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.
Tag: Genomics
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.
Mount Sinai Researchers Discover Genes That Predict Good Response to Blood Cancer Therapy
Mount Sinai researchers have for the first time identified genes that predict a good response to a vital new therapy for a blood cancer that can have serious side effects for some patients.
The Application of Noninvasive Prenatal Screening Using Cell-free DNA in General Risk Pregnancies – The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Publishes its Highly Anticipated Evidence-based Review
The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) has released its second, highly anticipated systematic evidence-based review (SER): “The Application of Noninvasive Prenatal Screening Using Cell-free DNA in General Risk Pregnancies.”
How a bot beamed from California to Japan may prevent cancer patients from losing their breasts unnecessarily
Too many women are getting unnecessary mastectomies and other invasive procedures because of a knowledge gap about differences in cancer genes. A new study offers a path to closing the gap.
Rutgers Researcher Aims to Protect and Regenerate Corals Through Coral Genomics with $500K NSF Grant and Award-Winning Video
A Rutgers researcher will use genomics, genetics, and cell biology to identify and understand the corals’ response to heat stress conditions and to pinpoint master regulatory genes involved in coral bleaching due to global warming and climate change. The researcher and his team will use a novel gene-editing tool as a resource to knock down some gene functions with the goal of boosting the corals’ abilities to survive.
Study Reveals Genetic Diversity of a Particularly Problematic Pathogen
Researchers at UC San Diego have used a systems biology approach to parse the genetic diversity of Clostridioides difficile, a particularly problematic pathogen, particularly in health care settings.
Single-cell DNA sequencing offers a new angle on the causes of Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is marked by a loss of functional neurons in the brain.
For Neurons, Where They Begin Isn’t Necessarily Where They End
Scientists at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Rady Children’s Institute of Genomic Medicine describe novel methods for inferring the movement of human brain cells during fetal development by studying healthy adult individuals who have recently passed away from natural causes.
Genetic Signals Linked to Problematic Opioid Use
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers asked more than 132,000 23andMe research participants of European ancestry “Have you ever in your life used prescription painkillers, such as Vicodin and Oxycontin, not as prescribed?” More than 21 percent said yes.…
Mount Sinai Neurobiologist Selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has selected Ian Maze, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, and Pharmacological Sciences, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, as an HHMI Investigator.
Climate Change Threatens Base of Polar Oceans’ Bountiful Food Webs
A study recently published in Nature Communications suggests that displacing cold-water communities of algae with warm-adapted ones threatens to destabilize the delicate marine food web. The team was led by University of East Anglia researchers and included DOE Joint Genome Institute researchers.
Mayo researchers link gut microbiome to rheumatoid arthritis prognosis
A significant indicator of whether a patient with rheumatoid arthritis will improve over the course of disease may lie in part in their gut, according to new research from Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine.
The study, published in Genome Medicine, found that predicting a patient’s future rheumatoid arthritis prognosis could be possible by zeroing in on the trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that inhabit their gastrointestinal tract, known as the gut microbiome. The findings suggest that gut microbes and a patient’s outcome of rheumatoid arthritis are connected.
$6M NIH Grant Launches UC San Diego Consortium to Study Insulin-Producing Cells
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers will receive $6.4 million in National Institutes of Health grant funding to study how external signals and genetic variations influence the behavior of one cell type in particular: insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
Transatlantic slave trade introduced novel pathogenic viruses in the Americas
The transatlantic slave trade may have introduced new pathogenic viruses from Africa to North America that affected Indigenous communities, shows an analysis of ancient DNA published in eLife.
Schizophrenia Study Suggests Advanced Genetic Scorecard Cannot Predict a Patient’s Fate
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that a tool commonly used in research for evaluating a person’s genetic risk for a disease, called a polygenic risk score, was no better at predicting the outcome of a schizophrenia patient’s disease over time than written reports. The results raise important questions about the use of polygenic risk scores in real-world, clinical situations, and also suggest that a doctor’s written report may be an untapped source of predictive information.
Getting to the core of a more nutritious apple
A new platform housing data from over 100 apple varieties could shave years off of the breeding process and enable data-driven assessments of how to boost the health benefits of America’s favorite fruit.
Massive Study Links Nearly 600 Genomic Regions to Self-Regulating Behaviors
Researchers identified 579 locations in the human genome associated with a predisposition to self-regulation-related behaviors, such as addiction. With data from 1.5 million people of European descent, the effort is one of the largest genome-wide association studies to date.
FAU Researcher Receives $1.8 Million NIH ‘Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award’
Raquel Assis, Ph.D., associate professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and a fellow of FAU’s Institute for Human Health and Disease Intervention, has received a five-year, $1.8 million “Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award” from the NIH. The goal of this early career award is to enhance the ability of investigators to take on ambitious scientific projects and approach problems more creatively.