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diabetes complications type 2 biomarker blood test screen hydroxymethylation epigenetics cytosine
Blood-Based Epigenetic Screen Tests for Diabetes Complications
Researchers could accurately detect life-threatening vascular complications in type 2 diabetes patients by analyzing hydroxymethylated cytosines in freely circulating DNA.
Blood-Based Epigenetic Screen Tests for Diabetes Complications
Blood-Based Epigenetic Screen Tests for Diabetes Complications

Researchers could accurately detect life-threatening vascular complications in type 2 diabetes patients by analyzing hydroxymethylated cytosines in freely circulating DNA.

Researchers could accurately detect life-threatening vascular complications in type 2 diabetes patients by analyzing hydroxymethylated cytosines in freely circulating DNA.

genetics & genomics, disease & medicine

Error in Study Linking HIV Resistance Gene to Increased Mortality
Emily Makowski | Sep 30, 2019 | 2 min read
The authors have requested a retraction of a paper that found people with the CCR5 Δ32 variant are more likely to die sooner.
Recent Trials for Fragile X Syndrome Offer Hope
Randi Hagerman | Sep 1, 2019 | 10+ min read
Despite a solid understanding of the biological basis of fragile X syndrome, researchers have struggled to develop effective treatments.
Genes that Are Harmless on Their Own Cause Disease When Combined
Chia-Yi Hou | Sep 1, 2019 | 3 min read
A case study of a family demonstrates that different genetic mutations from the two parents cause severe heart disease symptoms in the children.
Cigall Kadoch Unravels Chromatin’s Role in Cancer
Chia-Yi Hou | Sep 1, 2019 | 3 min read
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher is developing cancer therapeutics based on how the physical structure of DNA contributes to the disease.
Defining Rare Disorders: A Profile of Judith Hall
Anna Azvolinsky | Sep 1, 2019 | 8 min read
By bringing genetics into clinical medicine, the University of British Columbia medical geneticist helped to identify the gene mutations responsible for many rare diseases.
Infographic: The Genetics of Fragile X Syndrome
Randi Hagerman | Sep 1, 2019 | 3 min read
Variation in the number of CGG repeats in the FMR1 gene at the bottom of the X chromosome can lead to increased levels of mRNA or decreased levels of protein—both conditions that cause disease.
DEA Again Promises to Improve Access to Marijuana for Research
Ashley Yeager | Aug 26, 2019 | 3 min read
After years of stalling, the agency says it plans to provide notice on pending applications from growers—but only after it establishes new regulations for suppliers.
HIV virus
HIV-1 Genome Extracted from 1966 Tissue Sample
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 19, 2019 | 2 min read
Scientists spent five years reconstructing what is now the oldest HIV-1 genome yet recovered.
Exercise Changes Our Gut Microbes, But How Isn’t Yet Clear
Ashley Yeager | Aug 15, 2019 | 5 min read
Physical activity, independent of diet, shifts the composition of bacteria in the intestines, spurring researchers to search for species that might provide benefits akin to working out.
sei proteins help protect flies from heat-induced seizures
Image of the Day: Seizure Proteins
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 14, 2019 | 1 min read
The sei ion channel in fruit flies keeps their neuronal excitability in check.
gene therapy approval used manipulated data
Some Data Backing Novartis Gene-Therapy Approval Manipulated: FDA
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 7, 2019 | 2 min read
The agency is now evaluating the implications of the corrupted data behind Zolgensma and whether to “take action” against the pharmaceutical company.
an illustration of the inside of a blood vessel with a buildup of plaque
Gene Mutation Could Explain Humans’ High Risk of Heart Attack
Shawna Williams | Jul 23, 2019 | 2 min read
Mutating a gene called CMAH in mice so it’s nonfunctional, as in humans, upped the animals’ chances of developing heart disease, a study finds.
feet on scale with tape measure
Genetic Study Points to Metabolic Roots of Anorexia Nervosa
Nicoletta Lanese | Jul 15, 2019 | 2 min read
Some variants implicated in the disease are also linked to other psychiatric disorders.
Stuart Orkin
In Our Blood: A Profile of Stuart Orkin
Anna Azvolinsky | Jul 15, 2019 | 9 min read
By unraveling the molecular underpinnings of inherited blood disorders, the Boston Children’s Hospital researcher has provided the basis for therapies now being tested for beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease.
Even Healthy Tissues Carry Clusters of Cells with Mutations: Study
Ashley Yeager | Jun 7, 2019 | 2 min read
Most of the genetic alterations are harmless, but some may contribute to cancer.
Microbe Miner: A Profile of Rob Knight
Anna Azvolinsky | Jun 1, 2019 | 9 min read
Developing computational tools to analyze the reams of microbial sequencing data his lab generates, the UC San Diego microbiologist is a pioneer of microbiome research.
FDA Approves Gene Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Ashley Yeager | May 27, 2019 | 3 min read
At $2 million for a single dose, Novartis’s Zolgensma is the most expensive medicine to date, but still less expensive over a lifetime than another approved drug for the rare genetic disease.
Bedbugs Predated T. rex and Triceratops, New Family Tree Shows
Ashley Yeager | May 17, 2019 | 2 min read
The finding overturns the idea that the insect’s first victims were bats and reveals that certain species started targeting humans as a side snack, not as a main meal.
a drop of blood for a newborn's heel is placed on a piece of paper
Gene Therapy Effective for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
Shawna Williams | Apr 17, 2019 | 4 min read
Researchers report they’ve found a way to restore immune function in infants with one form of “bubble boy disease.”
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