The overexpression of the MYC oncogene could be explained through a new pathway that would act before transcription, when MYC binds to DNA. A group of scientists from Spain have identified how the ERK2 kinase interacted with the CDK9 protein, enabling it to bind to DNA in the promoter region of MYC.

Using whole genome sequencing, scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital have studied the genes and mutations of ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) that would respond to treatments with splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). Their work, published on July 12, 2023, in Nature, determined the appropriate individualized genetic therapy for these patients and identified a new drug.

Researchers from the Institute of Translational Genomics at Helmholtz Munich have described a genetic overlap between type 2 diabetes (T2D), a disease that is also associated with obesity, and osteoarthritis, a degeneration of the joints that worsens with age and coincides in the factor risk of being overweight. The researchers used genetic data, multiomics and functional analysis of the tissues T2D and osteoarthritis express to identify which genes were associated and correlated with both diseases. They published their results on July 10, 2023, in The American Journal of Human Genetics.

Fulcrum Therapeutics Inc. has entered into a worldwide, exclusive license agreement with Camp4 Therapeutics Corp. to advance the discovery, development and commercialization of new therapeutic agents against an undisclosed target for the potential treatment of Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA).

Research led by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Harvard University shows base-editing approaches could be more effective than CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing approaches for treating conditions such as sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia. Writing in the July 3, 2023, issue of Nature Genetics, the researchers compared three base-editing approaches with two CRISPR-Cas9 approaches to increasing levels of fetal hemoglobin in CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, and found one of the base-editing approaches was the most potent.

Alterations in chromosome number can play a role in cancer progression. An analysis of recurrent aneuploidies, such as the duplication of the long arm of chromosome 1, revealed that it was required for the proliferation of cancer cells carrying this alteration, an effect that was similar to so-called oncogene addiction. These findings have therapeutic implications that could benefit cancer patients depending on the genetic singularity of their tumor cells.

At the 2023 Annual Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, Mary Reilly described the relationship between bench and bedside as “a continuous circle of translation,” with each cycle beginning with patients and their needs.

It seems unlikely that American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou spent much time thinking about translational research. But two quotes of hers capture the essence of the interplay between bench and bedside: “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better” and “I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.” At the 2023 Annual Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, Mary Reilly described the relationship between bench and bedside as “a continuous circle of translation,” with each cycle beginning with patients and their needs.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked genetic disorder affecting roughly 1 in 3,500 males. DMD is due to mutations in the dystrophin gene, which encodes for an exceptionally large 427 kD protein. DMD is characterized by repeated degeneration and regeneration of muscle fibers, but ultimately replacement of muscle with fibrotic and adipose tissue. Despite advances in gene therapy and improvements in quality of life, most patients still die by 30 years of age due to cardiopulmonary failure.