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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).

Scientists discover fundamental mechanism behind toxic protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases

Protein aggregation underlies several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's chorea or Parkinson's. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB) in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, now discovered a fundamental mechanism which explains how toxic protein aggregation occurs and why it leads to a widespread impairment of essential cellular functions.

20 Jan 2011

University of Minnesota grants Cellectis rights related to TAL effector-mediated DNA recognition and cleavage

Cellectis, the French genome engineering specialist, has announced today that it has signed an exclusive license agreement with the University of Minnesota that grants Cellectis the worldwide right to use inventions related to TAL effector-mediated DNA recognition and cleavage. This revolutionary approach for the targeted modification of genomes was developed by the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University.

20 Jan 2011

4SC initiates dosing in resminostat Phase I/II SHORE study for KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer

4SC AG, a drug discovery and development company, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase I/II SHORE study with the oral pan-histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor resminostat as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced and metastatic colorectal KRAS-mutant cancer.

20 Jan 2011

Scarab Genomics, WIST enter research agreement to produce isoprene from paper, pulp mill waste streams

Scarab Genomics, a leader in the development of production E. coli strains based on reduced genome technology and the Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point have entered into a research agreement to produce isoprene from paper and pulp mill waste streams.

20 Jan 2011

Findings could speed use of RNA nanotechnology for treating disease

Scientists are reporting an advance in overcoming a major barrier to the use of the genetic material RNA in nanotechnology - the field that involves building machines thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair and now is dominated by its cousin, DNA. Their findings, which could speed the use of RNA nanotechnology for treating disease, appear in the monthly journal ACS Nano.

20 Jan 2011

Researchers identify PBRM1 gene mutation in one in three patients with common form of renal cancer

In a collaborative project involving scientists from three continents, researchers have identified a gene that is mutated in one in three patients with the most common form of renal cancer.

20 Jan 2011

GSK and Prosensa commence GSK2402968 Phase III study in DMD

GlaxoSmithKline and Prosensa today announced that the first patient has commenced treatment in the Phase III clinical study investigating GSK2402968, in ambulant boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), who have a dystrophin gene mutation amenable to an exon 51 skip (up to 13% of boys with DMD). Commencement of this study confirms previously announced plans to progress this asset into Phase III.

20 Jan 2011

UNC scientists discover how chaperone enzyme plays a key role in cells' ability to tolerate DNA damage

UNC scientists who study how cells repair damage from environmental factors like sunlight and cigarette smoke have discovered how a "chaperone" enzyme plays a key role in cells' ability to tolerate the DNA damage that leads to cancer and other diseases.

19 Jan 2011

Researchers create biyouyanagin compound library

Using chemical compounds found in a Japanese plant as a lead and the clever application of ultraviolet light, a Scripps Research Institute team has created a unique library of dozens of synthetic compounds to test for biomedical potential. Already, one of the compounds has shown great promise in inhibiting replication of HIV particles and fighting inflammation.

19 Jan 2011

New study provides insight into developing therapeutics for airway disease

Researchers from Duke University Medical Center have identified how nanoparticles from diesel exhaust damage lung airway cells, a finding that could lead to new therapies for people susceptible to airway disease.

19 Jan 2011

Meganucleases used to prevent HSV-1 infection

Cellectis, announced today that scientists from Cellectis therapeutics, the French National Center For Medical Research (CNRS) and Institut de la Vision (Paris) have used its proprietary meganucleases to successfully prevent infection of cultured cells by a Herpes Simplex virus (HSV-1).

19 Jan 2011

New patented technique offers unprecedented view of DNA damage

New technology providing the first view of DNA damage throughout the entire human genome developed by Cardiff University scientists could offer a valuable new insight into the development and treatment of conditions like cancer.

19 Jan 2011

Cancer cells brought back under normal control

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have brought cancer cells back under normal control — by reactivating their cancer suppressor genes. The discovery could form a powerful new technology platform for the treatment of cancer of the breast and other cancers.

