Check out the latest Genomics Week in Brief – full of intriguing news and research from the genomics space!
Top stories from the past week:
- Depletion of the APOE4 protein, the strongest genetic determinant for Alzheimer’s disease, has been found to decrease neurodegeneration in neuronal cells (Nature Aging).
- A decade-long study has revealed four subtypes of kidney cancer based on the presence of certain mutations, allowing for predictions about tumour recurrence (Clinical Cancer Research).
- A new technique has emerged that may mitigate the current challenges associated with 3D bioprinting of human tissues (Science Advances).
- Using large-scale health and demographic data, scientists have developed a new machine learning approach to predict resistance to COVID-19 infection (PLOS ONE).
- An in vivo CRISPR-based gene editing therapy has successfully prevented hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in mice (Nature Medicine).
- Researchers have identified a toxic protein that contributes to two genetic disorders – facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and arhinia (Science Advances).
- Using florescence in situ hybridisation, researchers have mapped receptors in the antenna of mosquitoes that may influence which humans they choose to bite (Cell Reports).
- A study has revealed 21 Alzheimer’s associated genes that are differentially expressed in obese individuals. This may explain why Alzheimer’s disease occurs at a higher rate in those who have experienced obesity in their lifetime (Alzheimer’s and Dementia).
- Researchers have revealed that a new gene therapy to treat alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is safe and effective in mice (Human Gene Therapy).
- The United States Center for Disease Control has released the results of a study evaluating the efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations in children aged between 3 and 5 (CDC).
- DNA methylation changes alter gene and protein co-expression networks that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s and Dementia).
- A genome-wide association study has revealed genes that are associated with mathematical ability in school children (Genes, Brains and Behaviour).
In other news:
- A third patient has been successfully cured of HIV following a stem cell transplant from an unaffected donor. The 53-year-old man from Germany has been free of the disease since 2018 after receiving the antiretroviral treatment (Nature).
- A study in mice has shown promising results in the development of a male contraceptive pill (Guardian).
- And finally, good sleep has been associated with longer life expectancy, according to a new study. Those who reported healthy sleeping patterns were 21% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease and 19% less likely to die of cancer (Guardian).
