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A new study published in Molecular Psychiatry outlines the development of an RNA biomarker-based blood test for distinguishing how severe an individual's depression is, determining the risk of a patient developing severe depression in the future, determining the risk of future bipolar disorder and tailored medication choices for patients.

Scientists have reported the full assembly of human chromosome 8. While on the outside this chromosome looks typical, being neither short nor long or distinctive, its DNA content and arrangement are of interest in primate and human evolution, in several immune and developmental disorders, and in chromosome sequencing structure and function generally.

It is recognized that Parkinson's disease patients are more likely to develop melanoma than the general population. Scientists now report a molecular link between the two diseases in the form of protein aggregates known as amyloids.

Using cryo-electron microscopy, scientists made the MutS protein, also known as the guardian of our genome, visible. That enabled them to describe how this protein coordinates the essential DNA repair process from beginning to end.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have developed a breath test that measures how well patients with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) respond to receiving liver or combined liver and kidney transplantation. Researchers also used the test to assess the severity of the disease in people and help determine if they would benefit from surgical or experimental genomic therapies that target the liver.

Scientists have developed a novel type of implantable sensor that can be embedded into an artificial polymeric tissue. The sensor is based on color-stable gold nanoparticles that are modified with receptors for specific molecules. The nanogold is implanted under the skin where it reports changes in drug concentrations by changing its color.

As the world awaits the upcoming Olympic games, a new method for detecting doping compounds in urine samples could level the playing field for those trying to keep athletics clean. An approach using ion mobility-mass spectrometry could help regulatory agencies detect existing dopants and future “designer” compounds.

The faster-spreading B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 first detected in the United Kingdom, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is quickly on its way to becoming the dominant variant of the virus in the United States, according to a new study.

A genetic variant linked to male infertility has been discovered, and this knowledge could help improve the diagnosis and management of men who carry it.

New technology suggests that using electronic deterrents could be a valid approach to reducing the incidence of shark bites.