Epigenetics News

June 21, 2025

Top Headlines

Iron Overload: The Hidden Culprit Behind Early Alzheimer’s in Down Syndrome

June 21, 2025 — USC researchers have uncovered a hidden driver behind the early and severe onset of Alzheimer's in people with Down syndrome: iron overload in the brain. Their study revealed that individuals with ...

Cold Sore Virus Hijacks Human Genome in 3D--and Scientists Found Its Weak Spot

June 20, 2025 — Cold sore-causing HSV-1 doesn't just hijack cells it reconfigures the entire architecture of our DNA to aid its invasion. Researchers discovered that it actively reshapes the 3D structure of the ...

The Hidden Dna Repair System That Could Transform Cancer Treatment

June 7, 2025 — A powerful new discovery reveals that Nup98 a protein once thought to only ferry molecules through the nucleus plays a vital role in safeguarding the most vulnerable areas of DNA. By forming droplet-like 'bubbles' around damaged DNA within dense ...

Machine Learning Algorithm Brings Long-Read Sequencing to the Clinic

May 30, 2025 — SAVANA uses a machine learning algorithm to identify cancer-specific structural variations and copy number aberrations in long-read DNA sequencing data. The complex structure of cancer genomes means that standard analysis tools give false-positive ...

A High-Fat Diet Sets Off Metabolic Dysfunction in Cells, Leading to Weight Gain

May 29, 2025 — Researchers find high-fat diets set off metabolic dysfunction in cells, leading to weight gain, but these effects can be reversed by treatment with an ...

Wilms Tumors: How Genes and Imprinting Pave the Way for Cancer

May 27, 2025 — A biobank for pediatric kidney tumors plays a key role in identifying hereditary causes of Wilms tumors. New insights gained with its help enable better risk assessment for affected families and could form the basis for targeted screening and ...

Study Discovers DNA Switch That Controls TB Growth, and Could Help Unlock Its Antibiotic Resistance Secrets

May 26, 2025 — The bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) may have an 'on-off switch' that lets them pause and restart growth, according to a new study. The research helps explain why TB is so hard to treat with ...

Newfound Mechanism Rewires Cellular Energy Processing for Drastic Weight Loss

May 22, 2025 — Mice genetically engineered to lack the amino acid cysteine, and fed a cysteine-free diet, lost 30 percent of their body weight in a ...

Beyond Hormones: Researchers Define X and Y Chromosome Contributions to Height

May 22, 2025 — A new study provides new insight into height differences between adult men and women, demonstrating that Y chromosome genes contribute more to height than their X chromosome ...

'Barcodes' Written Into Our DNA Reveal How Blood Ages

May 22, 2025 — A study explains how age reshapes the blood system. In both humans and mice, a few stem cells out-compete their neighbors and gradually take over blood production. The loss of diversity results in a blood system that has a preference for producing ...

Enzyme Identified as an Important Tumor Inhibitor in T-Cell Lymphomas

May 16, 2025 — Lymphomas belong to the group of malignant diseases of the immune system and mainly affect the organs of the lymphatic system. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) belongs to the subgroup of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and is a rare but aggressive form ...

How Rearranged Genes Drive Kidney Cancer Progression

May 16, 2025 — Scientists report that they have learned how certain combinations of rearranged genes can promote the progression of a rare type of kidney ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:47am EDT

Findings on the Protein That Forms Loops in the Human Genome

May 30, 2025 — Cohesin is a protein that forms a ring-shaped complex which wraps and alters the DNA molecule shape. It moves through the DNA and creates specific loops in the genetic material which determine the ...

Marsupial Research Reveals How Mammalian Embryos Form

May 15, 2025 — Researchers have revealed insight into why embryos erase a key epigenetic mark during early development, suggesting this may have evolved to help form a ...

Postpartum Depression and Bonding: Long-Term Effects on School-Age Children

May 14, 2025 — Postpartum maternal mental health and mother-to-infant bonding are well-established as critical factors in a child's psychosocial development. However, few studies have explored the combined impact ...

Data Collection Changes Key to Understanding Maternal Mortality Trends in the US, New Study Shows

May 1, 2025 — A new study offers fresh insight into trends in maternal mortality in the United States. For the first time, the study disentangles genuine changes ...

Apr. 25, 2025 — Researchers have discovered that expansion of mutant blood cells, a phenomenon linked to aging, can be found in cancerous tumors, and this is ...

In Down Syndrome Mice, 40Hz Light and Sound Improve Cognition, Neurogenesis, Connectivity

Apr. 25, 2025 — A new study provides new evidence that sensory stimulation of a gamma-frequency brain rhythm may promote broad-based restorative neurological health ...

How DNA Self-Organizes in the Early Embryo

Apr. 23, 2025 — An international research team has provided a detailed insight into how the spatial organization of genetic material is established in the cell nucleus of early embryos within the first hours after ...

Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Increased Risk of Young-Onset Dementia

Apr. 23, 2025 — Having a larger waistline, high blood pressure and other risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of young-onset dementia, according to a new study. ...

Parts of Our DNA May Evolve Much Faster Than Previously Thought

Apr. 23, 2025 — A team of researchers has used advanced DNA sequencing to develop the most comprehensive atlas yet of genetic change through generations, laying the foundations for new insights into the roots of ...

