Researchers Discover Human-Specific Gene for Building a Bigger Brain
The human brain owes its characteristic wrinkled appearance to its outer layer, the cerebral cortex. During human evolution, the neocortex, the evolutionarily youngest part of…
Genetics
Alcohol Dependence and Psychiatric Disorders Share Genetic Links
Gene variants associated with alcohol dependence are also linked to the risk of psychiatric disorders and other drug use, a massive study of more than…
Study Shows Tiny DNA Modification Has Big Impact on Tumors
A simple modification of a DNA base in small areas of the genome may explain why glioblastoma tumors are so deadly, researchers at Yale and…
VGP Project Releases Fifteen New Genomes
The International Vertebrate Genomes Project (VGP) has officially launched and released 15 new reference genomes representing all five vertebrate classes – mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians,…
New Combo Technique Improves Detection of Diseases at Birth
The combination of a new sequencing technique and machine learning can speed up the diagnosis of diseases in newborns and reduce false-positive results, Yale researchers…
Physical Exercise Improves Cognition in Alzheimer’s Disease
A study by a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team finds that neurogenesis — inducing the production of new neurons — in the brain structure…
New Test Helps Identify People at Risk for Five Deadly Diseases
A research team at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Harvard Medical School (HMS) reports a new kind of…
VPS13 Proteins Role in Neurological Disorders, Including Parkinson’s
Several gene mutations have been linked to Parkinson’s disease, but exactly how and where some of them cause their damage has been unclear. A new…
Scientists Suggest New Treatment for Rare Inherited Cancers
Studying two rare inherited cancer syndromes, Yale Cancer Center (YCC) scientists have found the cancers are driven by a breakdown in how cells repair their…
Connection Between Genetic Response to Environmental Chemicals Revealed
Why do individuals respond differently to the same environment? Researchers from North Carolina State University and Oregon State University have pinpointed a genetic difference in…
Nanoparticles Cure Blood Disorder, Provide Site-Specific Gene Editing
With the combined efforts of three Yale laboratories, researchers conducted the first demonstration of site-specific gene editing in a fetus, correcting a mutation that causes…
Scientists Identify a Gene Critical for Male Sex Development
Scientists have identified a key enhancer of Sox9 — a gene critical for male sex development — and demonstrated that deleting that non-coding DNA results…
Neuroscientists Link APOE4 Gene to Alzheimer’s
People with a gene variant called APOE4 have a higher risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease: APOE4 is three times more common among Alzheimer’s patients…
Mechanical Forces Can Contribute to Gene Expression During Development
During embryonic development genetic cascades control gene activity and cell differentiation. In a new publication of the journal PNAS, the team of Ulrich Technau of…
Scientists Identify Cell Types Underlying Schizophrenia
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and University of North Carolina, USA, have identified the cell types underlying schizophrenia in a new study published in…
Variation of PM20D1 Gene Linked To Increased Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease
An article published in Nature Medicine with the collaboration of the research group of Dr. Manel Esteller, director of the Epigenetics and Cancer Biology Program…
CRISPR-Based Treatment Restores Retinal Function in Mice
Researchers from Columbia University have developed a new technique for the powerful gene editing tool CRISPR to restore retinal function in mice afflicted by a…
Scientists Discover Gene Function Linked to Familial ALS
MIT biologists have discovered a function of a gene that is believed to account for up to 40 percent of all familial cases of amyotrophic…