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DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

Researchers develop single molecule test for detecting methylated DNA

Collaborators from Mayo-Illinois Alliance for Technology Based Healthcare have developed a new, single molecule test for detecting methylated DNA. Methylation -- the addition of a methyl group of molecules to a DNA strand -- is one of the ways gene expression is regulated.

15 Mar 2013

Research shows THz pulses destroy skin tissue and increase tumor-suppressing proteins

Terahertz (THz) radiation, a slice of the electromagnetic spectrum that occupies the middle ground between microwaves and infrared light, is rapidly finding important uses in medical diagnostics, security, and scientific research. As scientists and engineers find evermore practical uses for this form of radiation, questions persist about its potential human health risks.

15 Mar 2013

3-D structure of HNF-4α reveals new pockets that could be targeted with therapeutic drugs

Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have determined the complete three-dimensional structure of a protein called HNF-4α.

14 Mar 2013

Researchers study how skin microbiome gets transmitted between players using roller derby

The human skin is home to countless microorganisms that we can't see, but these microbes help define who we are. Our invisible passengers - known as the skin microbiome - contribute to our health in numerous ways including educating our immune system, protecting us from pathogens, and mediating skin disorders.

14 Mar 2013

Studies show prenatal nutrition may affect gene function in children's health

Pioneering studies by U. S. Department of Agriculture-funded research molecular geneticist Robert A. Waterland are helping explain how the foods that soon-to-be-moms eat in the days and weeks around the time of conception-or what's known as periconceptional nutrition-may affect the way genes function in her children, and her children's health.

13 Mar 2013

Non-invasive prenatal genetic screening: an interview with Dr. Charles Strom, Senior Medical Director, Quest Diagnostics

A new category of non-invasive genetic screening tests is gaining a great deal of interest in the medical field – including from Quest Diagnostics -- for its potential to help screen women during pregnancy for genetic abnormalities known as trisomies, the most common of which is Down syndrome.

From Quest Diagnostics 13 Mar 2013

ADP-ribose plays key role in repairing cellular DNA damage

Attaching chains of the small molecule ADP-ribose to proteins is important for a cell's survival and the repair of DNA damage, making this process a promising target for the development of new cancer drugs.

13 Mar 2013

Chimerix receives FDA Fast Track designation for CMX001 to prevent CMV infection

Chimerix, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, oral antivirals in areas of high unmet medical need, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for CMX001 for the prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

12 Mar 2013

Mini-chromosome maintenance protein can change DNA topology: Study

A team of USC scientists has identified a protein that can change DNA topology, making DNA twist up into a so-called "supercoil."

12 Mar 2013

Link between folic acid supplements and reduced risk of autism

Women who take a vitamin B9 supplement (folic acid) during the beginning weeks of their pregnancy can cut the risk of having a child with autism in half. But the supplement has no effect if it is started more than 8 weeks into the pregnancy.

12 Mar 2013

Scientists develop new method for replacing missing teeth

Scientists have developed a new method of replacing missing teeth with a bioengineered material generated from a person's own gum cells.

11 Mar 2013

New technology can turn off genes more precisely, say UCSF researchers

Scientists at UC San Francisco have found a more precise way to turn off genes, a finding that will speed research discoveries and biotech advances and may eventually prove useful in reprogramming cells to regenerate organs and tissues.

8 Mar 2013

Study helps explain why viruses often spread through the brain in patchwork patterns

Viruses often spread through the brain in patchwork patterns, infecting some cells but missing others. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps explain why. The scientists showed that natural immune defenses that resist viral infection are turned on in some brain cells but switched off in others.

8 Mar 2013

GENIE public engagement lectures to take place on Mar. 12

If you have ever wondered why a curry feels hot, or about the risks of inherited disease, two eminent experts will give you an answer at a University of Leicester public event.

8 Mar 2013

SRSF1 protein can prevent cancerous proliferation by stabilizing p53

Some cellular proteins have multiple, and occasionally opposing, functions. Professor Adrian Krainer and colleagues at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory demonstrate in a paper published online today in Molecular Cell that the oncogenic protein SRSF1 can also trigger a stop in cell growth and prevent cancerous proliferation by stabilizing p53, the powerful tumor-suppressor protein.

8 Mar 2013

Salk epigenetic findings may aid in crop production and study of human diseases

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified patterns of epigenomic diversity that not only allow plants to adapt to various environments, but could also benefit crop production and the study of human diseases.

7 Mar 2013

Genomic analysis could illuminate more options in developing precise treatments for cancer

Investigators working on the precision medicine initiative at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey are embarking on a genomic analysis study which could illuminate more options in developing personalized and precise treatments for cancer patients.

7 Mar 2013

UCLA scientists discover new genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

Scientists at UCLA have discovered a new genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease by screening people's DNA and then using an advanced type of scan to visualize their brains' connections.

7 Mar 2013

‘New Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Disease Research’ symposium to be held from Feb. 4-7

At the Keystone Symposium "New Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Disease Research," held 4-7 February in Santa Fe, New Mexico, researchers explored the processes that lead to a variety of diseases, including Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS).

7 Mar 2013

Vitamin B12 and folate alleviate negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia

Adding the dietary supplements folate and vitamin B12 to treatment with antipsychotic medication improved a core symptom component of schizophrenia in a study of more than 100 patients.

7 Mar 2013

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers develop single molecule test for detecting methylated DNA

Research shows THz pulses destroy skin tissue and increase tumor-suppressing proteins

3-D structure of HNF-4α reveals new pockets that could be targeted with therapeutic drugs

Researchers study how skin microbiome gets transmitted between players using roller derby

Studies show prenatal nutrition may affect gene function in children's health

Non-invasive prenatal genetic screening: an interview with Dr. Charles Strom, Senior Medical Director, Quest Diagnostics

ADP-ribose plays key role in repairing cellular DNA damage

Chimerix receives FDA Fast Track designation for CMX001 to prevent CMV infection

Mini-chromosome maintenance protein can change DNA topology: Study

Link between folic acid supplements and reduced risk of autism

Scientists develop new method for replacing missing teeth

New technology can turn off genes more precisely, say UCSF researchers

Study helps explain why viruses often spread through the brain in patchwork patterns

GENIE public engagement lectures to take place on Mar. 12

SRSF1 protein can prevent cancerous proliferation by stabilizing p53

Salk epigenetic findings may aid in crop production and study of human diseases

Genomic analysis could illuminate more options in developing precise treatments for cancer

UCLA scientists discover new genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

‘New Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Disease Research’ symposium to be held from Feb. 4-7

Vitamin B12 and folate alleviate negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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