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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).

Precise manipulation of folate metabolism may pave way to broadly improve health during aging

Several different causes of aging have been discovered, but the question remains whether there are common underlying mechanisms that determine ageing and lifespan.

16 Jun 2021

COVID-e-Vax DNA vaccine candidate elicits robust immune responses in preclinical trials

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, describes the late-stage clinical trial efficacy of a new vaccine candidate based on a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) plasmid platform expressing the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Among different constructs of the vaccine plasmid, the RBD was found to produce the most potent and broad immune response.

16 Jun 2021

Two vaccines elicit durable neutralizing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in pre-clinical study

A group of scientists led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian reported that the Moderna mRNA vaccine and a protein-based vaccine candidate elicited durable neutralizing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in pre-clinical research. There were no adverse effects.

16 Jun 2021

New AI model could help predict which viruses are likely to spread from animals to humans

A new model that applies artificial intelligence to carbohydrates improves the understanding of the infection process and could help predict which viruses are likely to spread from animals to humans.

15 Jun 2021

Repressing a protein that facilitates DNA repair to potentiate chemotherapy

Chemotherapy kills tumor cells by causing damage to them. One of the most effective ways of causing damage is to prevent the two DNA strands from separating so that the cellular machinery cannot read the instructions written in the genes.

15 Jun 2021

UMSOM researchers develop two accurate, rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have developed two rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 that are nearly as accurate as the gold-standard test currently used in laboratories.

15 Jun 2021

WHO: Effective action needed to protect the health of children from toxic e-waste

Effective and binding action is urgently required to protect the millions of children, adolescents and expectant mothers worldwide whose health is jeopardized by the informal processing of discarded electrical or electronic devices according to a new ground-breaking report from the World Health Organization: Children and Digital Dumpsites.

15 Jun 2021

Study may offer an unexpected pathway for targeted treatment of brain tumors

In a new study led by Yale Cancer Center, researchers show the nucleoside transporter ENT2 may offer an unexpected path to circumventing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and enabling targeted treatment of brain tumors with a cell-penetrating anti-DNA autoantibody.

15 Jun 2021

Researchers study what happens in brain cells affected by Alzheimer's disease

Studies on tissue from patients and mini-brains made from stem cells shed light on the disease.

14 Jun 2021

New approach to gene therapy uses common pain reliever to fight against genetic diseases

Researchers have developed a new approach to gene therapy that leans on the common pain reliever acetaminophen to force a variety of genetic diseases into remission.

14 Jun 2021

What makes the elderly more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Why is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), biased towards infecting the aged population? A recently published study by Italian scientists linked aging, DNA damage, telomere shortening, and increased levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to this relationship.

13 Jun 2021

Joint ICMRA and WHO statement explains how COVID-19 vaccines are regulated for safety, effectiveness

Healthcare professionals and public health authorities have a central role in discussing vaccination against COVID-19 with their patients.

13 Jun 2021

Proteins that control small heat shock genes allows plants to deal with heat stress

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen," as the old saying goes. But for organisms that can't leave the proverbial kitchen when things get too hot, there's another way: researchers from Japan have discovered that plants can gain heat tolerance to better adapt to future heat stress, thanks to a particular mechanism for heat stress 'memory'.

11 Jun 2021

New gene expression network can help understand mechanism behind continuous stem cell activity in plants

An inter-university research group has succeeded in constructing the gene expression network behind the vascular development process in plants.

11 Jun 2021

New technique uses high-throughput sequencing to obtain ultra-high-resolution images of gene expression

The 30,000 or so genes making up the human genome contain the instructions vital to life. Yet each of our cells expresses only a subset of these genes in their daily functioning. The difference between a heart cell and a liver cell, for example, is determined by which genes are expressed--and the correct expression of genes can mean the difference between health and disease.

11 Jun 2021

Naked mole rats may hold the key to new treatments for cancer, dementia

Scientists say naked mole rats - a rodent native to West Africa - may hold the key to new treatments for degenerative diseases such as cancer and dementia. The reclusive animals have a lifespan far in excess of other rodents - for example, mice and rats live about two years, whereas naked mole rats can live for 40 or 50 years.

11 Jun 2021

Metformin prevents pulmonary or lung inflammation in animals infected with SARS-CoV-2

Metformin is a widely prescribed blood sugar-lowering drug. It is often used as an early therapy (in combination with diet and lifestyle changes) for type 2 diabetes, which afflicts more than 34 million Americans.

11 Jun 2021

New approach could revolutionize treatment, prevention of Parkinson’s disease

Researchers from Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Japan may have unraveled a new approach that could revolutionize the treatment, prevention, and possibly reversal of the damages that could lead to Parkinson's Disease (PD).

11 Jun 2021

Study shows how XRCC1 gene untangles proteins that trigger cancerous tumors

Even on a good day, DNA is constantly getting damaged. Nicks, scratches, breaks: the delicate strands that carry life's genetic code take a beating as they jumble about in the course of their work. If left untreated, errors accumulate, with fatal consequences -- such as cancerous tumors -- for the cell and the organism.

11 Jun 2021

Study provides treatment options for children with average risk medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma is a rare but devastating childhood brain cancer. This cancer can spread through the spinal fluid and be deposited elsewhere in the brain or spine.

11 Jun 2021

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Precise manipulation of folate metabolism may pave way to broadly improve health during aging

COVID-e-Vax DNA vaccine candidate elicits robust immune responses in preclinical trials

Two vaccines elicit durable neutralizing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in pre-clinical study

New AI model could help predict which viruses are likely to spread from animals to humans

Repressing a protein that facilitates DNA repair to potentiate chemotherapy

UMSOM researchers develop two accurate, rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19

WHO: Effective action needed to protect the health of children from toxic e-waste

Study may offer an unexpected pathway for targeted treatment of brain tumors

Researchers study what happens in brain cells affected by Alzheimer's disease

New approach to gene therapy uses common pain reliever to fight against genetic diseases

What makes the elderly more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Joint ICMRA and WHO statement explains how COVID-19 vaccines are regulated for safety, effectiveness

Proteins that control small heat shock genes allows plants to deal with heat stress

New gene expression network can help understand mechanism behind continuous stem cell activity in plants

New technique uses high-throughput sequencing to obtain ultra-high-resolution images of gene expression

Naked mole rats may hold the key to new treatments for cancer, dementia

Metformin prevents pulmonary or lung inflammation in animals infected with SARS-CoV-2

New approach could revolutionize treatment, prevention of Parkinson’s disease

Study shows how XRCC1 gene untangles proteins that trigger cancerous tumors

Study provides treatment options for children with average risk medulloblastoma

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