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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).

VCP gene causes some instances of familial ALS: Researchers

Using a new gene sequencing method, a team of researchers led by scientists from Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health has discovered a gene that appears to cause some instances of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The finding could lead to novel ways to treat the more common form of this fatal neurodegenerative disease, which kills the vast majority of the nearly 6,000 Americans diagnosed with ALS every year.

10 Dec 2010

Scientists to develop ultra-rapid sexually transmitted infection detection system for clinics

Scientists from the University of Southampton have secured funding to develop an ultra-rapid sexually transmitted infection (STI) detection system for clinics that can detect STIs in under 15 minutes.

9 Dec 2010

Nacalai to distribute Techulon's Glycofect Transfection Reagent platform products in Japan

Techulon Inc., an early stage life sciences company has signed an agreement with Nacalai USA, Inc. and its parent company Nacalai Tesque, Inc. for distribution of its Glycofect Transfection Reagent platform products in Japan. Glycofect is a polymeric transfection reagent designed to be particularly effective in primary cells of therapeutic interest. It is being used by government, university and corporate laboratories around the world for advanced research towards better understanding of cell biology and for development of new cell-based therapeutics.

9 Dec 2010

Genetic Immunity to present DermaVir and DermaPrep transdermal delivery system at HIV DART 2010 conference

Genetic Immunity, a US/Hungarian biopharmaceutical company developing nanomedicine vaccines, will present data at this week's HIV DART 2010 conference, "Frontiers in Drug Development for Antiretroviral Therapies," in Los Cabos, Mexico. The conference brings international researchers together to discuss the latest developments in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

9 Dec 2010

Dogs help understand primary ciliary dyskinesia

A dog is mankind's best friend : the old saying has once again been borne out through a medical discovery concerning the genetic origins of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). In using dogs as a research model in the framework of the European LUPA project, a team from the University of Liège's GIGA-Research Unit has been able to bring to light new mutations in a specific gene responsible for the development of the disease in human beings.

9 Dec 2010

Study to develop ways to track individual's exposure to traffic pollution

Researchers at King's College London are developing ways of working out a person's individual exposure to traffic pollution when travelling to, from, and around London.

9 Dec 2010

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researcher awarded 2011 Gani Medal for Human Genetics

Major advances in our understanding of human evolution have seen Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researcher Dr Alicia Oshlack awarded the 2011 Gani Medal for Human Genetics by the Australian Academy of Science.

9 Dec 2010

Study demonstrates new test for early diagnosis of Turner syndrome

A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) has demonstrated a novel and accurate test for early diagnosis of Turner syndrome. Turner syndrome affects one in 1,500 to 2,000 female live births and early diagnosis allows for the timely management of short stature and co-morbid conditions including cardiac and renal problems.

9 Dec 2010

Cellectis bioresearch announces winner of The Genome Customization Award

Cellectis bioresearch, a specialist in genome customization and a subsidiary of Cellectis (Alternext: ALCLS), has today announced the recipient of its post-doctoral fellowship award program. The Genome Customization Award (TGCA) is going to Dr Nelson Lau's research group, from the Department of Biology at the Brandeis University (Waltham, Massachusetts).

9 Dec 2010

p53 activation offers a novel strategy for cancer therapy

A pioneering clinical trial is testing the effectiveness in leukemia of a small molecule that shuts down MDM2, a protein that can disable the well-known tumor suppressor p53.

9 Dec 2010

Rapid TB test endorsed by WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that a new test that can detect tuberculosis (TB), including drug-resistant forms, in less than two hours could revolutionize treatment of the disease. Tuberculosis is still a major killer worldwide killing 4,700 people every day last year. The annual death toll of 1.7 million includes 380,000 people who are at particular risk because they have HIV, the virus that depresses the immune system and causes Aids.

8 Dec 2010

WHO endorses new rapid fully automated nucleic acid amplification test for TB

Today, WHO endorsed a new and novel rapid test for tuberculosis (TB), especially relevant in countries most affected by the disease. The test could revolutionize TB care and control by providing an accurate diagnosis for many patients in about 100 minutes, compared to current tests that can take up to three months to have results.

8 Dec 2010

AiCuris announces completion of AIC316 Phase II genital herpes trial

The trial has been completed two months earlier than planned. Indeed, in the later stages of the trial, enrolment had to be restricted as the number of subjects was higher than the number that was required to be enrolled according to the trial protocol.

8 Dec 2010

Audax Medical licenses novel TBL technology to fix broken bones from Brown

Here's the vision: an elderly woman comes into the emergency room after a fall. She has broken her hip. The orthopaedic surgeon doesn't come with metal plates or screws or shiny titanium ball joints. Instead, she pulls out a syringe filled with a new kind of liquid that will solidify in seconds and injects into the break. Over time, new bone tissue will take its place, encouraged by natural growth factors embedded in the synthetic molecules of the material.

8 Dec 2010

Ultraviolet light activates enzyme that helps skin cancer cells survive, proliferate: Researchers

The sun's ultraviolet light activates an enzyme that helps skin cancer cells survive and proliferate, researchers report.

8 Dec 2010

Case Western Reserve School of Medicine researchers receive NIH grant for four research endeavors

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine faculty members are reaping the rewards of funding from the National Institutes of Health, in the form of grants and contracts. The funding totals more than $6.4 million for four different research endeavors.

8 Dec 2010

New technique may help develop novel treatments for brain diseases

Scientists have created a way to isolate neural stem cells - cells that give rise to all the cell types of the brain - from human brain tissue with unprecedented precision, an important step toward developing new treatments for conditions of the nervous system, like Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases and spinal cord injury.

8 Dec 2010

One Lambda, Luminex renew 10-year human leukocyte antigen technology development partnership

One Lambda Inc., a leading manufacturer and supplier of quality products and technology for the HLA transplant community, and Luminex Corporation have agreed to a long-term renewal of their 10-year strategic partnership aimed at developing platforms and technologies for human leukocyte antigen (HLA).

From Luminex 8 Dec 2010

IMO-4200 dual agonist increases antitumor activity in lymphoma models: Study

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today presented data showing that IMO-4200, a dual agonist of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 and TLR8, in combination with approved cancer treatments, rituximab or bortezomib, significantly increased antitumor activity in several preclinical lymphoma models. The presentation, entitled "Antitumor Activity of an RNA-Based Agonist of TLR7 and 8 in Preclinical Models of Hematological Malignancies," was made at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Hematology in Orlando, Florida by Idera scientists.

7 Dec 2010

Cellectis bioresearch licenses fluorescent proteins from Evrogen

Cellectis bioresearch, the specialist in genome customization and subsidiary of Cellectis, today announced that it has signed a non-exclusive agreement with Evrogen (Moscow, Russia) for access to its fluorescent proteins. This license allows Cellectis bioresearch to incorporate these proteins into its own products and will expand the company's offering of genome engineering tools.

7 Dec 2010