https://medicalxpress.com/genetics-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Clinical genetics Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, which reprograms an individual's immune cells to seek out and destroy certain cancer cells, has revolutionized treatment for blood cancers such as lymphoma. But in some patients, the treatment can cause serious side effects. New research led by investigators at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has shown that patients' inherited genetic makeup can influence whether they benefit from CAR-T cell therapy or experience toxicity from the treatment. The results are published in Science Immunology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-inherited-gene-variants-car-therapy.html Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:00:01 EDT news704024041 Scientists at the Institute of Biochemical Sciences at National Taiwan University have uncovered how tiny genetic changes can disable one of the body's most important tumor-suppressing proteins. Their study, published in Nature Communications, reveals how cancer-associated mutations interfere with the function of BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1), a protein that helps maintain normal cell growth and is frequently mutated in cancers such as mesothelioma, uveal melanoma and kidney cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-tiny-bap1-mutations-disrupt-internal.html Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:01 EDT news704112542 A 6-year-old Chinese girl died last year after receiving an experimental gene therapy to correct a non-life-threatening condition, according to an investigation by Science and Retraction Watch. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-death-girl-chinese-gene-trial.html Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:40:43 EDT news704115608 Clinical biobanks that combine genomic data with electronic health records (EHRs) have become powerful resources for discovering genetic variants associated with disease. These biobanks may also be used to identify individuals carrying clinically relevant genetic variants for participation in clinical research focusing on brain health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-recall-genotype-scalable-path-precision.html Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:40:20 EDT news704110081 In a recent study published in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome (Crnic Institute) discovered unique biological processes altered among individuals with Down syndrome who have different sets of co-occurring conditions. The findings mark a step toward personalized treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-multi-omics-paves-personalized-medicine.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:20:05 EDT news704045281 Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect, affecting approximately 1 in 100 babies born each year. One of the many causes of this disorder is having only one functional copy of the gene TBX5, rather than the two healthy copies inherited from parents. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-misfolded-dna-blueprint-genetic-disease.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:40:09 EDT news704041982 Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Washington have shed new light on Alzheimer's disease that could point to new directions for treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-blurred-genome-boundaries-emerge-layer.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:20:07 EDT news704041681 Every cell in the human body carries the same 3 billion letters of DNA, yet a neuron, a heart muscle cell and a pancreatic beta cell each use that shared code to do entirely different jobs. How cells pull off this trick comes down to epigenetics—chemical tags and three-dimensional structures that govern which genes are active and which stay silent. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ways-genome-body-wide-cell.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:00:04 EDT news704034782 Researchers from the University of California San Diego have created the most detailed map to date of how gene regulation breaks down in human heart failure, revealing how genes are controlled in specific cell types as the disease develops and pointing to potential new therapeutic targets. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-gene-reveals-treatment-heart-failure.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:40:09 EDT news704034721 Nearly half of childhood tumors treated with common types of chemotherapy showed detectable DNA changes linked to treatment within 18 months, according to a new international study led by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). Researchers say these changes could eventually help clinicians spot treatment resistance earlier, before cancer returns or spreads, opening the door to more precise use of chemotherapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-chemotherapy-dna-fingerprints-childhood-tumors.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 14:40:01 EDT news704030785 Many people assume that some memory decline is an inevitable consequence of getting older. But a select group of older adults, known as "SuperAgers," reach their 80s and 90s while retaining memory performance as good as or better than that of people in their 50s and 60s. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-exceptional-memory-80s-defies-simple.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:00:01 EDT news703926241 Every person's DNA tells a unique story. To unlock the full potential of genetic research, scientists need tools that reflect the complexity of the people they study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-tool-uncovers-overlooked-disease-linked.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:00:02 EDT news703943286 Autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease (ADAD) is a genetically inherited form of Alzheimer's disease that accounts for only about 1% of Alzheimer's disease cases. However, because individuals with the gene mutations are extremely likely to develop Alzheimer's disease at an early age, and because the mutation is highly heritable, ADAD is widely studied by Alzheimer's disease researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-genetic-inherited-alzheimer-onset.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:40:06 EDT news703941241 Why do cancers develop differently in different people—even when they are exposed to the same risk factors? An international research group, including the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), has demonstrated in mice that an organism's genetic makeup significantly influences the course of cancer development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-carcinogen-tumors-mouse-reveals-role.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:00:27 EDT news703851841 SCN2A-related developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) is a rare, severe form of childhood epilepsy and one of the most common causes of monogenic autism. The condition is caused by single mutations in the sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit (SCN2A) gene, which controls the flow of sodium ions into neurons. These mutations promote abnormal brain excitability, resulting in uncontrolled seizures along with developmental delays, autism, movement problems and gastrointestinal issues. Most of these mutations are de novo (not inherited from a parent) and arise spontaneously. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-personalized-gene-therapy-teen-rare.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:20:03 EDT news703855802 Scientists have found that the "sudden" cardiac death condition related to high-profile deaths or major medical episodes of sports stars including Fabrice Muamba, Christian Erikson and Mark-Vivian Foe, has numerous linked gene variations that highlight a potentially treatable vulnerability. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-sudden-cardiac-death-condition-shown.