genetic Variant Linked to Common Childhood Obesity
Researchers have identified a causal genetic variant strongly associated with childhood obesity. The study provides new insight into the importance of the hypothalamus of the brain and its role in common childhood obesity and the target gene may serve as a druggable target for future therapeutic interventions.
These jacks-of-all-trades are masters, too: Yeast study helps answer age-old biology question
The results, published April 26 in the journal Science, suggest that internal — not external — factors are the primary drivers of variation in the types of carbon yeasts can eat, and the researchers found no evidence that metabolic versatility, or the ability to eat different foods, comes with any trade-offs. In other words, some yeasts are jacks-of-all-trades and masters of each.
Revolutionizing Mei (Prunus mume) Breeding: Genomic Insights into Ornamental and Cold Resistance Traits
A research team has provided an overview for understanding the genetic basis of ornamental and cold resistance traits in Mei (Prunus mume), a tree valued both for its ornamental and cultural significance in China.
Soil Bacteria Link their Life Strategies to Soil Conditions
Microbiologists do not fully understand how bacteria’s genes relate to their life strategies. Now, by analyzing large DNA sequencing datasets from around the globe, researchers discovered a new way of categorizing the dominant life strategies of soil bacteria based on their genes. This technique allowed the researchers to link different life strategies with specific climate and soil conditions.
Mount Sinai Researchers Receive $7 Million to Improve Outcomes for High-risk Blood Cancer Patients From the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
The Mount Sinai Health System has received a $7 million grant from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation for a three-year project that aims to fast-track novel translational concepts to improve outcomes for people with high risk myeloma, the second most common blood cancer in the United States.
Finding the genes that help kingfishers dive without hurting their brains
Scientists discover genes that help kingfishers dive without hurting their brains
Doubling Down on Known Protein Families
Through a novel approach detailed in Nature, a massive computational analysis of microbiome datasets more than doubled the number of known protein families. This is the first time protein structures have been used to help characterize the vast array of microbial “dark matter.”
Researchers create a neural network for genomics—one that explains how it achieves accurate predictions
A team of New York University computer scientists has created a neural network that can explain how it reaches its predictions. The work reveals what accounts for the functionality of neural networks—the engines that drive artificial intelligence and machine learning—thereby illuminating a process that has largely been concealed from users.
The end of genes: routine test reveals unique divergence in genetic code
Scientists testing a new method of sequencing single cells have unexpectedly changed our understanding of the rules of genetics.
New research into pangolin genomics may aid in conservation efforts
A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, for the first time provides a comprehensive set of genomic resources for pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, that researchers believe will be integral for protecting these threatened mammals.
Capacity building and knowledge transfer in genomics and bioinformatics
The African BioGenome Project, a large-scale international research project involving Konstanz bioinformatician Abdoallah Sharaf, successfully launched its “Open Institute”. The institute’s mission: accelerating knowledge exchange in biodiversity genomics and bioinformatics.
Malaria Genomic Research Critical as it Hits US
Joana Carneiro da Silva, PhD, Associate Director of Research & Associate Professor, Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. As malaria has now hit Maryland, Joana Carneiro da Silva, PhD, can speak to the…
CHOP Researchers Develop Versatile and Low-Cost Technology for Targeted Long-read RNA Sequencing
In a development that could accelerate the discovery of new diagnostics and treatments, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a versatile and low-cost technology for targeted sequencing of full-length RNA molecules.
When Water Temperatures Change, the Molecular Motors of Cephalopods Do Too
Working with live squid hatchlings at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego scientists find the animals can tune their proteome on the fly in response to changes in ocean temperature via the unique process of RNA recoding. The findings inspire new questions about basic protein function.
Prepare for disease deadlier than COVID – WHO chief
The world should be prepared to respond to a disease outbreak of “even deadlier potential” than COVID-19, the head of the WHO said after the UN agency launched a global network to monitor disease threats.
Newly discovered RNA molecules hold promise for detecting and treating esophageal cancer
Irregularities in the body’s genetic coding to make proteins are linked to cancerous tumors. But most genetic material contains elements whose function isn’t clear. Could abnormalities in non-coding material also impact a person’s health, or even be linked to cancers as well? A new study by researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine suggests that the non-coding genetic molecules also play a key role in health and disease, including tumor development.
Study finds genetic screening of adults would be cost-effective
An exhaustive cost-benefit analysis of population genetic testing published in Annals of Internal Medicine concludes with a recommendation to U.S. health policymakers to adopt routine testing of adults ages 40 and under for three genetic conditions posing high risk of life-threatening illness.
Scientists Sequence Genome of Little Skate, the Stingray’s Cousin
Rutgers geneticists, working with an international team of scientists, have conducted the most comprehensive sequencing yet of the complete DNA sequence of the little skate – which, like its better-known cousin, the stingray, has long been viewed as enigmatic because of its shape. The scientists, writing in Nature, reported that by studying the intricacies of Leucoraja erinacea’s genome, they have gained a far better understanding of how the fish evolved from its ancestor – which possessed a much narrower body – over a period of 300 million years to become a flat, winged bottom-dweller.
