Sep 03, 2020

A bioinformatics method may help uncover link between immune system variability and SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility

The striking variability in disease severity in people infected with SARS-CoV-2 has been attributed to several host factors, including age, pre-existing health conditions and differences in host genetics and immune responses. In a study published in the journal Bioinformatics, Dr. Inanc Birol and René Warren demonstrated the technical feasibility and utility of the bioinformatics tool, HLAminer, to investigate the role of host immune system variability in COVID-19 disease susceptibility.
Aug 27, 2020

New tool enables researchers to assemble transcript isoforms from single cells

The advent of single-cell RNA sequencing technologies has provided unprecedented opportunities for the analysis of transcriptomes at single-cell resolution, allowing researchers to explore cell-to-cell variability. Now, researchers have developed a tool for the analysis and identification of RNA isoforms from single-cell RNA sequencing data. 

Aug 10, 2020

An in-depth analysis of cervical cancers in Ugandan women

Cervical cancer disproportionately affects women in sub-Saharan Africa where it is the most common cancer-related mortality and has disease rates higher than any other region in the world (1). Yet studies of the disease have predominantly focused on non-African populations.

An international team of researchers, in work led by Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre (GSC) at BC Cancer, have now published an analysis of the genomic characteristics of cervical cancers in Ugandan women.

Aug 06, 2020

A framework for the management of inherited genetic variation impacting cancer patients and their families

Cancer is a disease of the genome. Using data from next-generation DNA sequencing technology, genome scientists and oncologists can work together to better inform an approach to individual patient treatment planning that is more targeted and personalized than ever before. But, in the process, they can also uncover information about a patient, such as their family’s susceptibility to hereditary forms of cancer and other diseases. What should scientists and clinicians do with all of this information? A new clinical framework attempts to address this increasingly common conundrum.
Jul 29, 2020

A hallmark mutation may be the Achilles heel for adult granulosa cell tumours of the ovary

A mutation in a transcription factor essential for ovary development is commonly used as a diagnostic marker for a type of ovarian cancer, but little is known about how it effects the tumour cell itself. Extensive analysis of how this mutation alters DNA binding has revealed the potential for a novel treatment strategy.
Jul 16, 2020

A novel tool for simultaneous classification of DNA from multiple species

When sequencing samples containing DNA from multiple species, such as when analyzing the human microbiome or identifying pathogenic organisms in an infected host, scientists use bioinformatics tools to classify the organisms present. But aligning every genome to reference can be computationally demanding and even excessive, depending on the desired data.
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