News by Subject Biology

Researchers at CeMM have developed knowledge-primed neural networks (KPNNs), a new method that combines the power of deep learning with the interpretability of biological network models. KPNNs learn multiple layers of protein signaling and gene regulation from single-cell RNA-seq data, thereby providing a much-needed boost in our ability to convert massive single-cell atlas data into biological insights. These findings have now been published in the renowned scientific journal Genome Biology.

* Patients with glioma - a very common type of tumour originating in the brain - see improvement in survival rates with combined treatment of radiotherapy plus temozolomide * Researchers found a novel mechanism on how tumours evade chemotherapy through genomic rearrangements of the MGMT DNA repair gene * This finding is potentially relevant for updating the methods used to monitor temozolomide efficacy. Genomic rearrangement could be a marker to be detected in blood samples and help make therapeutic decisions

Emphysema is a progressive, debilitating lung disease in which the lung's breathing sacs, or alveoli, enlarge, get thinner, and eventually are destroyed as the cells die off. It can be fatal, and there is currently no cure. New research at Boston Children's Hospital, using lung cells and mouse models of emphysema, offers hope in the form of a small, engineered peptide molecule called PR1P.

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered a Zika virus mutation that may be responsible for the explosive viral transmission in 2015/2016 and for the cause of microcephaly (babies with small heads) born to infected pregnant women. The study is currently available in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.

A team from the University of Geneva has identified a new mechanism involved in the membrane synthesis of Staphylococcus aureus. When disrupted, this mechanism makes the pathogen sensitive to cold. The discovery of this physiological process could contribute to the fight against this pathogen that is difficult to treat due to its resistance to antibiotics

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba found that extended repeats of DNA in the gene FLI1 are associated with systemic sclerosis. By comparing the DNA of systemic sclerosis patients with healthy controls, they found that GA repeats over 22 are associated with the development of the disease as well as with a more severe outcome. These findings help us understand how FLI1 may contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis.