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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 human DNA that act as a traitor to body's defences

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have discovered that stretches of human DNA act as a traitor to the body's defences by helping viruses infect people and trigger cancer-causing diseases, according to a study published in Nature Cell Biology today.

28 Apr 2010

ChronSeal multi-center study in Sweden and Norway finalized

The multi-center study in Sweden and Norway with ChronSeal® is now finalized and the data are being analyzed in Sweden and by Kringle in Japan. ChronTech and Kringle have jointly decided that the results will be publicly available on May 27th. At follow-up of the ChronVac-C® -study where patients now have started treatment according to standard-of-care (interferon and ribavirin) all patients (100%) were virus free at treatment week 12 and 5/6 (83%) had less than 50 copies of virus/mL blood already at treatment week four.

28 Apr 2010

Study results from US Military Malaria Vaccine Program announced

Bioject Medical Technologies Inc., a leading developer of needle-free injection therapy systems, today announced that the US Military Malaria Vaccine Program presented results of its study using the Biojector2000 with a recombinant DNA vaccine at two recent conferences. A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement was signed with the Navy in April 2009 to work together on the study.

28 Apr 2010

NCCTG to conduct Phase II study of brostallicin in combination with cisplatin for mTNBC cancer

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the North Central Cancer Treatment Group ("NCCTG") plans to conduct a Phase II study of brostallicin in combination with cisplatin in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast ("mTNBC") cancer, defined by tumors lacking expression of estrogen, progesterone receptors and without over-expression of HER2. Additionally, the majority of breast cancers that are associated with the susceptibility mutation (BRCA1) are of the triple-negative type.

28 Apr 2010

Dietary MSC can help reset cell's biological clock to prevent development of breast cancer: Study

Usually when all else fails with a technical device, a "reset" button can be pressed, preventing a glitch from going any further. What if that could be done with threats to a person's health? Investigators from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute which is jointly administered by UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, have discovered that a form of a dietary trace element known as selenium can help reset a cell's "biological clock" when it is disrupted by a chemical cancer-causing agent (carcinogen).

28 Apr 2010

Life Technologies first-quarter non-GAAP 2010 revenue increases 13% to $887 million

Life Technologies Corporation today announced results for its first quarter ending March 31, 2010. Non-GAAP revenue for the first quarter was $887 million, an increase of 13 percent over the $785 million reported for the first quarter of 2009. Excluding the impact of currency and completed acquisitions and divestitures, organic revenue for the quarter grew 10 percent over the same period in the previous year.

28 Apr 2010

Pharmacological suppression of nonsense mutations effective in treating genetic defects

Genetic mutation can disrupt the way human cells make proteins, which in turn leads to inherited disease. David Bedwell, a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Microbiology, says scientists are closer than ever to producing drugs that fix this disrupted-protein pathway and drastically improving treatment of genetic disease.

27 Apr 2010

DNASTAR, Scarab Genomics announce launch of DNA and RNA sequencing services business

DNASTAR and Scarab Genomics, sister companies founded by genomics pioneer Fred Blattner, announce the launch of a next-generation DNA and RNA sequencing services business. Using their combined expertise, the companies will be offering a full range of sequencing services including library preparation, coordinating the most appropriate sequencing technology and platform, assembly, analysis, annotation, and visualization of end results.

27 Apr 2010

Prime-boost malaria vaccine regimen provides sterile protection: Vical

Vical Incorporated announced today that a prime-boost malaria vaccine regimen provided sterile protection, with no disease symptoms and no detectable malaria parasites, in 4 of 15 vaccinated volunteers a full 28 days after challenge with multiple infected-mosquito bites.

27 Apr 2010

Scientists now closer to produce drugs to fix disease-causing mutations, spare healthy genes

Inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis can be caused by genetic "nonsense mutations" that disrupt the way human cells make proteins. David Bedwell, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Microbiology, says scientists are now closer to producing drugs that will fix this disruption and drastically improve treatment of genetic disease.

27 Apr 2010

Melanin-covered nanoparticles may protect bone marrow from harmful radiation therapy effects: Research

Tiny, melanin-covered nanoparticles may protect bone marrow from the harmful effects of radiation therapy, according to scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University who successfully tested the strategy in mouse models.

27 Apr 2010

ExonHit to acquire RedPath for upfront payment of $12.5M in cash and $10M in stock

RedPath Integrated Pathology, Inc., a cancer molecular diagnostics company headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, announced today that it has entered into a binding agreement to be acquired by ExonHit Therapeutics, S.A., a leading French diagnostics and therapeutics biotech company for an upfront payment of $12.5M in cash and $10M in stock, and starting in 2012, subsequent additional payment up to $9.5M dependent on the achievement of sales targets.