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:00:04 EDT news703748636 An international team led by the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim has presented the largest genome-wide association study on borderline personality disorder to date. Data from about 13,000 affected people and more than 1.1 million controls from 14 countries were analyzed. The study identified 11 independent risk regions and nine genes that could contribute to the development of the disorder. The findings, published in Nature Genetics, show clear genetic overlaps with other mental and physical illnesses and open new perspectives for research and care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-largest-genetic-analysis-borderline-personality.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:20:07 EDT news703774454 The single-cell "atlases" that are increasingly used to map the human body and as training data for artificial intelligence models may not represent the world's populations fairly, according to a study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The analysis found that people of European ancestry were consistently overrepresented, while Asian and Latino individuals were underrepresented, and a large share of samples lacked any record of ancestry. The findings were published July 20 in Cell Genomics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-cell-atlases-human-body-global.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 11:00:09 EDT news703758121 People with Lynch syndrome, the most common hereditary predisposition to colorectal cancer, face a markedly increased cancer risk and therefore undergo regular colonoscopies. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, the University of Leipzig, and Amsterdam UMC investigated whether artificial intelligence improves the detection of precancerous lesions. Their findings show that, in specialized centers, AI provided no significant additional benefit. The study was published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ai-automatically-colorectal-cancer-screening.html Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:00:01 EDT news703497222 Loss of one copy of the DNA ligase I (LIG1) gene in triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) with TP53 mutations confers resistance to chemotherapy, but researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have identified a vulnerability in these cells and used it to their advantage. The team identified underlying molecular mechanisms of platinum resistance that they neutralized with combinations of available drugs to reduce tumor growth in animal models. This work also highlights LIG1 status as a patient stratification factor for ongoing and future clinical trials. The study appeared in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-lig1-loss-exposes-therapeutic-vulnerability.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 20:40:01 EDT news703497982 An international research team led by Dr. Frank Bosmans (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) has discovered a major genetic cause of hyperhidrosis (chronic and excessive sweating). The study, published in Science Advances, provides strong evidence that a genetically determined form of hyperhidrosis arises from overstimulation of the nerves that control the sweat glands. The discovery removes the stigma surrounding the condition and paves the way for targeted treatments using existing medicines. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-genetic-redefines-excessive-treatable-neurological.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 14:00:05 EDT news703402977 A study by the University of Barcelona has identified nearly 20 genes that could contribute to some people being more susceptible to depression, anxiety and traits such as irritability and neuroticism. These genes are regulated by the RBFOX1 gene, which acts as the central hub of a genetic network linked to several key processes in brain function. According to the researchers, this genetic overlap between different disorders and traits could help explain why they often appear together in the same person. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-genes-people-susceptible-depression-psychiatric.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:40:06 EDT news703497095 Scientists at Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) have discovered why babies born with a rare inborn error of metabolism called GPT2 deficiency suffer from severe neurological impairment. Using their newly developed biosensor to track the essential metabolite alpha-ketoglutarate (αKG), researchers found that the mitochondrial enzyme GPT2 and transporter protein SLC25A11 work together to control the production and transport of αKG from the mitochondria to the nucleus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-metabolite-rare-childhood-brain-disorder.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:00:01 EDT news703496892 Researchers have uncovered a novel biological pathway that can lead to seizures when disrupted. The findings also provide a new approach to improve the diagnosis of epilepsy, for which a genetic cause cannot be found in about 50% of individuals with the condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-uncover-pathway-epilepsy.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:20:08 EDT news703496739 Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide after Alzheimer's disease and, according to the World Health Organization, one of the fastest-growing neurological disorders. Yet genetic research into the disease has so far relied almost exclusively on people of European ancestry. This is a problem because the genetic causes of the disease depend strongly on a person's ancestry. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-global-parkinson-gene-uncovers-regional.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:20:05 EDT news703420024 A gene therapy designed to replace the missing protein that causes fragile X syndrome restored several disease-relevant traits in a mouse model, according to a new study published in Gene Therapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-gene-therapy-key-fragile-traits.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:20:09 EDT news703329147 Men and women are not born with the same risk of heart disease, and for decades scientists have struggled to explain why. A new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, published in Genes & Development, offers an answer: The female heart depends on a molecular safeguard that the male heart can largely do without—and when that safeguard is removed, female hearts fail while male hearts keep beating. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-genetic-safeguard-female-heart-lost.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:00:09 EDT news703254841 A new study led by experts at the University of Nottingham suggests a pet gecko with an unusually high risk of tumors may be a promising model for understanding how cancer develops and spreads. The findings of the study, which are published in BMC Biology, could help explain why some animals frequently get cancer and others rarely do. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-scientists-uncover-genetic-clues-tumor.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:00:04 EDT news703229455 Some people inherit genetic changes that put them at higher risk of developing certain cancers or heart disease. A simple genetic test can identify those risks early, creating opportunities to prevent disease or detect it sooner—but only if it reaches the people who could benefit. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-populationwide-dna-screening-genetic-major.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:00:06 EDT news702890222 The epigenetic modifier MLL4 has an unassuming name—the 4, for instance, indicates it's just one in a family of such modifiers. But MLL4 is quite special: In a specific type of leukemia, it drives disease progression, while in solid tumors, it acts as a suppressor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-unusual-epigenetic-cancers-suppresses.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:40:04 EDT news702907984