Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine are among the contributors to a package of 10 studies in the journal Nature, describing the latest results from the ongoing Encyclopedia of DNA Elements project, a worldwide effort led by the NIH to understand how the human genome functions.
Tag: Genomics
New Computational Model by CHOP Researchers Identifies Noncoding Mutations Across Five Pediatric Cancers
Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a new computational algorithm that has, for the first time, identified a spectrum of mutations in the noncoding portion of the human genome across five major pediatric cancers. The study, which was published today in Science Advances, used the algorithm to analyze more than 500 pediatric cancer patients’ mutations and gene expression profiles to develop a comprehensive list of potentially cancer-causing mutations.
DOE Awards $5 Million for Computational Biology Research
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $5 million in funding for six new research projects in computational biology.
Scientists look to space to track plant pathogens coasting through atmosphere
To better understand how plant pathogens that travel the globe with dust particles might put crops at risk, a Cornell University-led team of scientists will use data from NASA’s Earth Observing Satellites to identify areas of potential disease and track plumes of dust that traverse the globe.
New Research Reveals Regulatory Features Of The Maize Genome During Early Reproductive Development
A team of researchers led by Andrea Eveland, Ph.D., assistant member, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, has mapped out the non-coding, ‘functional’ genome in maize during an early developmental window critical to formation of pollen-bearing tassels and grain-bearing ears.
Campus 20th anniversary of posting the assembled genome to the Internet
UC Santa Cruz researchers played a crucial role in early planning of the human genome project, in assembling the genome sequence, developing tools for its visualization and ensuring it remained in the public domain. They continue to have a major role in the ongoing analysis of the human genome.
Study Explores RNA Sequencing as Precision Medicine Tool
Article title: Virus-induced genetics revealed by multidimensional precision medicine transcriptional workflow applicable to COVID-19 Authors: Jeremy W. Prokop, Rama Shankar, Ruchir Gupta, Mara L. Leimanis, Derek Nedveck, Katie Uhl, Bin Chen, Nicholas L. Hartog, Jason Van Veen, Joshua S. Sisco, Olivia…
CHOP’s Center for Applied Genomics Receives Funding to Study Risk of Disease Specifically in African Americans
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) are among the recipients of a multi-million dollar grant that focuses on the use of genomics to improve risk assessment for diverse populations and integrate the findings into clinical care.
MSK Physician-Scientists Recognized with Top Honors by AACR, ASCO, and ASH Organizations
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) announces the following awards and honors to our staff, given by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the American Society of Hematology (ASH) organizations.
New Effort to Link Plant Genes to Functions in Bioenergy Crops
A new Quantitative Plant Science Initiative led by Brookhaven Lab aims to decode the functions of genes and their impacts on productivity to guide efforts to develop sustainable bioenergy crops.
Emerging Evidence on Genetics of Schizophrenia Raises Hopes for New Treatment Targets
In recent years, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified many different genetic variants associated with schizophrenia. These genetic discoveries raise the promise of developing urgently needed new treatments targeting the underlying biology and pathophysiology of schizophrenia, according to a special article in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Global Cooling Event 4,200 Years Ago Spurred Rice’s Evolution, Spread Across Asia
A major global cooling event that occurred 4,200 years ago may have led to the evolution of new rice varieties and the spread of rice into both northern and southern Asia, an international team of researchers has found.
How to Boost Plant Biomass: NYU Biologists Uncover Molecular Link Between Nutrient Availability and Plant Growth Rates
In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plant genomic scientists at New York University’s Center for Genomics & Systems Biology discovered the missing piece in the molecular link between a plant’s perception of the nitrogen dose in its environment and the dose-responsive changes in its biomass.
Algae in the Oceans Often Steal Genes from Bacteria
Algae in the oceans often steal genes from bacteria to gain beneficial attributes, such as the ability to tolerate stressful environments or break down carbohydrates for food, according to a Rutgers co-authored study.
