Genomics
The Lead
Successful DNA Sequencing with Ever Smaller Samples
May 9, 2013 1:45 pm | by Cynthia Fox | Articles | Comments
DNA sequencing is busting Moore’s Law by getting far cheaper, far faster than expected. But it is also getting far more sensitive. Researchers can sequence DNA samples 25 times smaller than they could a year ago. For whole genome sequencing, in recent months, one group has routinely gone from sequencing as little as one microgram of input to 100 nanograms.
Cell Sorting Based on RNA Detection in Living Cells
May 1, 2013 12:10 pm | by Don Weldon, Yuko Williams, Alex Ko, EMD Millipore Corporation | Articles | Comments
Identifying cell types and sorting cells based on RNA expression levels without any transfection...
DNA Manipulation Reduces 'Problem' Drinking
February 21, 2013 10:06 am | News | Comments
A new study identified a potential new approach for reducing problem...
Termite Digestion Key to Improving Biofuel Production
February 20, 2013 11:27 am | News | Comments
A termite’s own biology with help from microorganisms called protists, are keys to the insect’s...
Largest Sequencing Study of Autoimmune Diseases Completed
May 23, 2013 10:56 am | News | CommentsResearchers have led the largest sequencing study of human disease to date, investigating the genetic basis of six autoimmune diseases. The exact cause of these diseases– autoimmune thyroid disease, coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes– is unknown, but is believed to be a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors.
One-step Genetic Engineering Technology Developed
May 22, 2013 10:06 am | News | CommentsA new, streamlined approach to genetic engineering drastically reduces the time and effort needed to insert new genes into bacteria, the workhorses of biotechnology, scientists are reporting. The method paves the way for more rapid development of designer microbes for drug development, environmental cleanup and other activities.
RNA 'Transcriptome' Sequenced in Immune Cells
May 21, 2013 2:22 pm | by Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard | News | CommentsWhen studying any kind of population — people or cells — averaging is a useful, if flawed, form of measurement. According to the US Census Bureau, the average American household size in 2010 was 2.59. Of course, there are no homes with exactly 2.59 people.
'Lifespan Machine' Monitors Worm Aging
May 20, 2013 12:00 pm | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsThe worm’s tail wriggles, a micrometer-scale twitch. A scanner captures the new posture. Software recognizes the motion. Life goes on in the Lifespan Machine, a new system devised in the lab of Walter Fontana that, essentially, counts dead worms.
New MATH Method for Head, Neck Cancer
May 20, 2013 11:05 am | News | CommentsA new method of measuring the variety of genetic mutations found in cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. The research describes how a new way of measuring tumor heterogeneity was a better predictor of survival than are most traditional risk factors in a small group of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Method Allows Closer Look at Developing Embryos
May 17, 2013 11:12 am | News | CommentsAn international team of scientists using a new X-ray method recorded the internal structure and cell movement inside a living frog embryo in greater detail than ever before. This result showcases a new method to advance biological research and the search for new treatments for genetic diseases.
Biotech Potato Breeds Pitched to FDA
May 14, 2013 1:44 pm | by JOHN MILLER - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsA dozen years after a customer revolt forced Monsanto to ditch its genetically engineered potato, another company aims to resurrect high-tech spuds. This month, tuber processing giant J.R. Simplot Co. asked the U.S. government to approve five varieties of biotech potatoes. They're engineered not to develop ugly black bruises.
Inflammation Gene Controls OA Risk
May 14, 2013 11:02 am | News | CommentsIndividuals with radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) who had a specific pattern of gene variations in the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene (IL1RN), which is involved in controlling inflammation, were more likely to progress to severe disease than those without the gene variations.
New Genetic Risk Factors for Testicular Cancer Found
May 13, 2013 1:10 pm | News | CommentsA new, first-of-its-kind meta-analysis looking at the genomes of more than 13,000 men identified four new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer, the most commonly diagnosed type in young men today. The discovery of these genetic variations could ultimately help researchers better understand which men are at high risk and allow for early detection or prevention of the disease.
Spontaneous Mutations Crucial in Congenital Heart Disease
May 13, 2013 12:48 pm | News | CommentsEvery year, thousands of babies are born with severely malformed hearts, disorders known collectively as congenital heart disease. Many of these defects can be repaired though surgery, but researchers don’t understand what causes them or how to prevent them. New research shows that about 10 percent of these defects are caused by genetic mutations that are absent in the parents of affected children.
Study Reveals How Nerve Axons Self-destruct
May 10, 2013 10:29 am | News | CommentsMany medical issues affect nerves, from injuries in car accidents and side effects of chemotherapy to glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. The common theme in these scenarios is destruction of nerve axons, the long wires that transmit signals to other parts of the body, allowing movement, sight and sense of touch, among other vital functions.
