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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory


Genome analysis just got personal

Researchers have created a new tool, EN-TEx, to analyze genetic mutations and predict disease risk. The catalog of allele-specific variants provides rich data for accurate personal genomics, enabling scientists to study the effects of genetic mutations in tissues that are difficult to obtain without surgery.

Unlocking cancer’s ancestry

A new software developed by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory can accurately infers continental ancestry from tumor DNA and RNA. This technology has the potential to lead to more targeted and personalized cancer treatments by identifying genetic connections between cancer and race or ethnicity.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalCancer Research·DateDec 27, 2022

The science of supermoms

Researchers found that dopamine-releasing neurons in the ventral tegmental area of the brain drive maternal instincts through reinforcement learning. This process creates an expectation of future rewards, influencing mothers to pick up their crying children again.

Finding the right AI for you

A new AI evaluation framework, GOPHER, has been developed to assess the efficiency of genome analysis algorithms. The tool judges programs on their ability to learn genomic biology, predict patterns, handle noise, and provide interpretable decisions.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalNature Machine Intelligence·DateDec 5, 2022

Even fruit flies count

A new computational model based on fruit fly brain data may help explain how humans process memories and experiences. The model suggests that living organisms, including humans, use a similar '1-2-3-many' count sketch to track encounters with familiar sights and smells.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalNature Communications·DateOct 31, 2022

Mapping the path from smell to perception

Scientists have created an extensive new map of the brain's olfactory circuits, revealing a complex system that processes different aspects of odor information. The map suggests the existence of parallel neural circuits dedicated to assessing smell identity, pleasantness, and origin, offering new insights into olfactory processing.

A new treatment approach for cystic fibrosis

A new treatment approach using antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) may help reduce cystic fibrosis symptoms and improve quality of life for patients with a specific gene mutation. The ASO strategy tricks cells into making an imperfect but functional version of the CFTR protein, which is better than having none at all.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalNature Communications·DateJul 14, 2022

Mom’s protective behaviors run deep

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have discovered that the brain region responsible for social behavior, the locus coeruleus, is activated precisely when a mother retrieves her pup. This finding could help reveal causes of disorders such as depression, anxiety, and autism, leading to potential new treatments.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalJNeurosci·DateMar 24, 2022

Uncovering how immune cells nurture brain connections

In a breakthrough discovery, microglia have been found to play a crucial role in forming critical synapses in the brain, particularly in chandelier cells. This finding suggests that immune cells may not only remove unwanted connections but also nurture their formation, which is essential for cognitive functioning.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 7, 2022

Pushing past pancreatic tumors’ defenses

Researchers discovered that cancer cells use a combination of proteins to repel T cells and protect themselves from the immune system. By disabling this protection, scientists were able to allow T cells to infiltrate and attack pancreatic tumors, leading to shrinkage or disappearance.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateFeb 16, 2022

Finding structure in the brain’s static

Scientists found smaller, faster waves in the visual cortex that relate to how attentive the brain is. These wave patterns may help understand sleep, anesthesia, and attention by suppressing irrelevant information. The discovery could also improve artificial brains using machine learning techniques.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalNature Communications·DateFeb 1, 2022

Plants: RNA notes to self

Plant cells use RNA signals to coordinate growth, but these signals require a special escort protein to reach the right cells. Without this protein, plants fail to develop properly, highlights a crucial step in understanding how information is exchanged between cells.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalScience·DateJan 13, 2022

The prostate cancer cell that got away

Researchers have developed a new approach to studying prostate cancer, allowing them to track the behavior of individual cancer cells from birth to organ spread. The technique uses whole-organ imaging and artificial intelligence to create a 3D reconstruction of the organ at single-cell resolution.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalCell Reports·DateNov 16, 2021

Exploiting cancer’s sweet tooth

Researchers discovered that acute myeloid leukemia (AML) depends on a transporter to bring in inositol, a sugar required for cells to survive. By blocking this transporter, cancer cells would starve without inositol. This method leaves normal cells unharmed as they can produce their own inositol.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalCancer Discovery·DateOct 27, 2021