The study of 23 species of brown and golden-brown algae, published in the journal Science Advances, shows for the first time that gene acquisition had a significant impact on the evolution of a massive and ancient group of algae and protists (mostly one-celled organisms including protozoa) that help form the base of oceanic food webs.
Picking Up Threads of Cotton Genomics
In Nature Genetics, a multi-institutional team including DOE Joint Genome Institute researchers sequenced and assembled the genomes of the five major cotton lineages to provide breeders with genetic level insights on crop improvements. The genomes are available on JGI’s plant data portal Phytozome.
Researchers Reveal Important Genetic Mechanism Behind Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have pinpointed a genetic variation responsible for driving the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The genetic pathway associated with this variation is involved in other immune disorders, suggesting the mechanism they identified could serve as an important therapeutic target.
$1.2M grant to study evolution of Central American lizards
A research team led by a Washington University in St. Louis biologist was awarded $1.2 million for a CRISPR-based gene editing study of Anolis lizards.Jonathan Losos, the William H. Danforth Distinguished Professor and professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, was awarded the three-year grant from the Human Frontier Science Program Organization, based in Strasbourg, France.
Hot time in the city: Urban lizards evolve heat tolerance
Faced with a gritty landscape of metal fences, concrete walls and asphalt pavement, city lizards in Puerto Rico rapidly and repeatedly evolved better tolerance for heat than their forest counterparts, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis and the University of California, Los Angeles.Studies that delve into how animals adapt in urban environments are still relatively rare.
Biologists Capture Fleeting Interactions Between Regulatory Proteins and Their Genome-wide Targets
New York University biologists captured highly transient interactions between transcription factors—proteins that control gene expression—and target genes in the genome and showed that these typically missed interactions have important practical implications. In a new study published in Nature Communications, the researchers developed a method to capture transient interactions of NLP7, a master transcription factor involved in nitrogen use in plants, revealing that the majority of a plant’s response to nitrogen is controlled by these short-lived regulatory interactions.
PECASE Honoree Sohini Ramachandran Studies the Genetic Foundations of Traits in Diverse Populations
NIGMS grantee and presidential award recipient Sohini Ramachandran, Ph.D., is challenging our understanding of genetic variation among human populations. She discusses her research on how the genetic composition of traits and diseases varies among populations, the value of statistical and computational work in human genetics, and what this all means for patient treatment.
UCSC Genome Browser posts the coronavirus genome
By posting the complete genome of the coronavirus on the internet, UC Santa Cruz engineers hope to accelerate international research, collaboration that will allow scientists to find ways to attack it.
Crowdsourcing Science: Using Competition to Drive Creativity
Thanks largely to advances in computing, researchers in computational biology and data science are harnessing the power of the masses and making discoveries that provide valuable insights into human health.
NYU Scientists Sequence the Genome of Basmati Rice
Using an innovative genome sequencing technology, researchers assembled the complete genetic blueprint of two basmati rice varieties, including one that is drought-tolerant and resistant to bacterial disease. The findings, published in Genome Biology, also show that basmati rice is a hybrid of two other rice groups.
Major Asian Gene Study to Help Doctors Battle Disease
“Under-representation of Asian populations in genetic studies has meant that medical relevance for more than half of the human population is reduced,” one researcher said.
Researchers Identify Opportunities to Advance Genomic Medicine
New Study Highlights Milestones in the History of Genetic Discoveries; Equitable and Fair Access Required to Address Disparities
New Portable Tool Analyzes Microbes in the Environment
Imagine a device that could swiftly analyze microbes in oceans and other aquatic environments, revealing the health of these organisms – too tiny to be seen by the naked eye – and their response to threats to their ecosystems. Rutgers researchers have created just such a tool, a portable device that could be used to assess microbes, screen for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and analyze algae that live in coral reefs. Their work is published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Large Study of Subtle, Rare Genetic Differences Reveals Several New Clinically Relevant Targets for Variety of Diseases
A large, multicenter study led by researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) compared the genomic data of more than 100,000 people of European ancestry and discovered how relatively rare, albeit recurrent, genetic variations can influence a variety of common diseases. In addition, existing drugs could be repurposed to target these conditions – ranging from autoimmune diseases to neuropsychological diseases and even cancer – now that the genetic underpinnings of these conditions are known.