19 Jan 2011

Common genetic risk factor for heart failure in Caucasians also linked to kidney function

Nearly five million Americans live with heart failure, with as many as 700,000 new cases diagnosed each year. In addition to lifestyle factors, scientists have shown that heart failure has a strong heritable component, but identifying the responsible genes has been a major challenge. Now, new research has identified a common genetic risk factor for heart failure in Caucasians that is also linked to kidney function.

19 Jan 2011

Scripps Research receives NIH grant to develop therapies for circadian rhythm disorders

The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded $3.17 million over four years to develop compounds that will counteract disruptions of the human biological clock - the circadian rhythm that regulates our patterns of activity and rest over a 24-hour daily cycle.

19 Jan 2011

Positive results from PLX4032 Phase 3 Trial in patients with metastatic melanoma

Plexxikon today announced positive data from an interim analysis of the BRIM3 trial, a large multi-center Phase 3 clinical study of PLX4032 in patients with previously untreated metastatic melanoma with the BRAF mutation. Patients treated with PLX4032 had an improved overall survival compared to patients treated with dacarbazine, the current standard of care.

19 Jan 2011

Boehringer Ingelheim to acquire Amgen's Fremont California development and manufacturing facility

Amgen Inc. and Boehringer Ingelheim today announced they have signed an agreement under which Boehringer Ingelheim will acquire Amgen's rights in and substantially all assets at Amgen's Fremont California development and manufacturing facility.

19 Jan 2011

Orchid Cellmark executes multi-year contract with U.K. Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

Orchid Cellmark, a leading worldwide provider of identity DNA testing services, today announced it has executed a multi-year contract with the U.K. Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC), formerly the Child Support Agency (CSA), for the exclusive provision of DNA paternity testing services. Orchid Cellmark delivers its paternity testing services in the U.K. under the Cellmark brand.

18 Jan 2011

Quebec reimburses VIDAZA for treatment of blood cancer

Quebec patients with serious blood cancers (intermediate-2 and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia) now have publicly funded access to a new innovative therapy, VIDAZA® (azacitidine). Following a priority review and subsequent positive recommendation from the Conseil du medicament, patients now have the potential to significantly extend survival.

18 Jan 2011

'Master switch' protein in white blood cells linked to inflammation

Scientists have identified a protein that acts as a "master switch" in certain white blood cells, determining whether they promote or inhibit inflammation. The study, published in the journal Nature Immunology, could help researchers look for new treatments for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis that involve excessive inflammation.

18 Jan 2011

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists discover fundamental mechanism behind toxic protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases

University of Minnesota grants Cellectis rights related to TAL effector-mediated DNA recognition and cleavage

4SC initiates dosing in resminostat Phase I/II SHORE study for KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer

Scarab Genomics, WIST enter research agreement to produce isoprene from paper, pulp mill waste streams

Findings could speed use of RNA nanotechnology for treating disease

Researchers identify PBRM1 gene mutation in one in three patients with common form of renal cancer

GSK and Prosensa commence GSK2402968 Phase III study in DMD

UNC scientists discover how chaperone enzyme plays a key role in cells' ability to tolerate DNA damage

Researchers create biyouyanagin compound library

New study provides insight into developing therapeutics for airway disease

Meganucleases used to prevent HSV-1 infection

New patented technique offers unprecedented view of DNA damage

Cancer cells brought back under normal control

Common genetic risk factor for heart failure in Caucasians also linked to kidney function

Scripps Research receives NIH grant to develop therapies for circadian rhythm disorders

Positive results from PLX4032 Phase 3 Trial in patients with metastatic melanoma

Boehringer Ingelheim to acquire Amgen's Fremont California development and manufacturing facility

Orchid Cellmark executes multi-year contract with U.K. Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

Quebec reimburses VIDAZA for treatment of blood cancer

'Master switch' protein in white blood cells linked to inflammation

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