A striking feature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that has caused so much havoc around the world over the last year is how variable a response it elicits from those it infects, with some not even expressing symptoms and others becoming seriously ill. Could variation in our genetics be the answer…

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have devised a four-part small-molecule cocktail that can protect pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from stress and maintain their normal structure and function. The researchers suggest the cocktail could enhance the therapeutic uses of these cells, for treating diseases and conditions including diabetes,…

Researchers from Mount Sinai have shown that genetic ancestry can be used to better understand and predict who is more susceptible to certain disorders—including cancers, asthma, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. They point out that this information could be used to develop early interventions. Their study was reported in the journal Cell.…

Researchers based at the ICREA institute in Barcelona have discovered epigenetic factors linked to increased risk of developing a more severe case of COVID-19, most of which are located in genes that regulate the response of interferon to viral infection. Over the last year it has become clear that SARS-CoV-2…

Making meaningful connections between high-throughput molecular data and health implications poses significant challenges, many of them computational. But now a team based at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG) in Berlin and at the Institute of Computational Biology of Helmholtz Zentrum München has developed a new algorithm using…

Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine report that they have found that microbes in the gut may contribute to certain symptoms associated with complex neurological disorders. Their study “Dissecting the contribution of host genetics and the microbiome in complex behaviors,” published in Cell, also suggests that microbe-inspired therapies may one…

Scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, have found a way of detecting early-stage cancer by analyzing short strands of cell-free DNA in urine. Until recently, it was thought that DNA fragments in urine were degraded at random and were too short to…

A new study from researchers at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has found that inherited genetic variation plays a role in who is likely to benefit from checkpoint inhibitors, which release the immune system’s brakes so it can attack cancer. The study also points to potential new targets that…

A small study carried out at the University of Miami suggests that mesenchymal stem cells can be safely used to treat the acute respiratory symptoms seen in some severe COVID-19 patients. Although the main purpose of the study was to assess safety, the researchers also found that the treatment significantly…

The effect of oral hormone therapy on the metabolome of postmenopausal women is profound. Different hormone therapy regimens result in discordant metabolomic effects that impact the risk for coronary heart disease, reports a study led by Raji Balasubramanian, associate professor in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University…

Beta-blockers, which are commonly used to control heart problems and anxiety, have an anti-inflammatory effect that could be used to target the extreme inflammation seen in severe cases of COVID-19. A research team based in Naples in Italy and Adelaide in Australia has suggested in a paper published in the…

Recent research findings by scientists at the Gladstone Institutes, in collaboration with researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), could lead to immune therapies that strengthen or weaken the function of regulatory T cells. According to Alex Marson, M.D., Ph.D., director…

Researchers at University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered a potential new target to attack lung squamous cell cancer (LUSC), known as CDR1as. Their findings, “A circle RNA regulatory axis promotes lung squamous metastasis via CDR1-mediated regulation of Golgi trafficking,” are published in the journal Cancer Research and…

Neurofilament light chain (NfL), a promising protein biomarker of neurodegeneration, has been identified in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood as a potential screening tool and prognostic indicator, may now be on the brink of clinical applicability. A new study led by Boston Medical Center researchers found that Nfl is now detectable…

Research originally focused on a way to determine the viability of batches of tiny liver organoids led the investigators to devise a polygenic risk score (PRS) that shows when a drug—whether developmental or already approved—poses a risk of drug-induced liver injury (DILI). The researchers, comprised teams at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital…