Biotech Startup Provides Functional Studies on Thousands of Breast Cancer Gene Variants
April 27, 2024 8:58 am | by Bevin Fletcher, Associate Editor | CommentsToronto-based biotech startup, Ranomics, has launched a database that for the first time, provides functional studies on the impact of 2,000 variants of BRCA1, which is a gene associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancers.
Research Examines Link Between Stomach Bacteria, PTSD
April 26, 2024 10:22 am | by Office of Naval Research | CommentsCould bacteria in your gut be used to cure or prevent neurological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety or even depression? Researchers think that's a strong possibility.
Dopamine Neurons Have a Role in Movement
April 26, 2024 10:18 am | by Princeton University | CommentsResearchers have found that dopamine - a brain chemical involved in learning, motivation and many other functions - also has a direct role in representing or encoding movement. The finding could help researchers better understand dopamine's role in movement-related disorders such as Parkinson's disease.
Controlling RNA in Living Cells
April 26, 2024 10:14 am | by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office | CommentsResearchers have devised a new set of proteins that can be customized to bind arbitrary RNA sequences, making it possible to image RNA inside living cells, monitor what a particular RNA strand is doing, and even control RNA activity.
Soy Shows Promise as Natural Anti-microbial Agent
April 26, 2024 10:04 am | by University of Guelph | CommentsSoy isoflavones and peptides may inhibit the growth of microbial pathogens that cause food-borne illnesses, according to a new study.
Nurturing During Preschool Years Boosts Child’s Brain Growth
April 26, 2024 9:59 am | by Washington University in St. Louis | CommentsChildren whose mothers were nurturing during the preschool years, as opposed to later in childhood, have more robust growth in brain structures associated with learning, memory and stress response than children with less supportive moms, according to new research.
SPARK Project to Examine DNA of 50,000 Autistic Kids
April 26, 2024 9:37 am | by Seth Augenstein, Digital Reporter | CommentsA genomics research project hopes to collect and cross-reference the DNA of 50,000 people to better understand the autism spectrum. SPARK, the Sims Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge, began its public push to get the saliva samples of thousands of volunteers last week.
A Conversation: Moral Challenges of AI
April 26, 2024 9:11 am | by Bevin Fletcher, Associate Editor | CommentsPBS recently ran an episode of The Open Mind, during which host Alexander Heffner had a conversation with bioethicist Wendell Wallach to discuss the moral challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Here we bring you some highlights from the program.
20 Year-old Puzzle Solved Through Genetic Advances
April 25, 2024 10:48 am | by University of Liverpool | CommentsResearchers have identified a specific gene that plays a key role in an inherited eye disorder. The discovery solves a 20 year-old puzzle for a family in Liverpool who all developed epithelial recurrent erosion dystrophy (ERED), a genetic corneal dystrophy disorder that causes abnormality of the outer layer of the eye.
New Understanding of Enzymes Could Help to Develop New Drugs
April 25, 2024 10:41 am | by University of Leicester | CommentsNew knowledge about the mechanism of specific protein complexes in the body could help in the development of better drugs for the treatment of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's.
Lower Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke Linked to Mediterranean Diet
April 25, 2024 10:31 am | by Bevin Fletcher, Associate Editor | CommentsA new study links eating a Mediterranean diet with a lower risk of heart attack and stroke in heart patients, and suggests eating greater amounts of healthy foods is more important for people who already have heart disease than avoiding unhealthy foods such as refined grains, sugary drinks and deep-fried food.
Small Pharma, Big Requirements
April 25, 2024 10:30 am | by Neil Saward and Bob Merrill, Life Sciences Experts, PA Consulting | CommentsFor a small or medium biopharmaceutical companies, the cost of buying and supporting many of the scientific and clinical systems, analysis tools and data management technologies can be prohibitive. How can smaller BioPharma companies implement appropriate controls without huge infrastructure and costs?
Brain’s Immune System May Trigger Frontotemporal Dementia
April 25, 2024 10:28 am | by UCSF | CommentsFrontotemporal dementia (FTD), the second most common cause of dementia in people under 65, may be triggered by a defect in immune cells called microglia that causes them to consume the brain’s synaptic connections, according to new research.
National DNA Day Celebrated
April 25, 2024 9:42 am | by Bevin Fletcher, Associate Editor | CommentsMonday is National DNA Day, which every year commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April of 2003 and the discovery DNA’s double helix in 1953. This year Eric Green, Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, participated in Reddit’s “Ask Me Anything” series to talk about the Human Genome Project and genomic medicine. Here are some of the highlights.
Fructose Alters Hundreds of Brain Genes, Which Can Lead to a Wide Range of Diseases
April 22, 2024 10:17 am | by UCLA | CommentsA range of diseases — from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, and from Alzheimer’s disease to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — are linked to changes to genes in the brain. A new study has found that hundreds of those genes can be damaged by fructose, a sugar that’s common in the Western diet, in a way that could lead to those diseases.
