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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).

Report finds development of multiple myeloma is tied to 'hypomethylation'

DNA methylation - a modification of DNA linked to gene regulation - is altered with increasing severity in a blood cancer called multiple myeloma, according to a study by Mayo Clinic and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

1 Oct 2010

Researchers discover key leukemia defense mechanism

Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researcher Steven Grant, M.D., and a team of VCU Massey researchers have uncovered the mechanism by which leukemia cells trigger a protective response when exposed to a class of cancer-killing agents known as histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs).

1 Oct 2010

Health Canada approves Meridian Bioscience's illumigene C. difficile molecular amplification assay

Meridian Bioscience, Inc., today announced that it has received an approved medical device license from Health Canada for its new molecular amplification assay, illumigene C. difficile. Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea and, in severe cases, a life-threatening inflammation of the colon.

1 Oct 2010

Albert Einstein College of Medicine receives grant to study role of proteins in health and disease

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a five-year, $30 million grant to study the structure and function of thousands of biomedically important proteins.

1 Oct 2010

Personalized cancer drug delivery could soon be a reality

Imagine the day a machine can draw your blood, screen it for genetic mutations and chemical variations that can cause cancer, and pop out a drug tailor-made for your DNA.

1 Oct 2010

Researchers discover new factors that regulate fat formation

By creating a "map" of histone modifications in fat cells, investigators have discovered two new factors that regulate fat formation, a key step on the road to better understanding obesity, diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

1 Oct 2010

Cardium expands wound healing and tissue regeneration portfolio

Cardium Therapeutics announced that it has gained exclusive access to commercial development rights for certain novel supramacromolecular polymer complexes enabling regulatable and localized topical delivery of nitric oxide for prolonged periods of one to three weeks, to broaden and expand the Company's wound healing and tissue regeneration portfolio.

30 Sep 2010

NIH awards $3.1 million to further fund Inovio's universal SynCon flu vaccine development

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that Inovio Pharmaceuticals and the University of Pennsylvania have received a grant of $3.1 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Office to further fund Inovio's universal SynCon™ flu vaccine development.

30 Sep 2010

Genotoxic impurities in prescription drugs

Drug manufacturers have been adjusting to strict new government standards that limit the amount of potentially harmful impurities in medicine, according to the cover story of the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine. The impurities are "genotoxic," capable of damaging the DNA in genes.

30 Sep 2010

Scientists use NMR technology to improve protein purification in drug development

The purification of drug components is a large hurdle facing modern drug development. This is particularly true of drugs that utilize proteins, which are notoriously difficult to separate from other potentially deadly impurities. Scientists within the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to understand and improve an important protein purification process.

30 Sep 2010

Triple negative breast cancer patients with BRCA gene mutations have low risk of recurrence: Research

Patients with triple negative breast cancer that also have mutations in the BRCA gene appear to have a lower risk of recurrence, compared to those with the same disease without the deleterious genetic mutation, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

30 Sep 2010

First direct genetic link to ADHD

The latest study shows evidence of a genetic link to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. The researchers from Cardiff University, Wales said the disorder was a brain problem like autism and not due to bad parenting. The paper appeared in the acclaimed journal Lancet.

30 Sep 2010

Medivation and Astellas commence MDV3100 second Phase 3 clinical trial in advanced prostate cancer

Medivation, Inc. and Astellas Pharma Inc. today announced treatment of the first patient in a second Phase 3 clinical trial of the investigational drug MDV3100, which expands the Phase 3 development of the novel, triple-acting oral androgen receptor antagonist into an earlier-stage patient population. Known as PREVAIL, the trial will evaluate MDV3100 in men with advanced prostate cancer who have not yet received chemotherapy. Initiation of the PREVAIL trial triggers a milestone payment to Medivation under its collaboration agreement with Astellas.

29 Sep 2010

NIAID study utilizes Biojector B2000 system to explore syringe, needle benefits

Bioject Medical Technologies Inc., a leading developer of needle-free injection therapy systems, today announced that its unique Needle-Free Injection Therapy (NFIT) system, the Biojector 2000, is being utilized in a study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) which is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

29 Sep 2010

Omicsoft's Next Generation Sequencing tools integrated with GeneGo's MetaCore data mining suite

GeneGo, Inc., the leading systems biology tools company and Omicsoft Corporation, the leader in the OMIC repository and analysis field, announced today integration of Omicsoft's Next Generation Sequencing tools with GeneGo's MetaCore data mining suite.

29 Sep 2010

NIH trial selects Inovio's PENNVAX-G DNA vaccine candidate to evaluate HIV-1 prevalent

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that a Phase I study, called RV262, recently began to evaluate a combination DNA prime/MVA vector boost regimen that was developed to protect against diverse subtypes of HIV-1 prevalent in North America, Europe, Africa, and South America.

29 Sep 2010

AACR to host Third Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities

The American Association for Cancer Research will host its Third Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities at the Loews Hotel in Miami from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, 2010.

29 Sep 2010

ANDalyze sensor/Fluorimeter platform solution introduced in China and Australia

ANDalyze sensor/Fluorimeter platform solution for simplifying the on-site testing and analysis of water for heavy metal contamination is now being sold in China and Australia as a replacement to more time consuming testing methods such as electrochemical and reagent testing methods that require significant training.

29 Sep 2010

MRSA survivors to share experience at World MRSA Day kickoff event

No one needs to explain to the people who have experienced it the danger posed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the antibiotic-defying bacterium commonly known as MRSA. No one needs to explain to the people who have experienced it the danger posed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the antibiotic-defying bacterium commonly known as MRSA.

29 Sep 2010

microRNA may provide quick diagnosis of bladder cancer

Scientists may have discovered a way to diagnose bladder cancer at its earliest and, therefore, most treatable stages by measuring the presence or absence of microRNA using already available laboratory tests.

29 Sep 2010