Check out the latest Genomics Week In Brief – full of intriguing news and research from the genomics space!
Top stories from the past week:
- A multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis has identified genetic markers of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes (Nature Medicine).
- A large team of researchers have collaborated to create an open-source analysis platform to identify genetic variants that could guide future therapies for childhood cancers (Cell Genomics).
- A new computational approach has been used to zoom in on non-coding regions of the genome and find risk factors for blood cell abnormalities (Cell Genomics).
- A study has revealed that, in response to damage, antioxidant enzymes relocate from the mitochondria to the nucleus to assist in DNA repair (Molecular Systems Biology).
- A team of researchers have developed an algorithm that is six-times more effective at predicting the impact of tissue-specific aberrant splicing than current methods (Nature Genetics).
- Deep sequencing of individuals with ‘vascular anomalies’ allowed for the use of targeted treatments based on a patient’s genes, according to a study from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Over 60% of patients saw an improvement in their condition following treatment (Nature Medicine).
- New genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease have been identified in the Ashkenazi Jewish population (Alzheimer’s and Dementia).
- Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute have identified the oldest plague DNA found to-date. The 4,000 year old samples will help to further our knowledge of how humans and pathogens co-evolved (Nature Communications).
- Researchers have developed a new spatial technology to assess tumour growth and determine pathways involved in the process (Nature Communications).
- Scientists have identified one specific cause of fungal infection risk in patients undergoing immunotherapy treatments (Cell).
- The death of a Duchenne muscular dystrophy patient in a gene editing trial has been linked to the viral vector used for delivery, rather than the CRISPR-based treatment itself (medRxiv).
In other news:
- New research suggests that the herpes zoster vaccine is also effective in preventing dementia in some individuals (medRxiv).
- NHS trial results suggest that the Galleri blood test – a form of liquid biopsy – has the potential to effectively identify over 50 types of cancer (Guardian).
- Australian researchers have successfully grown tissues from every known form of endometriosis, which can be used to test new treatments (Brisbane Times).
