Salivating Insights into the DNA Methylation Connection in Fetal Alcohol SyndromeJuly 20, 2015Things often show up where you least expect. Whether it’s finding your keys in the freezer, your phone in the couch, English kings underneath a car park, or the secrets of brain development in spit. Sometimes all you have to do is look. Previously, the lab of Shiva Singh from the University of Western Ontario […]
Race, Gender and Non-Coding RNA: tRNAs Don’t Play it Politically CorrectJuly 17, 2015Human genetics just got a whole lot more complicated with a report published last week by Isidore Rigoutsos’ team in Oncotarget. As if differences in expression profiles between cells, tissues and differentiation stages weren’t already enough, it seems that race and gender also affect genomic output. Specifically, the team focused on transfer RNAs (tRNAs). tRNAs […]
Resistance is Futile: Epigenetic Therapy Makes Cancer Cells DefenselessJuly 9, 2015A team of American scientists have shown that an epigenetic therapy might hold promise for combatting drug resistance in cancer. Cancer cells are masters of drug evasion and adept at using alternative pathways to give them an edge during treatment, complicating many therapeutic approaches. Overcoming drug resistance in cancer cells, would save millions of lives […]
Optogenetics Sets the PaceJuly 8, 2015When it comes to the fast pace of biotechnology, missing a beat is never good. Building on that principle, a talented team from Israel used optogenetics to resynchronize hearts with just that problem. Optogenetic systems are showing tremendous clinical potential, whether it be bringing eyesight to the blind or restoring excitable physiology, they offer a […]
CRISPR-Display: For the lncRNA Enthusiast that has EverythingJuly 6, 2015From wall hung TVs to the latest wearable; displays have been a key technology differentiator for years. Now we’d like to introduce you to CRISPR-Display, one of the latest applications of CRISPR technology for the lncRNA lover that wants to elevate their functional game. Interest in lncRNAs continues to surge, but like other uncharted areas […]
DNA Methylation Steps Up to Protect Against the Impact of Environmental StressJuly 3, 2015It rears its head around tax time and lunges at you when your experiments fail. It can be good for you, but usually stinks….STRESS. It goes without saying that stress in any form is best avoided. This is especially true if you happen to be an expecting mother who’s currently eating for two, as the […]
Book Review: Epigenetics – Current Research and Emerging TrendsJuly 2, 2015Edited by Brian P. Chadwick and composed of 17 chapters from thought leaders in academia and industry, this is one text you don’t want to miss. It covers a wide breadth of topics ranging from DNA methylation to Chromatin to ncRNA, with insight from across the tree of life and related human disorders. The perspective […]
5fC is Stable in Mammalian BrainsJune 24, 2015DNA methylation has been undergoing dramatic change lately. 6mA shook things up by showing Cytosine can’t claim all the glory and now a talented team from the UK have shown 5-formylcytosine (5fC) is starting to follow in 5hmC’s independent footsteps. The team profiled 5hmC, 5fC, and 5caC using: in vivo isotope labeling of methionine to penetrate […]
Gene Editing Future Brightens with paCas9June 22, 2015We knew it was coming. No, not another Jurassic Park sequel. No, not another installment of Star Wars. More inevitable than the revival of the Terminator franchise: we now have photoactivatable CRISPR/Cas9. Yes, as surely as the sun rises, scientists have developed a way to use that light (or at least the blue part) to […]
Stem Cell Reprogramming – Leaner, Quicker, Cheaper, BetterJune 20, 2015“More for less” is a phrase that generally gets most people excited, and scientists trying to make induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are no exception. The reprogramming of somatic cells to generate iPSCs aims to bring patient-specific cell replacement therapies to the masses, but the process currently suffers from obstacles common to new technologies – […]