News

A new, rare genetic form of dementia has been discovered by a team of Penn Medicine researchers. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a buildup of proteins, called tau proteins, in certain parts of the brain. Following an examination of human brain tissue samples, researchers discovered a novel mutation in the Valosin-containing protein (VCP) gene in the brain.

Tissues and cells in the human body are subjected to a constant push and pull – strained by other cells, blood pressure and fluid flow, to name a few. The type and direction of the force on a cell alters gene expression by stretching different regions of DNA, researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators in China found in a new study.

A new study suggests that coffee consumption may be associated with a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Earlier studies have shown that coffee consumption may protect against the development of Parkinson's disease in people who have no genetic risk factors for the disease.

Researchers at Yale and elsewhere previously identified a host of genetic risk factors that help explain why some veterans are especially susceptible to the debilitating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Using whole genome sequencing, scientists studied the bacteria circulating during the 1991-1998 outbreak of cholera in Argentina and mapped the evolution of epidemic and endemic strains. Their national alert surveillance system now uses this system to help pandemic predictions.

The first comprehensive study of DNA changes in healthy and diseased human bladder tissue has uncovered that "cancer-driving" mutations are common in healthy bladder tissue.

A team of researchers has described the individual cells that comprise the pancreatic cancer microenvironment, a critical step in devising new treatment options for patients with this aggressive and difficult-to-treat disease.

Experts who study animal pheromones have traced the evolutionary origins of genes that allow mice, rats and other rodents to communicate through smell. The discovery is a clear example of how new genes can evolve through the random chance of molecular tinkering and may make identifying new pheromones easier in future studies.

The labs of Kelly Stevens at the UW Medicine Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine in Seattle and Jordan Miller at Rice University in Houston, are collaborating to develop bio-printed, organ-like tissues. Researchers would like to be able to engineer artificial tissues that could be surgically implanted to take over lost functions of diseased livers.

Young researchers with an advanced degree can apply for the highly prestigious Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators that acknowledges outstanding contributions to biomedical research in Europe .