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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 may lead to better treatments for prostate, ovarian, and breast cancers

Researchers at UVA Cancer Center have unveiled important new insights into how hormones known as androgens act on our cells – and the discovery could boost efforts to develop better treatments for prostate, ovarian and breast cancers.

21 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spike mutation can independently predict viral evolution

A team of scientists from Portugal has recently estimated the rate of mutation in two circulating variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using experimental evolution methods. Their findings reveal that in a condition with no immune surveillance, SARS-CoV-2 can potentially undergo evolution during the first stages of infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2021

Plastic chemicals can induce changes in gene that is vital for neurological development

The chemical bisphenol F (found in plastics) can induce changes in a gene that is vital for neurological development. This discovery was made by researchers at the universities of Uppsala and Karlstad, Sweden.

20 May 2021

Protein-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 may provide advantages over mRNA-based vaccines

Researchers in the UK have developed a protein-based subunit vaccine directed against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could serve as an alternative to the mRNA-based vaccines currently approved for protecting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

20 May 2021

Researchers use base editing to sustainably lower high LDL cholesterol levels

Base editing is a novel gene editing approach that can precisely change individual building blocks in a DNA sequence.

19 May 2021

Secondhand smoke during pregnancy linked to epigenetic changes in babies

Nearly a quarter of pregnant women say they've been around secondhand smoke - in their homes, at work, around a friend or relative - which, according to new research.

19 May 2021

Lengthy treatment with low-dose 6-mercaptopurine inhibits resistant triple-negative breast cancer cells

The cover for issue 7 of Oncotarget features Figure 5, "SUM149-MA cells surviving a 6-MP treatment are sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs," published in "Inhibition of resistant triple-negative breast cancer cells with low-dose 6-mercaptopurine and 5-azacitidine" by Singh, et al. which reported that the authors have reported that a lengthy treatment with low-dose 6-mercaptopurine, a clinically useful anti-inflammatory drug, inhibits such resistant cells.

19 May 2021

New study will help investigate innate immune responses to viral infections

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) report the formation of human cells containing a green fluorescent protein or GFP (one of the most important proteins in biology and fluorescence imaging) genetically fused with two interferon stimulated genes (ISGs), namely Viperin and ISG15.

19 May 2021

Incorrect DNA packaging makes retrotransposons more accessible

Scientists led by Dr. Salvador Aznar-Benitah, head of the Stem Cells and Cancer laboratory at IRB Barcelona, have described the alterations that occur during mammary gland formation when heterochromatin (the part of DNA that does not actively produce proteins) is poorly regulated.

18 May 2021

New coronavirus test can get fast, accurate results from saliva samples

A new coronavirus test can get accurate results from a saliva sample in less than 30 minutes, researchers report in the journal Nature Communications.

18 May 2021

Researchers link “genetic signatures” of bacteria in the human gut to multiple diseases

We are truly never alone, not even within our own bodies. Human beings play host to trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms that make up the human microbiome.

18 May 2021

Researchers investigate immune molecule that helps protect transplanted kidneys

Looking to improve organ transplant success, researchers are working to learn more about how an immune molecule, which also protects a fetus, helps protect some transplanted kidneys, and to develop a synthetic version of that molecule that could help more patients.

18 May 2021

A promising drug delivery system for therapeutics that shut down harmful genes

Viruses attack the body by sending their genetic code -- DNA and RNA -- into cells and multiplying. A promising class of therapeutics that uses synthetic nucleic acids to target and shut down specific, harmful genes and prevent viruses from spreading is gaining steam.

18 May 2021

New focus on adverse impact of male factors in assisted reproductive treatments

The adverse impact of male factors in assisted reproductive treatments was brought into a clear and disturbing focus at the 10th Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction.

17 May 2021

Genomic study tracks the rise of multidrug resistant E.coli

Antibiotic resistance in E.coli has been steadily increasing since the early 2000s despite attempts to control it, a new study suggests.

17 May 2021

Nanopore analysis identifies pseudouridine modifications in SARS-CoV-2

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by Fleming, Mathewson & Burrows (May 10th, 2021), nanopore devices are developed that allow identification of the passage of pseudouridine through a protein sensor. This further allowed the group to identify five conserved pseudouridine sites on the 3’ end of SARS-CoV-2 sub-genomic RNAs, which could potentially be beneficial to the virus in immune evasion.

17 May 2021

Phase 2 trial shows INO-4800 SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine safe and tolerable in adults

Preliminary clinical trial results from an ongoing Phase 2/3 trial led by Laurent M. Humeau of Inovio Pharmaceuticals suggest the two-dose INO-4800 vaccine is safe for use in adults of varying ages. The results expand on phase 1 trial results that found the vaccine was safe and tolerable in 38 participants.

16 May 2021

Groundbreaking study optimizes patient's own immune system to fight tumors

A groundbreaking study led by engineering and medical researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities shows how engineered immune cells used in new cancer therapies can overcome physical barriers to allow a patient's own immune system to fight tumors.

14 May 2021

What can ancient feces tell us about the evolution of the human gut microbiome?

Researchers at the Section on Pathophysiology and Molecular Pharmacology, Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Massachusetts, analyzed microbial DNA found in indigenous human paleofeces (desiccated excrement) from dry caves in northern Mexico and Utah. They found that the ancient human gut microbiome is similar to those of modern-day people from non-industrialized populations.

14 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 virus uses a multipronged strategy to avoid detection by the immune system

Severe symptoms of COVID-19, leading often to death, are thought to result from the patient's own acute immune response rather than from damage inflicted directly by the virus.

13 May 2021