How fruit flies feast for pleasure as well as necessity
Researchers have begun to explore the underlying neural activity of eating behaviours in fruit flies to better understand the motives that drive feeding.
Advanced computing at UNC Charlotte indicates current antibodies effective against newly emergent SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5
A team at UNC Charlotte and Tuple, a Charlotte-based genomics consulting firm, has used artificial intelligence to rapidly assess the public health implications of the newly emergent SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5 variant. Results from simulations run by the team indicate the antibodies currently in our arsenal are effective to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5.
Discovering Unique Microbes Made Easy with DOE Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase)
The Department of Energy Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase) recently released a suite of features and a protocol for performing sophisticated microbiome analysis that can accelerate research in microbial ecology. KBase helps researchers understand which organisms live in an environment and how they interact. The tool’s new features reduce the time required to process sequencing data and characterize genomes and help scientists collaboratively analyze genomics data and build research communities.
Major Breakthrough As Scientists Sequence The Genomes Of Endangered Sharks
Scientists have sequenced the genomes of Critically Endangered great hammerhead and Endangered shortfin mako sharks for the first time.
CHOP and NJIT Researchers Develop New Tool for Studying Multiple Characteristics of a Single Cell
Researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) developed new software that integrates a variety of information from a single cell, allowing researchers to see how one change in a cell can lead to several others and providing important clues for pinpointing the exact causes of genetic-based diseases.
CHOP Researchers Identify Potential Genetic Variants Linked to Increased Cancer Risk in Children with Birth Defects
Researchers have identified several genetic variants associated with increased risk of cancer in children with non-chromosomal birth defects, such as congenital heart disease and defects of the central nervous system. While the risk of developing cancer is not as high as children with chromosomal birth defects, it is significantly higher than children with no birth defects at all, and the findings may provide a basis for early detection in these understudied patients.
Unexplored genomic control regions yield the key to finding causes of rare disease
Scientists have discovered the cause of a rare condition within a part of the genome that has been largely unexplored in medical genetics.
Methane-Eating ‘Borgs’ Have Been Assimilating Earth’s Microbes
In Star Trek, the Borg are a ruthless, hive-minded collective that assimilate other beings with the intent of taking over the galaxy. Here on nonfictional planet Earth, Borgs are DNA packages that could help humans fight climate change.
Study Identifies New Gene That Drives Colon Cancer
Researchers have identified a new gene that is essential to colon cancer growth and found that inflammation in the external environment around the tumor can contribute to the growth of tumor cells.
NSU Professor Honored with The Explorers Club Prestigious Lowell Thomas Award
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is proud to announce that one of its own – Stephen J O’Brien, Ph.D. – was honored with The Explorers Club’s 2022 Lowell Thomas Award.
UC San Diego, Salk and Others Seek to Map the Human Brain Over a Lifetime
With a $126 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, a multi-institution team of researchers at UC San Diego, Salk Institute and elsewhere has launched a new Center for Multiomic Human Brain Cell Atlas to describe human brain cells in unprecedented detail over a lifetime.
Integrating Genetic Testing in Electronic Health Records Saves Time, Study Finds
Ordering and managing genomic testing in electronic health records significantly cut the time Penn Medicine clinicians spent doing it
Advancing Precision Oncology, Ochsner Health First to Fully Integrate with Tempus and Epic’s Genomics Module
Ochsner Health, through its Precision Medicine Program, is the first in the nation to incorporate Epic’s Orders and Results Anywhere integration with its Genomics module.
COVID-19 genomic recombination is uncommon but disproportionately occurs in spike protein region
An analysis of millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes finds that recombination of the virus is uncommon, but when it occurs, it is most often in the spike protein region, the area which allows the virus to attach to and infect host cells.
With NIH funding, University of Oregon professor dives deeper into aging research
A look into how environmental variables accelerate, slow or even reverse the aging process is the focus of a University of Oregon anthropologist whose research was recently funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Study of Body Weight-associated Genes in Rats May Inform Regulation of Obesity in Humans
Article title: Transcriptome-wide analyses of adipose tissue in outbred rats reveal genetic regulatory mechanisms relevant for human obesity Authors: Wesley L. Crouse, Swapan K. Das, Thu Le, Gregory Keele, Katie Holl, Osborne Seshie, Ann L. Craddock, Neeraj K. Sharma, Mary…
Giant Bacteria Found in Guadeloupe Mangroves Challenge Traditional Concepts
In Science, researchers describe a “’macro’ microbe” – a giant filamentous bacterium composed of a single cell discovered in the mangroves of Guadeloupe. Using various microscopy techniques, the team also observed novel, membrane-bound compartments that contain DNA clusters dubbed “pepins.”
UC San Diego Computer Scientist Plays Major Role in $25M Cancer Grand Challenges Project
University of California San Diego computer scientist Vineet Bafna is part of a team of world-class researchers that has been awarded a five-year, $25 million Cancer Grand Challenges grant to learn how the destructive genetic lesion extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) influences numerous cancers and to identify possible therapies.
Rutgers Researchers Publish Paper Examining the Structure of Proteins Linked to Diseases
Rutgers researcher, Grace Brannigan, has co-authored a study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that centers around the connection between gene mutations in protein sequences and diseases.