Researchers create framework for evaluating how fast a cancer will grow
An international team of researchers led by UCLA’s Paul Boutros, have created a new way to accurately estimate how fast an individual cancer is evolving using open-source software.
Mayo Clinic to sequence 100K participants to build genomic database for improved care and research in collaboration with Helix
Mayo Clinic is creating a library of genomic sequencing data on 100,000 consented Mayo Clinic participants to advance research and patient care.
Genetic Differences Help Distinguish Type 1 Diabetes in Children from “Type 1.5” Diabetes in Adults
A multi-center team of researchers led by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has discovered a genetic signature that could help distinguish an adult-onset form of diabetes sharing many type 1 diabetes (T1D) characteristics from pediatric-onset T1D, opening the door to potentially more straightforward diagnostic tests for the adult condition and improving responses by ensuring patients receive the most appropriate treatment.
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Coral Genomics Paper
New Brunswick, N.J. (Jan. 6, 2020) – By combining a range of biological data with the first successful genome editing experiments in corals, scientists are poised for rapid advancements in understanding how coral genes function, according to a paper in…
The rare genetic disorder identified in only three people worldwide
An extremely rare genetic disease that causes severe degeneration in infants has been identified for the first time.
ASH: Research revises classification of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome
Results from a study conducted by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Munich Leukemia Laboratory were presented today as a late-breaking abstract at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting. The study integrates genomic and transcriptomic sequencing to provide the most detailed classification of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) to date.
FAU Schmidt College of Medicine Launches Genomics and Predictive Health Certificate
The lack of understanding of health providers and patients is a major barrier to the integration of genomics into personalized medicine. This innovative certificate program will provide health professionals and scientists with the requisite skills they need to interpret and incorporate this new knowledge into a patient care model that emphasizes individually tailored prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Software competition advances understanding of genetic function
Sequencing a genome doesn’t necessarily reveal the functions of individual genes. An Iowa State University scientist helps to organize a competition to evaluate the accuracy of software programs that predict gene function. The recently published results of the latest competition included 144 entries from 68 teams.
24th Annual Boe Forum Explores the Impact of Genetic Engineering on our Future
Augustana University and the Center for Western Studies announced Drs. Robert Green and Jamie Metzl as keynote speakers for the 24th Boe Forum on Public Affairs to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 23, in the Elmen Center.This year’s forum, “Are We Ready? The Science, Ethics, and Geopolitics of Genetic Engineering and Preventive Genomics,” will examine the relationship between genetics and health, the ability to predict and thereby prevent disease, and the geopolitics of genetic engineering and genomics.
Scientists Find Molecular Key to Body Making Healthy T Cells
In a finding that could help lead to new therapies for immune diseases like multiple sclerosis and IBD, scientists report in the Journal of Experimental Medicine identifying a gene and family of proteins critical to the formation of mature and fully functioning T cells in the immune system.
Clues from DNA could help predict growth of prostate cancer
Researchers from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and other institutions in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Singapore, have identified 1,178 biomarkers in men’s genomes — the complete set of genetic material inherited from one’s parents — that predict how an individual person’s prostate cancer will grow.
The finding suggests that predicting how a person’s cancer will evolve may lie in their inherited DNA.
Singapore researchers reveal inflated performance measurements in current enhancer-promoter interaction prediction methods
A study conducted by researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore and the School of Biological Sciences at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) revealed a common deficiency in existing artificial intelligence methods used to predict enhancer–promoter interactions, that may result in inflated performance measurements.