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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).

USP7 inhibitors could increase the anticancer effects of CDK1 compounds in cancer patients

Understanding the components that control cell division is fundamental to understanding how life works and how alterations in this delicate process can cause diseases such as cancer.

19 Apr 2021

Novel CRISPR-based technology may lead to powerful epigenetic therapies

Scientists have figured out how to modify CRISPR's basic architecture to extend its reach beyond the genome and into what's known as the epigenome -- proteins and small molecules that latch onto DNA and control when and where genes are switched on or off.

17 Apr 2021

Candidate coronavirus vaccines show promising results in early animal testing

A candidate vaccine that could provide protection against the COVID-19 virus and other coronaviruses has shown promising results in early animal testing.

17 Apr 2021

Genetic variants that impact protein binding in immune cells can cause autoimmune diseases

Certain genetic variants that cause modified protein binding in immune cells, are also seen in those at high risk of some autoimmune diseases, new research has found.

16 Apr 2021

Study shows how proteins work in concert to resolve DNA double-strand breaks

From cancer treatment to sunlight, radiation and toxins can severely damage DNA in both harmful and healthy cells. While the body has evolved to efficiently treat and restore damaged cells, the mechanisms that allow this natural repair remain misunderstood.

16 Apr 2021

HP1a is a key epigenetic regulator that maintains chromosome integrity

The information of the human genome is encoded by approximately 3 billion DNA base pairs and packaged into 23 pairs of chromosomes.

16 Apr 2021

“Expansion Hunter” method can detect DNA errors that lead to repeat expansion diseases

Detecting hidden genetic defects by applying an existing method to an existing datasets. Researchers at Radboud university medical center have succeeded.

16 Apr 2021

Epigenetic endowment of every person has an impact on COVID-19 severity

COVID-19, caused by the infection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has changed people's behavioral patterns since the moment it became a global pandemic.

15 Apr 2021

COVID-19 vaccine INO-4800 shows efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States have demonstrated the efficacy of the vaccine INO-4800 against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Apr 2021

COVID-19 pandemic has worsened global maternal and perinatal outcomes

Immediate action is required to preserve safe maternity care worldwide, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens global maternal and perinatal outcomes, especially in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs), a study warns.

15 Apr 2021

New plasmonic isothermal PCR technology can detect respiratory viral pathogens in 30 minutes

Researchers in South Korea developed a plasmonic isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) array chip, the world's first plasmoinc isothermal PCR technology which can detect 8 types of pathogens (4 bacteria and 4 viruses) that cause acute respiratory infectious diseases in 30 minutes.

15 Apr 2021

Japanese–European scientists detect novel genetic mitochondrial disorder

The list of known genetic mitochondrial disorders is ever-growing, and ongoing research continues to identify new disorders in this category.

15 Apr 2021

CityU researchers identify super-enhancers that stimulate the activity of breast cancer genes

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer with a high fatality rate. Currently, chemotherapy is the major treatment option, but the clinical result is unsatisfactory.

15 Apr 2021

New machine learning method for designing more effective antibody drugs

Antibodies are not only produced by our immune cells to fight viruses and other pathogens in the body. For a few decades now, medicine has also been using antibodies produced by biotechnology as drugs.

15 Apr 2021

Can biomaterials offer novel therapeutic strategies against COVID-19?

A team of scientists reviews the current and potential impact of the biomaterial sciences on the COVID-19 pandemic.

15 Apr 2021

Study reveals how DNA segments function in cells

A new study co-authored by University of Colorado Cancer Center researcher Srinivas Ramachandran, PhD, shows how DNA segments known as enhancers function in cells.

15 Apr 2021

Cocoa consumption improves health of obese mice with liver disease

Supplementation of cocoa powder in the diet of high-fat-fed mice with liver disease markedly reduced the severity of their condition, according to a new study by Penn State researchers, who suggest the results have implications for people.

15 Apr 2021

Anti-diabetic drug phenformin may prompt stronger cancer-fighting activities

The anti-diabetic drug phenformin may prompt stronger cancer-fighting activities than its sister compound metformin, a finding that could have major implications for current and future clinical trials investigating both agents for their anti-cancer potential, according to researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

15 Apr 2021

DNAJC9 protein plays a key role in safeguarding histones, shows study

In the cell nucleus histones play a crucial role packaging DNA into chromatin. Histones are however very sticky to both DNA and RNA, so to ensure they are transported to the cell nucleus after synthesis and bind to the right portion of DNA to organize the chromatin, they are guarded by complexes of histone chaperones.

15 Apr 2021

Study may lead to new treatment for incurable brain cancer in children

Research by Australian scientists could pave the way to a new treatment for a currently incurable brain cancer in children called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, or DIPG. Affecting about 20 children in Australia each year, DIPG is a devastating disease with an average survival time of just nine months after diagnosis.

15 Apr 2021