DNA News and Research

RSS

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).

Ultraviolet light cuts spread of tuberculosis

Ultraviolet lights could reduce the spread of tuberculosis in hospital wards and waiting rooms by 70%, according to a new study, published in PLoS Medicine today.

16 Mar 2009

Identification of triggering mechanism by which breast and prostate cancer cells begin

Dr. Ercole Cavalieri and Dr. Eleanor Rogen of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, located in Omaha, Nebraska, have identified the triggering mechanism by which breast and prostate cancer cells begin. Preventium is a recently developed dietary supplement that promises to reduce people's risk for breast and prostate cancer.

16 Mar 2009

Discovery of master switch that might prevent cancer cells from metastasizing

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a master switch that might prevent cancer cells from metastasizing from a primary tumor to other organs.

16 Mar 2009

Researchers show how proteins find the right DNA sequences

Researchers at Uppsala University and Harvard University have collaboratively developed a new theoretical model to explain how proteins can rapidly find specific DNA sequences, even though there are many obstacles in the way on the chromosomes.

16 Mar 2009

First treatment for muscular dystrophy a step closer

Genetic researchers at Children's National Medical Center and the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry in Tokyo published the results of the first successful application of "multiple exon-skipping" to curb the devastating effects of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in an animal larger than a mouse.

16 Mar 2009

Study reinforces the importance of healthy living for women

Women who maintain a healthy weight and who have lower perceived stress may be less likely to have chromosome changes associated with aging than obese and stressed women, according to a pilot study that was part of the Sister Study.

16 Mar 2009

Novel genetic technology for canine form of muscular dystrophy

Using a novel genetic technology that covers up genetic errors, researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have developed a successful treatment for dogs with the canine version of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a paralyzing, and ultimately fatal, muscle disease.

16 Mar 2009

New approach to prevent bacterial infections from taking hold

Dr Quinn Parks and colleagues describe how they used enzymes against products of the body's own defence cells to prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria from building a protective biofilm which enables them to avoid both the body's immune mechanisms and antibiotics.

15 Mar 2009

Genetic mechanism in mole rats can be targeted in cancer research

"When we understand how the subterranean mole rat developed these mechanisms for survival, we may be able to understand why they are so destructive in humans," Prof. Aaron Avivi of the University of Haifa said.

15 Mar 2009

Susceptibility to blood disorders may be inherited

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have shown for the first time that a tendency to develop some blood disorders may be inherited.

15 Mar 2009

FDA approves first DNA test for two types of HPV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first DNA test that identifies the two types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause the majority of cervical cancers among women in the United States.

15 Mar 2009

Discovery of master regulator of motor neuron firing

When the Human Genome Project was complete, DNA bowed out of the limelight and gave way to RNA as a major player in genetic regulation.

15 Mar 2009

A new approach for detecting functional genomic regions

A team that includes researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found a new way of detecting functional regions in the human genome. The novel approach involves looking at the three-dimensional shape of the genome's DNA and not just reading the sequence of the four-letter alphabet of its DNA bases.

12 Mar 2009

Roche (SWX: ROG.VX; RO.S) and Genentech (NYSE:DNA) agree to combine

Roche and Genentech announced today that they signed a merger agreement under which Roche will acquire the outstanding publicly held interest in Genentech for US$95.00 per share in cash, or a total payment of approximately US$46.8 billion to equity holders of Genentech other than Roche.

12 Mar 2009

Smokers' chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk is genetic

It's well known that puffing on cigarettes can eventually leave you out of puff.

11 Mar 2009

Discovery of new pathway that regulates inflammation

Inflammation, the body's earliest response to damage or infection, can aid the healing process and trigger an immune response against invading pathogens.

11 Mar 2009

Bioinformatics sheds light on evolutionary origin of Rickettsia virulence genes

Scientists from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the University of Louisville have revealed that genes for a specific type of molecular secretion system in Rickettsia, a structure that is linked in many cases to virulence, have been conserved over many years of evolution.

11 Mar 2009