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Originally published by Olivia Dimmer, Northwestern University, on November 17, 2023   taRNAs built from an array of IRESs increase reporter gene translation. Credit: Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42252-z A new molecular technology capable of binding to mRNA and regulating gene expression may offer a new avenue for treating diseases caused by haploinsufficiency , or the absence of one functional gene copy, according to a study published in Nature Communications . Messenger RNA, or mRNA , contains instructions for DNA to produce proteins. Many diseases , including cancer and many genetic disorders, result from insufficient gene —and therefore protein—expression, but few strategies exist to correct that kind of dysregulation at a molecular level. The new technology, dubbed "translation-activating RNAs" ( taRNAs ), consists of small molecules programmed to attach to specific mRNA molecules to directly control their translation into proteins,...

  Originally published by Stephanie Pappas on May 15, 2023 The discovery of a gene variant that protects against an early, insidious form of Alzheimer's could lead to new treatments for the disease.   A man carried a genetic mutation that set him up to develop early-onset Alzheimer's disease, but another gene kept him healthy for many years. (Image credit: byakkaya via Getty Images) A newly discovered genetic variant protects against a particularly devastating form of early Alzheimer's disease , raising scientists' hopes of finding treatments that can prevent or slow the progression of this and other forms of the disease.  Read more