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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 factor that controls embryonic stem cell development

After a gestation period of around ten months, fawns are born in early summer - when the weather is warm and food is plentiful for the mother. Six months would actually be enough for the embryo's development, but then offspring from mating in the later portion of summer would be born in winter.

17 Feb 2016

Scientists discover new subgroups of ILC immune cells using single-cell RNA sequencing

A relatively newly discovered group of immune cells known as ILCs have been examined in detail in a new study published in the journal Nature Immunology. By analysing the gene expression in individual tonsil cells, scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found three previously unknown subgroups of ILCs, and revealed more about how these cells function in the human body.

16 Feb 2016

Proof-of-concept data for NanoString's Hyb & Seq chemistry presented at AGBT Meeting

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a provider of life science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products, today presented the first proof-of-concept data for its novel massively parallel single molecule sequencing chemistry, Hyb & Seq™, at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology Meeting being held in Orlando, Florida.

From NanoString Technologies 16 Feb 2016

Scientists discover role of nucleocytoplasmic transport in specific forms of ALS and FTD

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are two devastating adult-onset neurodegenerative disorders.

15 Feb 2016

Neural gene promotes growth and spread of metastatic breast cancer

When breast cancer becomes advanced and spreads to other organs, patient survival is drastically reduced, prompting the need to explore the genes that may cause tumor cells to metastasize.

15 Feb 2016

Distinctive gene 'signature' may lead to new way to diagnose Lyme disease

Researchers at UC San Francisco and Johns Hopkins may have found a new way to diagnose Lyme disease, based on a distinctive gene "signature" they discovered in white blood cells of patients infected with the tick-borne bacteria.

12 Feb 2016

Simple physics may play key role in helping the body to fight infection

Simple physics may play a larger role than previously thought in helping control key bodily processes - such as how the body fights infection.

11 Feb 2016

Scientists propose use of mathematical models to find better treatment for bladder cancer

MIPT scientists together with their colleagues from St. Petersburg and Israel have analyzed more than 500 previously published scientific articles and proposed their own approach to the choice of methods used for the treatment of one of the most common cancers.

11 Feb 2016

LMU researchers identify new drug target for atherosclerosis

The enzyme Dicer processes RNA transcripts, cutting them into short segments that regulate the synthesis of specific proteins. An Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich team has shown that Dicer promotes the development of atherosclerosis, thus identifying a new drug target.

10 Feb 2016

ESCMID gathers more solid data to better assess Zika virus risks, prepares for possible outbreak in Africa, Europe

Experts at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases – an organization promoting research, risk assessment, knowledge sharing and best practices in the fight against infectious diseases – are developing tools to monitor the spread of the Zika virus and are conducting research to gather more solid data to better assess the risks associated with the infection.

10 Feb 2016

Penn investigators devise new method to map 'transcriptome'

A new way of mapping the "transcriptome" -- the collection of RNA read-outs that are expressed by a cell's active genes -- has been devised by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

10 Feb 2016

New discovery takes medical professionals a leap forward to effectively diagnose Alzheimer's disease

Medical professionals have to conduct a long series of tests to assess a patient's memory impairment and cognitive skills, functional abilities, and behavioral changes to accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease. They also have to execute costly brain imagining scans and even, sometimes, invasive cerebral spinal fluid tests to rule out other diseases. The process is laborious at best -- and subjective at worst.

9 Feb 2016

Researchers show how antiretroviral therapy reduces HIV infection in female reproductive tract

For the first time, investigators in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have determined how antiretroviral therapy (ART) affects the way HIV disseminates and establishes infection in the female reproductive tract.

9 Feb 2016

New gene cut-and-paste methods help correct disease-causing mutation in animal model

For the first time, researchers have treated an animal model of a genetic disorder using a viral vector to deliver genome-editing components in which the disease- causing mutation has been corrected.

3 Feb 2016

'Junk' DNA suppresses breast cancer

Supposed "junk" DNA, found in between genes, plays a role in suppressing cancer, according to new research by Universities of Bath and Cambridge.

2 Feb 2016

New way to more efficiently deliver CRISPR/Cas9 therapeutic to mice with Tyrosinemia type I

University of Massachusetts Medical School researchers have found a way to more efficiently delivery a CRISPR/Cas9 therapeutic to adult mice with the metabolic disease Tyrosinemia type I that may also prove to be safer for use in humans.

2 Feb 2016

Study provides new insights into breast cancer metastasis

It has long been thought that cancer metastasizes, or spreads, when a single cancer cell escapes from the original tumor, travels through the bloodstream and sets up shop in distant organs. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that these bad actors don't travel alone; instead they migrate through the body in cellular clusters, like gangs.

2 Feb 2016

Alternative splicing: a new approach to drug development? An interview with Lucy Donaldson

RNA is becoming an interesting drug target as it takes possible intervention back one step to the synthesis of a target protein, instead of trying to block or inhibit a process.

1 Feb 2016

Certain viral infections during pregnancy could cause behavioral changes in offspring

A study published in the journal Science found that activation in pregnant mice of a particular immune response, similar to what may occur with certain viral infections during pregnancy, alters the brain structure of the mouse offspring and causes behavioral changes, reminiscent of those observed in humans with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

30 Jan 2016

Immune signaling molecule in infected mothers linked to behavioral abnormalities in offspring

In 2010, a large study in Denmark found that women who suffered an infection severe enough to require hospitalization while pregnant were much more likely to have a child with autism (even though the overall risk of delivering a child with autism remained low).

29 Jan 2016

RNA News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers discover factor that controls embryonic stem cell development

Scientists discover new subgroups of ILC immune cells using single-cell RNA sequencing

Proof-of-concept data for NanoString's Hyb & Seq chemistry presented at AGBT Meeting

Scientists discover role of nucleocytoplasmic transport in specific forms of ALS and FTD

Neural gene promotes growth and spread of metastatic breast cancer

Distinctive gene 'signature' may lead to new way to diagnose Lyme disease

Simple physics may play key role in helping the body to fight infection

Scientists propose use of mathematical models to find better treatment for bladder cancer

LMU researchers identify new drug target for atherosclerosis

ESCMID gathers more solid data to better assess Zika virus risks, prepares for possible outbreak in Africa, Europe

Penn investigators devise new method to map 'transcriptome'

New discovery takes medical professionals a leap forward to effectively diagnose Alzheimer's disease

Researchers show how antiretroviral therapy reduces HIV infection in female reproductive tract

New gene cut-and-paste methods help correct disease-causing mutation in animal model

'Junk' DNA suppresses breast cancer

New way to more efficiently deliver CRISPR/Cas9 therapeutic to mice with Tyrosinemia type I

Study provides new insights into breast cancer metastasis

Alternative splicing: a new approach to drug development? An interview with Lucy Donaldson

Certain viral infections during pregnancy could cause behavioral changes in offspring

Immune signaling molecule in infected mothers linked to behavioral abnormalities in offspring

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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