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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).

New study offers rare glimpse of how the smallpox virus attacks its victims

Results of a new study in monkeys offer scientists a rare glimpse of how, on a molecular level, the smallpox virus attacks its victims. The findings shed light on how the virus caused mass death and suffering, and will help point the way to new diagnostics, vaccines and drugs that would be needed in the event of a smallpox bioterror incident.

12 Oct 2004

Discovery of naturally occurring RNA "switches" that manage the amino acid glycine

Two University of Washington computer scientists are part of a team that has discovered a pair of rare, naturally occurring RNA "switches" in a class of bacteria that work cooperatively to manage the amino acid glycine.

11 Oct 2004

Study sheds light on events orchestrating the changes when mammalian eggs are fertilized and become embryos

A new study sheds light on events orchestrating the changes when mammalian eggs are fertilized and become embryos. Researchers have discovered that expression of genes in mouse eggs and very early embryos is activated in part by regions of DNA called retrotransposons, which may have originated from retroviruses.

11 Oct 2004

Carbon nanotubes offer a new approach to gene therapy

Many genes that are related to particular diseases have now been identified. Scientists are trying to use this knowledge to treat diseases.

11 Oct 2004

Exposure to tobacco smoke and pollutants increases childhood risk of asthma

Children prenatally exposed to pollutants, such as motor vehicle exhaust, and postnatally exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) may be more likely to suffer from asthma and related symptoms early in life.

11 Oct 2004

Studies reveal complex molecular choreography with implications for human health and disease

As interactions of cellular proteins increasingly take center stage in basic biomedical research, studies are revealing a complex molecular choreography with implications for human health and disease.

10 Oct 2004

Discovery could lead to the creation of naturally decaffeinated coffee plants

Chemists at Emory University have made an important advance in harnessing the ability of bacteria to make new molecules, and their discovery could eventually lead to the creation of naturally decaffeinated coffee plants.

10 Oct 2004

First use of technology called ubiquitin-mediated fluorescence complementation to study a cell-signaling mechanism called ubiquitination

Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have found a way to see proteins in cells that have been tagged by a molecular “sticky note” called ubiquitin.

8 Oct 2004

Britain's Chief Medical Officer has announced new measures to tackle and eliminate tuberculosis in Britain

The Plan, Stopping Tuberculosis in England, provides a strong commitment to tackle the disease by increasing the awareness of the disease amongst health professional and the public, establishing high quality surveillance to monitor the disease concentrating on high risk groups, identifying the infection early, and ensuring excellence in clinical care for patients with TB.

7 Oct 2004

Rheumatoid arthritis results from a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), like many chronic diseases of the immune system, likely results from a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers.

7 Oct 2004

$10 million to establish a multidisciplinary research program in cancer nanotechnology

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded scientists from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology two new collaborative research grants, totaling nearly $10 million, to establish a multidisciplinary research program in cancer nanotechnology and to develop a new class of nanoparticles for molecular and cellular imaging.

6 Oct 2004

Patients suffering from diseases as varied as Type II diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's have one thing in common

Patients suffering from diseases as varied as Type II diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and dozens of lesser known maladies have one thing in common: they suffer from a large build up of amyloids

5 Oct 2004

RiboNovix secures license to novel anti-infective discovery technology from Wayne State University

New biotechnology company, RiboNovix, Inc., is addressing the worsening problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by developing new anti-infectives that are less susceptible to drug resistance.

5 Oct 2004

Compound derived from fruit and vegetables could be used to improve the effects of an established cancer drug

The drug, mitomycin C (MMC), is a well-known anticancer treatment used mainly against solid tumours in the bladder and lower bowel. It is activated by enzymes naturally found in the human body, but its use is limited by severe side effects at higher doses.

5 Oct 2004

3 year study to validate bladder cancer test

A three-year study to validate a test to detect the recurrence of bladder cancer has been initiated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), at 12 centers across the United States and Canada.

4 Oct 2004

Researchers pinpoint genetic cause of Timothy syndrome

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have pinpointed the genetic cause of a devastating but rare childhood disorder, called Timothy syndrome, which underlies a form of severe cardiac arrhythmia.

4 Oct 2004

Artificial neural networks and DNA microarrays to successfully predict clinical outcomes of neuroblastoma patients

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), have used artificial neural networks (ANNs) and DNA microarrays to successfully predict the clinical outcome of patients diagnosed with neuroblastoma (NB).

4 Oct 2004

One in five people in the developed world will die of the diseases we call cancer

What they die of is not one disease, but a bewildering array of cancers, each of which behaves differently, grows differently and - crucially - responds to treatment differently.

29 Sep 2004

Clusters of genes within human aortas appear to predict risk for atherosclerosis

Duke University Medical Center researchers have identified specific clusters of genes within human aortas that appear to predict with great specificity which patients may be at highest risk for developing atherosclerosis, as well as the severity of the disease.

28 Sep 2004

Trial shows which brain cancer patients benefit from temozolomide

An international team of scientists and cancer specialists has identified which patients with the deadly form of brain tumours called glioblastomas are likely to live longer if they are treated with temozolomide, and which patients are likely to get only marginal, if any, benefit.

28 Sep 2004

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

New study offers rare glimpse of how the smallpox virus attacks its victims

Discovery of naturally occurring RNA "switches" that manage the amino acid glycine

Study sheds light on events orchestrating the changes when mammalian eggs are fertilized and become embryos

Carbon nanotubes offer a new approach to gene therapy

Exposure to tobacco smoke and pollutants increases childhood risk of asthma

Studies reveal complex molecular choreography with implications for human health and disease

Discovery could lead to the creation of naturally decaffeinated coffee plants

First use of technology called ubiquitin-mediated fluorescence complementation to study a cell-signaling mechanism called ubiquitination

Britain's Chief Medical Officer has announced new measures to tackle and eliminate tuberculosis in Britain

Rheumatoid arthritis results from a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers

$10 million to establish a multidisciplinary research program in cancer nanotechnology

Patients suffering from diseases as varied as Type II diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's have one thing in common

RiboNovix secures license to novel anti-infective discovery technology from Wayne State University

Compound derived from fruit and vegetables could be used to improve the effects of an established cancer drug

3 year study to validate bladder cancer test

Researchers pinpoint genetic cause of Timothy syndrome

Artificial neural networks and DNA microarrays to successfully predict clinical outcomes of neuroblastoma patients

One in five people in the developed world will die of the diseases we call cancer

Clusters of genes within human aortas appear to predict risk for atherosclerosis

Trial shows which brain cancer patients benefit from temozolomide

Understanding the DNA Damage Response in Innate Immunity eBook

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