Diabetes switch in DNA

Promising approach for personalised diabetes therapy

07-Nov-2024 - They are underestimated genetic control elements: it is known that changes in the genome can trigger diabetes. But now researchers at the University Hospital Ulm and the INSERM Cochin Institute in Paris have shown that a previously under-researched region of the genome also plays a crucial role ...

Large-scale mapping of pig genes could pave the way for new human medicines

Researchers have carried out complex genetic analyses of hundreds of pigs and humans to identify differences and similarities

12-Jan-2024 - It may sound strange, but we can actually learn more about ourselves by studying pigs. Pigs and humans are pretty similar. Our organs, our skin and the way many diseases develop are largely the same. Pigs have therefore long been used to develop and test new medicines, even though pigs are ...

Rare kidney disease is genetically decoded

The entire genome of a human being can be analysed on a single sequencing chip

25-Aug-2023 - Bartter syndrome type 3 is the result of several structural variants in the genome. By using long-read sequencing, Janine Altmüller and her team from the Max Delbrück Center, the BIH and University Hospital Cologne mapped out the rare disease in unprecedented detail. They have now reported their ...

Large-scale genetic study sheds light on the causes of hemorrhoids

International research team identified pathophysiological mechanisms of hemorrhoidal disease by studying the DNA of nearly one million people

26-Apr-2021 - Found at the very end of the digestive tract, hemorrhoids are blood-filled cushions that help contain stool and control defecation in humans. Often confusing, the word hemorrhoids is also used to refer to hemorrhoidal disease (or piles), in which hemorrhoids enlarge, causing itching, burning, ...

Spread of a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant across Europe in summer 2020

There is currently no evidence of this variant being more dangerous

30-Oct-2020 - Researchers from Basel and Spain have identified a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant that has spread widely across Europe in recent months, according to an un-peer-reviewed preprint released this week. While there is no evidence of this variant being more dangerous, its spread may give insights into the ...

New software detects disease-causing gene mutations

Software finds "needle in a haystack" e.g. in the diagnosis of rare diseases

10-Sep-2020 - A serious illness is often the result of a single genetic defect. But given that two healthy people already have around three million differences in their genetic make-up, it is no easy task to pick out the one disease-causing deviation from the many harmless gene variants. Scientists at the ...

The genetics of suicide risk

08-Oct-2019 - While searching for biological markers for suicide risk, a Viennese research team has gained new insights into the relationship between environmental factors and genetics. Traumatic childhood experiences play an essential role and leave traces in the brain. To a large extent, suicide is a taboo ...

How procrastinators and doers differ genetically

15-Jul-2019 - Is your tax return still not finished and cleaning the house has been put off until next week? Your genes could be to blame. At least for women. Some people tend to postpone actions. In women, this trait is associated with a genetic predisposition towards a higher level of dopamine in the brain. ...

Potential for risky behavior is also in your genes

15-Jan-2019 - As part of an international research project, a group of scientists from the University of Zurich found genetic variants associated with risk tolerance and risky behaviors. It is one of the first studies to link genetic variants with behavioral outcomes, which are relevant to social science ...

Faulty DNA repair in intestinal stem cells leads to cancer

07-Jan-2019 - A study by the Cluster of Excellence "Inflammation at Interfaces" finds a new mechanism by which DNA repair protects the genome and prevents the development of bowel cancer. Cancer is caused by the body's own cells, which change and start growing out of control. With bowel cancer, this affects ...