Researchers Use Machine Learning to Engineer 'Bespoke Enzymes' for Gene Editing

Apr. 23, 2025 — Genome editing has advanced at a rapid pace with promising results for treating genetic conditions -- but there is always room for improvement. A new ...

99 Trials Later, Fasting Ties Traditional Diets in Weight-Loss Showdown

June 19, 2025 — Intermittent fasting might not be a miracle solution, but it stands shoulder to shoulder with traditional calorie-cutting when it comes to shedding pounds and improving metabolic health. A major new ...

Shining a Light on DNA: A Rapid, Ultra-Sensitive, PCR-Free Detection Method

Apr. 22, 2025 — Researchers have developed a light-induced DNA detection method that enables rapid, PCR-free genetic analysis. Their technique offers ultra-sensitive mutation detection in just five minutes, reducing ...

Our DNA Is at Risk of Hacking, Warn Scientists

Apr. 16, 2025 — According to new research next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) -- the same technology which is powering the development of tailor-made medicines, cancer diagnostics, infectious disease tracking, and ...

New Tool for Cutting DNA: Promising Prospects for Biotechnology

Apr. 14, 2025 — A team discovers a new family of enzymes capable of inducing targeted cuts in single-stranded DNA A few years ago, the advent of technology known as CRISPR was a major breakthrough in the scientific ...

New Strategy May Enable Cancer Monitoring from Blood Tests Alone

Apr. 11, 2025 — A new, error-corrected method for detecting cancer from blood samples is much more sensitive and accurate than prior methods and may be useful for monitoring disease status in patients following ...

Better Tools When Searching for Genetic Causes of Asthma

Apr. 10, 2025 — A new study combines genetic data and improved computational tools to look more closely at GWAS results for both adult-onset and childhood-onset asthma. The research identified many genetic variants ...

Protein Necessary for Fruit Fly Fertility

Apr. 9, 2025 — Researchers have found a new role for the transcription factor (proteins that regulate the transcription, or copying, of genes). In the fruit fly, this transcription factor, named Traffic Jam, ...

Groundbreaking Study Reveals Changes in Brain Cell Composition and Gene Activity in Tourette Syndrome

Apr. 8, 2025 — In the first comprehensive, cell-by-cell analysis of brain tissue from individuals with Tourette syndrome, researchers have pinpointed exactly which cells are perturbed and how they malfunction, ...

Pancreatic Cells 'Remember' Epigenetic Precancerous Marks Without Genetic Sequence Mutations

Apr. 4, 2025 — Scientists say they have found a pattern of so-called epigenetic 'marks' in a transition state between normal and pancreatic cancer cells in mice, and that the normal cells may keep at ...

How a Critical Enzyme Keeps Potentially Dangerous Genes in Check

Mar. 28, 2025 — The new study reveals a remarkable way that cells keep us safe from transposable elements (TEs) gone wild. The researchers found that cells have taken advantage of an entire protein network to ...

mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccines Train the 'Long-Term Memory' of the Immune System

Mar. 26, 2025 — Researchers have discovered that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines have a persistent effect on the innate immune system. These mechanisms may help the human body to better protect itself against potential ...

'Switch' Allows Intestinal Cells to Regenerate After Injury

Mar. 25, 2025 — Researchers have solved a cellular mystery that may lead to better therapies for colorectal and other types of cancer. A professor of pediatrics-developmental biology and an assistant professor of ...

Novel Pathway Has Potential to Slow Progression of Pulmonary Fibrosis

Mar. 25, 2025 — Researchers have found a potential new way to slow the progression of lung fibrosis and other fibrotic diseases by inhibiting the expression or function of Piezo2, a receptor that senses mechanical ...

Part of the Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia Acts Through the Placenta

Mar. 20, 2025 — An international team has identified associations between modifications in the placenta and the risk of developing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression ...

Strong Link Between Western Diet During Pregnancy and ADHD

Mar. 3, 2025 — New research reveals that a mother's diet during pregnancy -- characterized by a Western dietary pattern high in fat and sugar and low in fresh ingredients -- may increase the risk of ...

Promising Target in Brain Cancer

Feb. 28, 2025 — Scientists have discovered a previously unknown mechanism for how aggressive brain cancers reprogram immune system cells from fighting cancer to enabling further tumor ...

Violence Alters Human Genes for Generations, Researchers Discover

Feb. 27, 2025 — First study of its kind reveals epigenetic signatures of violence passesd to ...

Extreme Heat May Speed Up Aging in Older Adults

Feb. 26, 2025 — A new study suggests greater exposure to extreme heat may accelerate biological aging in older adults, raising new concerns about how climate change and heat waves could affect long-term health and ...

Screening and Treating Maternal Psychological Health Key to Improving Cardiovascular Health

Feb. 25, 2025 — Identifying and treating risk factors for depression, anxiety and other psychological health conditions during pregnancy and postpartum may improve short- and long-term health outcomes for both ...

DNA Origami Suggests Route to Reusable, Multifunctional Biosensors

Feb. 24, 2025 — A team has used a process known as DNA origami to make electrochemical sensors that can quickly detect and measure ...