What’s been going on in the life sciences world this week? Check out Week in Brief for an overview of the biggest news from the last seven days.
Harmful sperm mutations become more common as men age. Researchers have mapped harmful mutations in sperm over time, showing that age is not the only factor for increased disease risk. In fact, some harmful, disease-causing mutations were favoured during sperm production.
New test can predict which blood cancer patients will relapse. A combination of DNA profiling and RNA gene expression testing can provide a better prediction of early blood cancer relapse. Identifying these at-risk patients could allow clinicians to employ more personalised treatments.
Stress linked to increased cancer risk. Psychological stress, leading to increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol, has been linked to increased breast and prostate cancer risk in those who already have a genetic predisposition to these diseases. These findings could contribute to better interventions for those at risk.
Dual treatment shows promise for pancreatic cancer. Researchers have trialled a combination of two experimental treatments to combat pancreatic cancer, concluding that this method is more effective than either treatment alone. The first technique involves the use of ultrasound pulses to disrupt tumour cells, whilst the second delivers oncolytic retroviruses to kill them.
New blood test for ME/CFS? Researchers have reported that they have developed a simple yet highly accurate blood test to detect epigenetic changes associated with ME/CFS. However, experts suggest more testing needs to be carried out to properly assess its clinical utility.
Genetic variants linked to intrinsic capacity identified. A study of more than 57,000 individuals has revealed genetic variants linked to a key marker of healthy aging known as intrinsic capacity. The loci identified in the study were associated with biological processes such as metabolism and neurodegeneration.
Newborn genomic screening is a feasible method to enable early diagnosis of severe conditions. A study of infants in Australia has shown that newborn genomic screening for over 600 disorders is a feasible addition to the newborn heel prick test. Of over 1,000 babies included in the study, 15 received diagnoses that were not picked up using traditional screening methods.
‘Google for DNA’ allows scientists to quickly search sequences. A new tool, named MetaGraph, has been published, which allows researchers to search DNA, RNA or protein sequences for specific snippets. The tool makes this data fully text searchable, and is accurate, precise and cost-effective.
Gene linked to childhood bone cancer identified. Researchers have identified a previously unknown gene that is associated with a common form of bone cancer, osteosarcoma. Over 2% of children with cancer in the study had mutations in the gene, SMARCAL1, which is involved in DNA repair.
Link identified between rare childhood brain disorder and Parkinson’s disease. New work has shown that mutations in a gene already known to cause a rare childhood brain disorder, Vici syndrome, are also linked to nerve cell changes seen in aging-related conditions like Parkinson’s. This finding highlights the idea that research into rare disorders could subsequently provide insight into more common conditions.
Check out last week’s Week in Brief here.
