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.
Research has shown that blood tests early on in breast cancer treatment could help to predict outcomes. By performing liquid biopsy at the start of treatment and four weeks in, researchers could obtain vital information about tumour growth and response to therapies.
Scientists have developed small molecule drugs that could mimic the effects of a rare genetic variant that protects against Crohn’s disease. The drugs were shown to reduce inflammation, and show promise to treat not just Crohn’s, but other inflammatory conditions.
New research has shown that individuals who suffered from symptoms of long COVID exhibit increased levels of tau protein in their blood plasma. This protein is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting a link between the conditions.
‘Super-agers’ may reach old age with little cognitive decline due to their genes, according to new research. These individuals were significantly more likely to carry a protective variant against Alzheimer’s disease, and significantly less likely to carry a harmful variant, when compared to both cognitively normal controls and to those with a dementia diagnosis.
A study has shown that alternative splicing may play a key role in schizophrenia. The work showed that different variants disrupt splicing at different levels, and have pinpointed the resulting isoforms, which could be explored for use as drug targets.
A potential blind spot in cancer detection has been noted in individuals who suffer from colour blindness. An inability to distinguish colours may mean that blood in the urine, an early sign of bladder cancer, could be missed, suggesting that more targeted screening interventions may be needed in this group.
A pilot study has shown the feasibility of large-scale genomic screening of adults. The Australia-wide study involved over 10,000 adults aged 18-40 who were invited to undergo testing for ten clinically actionable variants linked to a range of diseases, highlighting the potential of population-wide genomic testing.
A study in fruit flies has used pigmentation as a visible clue to screen hundreds of genes using RNA interference. The work identified several genes that influence brain dopamine levels and sleep behaviours, with many conserved in humans and linked to neurological conditions.
Scientists have developed a new liquid biopsy method, dubbed Bridge Capture, which detects rare cancer-causing mutations with high sensitivity while using a simpler, cheaper, and more scalable workflow. The new tool matches the accuracy of leading tests even at lower sequencing depth.
Analysing DNA from colorectal polyps may uncover genetic risks that standard blood tests miss, improving diagnosis when hereditary cancer is suspected, according to a new study The findings show that testing polyps themselves helps to identify cancer risk and support more targeted screening.
Check out last week’s Week in Brief here.
