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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).

Newly completed Chromosome 5 sequence will be a powerful tool for scientists trying to understand human disease

Four years after publicly revealing the official draft human genetic sequence, researchers have reached the halfway point in dotting the i's and crossing the t's of the genetic sentences describing how to build a human.

16 Sep 2004

Liver cancer genes cluster into two subsets that correlate to survival

An analysis of the gene expression patterns of 91 unrelated liver tumors revealed two distinctive subclasses highly associated with patient survival, according to a new study published in the September 2004 issue of Hepatology.

14 Sep 2004

First molecular-scale images of DNA binding to an adenovirus enzyme

The images, which appear on the cover of the October 2004 issue of Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, show how binding to DNA may stimulate the enzyme and are already being used to design new antiviral drugs to block this interaction.

14 Sep 2004

Genetically modified bacterium as remedy for intestinal diseases

Researchers from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) at Ghent University are joining the fight against chronic intestinal disease with a genetically modified bacterium (Lactococcus lactis).

14 Sep 2004

New genetic test can predict cleft lip or palate

Researchers have developed a new genetic test that can help predict whether parents who have one child with the "isolated" form of cleft lip or palate are likely to have a second child with the same birth defect. Isolated clefts account for 70 percent of all cleft lip and palate cases.

10 Sep 2004

Unique technology with the potential to test for hundreds of diseases, cancers and genes in one, cheap, test

Queensland, Australia PhD student Angus Johnston has invented a unique technology with the potential to test for hundreds of diseases, cancers and genes in one, cheap, test. He hopes that within five years the technology will be available in a desktop unit for less than AU$30,000.

10 Sep 2004

New view of chromatin and gene activity

A genome - the DNA instructions for an organism - does not act alone. DNA is packaged with proteins into 'chromatin', which may be more or less tightly condensed. A popular proposal is that active genes are in 'open' chromatin (to allow access to them) and inactive genes are in tightly packed 'compact' chromatin.

10 Sep 2004

Missing genes may help explain why plague bacteria are so deadly

What makes the germ that causes plague so fearsomely lethal, while a close relative only produces digestive disorders and is rarely fatal?

10 Sep 2004

Research crucial in determining what gene mutations might lead to congenital cardiovascular defects

According to the American Heart Association, congenital cardiovascular defects, such as congenital heart disease (CHD), are present in about one percent of live births and are the most common malformations in newborns.

9 Sep 2004

Childhood leukaemia significantly lower in Asia than in Western countries

The incidence of childhood leukaemia in Britain increased dramatically during the twentieth century. The increase has mainly affected the under-five age group, in whom the risk increased by more than 50 per cent during the second half of the century alone.

9 Sep 2004

Study provides insight on how DNA code is turned into instructions for protein construction

A team of scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science has revealed the structure of a cellular editor that “cuts and pastes” the first draft of RNA straight after it is formed from its DNA template.

9 Sep 2004

Protein sources, such as beef and beans beneficial in lowering childhood leukemia risk

A new study suggests that eating more vegetables, fruit and protein before pregnancy may lower the risk of having a child who develops leukemia, the most common childhood cancer in the United States.

8 Sep 2004

Gene linked to both alcoholism and depression

A national team of investigators led by psychiatric geneticists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified a gene that appears to be linked to both alcoholism and depression.

8 Sep 2004

Autism may arise from a mixture of sources that include a few genes and epigenetics

Autism, a serious developmental disorder in children, may arise from a mixture of sources that include a few genes and alterations in the factors that regulate genes (epigenetics) that may be inherited or occur as a new event, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine.

8 Sep 2004

New IBM technology could bring the promise of personalized medicine one step closer

Using a basic computer language, the researchers created a "smart" DNA stream that contains a patient's entire medical record

8 Sep 2004

New genetic hypothesis for the cause of autism

Researchers have proposed a new hypothesis on the cause of autism, suggesting a mixed epigenetic and genetic and mixed de novo and inherited (MEGDI) model.

8 Sep 2004

Experts consider evidence of link between the rise in childhood leukaemia and increased light at night

International experts will today consider the evidence for a link between the rise in childhood leukaemia and increased light at night at an international scientific conference in London.

8 Sep 2004

First indication that Parkinson’s disease can be caused by a defect in a protein

The findings of Finnish scientists with their multinational collaborators shed light to the mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease and early menopause.

8 Sep 2004

Mitochondrial genes cause nuclear mischief

While the nucleus of a cell may be its command headquarters, mitochondria are equally vital—they are the power plants of the cell, and without them all cellular activity would quickly and irrevocably come to a halt.

7 Sep 2004

Phico Therapeutics secures funding to tackle superbug

Phico Therapeutics Ltd, a Cambridge-based company that has developed a unique anti-bacterial technology to treat the hospital superbug, MRSA, has raised £550,000 with the help of Oxfordshire Investment Opportunity Network, Europe’s leading technology business angel network.

6 Sep 2004

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Newly completed Chromosome 5 sequence will be a powerful tool for scientists trying to understand human disease

Liver cancer genes cluster into two subsets that correlate to survival

First molecular-scale images of DNA binding to an adenovirus enzyme

Genetically modified bacterium as remedy for intestinal diseases

New genetic test can predict cleft lip or palate

Unique technology with the potential to test for hundreds of diseases, cancers and genes in one, cheap, test

New view of chromatin and gene activity

Missing genes may help explain why plague bacteria are so deadly

Research crucial in determining what gene mutations might lead to congenital cardiovascular defects

Childhood leukaemia significantly lower in Asia than in Western countries

Study provides insight on how DNA code is turned into instructions for protein construction

Protein sources, such as beef and beans beneficial in lowering childhood leukemia risk

Gene linked to both alcoholism and depression

Autism may arise from a mixture of sources that include a few genes and epigenetics

New IBM technology could bring the promise of personalized medicine one step closer

New genetic hypothesis for the cause of autism

Experts consider evidence of link between the rise in childhood leukaemia and increased light at night

First indication that Parkinson’s disease can be caused by a defect in a protein

Mitochondrial genes cause nuclear mischief

Phico Therapeutics secures funding to tackle superbug

eBook: Exploring the Cell Cycle and DNA Damage and Repair eBook

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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