Tag: Genetic-analysis
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Researchers Identify Role of FHL5 Gene in Vascular Disease
Researchers at the University of Virginia Health Systems have identified a gene called FHL5 that plays a crucial role in determining the risk for serious vascular conditions such as heart attacks, aneurysms, and coronary artery disease. Researchers utilized a multimodal approach through statistical fine-mapping, epigenomic profiling, and ex vivo analysis of human coronary artery tissues.…
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The role of PRC2 in controlling gene activity in human stem cells.
Researchers at the Babraham Institute have revealed a new understanding of the molecular switches that control gene activity in human embryonic stem cells. In the developing embryo and during the specialisation of stem cells, the activity of genes must be tightly controlled so that the correct genes are switched on and off at the right…
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Pandemic strain blamed for re-emergence of Syphilis
Syphilis has plagued humankind for over 500 years. After the first reported outbreaks struck Europe in 1495, the disease spread rapidly to other continents and swelled to a global pandemic. When treatment with the antibiotic penicillin became available in the mid-twentieth century, infection rates started to decrease dramatically. Strikingly, however, infection with the bacteria Treponema…
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Similar brain molecular signatures found in people with autism spectrum disorder
Autism spectrum disorder is caused by a variety of factors, both genetic and environmental. But a new study led by UCLA scientists provides further evidence that the brains of people with the disorder tend to have the same “signature” of abnormalities at the molecular level. The scientists analyzed 251 brain tissue samples from nearly 100…
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Liquid biopsies for lung cancer could predict best treatment
A blood test could predict how well small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients will respond to treatment, according to new research published in Nature Medicine today. Scientists, based at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute at The University of Manchester, isolated tumor cells that had broken away from main cancer known as circulating tumor cells (CTCs)…
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Genetic signature for Rhabdoid meningioma discovered
Meningiomas are the most common primary brain tumors, but the term encompasses over a dozen subtypes that range from benign to highly aggressive. Rhabdoid meningiomas are classified as highly aggressive due to their high rates of recurrence and mortality, but the experience and outcomes for patients with this rare form of brain tumor vary widely.…
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Signaling pathway that controls blood vessel development in brain has ability stop medulloblastoma, a cerebellar tumor.
A research team at the Krembil Research Institute has discovered that a signaling pathway which controls blood vessel development in the brain has the ability to stop brain tumor formation in animal models of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor diagnosed in children. The findings, published in the journal eLife, are the first to…
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Research finds role of Messenger RNA in Huntington’s disease patholgy
A research effort at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain, reveals new molecular mechanisms of Huntington’s disease. The results, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, question the approaches used up to now for treatment of the disease. They also point to messenger RNA as a key pathogenic component that will make it…
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Research shows importance of genetic screening to find cause for sudden death syndromes
Sudden death strikes approximately 11,000 people under age 45 in the U.S. every year, leaving living relatives with troubling questions about their own risk. Unfortunately, with many conditions—such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden cardiac death (SCD)—the cause of death is not always apparent after a traditional clinical autopsy. Now a new study…
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