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.
James Watson dies aged 97. Watson, who co-discovered the structure of DNA in the 1950s, was reported to have passed away on November 6th. Despite making discoveries that were integral to modern day science, Watson had faced backlash over the last two decades, and had his honours stripped from him, due to offensive comments made about Black individuals.
E. coli could spread as quickly as swine flu. This is according to new research, which shows that some antibiotic-resistant strains of the bacteria could transmit between hosts at an unprecedented rate. Understanding these transmission patterns, which has historically been easier to model in viruses, could help in the fight against AMR.
Liquid biopsy effective for early diagnosis of multiple cancer types. A study shows that a multi-cancer early detection blood test is effective at increasing early stage diagnosis in 14 cancers. The biggest impacts were seen in lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers.
Alternative proteins could be key to rare disease understanding. Researchers have identified genes that produce more than one protein due to the presence of alternative start codons, which impacts where in the cell the protein will localise to.They found that in the case of a rare anaemia, some patients have mutations that eliminate a mitochondrial version of the protein, whilst others lacked a nuclear version, with symptoms differing between the cases.
Maternal type 1 diabetes could protect offspring from disease. An epigenome-wide analysis has shown that children of mothers – but not fathers – who suffer from type 1 diabetes are protected from the condition through differential methylation patterns. The research suggested that environmental factors can protect against type 1 diabetes through epigenetic modifications of disease loci, such as through exposure to the condition during pregnancy.
Lack of a common protein impacts testosterone response in muscles. Common variation in the ACTN3 gene, which is linked to elite running ability, leads to the loss of a protein that impacts how muscles respond to testosterone. Beyond impacting athletic ability, the loss of this protein can lead to increased muscle loss.
Poorly characterised protein could be key in prostate cancer. A protein that was once thought to simply be a chaperone has been identified as playing a key role in the regulation of the androgen receptor, according to a new study. The androgen receptor is a driver of prostate cancer, meaning these findings could shed light on a new treatment pathway.
Ancient viral DNA plays a role in pre-eclampsia. Ancient viral DNA that has made its way into the human genome can play a regulatory role in placental development. A new study has shown that these relics can influence the expression of a gene that, when overexpressed, induces pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.
Mathematics key to understanding cancer evolution. A review has detailed the need to use mathematical modeling to understand cancer evolution and adaptation. Using these methods to track cancer’s response to different stimuli could be crucial for the development of effective treatment strategies.
Bowel cancer ‘big bang’ revealed. Scientists have discovered that bowel cancer begins with a single crucial event when tumour cells first learn to hide from the body’s immune defences. This “Big Bang” marks the point at which cancer cells disable key genes that would normally alert the immune system to their presence.
Check out last week’s Week in Brief here.