27 Apr 2010

ERCC1 Analysis guides patient treatment decisions

Moffitt Cancer Center announces steadily growing interest in the ERCC1 Analysis, the first test developed for selecting chemotherapy for Non Small Lung Cancer patients. Each year, more than 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer.

26 Apr 2010

Life Technologies debuts Invitrogen MAGic Sample Processor for addressing reproducibility challenges

Life Technologies Corporation today debuted the life science industry's first benchtop sample preparation system designed to increase productivity while eliminating manual and contamination-related challenges traditionally associated with protein and epigenetic protocols. The Invitrogen MAGic™ Sample Processor enables researchers to cut protocol time in half, dramatically reduce experimental errors, and perform technically challenging experiments in protein purification and epigenetics.

26 Apr 2010

Avecia Biotechnology reaches agreement with Pfizer to market Macugen

Avecia Biotechnology, Inc., a leading provider of drug development and manufacturing services for oligonucleotide therapeutics, has reached agreement with Pfizer Inc. regarding the commercial supply of a key component of Macugen (pegaptanib sodium injection), marketed in the E.U. by Pfizer for the treatment of wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

26 Apr 2010

OICR makes equity investments in three promising Ontario technologies

Frank Stonebanks, Vice-President, Commercialization and Chief Commercial Officer of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research today announced that OICR has made equity investments in three promising Ontario technologies to accelerate their commercialization.

26 Apr 2010

New reprogramming strategies needed for production of iPSCs: Study

Scientists may be one step closer to being able to generate any type of cells and tissues from a patient's own cells. In a study that will appear in the journal Nature and is receiving early online release, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine (MGH-CRM) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), describe finding that an important cluster of genes is inactivated in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that do not have the full development potential of embryonic stem cells.

26 Apr 2010

Driving evolution of antibiotic resistance backwards

The use of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections causes a continual and vicious cycle in which antibiotic treatment leads to the emergence and spread of resistant strains, forcing the use of additional drugs leading to further multi-drug resistance.

26 Apr 2010

Promising research on cryptosporidiosis could lead to effective treatment: Brandeis University biochemist

Discovered in 1976, cryptosporidium lurks worldwide in water, contaminating swimming pools, water parks, and drinking water supplies. Although it has even been featured on the comedy show The Colbert Report, it is no laughing matter-this microscopic pathogen is a leading cause of diarrhea and malnutrition and the most common source of infection in immune-weakened people such as AIDS patients.

26 Apr 2010

DeCODE scientists discover common SNPs that increase number of CPD and risk of lung cancer

Cigarette smoking is a major cause of illness and death worldwide. But it is a complex behavior, and how much people smoke, how hard they find it to quit, and the impact of long-term smoking on health varies greatly among individuals. A substantial portion of this variability is genetic. Two years ago, deCODE discovered the first common, single-letter variation in the sequence of the human genome, on chromosome 15q25, associated with nicotine addiction and risk of lung cancer.

26 Apr 2010

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists discover human DNA that act as a traitor to body's defences

ChronSeal multi-center study in Sweden and Norway finalized

Study results from US Military Malaria Vaccine Program announced

NCCTG to conduct Phase II study of brostallicin in combination with cisplatin for mTNBC cancer

Dietary MSC can help reset cell's biological clock to prevent development of breast cancer: Study

Life Technologies first-quarter non-GAAP 2010 revenue increases 13% to $887 million

Pharmacological suppression of nonsense mutations effective in treating genetic defects

DNASTAR, Scarab Genomics announce launch of DNA and RNA sequencing services business

Prime-boost malaria vaccine regimen provides sterile protection: Vical

Scientists now closer to produce drugs to fix disease-causing mutations, spare healthy genes

Melanin-covered nanoparticles may protect bone marrow from harmful radiation therapy effects: Research

ExonHit to acquire RedPath for upfront payment of $12.5M in cash and $10M in stock

ERCC1 Analysis guides patient treatment decisions

Life Technologies debuts Invitrogen MAGic Sample Processor for addressing reproducibility challenges

Avecia Biotechnology reaches agreement with Pfizer to market Macugen

OICR makes equity investments in three promising Ontario technologies

New reprogramming strategies needed for production of iPSCs: Study

Driving evolution of antibiotic resistance backwards

Promising research on cryptosporidiosis could lead to effective treatment: Brandeis University biochemist

DeCODE scientists discover common SNPs that increase number of CPD and risk of lung cancer

Understanding the DNA Damage Response in Innate Immunity eBook

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