Genetics – Lifeboat News: The Blog

Aug 7
2025

Scientists map the genes behind diet and dementia risk

Concordance was high between imputed and sequenced APOE genotypes. Moreover, the researchers replicated known GWAS associations with diet-related biomarkers.

The authors also noted several limitations to provide context for future research. These include that the study population was predominantly of European ancestry, which may limit the generalizability of findings, and that the specific participant criteria (e.g., overweight, family history of dementia) mean the resource is not representative of the general population. They also advise that potential batch effects from specimen type and study site should be accounted for in future analyses.

This genetic resource enables analyses of genetic contributions to variability in cognitive responses to the MIND diet, supporting integrative analysis with other data types to delineate underlying biological mechanisms. The data will be made available to other researchers via The National Institute on Aging Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease Data Storage Site (NIAGADS).

Aug 6
2025

Scientists just cracked the code to editing entire chromosomes flawlessly

A group of Chinese scientists has created powerful new tools that allow them to edit large chunks of DNA with incredible accuracy—and without leaving any trace. Using a mix of advanced protein design, AI, and clever genetic tweaks, they’ve overcome major limitations in older gene editing methods. These tools can flip, remove, or insert massive pieces of genetic code in both plants and animals. To prove it works, they engineered rice that’s resistant to herbicides by flipping a huge section of its DNA—something that was nearly impossible before.

Aug 5
2025

Is Altos Labs gearing up for clinical trials?

Longevity biotech giant Altos Labs has appointed Dr Joan Mannick as its Chief Medical Officer and head of product development, signaling a shift toward advancing clinical programs based on the company’s cellular rejuvenation technology. As Life Biosciences reportedly prepares to enter clinical trials with its partial epigenetic reprogramming candidate, is Altos about to join the party?

Altos, which launched with $3 billion in funding in 2022, is focused on reversing disease and age-related decline by restoring cellular health through partial epigenetic reprogramming, a technique inspired by the work of Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte. The company’s approach, which reverts cells toward a youthful state without altering their identity, has demonstrated benefits in animal models, extending both lifespan and healthspan in mice.

Although Altos has not yet launched human trials, the appointment of Mannick, who has significant experience designing and running clinical programs in aging biology, indicates the company is shifting into clinical applications of its technology. She will operate within Altos’ Institute of Medicine, collaborating with discovery and development teams to shape the clinical direction of its therapies.

Aug 5
2025

Human CLOCK gene enhances brain connectivity and mental flexibility in mice, study finds

Clock genes are a set of genes known to contribute to the regulation of the human body’s internal 24-hour cycle, also known as the circadian rhythm. One of these genes is the so-called CLOCK gene, a protein that regulates the activity of other genes, contributing to recurrent patterns of sleep and wakefulness.

Past findings suggest that this gene is also expressed in the neocortex, a brain region that supports important cognitive abilities, including reasoning, decision-making and the processing of language. However, the gene’s possible contribution to these specific brain functions remains poorly understood.

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center recently carried out a study on genetically modified mice aimed at better understanding how the expression of the CLOCK gene in the human neocortex influences cognitive functions. Their findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that the gene plays a role in the formation of connections between neurons, which in turn influence mental and behavioral flexibility.

Aug 5
2025

Imaging provides indicators for early detection of depression, paths for future prevention and treatment efforts

Novel imaging research indicates that young adults with a higher genetic risk for depression showed less brain activity in several areas when responding to rewards and punishments. The study also uncovered notable differences between men and women.

The findings from this new study in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, highlight potential early indicators for depression before clinical symptoms fully manifest.

Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions, and many people with depression have trouble processing rewards and punishments.

Aug 5
2025

Tracing brain chemistry across humanity’s family tree

The evolutionary success of our species may have hinged on minute changes to our brain biochemistry after we diverged from the lineage leading to Neanderthals and Denisovans about half a million years ago.

Two of these tiny changes that set modern humans apart from Neanderthals and Denisovans affect the stability and genetic expression of the enzyme adenylosuccinate lyase, or ADSL. This enzyme is involved in the biosynthesis of purine, one of the fundamental building blocks of DNA, RNA, and other important biomolecules.

In a study published in PNAS, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany have discovered that these changes may play an important role in our behavior, contributing new pieces to the great puzzle of who we humans are and where we come from.

Aug 5
2025

Rationale engineering generates a compact new tool for gene therapy

Scientists at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have re-engineered a compact RNA-guided enzyme they found in bacteria into an efficient, programmable editor of human DNA.

The protein they created, called NovaIscB, can be adapted to make precise changes to the genetic code, modulate the activity of specific genes, or carry out other editing tasks. Because its small size simplifies delivery to cells, NovaIscB’s developers say it is a promising candidate for developing gene therapies to treat or prevent disease.

The study was led by Feng Zhang, the James and Patricia Poitras Professor of Neuroscience at MIT who is also an investigator at the McGovern Institute and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a core member of the Broad Institute. Zhang and his team reported their open-access work this month in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

Researchers at MIT and the Broad Institute, led by Professor Feng Zhang, redesign a compact RNA-guided enzyme from bacteria, making it an efficient editor of human DNA.

Aug 4
2025

Scientists rewrite life’s code to create virus-resistant bacteria

Scientists cut E. coli’s genetic code from 64 to 57 codons—creating a powerful platform for synthetic biology breakthroughs.

Aug 3
2025

Protein condensate sequesters synaptic vesicles at the release site

Message transfer from brain cell to brain cell is key to information processing, learning and forming memories. The bubbles, synaptic vesicles, are housed within the synapse — the connection point where brain cells communicate. In typical synapses within the brains of mammals, 300 synaptic vesicles are clustered together in the intersection between any two brain cells, but only a few of these vesicles are used for such message transfer, researchers say. Pinpointing how a synapse knows which vesicles to use has long been a target of research by those who study the biology and chemistry of thought.

In an effort to better understand the operation of these synaptic vesicles, the team designed a study that first focused on endocytosis, a process in which brain cells recycle synaptic vesicles after they are used for neuronal communication.

Already aware of intersectin’s general role in endocytosis and neuronal communication, the scientists genetically engineered mice to lack the gene that codes for intersectin. However, and somewhat to their surprise, the lead says removing the protein did not appear to halt endocytosis in brain cells.

The research team refocused their experiments, taking a closer look at the synaptic vesicles themselves.

Using a high-resolution fluorescence microscope to observe where intersectin is in a synapse, the researchers found it in between vesicles that are used for neuronal communication and those that are not, as if they are physically separating the two.

To further understand the role of intersectin at this location, they used an electron microscope to visualize synaptic vesicles in action across one billionth of a meter. In all the nerve cells from mice lacking this protein, the scientists say synaptic vesicles close to the membrane were absent from the release zone of the synapse, the place where the bubbles would discharge to nearby neurons.

“This suggested that intersectin regulates release, rather than recycling, of these vesicles at this location of the synapse,” says the author.

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