RNA News and Research

RSS

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate.

Researchers discover new function in gene-regulatory protein

Researchers at Umeå and Stockholm universities in Sweden and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US have published a new study in the journal Molecular Cell.

20 Oct 2017

Small RNA molecules trigger cancer cells to commit suicide

Small RNA molecules originally developed as a tool to study gene function trigger a mechanism hidden in every cell that forces the cell to commit suicide, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study, the first to identify molecules to trigger a fail-safe mechanism that may protect us from cancer.

19 Oct 2017

New RNA switch achieves gene activation thousands of times better than nature

If scientists could precisely regulate gene expression, they could turn off the genes responsible for illness and disease and turn on those that enhance health and the immune system.

19 Oct 2017

TGen project to develop standard operating procedures for single-cell RNA sequencing

The Translational Genomics Research Institute today announced grant support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative donor advised fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, that will help revolutionize how researchers identify the genetic source of diseases and how best to treat each patient.

17 Oct 2017

Study opens door to new approach for curing HIV infections

In findings that open the door to a completely different approach to curing HIV infections, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have for the first time shown that a novel compound effectively suppresses production of the virus in chronically infected cells, and prevents viral rebound, even when those infected cells are subjected to vigorous stimulation.

17 Oct 2017

Novel gene expression signature assay could help enhance lymphoma management

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive cancer and the most frequently diagnosed non-Hodgkin lymphoma worldwide (nearly 40% of cases). Recent advancements indicate that both the prognosis and choice of treatment of DLBCL may depend on identifying its molecular subtype.

17 Oct 2017

Scientists discover new non-genetic cause of resistance to anti-cancer therapies

The targeted anti-cancer therapies cetuximab and panitumumab are mainstays of treatment for advanced colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

16 Oct 2017

Study helps understand basic mechanisms of mitochondrial DNA maintenance

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have discovered a novel mechanism safeguarding mitochondrial DNA. The study, published in PNAS earlier this week, was carried out in close collaboration with research groups from CBMSO in Madrid, Spain, and Umeå University in Sweden.

13 Oct 2017

McGill researchers discover new cellular mechanism in Alzheimer's disease

McGill University researchers have discovered a cellular mechanism that may contribute to the breakdown of communication between neurons in Alzheimer's disease.

13 Oct 2017

NTNU researchers reveal how HCV converts innocent cells into virus factories

The Hepatitis C (HCV) virus is a sly enemy to have in one's body. Not only does it manage to make itself invisible to the immune system by breaking down communication between the immune cells, it also builds secret virus "factories" that quickly go into mass production.

13 Oct 2017

MIT researchers develop new technique to screen for genes that protect against diseases

Using a modified version of the CRISPR genome-editing system, MIT researchers have developed a new way to screen for genes that protect against specific diseases.

12 Oct 2017

Birth control method for men by gene editing

Researchers at the Michigan State University have come closer to finding an effective method of male contraception. Men have been notorious in not choosing to be responsible of their fertility and not adopting contraception.

12 Oct 2017

Researchers find potential approach to prevent peripheral neuropathy

In discovering how certain chemotherapy drugs cause the nerve damage known as peripheral neuropathy, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have found a potential approach to preventing this common and troublesome side effect of cancer treatment.

11 Oct 2017

Genetic discovery provides strong lead for future research on male contraception

When it comes to birth control, many males turn to two options: condoms or vasectomies. While the two choices are effective, both methods merely focus on blocking the transportation of sperm.

10 Oct 2017

New serotypes of Zika virus could appear in near future, researcher cautions

Zika virus is mutating so fast in Brazilian patients that different serotypes of the pathogen could appear in the near future, as is already the case with dengue virus. This would hinder the production of a vaccine and impair the effectiveness of the diagnostic tests already developed.

10 Oct 2017

Scientists identify potential treatment target for diabetic retinopathy

In oxygen-compromising conditions like diabetes, the body grows new blood vessels to help, but the result is often leaky, dysfunctional vessels that make bad matters worse.

10 Oct 2017

Study findings provide new insight into inflammatory bowel disease

Findings from a study into Crohn's disease, led by William G. Kerr, Ph.D., of SUNY Upstate Medical University, and his collaborators at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, provide the first evidence that patients with debilitating inflammatory bowel disease lack sufficient quantities of a protein that comes from the SHIP1 gene.

6 Oct 2017

FDA grants approval for new test to detect Zika virus in blood donations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the cobas Zika test, a qualitative nucleic acid test for the detection of Zika virus RNA in individual plasma specimens obtained from volunteer donors of whole blood and blood components, and from living organ donors.

6 Oct 2017

Researchers uncover promising targets for development of drugs against leishmaniasis

Brazilian researchers at the University of São Paulo's Bioscience Institute (IB-USP) are starting to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which the parasite that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis manages to circumvent the host organism's defenses and infect new cells.

5 Oct 2017

Study sheds light on complex process involved in development of sperm stem cells

New research from scientists at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah and collaborators at University of Utah Health sheds light on the complex process that occurs in the development of human sperm stem cells.

5 Oct 2017