Stem Cell Epigenomics Mimic Early Human Development
May 10, 2013 9:59 am | News | CommentsScientists have long known that control mechanisms known collectively as "epigenetics" play a critical role in human development, but they did not know precisely how alterations in this extra layer of biochemical instructions in DNA contribute to development.
New Genetic Cancer Driver Found
May 7, 2013 4:45 pm | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsApproximately 90 percent of cancers start within tissues that form the inner linings of various organs. Decades of accumulated genetic mutations can, on occasion, induce cells specialized for growth in one-cell deep sheets to form disordered clumps that eventually become tumors.
Life Span Extended 25% in Fruit Flies
May 7, 2013 4:25 pm | News | CommentsScientists have identified a gene previously implicated in Parkinson's disease that can delay the onset of aging and extend the healthy life span of fruit flies. The research, they say, could have important implications for aging and disease in humans.
MicroRNAs Control Cancer Attack
May 6, 2013 4:27 pm | News | CommentsThe body's own immune system’s fight against breast cancer is controlled by genetic "fine tuners," known as microRNAs, according to a new study. Looking at 1,300 breast cancer samples, scientists found that the influence of these microRNAs, which help control how genes behave, varies between different subtypes of breast cancer.
Device Extracts DNA in Minutes
May 6, 2013 3:51 pm | News | CommentsTake a swab of saliva from your mouth and within minutes your DNA could be ready for analysis and genome sequencing with the help of a new device. Engineers and NanoFacture, a Bellevue, Wash., company, have created a device that can extract human DNA from fluid samples in a simpler, more efficient and environmentally friendly way than conventional methods.
Lone Star Virus Identified Using Super-fast Sequencing
May 6, 2013 9:43 am | News | CommentsThe tick-borne Lone Star virus has been conclusively identified as part of a family of other tick-borne viruses called bunyaviruses, which often cause fever, respiratory problems and bleeding, according to new research. What made the work especially promising was the speed at which the virus was definitively identified.
Gene Makes Cancer Less Cancerous
May 3, 2013 10:00 am | News | CommentsResearchers have identified a gene that, when repressed in tumor cells, puts a halt to cell growth and a range of processes needed for tumors to enlarge and spread to distant sites, in hope that this so-called “master regulator” gene may be the key to developing a new treatment for tumors resistant to current drugs.
Blood Test Tracks Tumor Evolution
May 3, 2013 9:50 am | News | CommentsBy tracking changes in patients’ blood, scientists have created a new way of looking at how tumors evolve in real-time and develop drug resistance. The research used traces of tumor DNA, known as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), found in cancer patients’ blood to follow the progress of the disease as it changed over time and developed resistance to chemotherapy treatments.
Scientists Create Genetic Playbook for AML
May 2, 2013 12:11 pm | News | CommentsA team of researchers has identified virtually all of the major mutations that drive acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-growing blood cancer in adults that often is difficult to treat. The findings pave the way for developing better treatments for AML based on the genetic profile of a patient’s cancer.
Genetics Linked to Weight-loss Surgery Success
May 2, 2013 10:42 am | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsResearchers have identified a gene variant that helps predict how much weight an individual will lose after gastric bypass surgery, a finding with the potential both to guide treatment planning and to facilitate the development of new therapeutic approaches to treating obesity and related conditions like diabetes.
Bacterial Defense System Has Valuable Genes
May 1, 2013 9:45 am | News | CommentsEven bacteria have a kind of “immune system” they use to defend themselves against unwanted intruders– in their case, viruses. Scientists are now able to show that this defense system is much more diverse than previously thought and that it comes in multiple versions.
Approach Isolates Memory-storing RNAs
April 26, 2013 11:35 am | News | CommentsScientists have developed a novel strategy for isolating and characterizing a substantial number of RNAs transported from the cell-body of neuron (nerve cell) to the synapse, the small gap separating neurons that enables cell to cell communication.
Ancient DNA Reveals Europe's Genetic History
April 24, 2013 11:56 am | News | CommentsAncient DNA recovered from a series of skeletons in central Germany up to 7,500 years old has been used to reconstruct the first detailed genetic history of modern Europe. The study reveals a dramatic series of events including major migrations from both Western Europe and Eurasia, and signs of an unexplained genetic turnover about 4000-5000 years ago.
Newly Discovered Genes Can Treat Childhood Arthritis
April 23, 2013 12:03 pm | News | CommentsScientists have identified 14 new genes which could have important consequences for future treatments of childhood arthritis. Researchers looked at DNA extracted from blood and saliva samples of 2,000 children with childhood arthritis and compared these to healthy people.
