New evidence from investigators at the University of Tokyo and Tohoku University in Japan has revealed a molecular mechanism that controls how lifestyle choices and the external environment affect gene expression. This mechanism includes potential targets for next-generation drug discovery efforts to treat metabolic diseases including diabetes and obesity. The…

A common variant of the gene for the liver hormone fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) genetically predisposes carriers to eat more sugar and consume more alcohol, but it is also, perhaps counterintuitively, associated with lower total body fat, according to the findings of a study headed by researchers at the…

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and five biopharma partners are betting $50 million-plus that the consortium they have launched to sequence the exomes of all 500,000 contributors of samples to the UK Biobank by the end of 2019 will do more than glean new insights into how human genetic variations shape human biology…

One of the world’s daily pleasures could have some interesting metabolic impacts, as a new study from investigators at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and several other research institutions shows that coffee affects a person’s metabolism in dozens of ways beyond the morning jolt—including the metabolism of steroids and…

Few scientists earn a repeat invitation to keynote the Molecular Medicine Tri-Con (TRICON) event, especially not 23 years apart. But Lee Hood is an exception. Kicking off the 25th anniversary edition of TRICON in San Francisco earlier this week, Hood reflected on his mission to promote “P4 medicine”, illustrating with…

Researcher led by a team of investigators at the University of Bonn, Germany, have found that the immune system reacts to a high-calorie, Western-style diet in a way similar to how it reacts to bacterial infections, by setting in motion inflammatory response and long-term stimulate of the innate immune system…

Berg said it plans to develop novel biomarker strategies for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders through a research partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). Under the collaboration, whose value was not disclosed, Mass General and BWH will provide Berg with access to a longitudinal…

A new version of the gene-editing tool CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) has been developed by a research team led by Feng Zhang, Ph.D., which says its ability to target and edit RNA presents several advantages over its familiar DNA-editing counterpart. Zhang, of the Broad Institute of MIT…

We are all colonized by vast quantities of microorganisms. Until recently, there has been little focus on how these microbes can help us stay healthy. However, it has now been recognized that they can provide us with a whole array of different benefits. In contrast, disruption of these microbial communities,…

Fitbit has been chosen as the first wearable for use in the NIH’s All of Us Research Program, the research cohort piece of the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) designed to glean health and wellness data from 1 million or more Americans. As part of All of Us, the Scripps Translational…

Berg said it will apply its Interrogative Biology® platform to improve outcomes of Sanofi Pasteur seasonal influenza vaccines by generating and modeling data for assessing potential biomarkers, through a research collaboration whose value was not disclosed. In addition to identifying biomarkers, Berg said, the partnership with Sanofi’s vaccines business aims…

A new version of the gene-editing tool CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) has been developed by a research team led by Feng Zhang, Ph.D., which says its ability to target and edit RNA presents several advantages over its familiar DNA-editing counterpart. Dr. Zhang, of the Broad Institute of…

According to Jose Castro-Perez, Ph.D., director of global markets, Health Sciences with Waters, mass spectrometry today is an underused technology in the clinical lab. But it is one that can play a significant role to help guide early treatment and preventative care, especially diseases that are significantly caused, or influenced,…

In the first reported first use of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to study gene function in developing human preimplantation embryos, researchers from the U.K. and South Korea have applied the technology to target the POU5F1 gene, which encodes the pluripotency transcription factor OCT4 during embryogenesis. “If we knew the key genes…

Protein folding is a fundamental function in the mundane operations of a cell’s daily life. Yet, when this task goes wrong, it becomes readily apparent how vital of a role 3D structure plays for the vast majority of protein molecules. In the past, scientists concluded that the aberrantly assembled proteins…