The results of studies by researchers at Florida State University College of Medicine suggest that nicotine exposure in men could lead to cognitive deficits in their children and grandchildren. The research found that adding nicotine to the drinking water of male mice led to epigenetic changes in sperm cell genes…

As the U.S. marked the 242nd anniversary of its independence, the mother country also had reason to celebrate. England’s National Health Service commemorated its 70th birthday not with a cake or candles, but with a nicely timed announcement that the 70,000th genome had been sequenced of the 100,000 planned by…

A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) focused on polygenic risk scores (PRS) received the type of attention usually reserved for groundbreaking science, including stories in Forbes and The New York Times. The researchers, led by Sekar Kathiresan, M.D., director of the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, demonstrated…

Studies by researchers at Uppsala University indicate that just one night of sleep loss can trigger tissue-specific epigenetic, gene expression, and metabolic changes that are associated with the loss of lean muscle mass and an increase in fat. The research, involving human volunteers who were allowed either a good night…

Investigators at Wake Forest School of Medicine have developed a probiotic “cocktail” derived from gut bacteria strains found in infant feces that may help increase the body's ability to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Findings from the new study were released in Scientific Reports through an article titled “Human-origin probiotic…

Circadian rhythms are regular, daily variations in some of our biological functions and behaviors that are key to health and mental wellbeing. A research team at the University of Glasgow has now identified a potential genetic link between disrupted circadian rhythms and mood disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and…

Scientists in the U.S. and Korea have developed a statistical method for estimating the broad numbers of DNA variations that impact on different physical traits, such as height or childhood IQ, and on a wide range of diseases, from diabetes to bipolar disorder. Their findings, derived from analyses of existing…

BC Platforms said today its genomic data management platform will be used by the Finnish genetic testing and analyzing technology company Negen toward the early risk assessment of common diseases, through an agreement whose value was not disclosed. The companies plan to develop a combined solution for healthcare providers and…

Researchers based at the University of Cambridge, using data from the UK Biobank, have identified 15 genomic loci for loneliness and 37 other loci for regular participation in social activities ranging from hitting the gym to attending religious services, according to a study published this week. The trio of researchers…

Researchers say they have taken a step closer to better understanding how the gut microbiome is formed, changes over time, and is affected by disturbances like antibiotics.  Published June 21 in Molecular Systems Biology, a study (“Deciphering Microbial Interactions in Synthetic Human Gut Microbiome Communities”) by a team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison…

Nightingale Health, the developer of a blood biomarker technology for studying chronic diseases, said today it will analyze the biomarker profiles of 500,000 blood samples from UK Biobank, under a 30-month collaboration the company will fund through a €10 million ($11.6 million) investment in the biorepository. The technology, Nightingale said,…

Signaling growing interest in personalized oncology treatments as well as diagnostics, Roche plans a $2.4 billion acquisition that will expand its majority stake in Foundation Medicine into full ownership of the cancer-focused molecular diagnostics developer. Under the deal, Roche and Foundation Medicine said, they plan to combine their expertise in…

People with type 2 diabetes and obesity are known to more likely develop neuropsychiatric and mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Work in mice by researchers in the U.S. and Japan now suggests that bacteria in the gut—the microbiome—may contribute to depressive-type behaviors in animals with diet-induced obesity (DIO).…

Changes in gut bacteria have been linked with the development of age-related disorders and chronic diseases, and research suggests that targeting the microbiome as part of the gut–brain axis (GBA) may represent a therapeutic approach against some age-related conditions. Scientists at McGill University in Montreal have now shown how a…

University at Buffalo (UB) scientists say they have developed a new protein analysis tool that could vastly increase the speed and precision with which disease and drug effects are analyzed. Called IonStar, it is the first to provide near-perfect accuracy when quantifying and comparing the abundance of proteins in the bodies of…