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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).

Machine learning technique detects epigenetic drivers of cancers

Scientists have made major advances in understanding and developing treatments for many cancers by identifying genetic mutations that drive the disease.

10 May 2021

Researchers study how cancer cells re-organize 3D structure of DNA to ramp up oncogene activity

In cancer, a lot of biology goes awry: Genes mutate, molecular processes change dramatically, and cells proliferate uncontrollably to form entirely new tissues that we call tumors.

10 May 2021

Esophageal cancers turn on ancient viral DNA hidden in our genome

Scientists have discovered that many esophageal cancers turn on ancient viral DNA that was embedded in our genome hundreds of millions of years ago.

10 May 2021

Researchers show SARS-CoV-2 genes can be integrated into the human genome

Researchers in the United States have shown that genes from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – can be integrated into the genome of infected human cells.

10 May 2021

Targeted therapies could exploit unique metabolic features of pancreatic cancer cells

Probing the unique biology of human pancreatic cancer cells in a laboratory has yielded unexpected insights of a weakness that can be used against the cells to kill them.

7 May 2021

Brain-targeting drug delivery with nano-scaled apoptotic bodies

Scientists from Nanjing University and University of Macau have discovered nano-scaled apoptotic bodies (ABs) as a new brain-targeting drug carrier, bringing new promise for the Parkinson's Disease as well as other brain diseases.

7 May 2021

High-throughput system can regulate gene expression for treating sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have developed an integrated, high-throughput system to better understand and possibly manipulate gene expression for treatment of disorders such as sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. The research appears today in the journal Nature Genetics.

7 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infection prolongs viral shedding and lymphocyte loss in patients with cancer

Patients with cancer have a more challenging time with infections while undergoing treatment — placing them as high-risk for severe COVID-19 illness and death. However, how the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) interacts with cancer therapies remains poorly understood.

7 May 2021

Bubonic plague had long-term impact on human immune genes, indicates study

Scientists examining the remains of 36 bubonic plague victims from a 16th century mass grave in Germany have found the first evidence that evolutionary adaptive processes, driven by the disease, may have conferred immunity on later generations of people from the region.

7 May 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Sharing vaccines with the world

The Biden administration — keeping a campaign promise — announced it would back a temporary waiver of patent protections for the covid-19 vaccines, arousing the ire of the drug industry.

6 May 2021

Embryo gene editing in IVF can have potential major impacts on humanity

A global conference on human fertility has been warned of huge societal and ethical challenges regulating advances in gene editing in assisted reproduction.

6 May 2021

Black swan DNA could offer insight into how humans respond to bird flu

In a world-first, scientists from The University of Western Australia have assembled the entire DNA of the black swan, which could offer insight into how the bird, and even humans, respond to bird flu and other pandemics in the same family of viruses.

6 May 2021

Study reveals a new form of muscular dystrophy associated with pathogenic changes in JAG2 gene

In about a quarter of patients with hereditary diseases, the cause of the disease remains unclear even after extensive genetic testing. One reason is that we still do not know enough about the function of many genes. Of the 30,000 known genes, just a little more than 4,000 have been found to be associated with hereditary diseases.

6 May 2021

Researchers show how low-protein diet during pregnancy can cause kidney problems in babies

Besides being underweight, babies born to women whose diet lacked sufficient protein during pregnancy tend to have kidney problems resulting from alterations that occurred while their organs were forming during the embryonic stage of their development.

5 May 2021

Certain parts of the innate immune response can be trained in response to HIV

Immunity often calls to mind the adaptive immune response, made up of antibodies and T cells that learn to fight specific pathogens after infection or vaccination.

5 May 2021

Immunome could provide unprecedented insight into an individual’s health

The human immune system doesn't just protect our health, it reflects it. Each encounter with a potential disease-causing agent causes the body to produce specific immune agents -- proteins known as antibodies and T-cell receptors -- tailor-made to recognize and destroy the invader.

5 May 2021

PAS 2021: Plenary session on prenatal environmental contaminants and childhood disease

A state of the art plenary session during the Pediatric Academic Societies 2021 Virtual Meeting discussed prenatal environmental contaminants and childhood disease, and the latest evidence for epigenetic mechanisms associated with transgenerational disease and public policy implications.

5 May 2021

Scientists identify genetic mutation associated with exfoliation syndrome known to cause glaucoma

A team of researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's Genome Institute of Singapore and Bioprocessing Technology Institute, as well as Singapore Eye Research Institute, have identified a genetic mutation (functionally defective CYP39A1 gene) associated with exfoliation syndrome, the most common cause of glaucoma.

4 May 2021

Researchers develop new technology to reduce high error rates in gene sequencing

Next-generation gene sequencing (NGS) technologies --in which millions of DNA molecules are simultaneously but individually analyzed-- theoretically provides researchers and clinicians the ability to noninvasively identify mutations in the blood stream.

4 May 2021

New drug class effective in treating certain types of ovarian cancers

A study published today in Nature Communications shows that the drug rucaparib has been effective in treating certain types of ovarian cancers if used early in treatment, after a diagnosis, and before the cancer cells build up a resistance to chemotherapy.

4 May 2021

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Machine learning technique detects epigenetic drivers of cancers

Researchers study how cancer cells re-organize 3D structure of DNA to ramp up oncogene activity

Esophageal cancers turn on ancient viral DNA hidden in our genome

Researchers show SARS-CoV-2 genes can be integrated into the human genome

Targeted therapies could exploit unique metabolic features of pancreatic cancer cells

Brain-targeting drug delivery with nano-scaled apoptotic bodies

High-throughput system can regulate gene expression for treating sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia

SARS-CoV-2 infection prolongs viral shedding and lymphocyte loss in patients with cancer

Bubonic plague had long-term impact on human immune genes, indicates study

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Sharing vaccines with the world

Embryo gene editing in IVF can have potential major impacts on humanity

Black swan DNA could offer insight into how humans respond to bird flu

Study reveals a new form of muscular dystrophy associated with pathogenic changes in JAG2 gene

Researchers show how low-protein diet during pregnancy can cause kidney problems in babies

Certain parts of the innate immune response can be trained in response to HIV

Immunome could provide unprecedented insight into an individual’s health

PAS 2021: Plenary session on prenatal environmental contaminants and childhood disease

Scientists identify genetic mutation associated with exfoliation syndrome known to cause glaucoma

Researchers develop new technology to reduce high error rates in gene sequencing

New drug class effective in treating certain types of ovarian cancers

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