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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.

Regulus Therapeutics reports net loss of $22.2 million for fourth quarter 2014

Regulus Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company leading the discovery and development of innovative medicines targeting microRNAs, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2014, including a summary of recent corporate highlights.

19 Feb 2015

TSRI scientists develop new drug candidate against HIV

In a remarkable new advance against the virus that causes AIDS, scientists from the Jupiter, Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have announced the creation of a novel drug candidate that is so potent and universally effective, it might work as part of an unconventional vaccine.

18 Feb 2015

Findings may help doctors recommend appropriate treatments, improve patient outcomes

Like a car's front and back bumpers, your cell's chromosomes are capped by "telomeres" that protect this genetic material against deterioration. Still, after enough replications, a chromosome's telomeres break down and once they reach a certain point of degradation, the cell dies. This is one reason that cells are mortal: telomeres only last so long. That is, unless the enzyme telomerase builds new material onto the worn telomeres to reinforce these chromosomal "bumpers". Telomere repair can be a good thing, but in some cases it's not: overactive telomerase can lengthen telomeres until a cell becomes immortal…leading to cancer.

18 Feb 2015

Caris Life Sciences announces record-setting revenue for 2014

Caris Life Sciences, a leading biosciences company focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, today announced select year-end financial and operational results for 2014, which include record-setting revenue and continued case volume growth for its panomic, comprehensive tumor profiling service, Caris Molecular Intelligence.

18 Feb 2015

Scientists demonstrate the importance of RNA editing in melanoma development

The importance of RNA editing in melanoma has been demonstrated by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The study revealed that a lack of RNA editing, a process by which information inside RNA molecules is transformed, leads to tumor growth and progression through manipulation of proteins.

17 Feb 2015

Researchers discover molecular 'switch' that controls replication, transcription of mitochondria DNA

A team of researchers led by Dmitry Temiakov, PhD, of the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM), has discovered a molecular 'switch' that controls replication and transcription of mitochondria DNA, a key finding that could influence the development of targeted therapies for cancer, developmental processes related to fertility and aging.

16 Feb 2015

Henry Ford physicians suction cancerous tumor from vein in metastatic kidney cancer patient

Physicians at Henry Ford Hospital successfully suctioned a cancerous tumor from a major vein in a patient with metastatic kidney cancer, clearing the way for him to undergo a minimally-invasive kidney removal. This allowed him to participate in a clinical trial using genetic material from his tumor to produce a vaccine to help fight his metastatic disease.

16 Feb 2015

Study: Ebola transmission from deceased patients may be possible

To determine how long Ebola virus could remain infectious in a body after death, National Institutes of Health scientists sampled deceased Ebola-infected monkeys and discovered the virus remained viable for at least seven days. They also detected non-infectious viral RNA for up to 70 days post-mortem. The study, published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, suggests that Ebola transmission from deceased individuals may be possible for an extended period of time following death, underscoring the importance of using safe practices for handling corpses.

15 Feb 2015

Researchers identify two cell-signaling molecules that appear critical to stalling cancer's spread

In what is believed to be the largest epigenetic analysis to date of cell-signaling molecules in early-stage melanoma, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center have identified two tiny bits of non-coding genetic material in primary tumors that appear critical to stalling the cancer's spread -- and essentially setting the biological fate of the disease.

15 Feb 2015

UT Southwestern researchers identify common signaling mechanism that controls immune system

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a common signaling mechanism to produce interferon - one of the main proteins used to signal the immune system when the body needs to defend itself against a virus, tumor, or other diseases.

15 Feb 2015

A*STAR's GIS scientists develop new system that can predict treatment targets for cancer

In recent months, several national initiatives for personalized medicine have been announced, including the recently launched precision medicine initiative in the US, driven by rapid advances in genomic technologies and with the promise of cheaper and better healthcare. Significant challenges remain, however, in the management and analysis of genetic information and their integration with patient data.

15 Feb 2015

Henry Ford physicians use AngioVac device to remove tumor in kidney cancer patient

13 Feb 2015

Researchers develop novel approach to identify potential antimalarial drugs

Each year nearly 600,000 people--mostly children under age five and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa--die from malaria, caused by single-celled parasites that grow inside red blood cells. The most deadly malarial species--Plasmodium falciparum--has proven notoriously resistant to treatment efforts.

12 Feb 2015

Experimental Ebola virus medication shows promise in monkeys

An experimental medication that targets a protein in Ebola virus called VP24 protected 75% of a group of monkeys that were studied from Ebola virus infection, according to new research conducted by the U.S. Army, in collaboration with Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.

10 Feb 2015

Isis receives $5 million from Biogen Idec to develop drugs for neurological disorders

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today it has earned a $5 million milestone payment from Biogen Idec associated with the validation of an undisclosed target to treat a neurological disorder under its broad strategic collaboration with Biogen Idec to develop drugs to treat patients with neurological disorders.

10 Feb 2015

Discovery leads to new understanding of cancer metastasis

In a breakthrough in the understanding of how cancer spreads, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a substance secreted by lung cancer cells that enables them to metastasize, beginning their deadly march to other sites in the body.

10 Feb 2015

NMR and inhibiting HIV: an interview with Professor Michael Summers

Michael Summers is the Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In this interview, he tells us about his work investigating the structure of large RNAs using NMR spectroscopy.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 9 Feb 2015

Regulus Therapeutics reports top-line results from RG-101 clinical study for HCV treatment

Regulus Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company leading the discovery and development of innovative medicines targeting microRNAs, today announced top-line results from the 4 mg/kg cohort and additional results from the 2 mg/kg cohort in a completed clinical study evaluating RG-101, a wholly-owned, GalNac-conjugated anti-miR targeting microRNA-122 ("miR-122"), for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection ("HCV").

9 Feb 2015

Investigators develop microbiome map of New York City subway system

The microbes that call the New York City subway system home are mostly harmless, but include samples of disease-causing bacteria that are resistant to drugs -- and even DNA fragments associated with anthrax and Bubonic plague -- according to a citywide microbiome map published today by Weill Cornell Medical College investigators.

9 Feb 2015

New study links cell communication pathway to common brain tumors found in children

A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers links a well-known cell communication pathway called Notch to one of the most common -- but overall still rare -- brain tumors found in children.

6 Feb 2015

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Further Reading

Regulus Therapeutics reports net loss of $22.2 million for fourth quarter 2014

TSRI scientists develop new drug candidate against HIV

Findings may help doctors recommend appropriate treatments, improve patient outcomes

Caris Life Sciences announces record-setting revenue for 2014

Scientists demonstrate the importance of RNA editing in melanoma development

Researchers discover molecular 'switch' that controls replication, transcription of mitochondria DNA

Henry Ford physicians suction cancerous tumor from vein in metastatic kidney cancer patient

Study: Ebola transmission from deceased patients may be possible

Researchers identify two cell-signaling molecules that appear critical to stalling cancer's spread

UT Southwestern researchers identify common signaling mechanism that controls immune system

A*STAR's GIS scientists develop new system that can predict treatment targets for cancer

Henry Ford physicians use AngioVac device to remove tumor in kidney cancer patient

Researchers develop novel approach to identify potential antimalarial drugs

Experimental Ebola virus medication shows promise in monkeys

Isis receives $5 million from Biogen Idec to develop drugs for neurological disorders

Discovery leads to new understanding of cancer metastasis

NMR and inhibiting HIV: an interview with Professor Michael Summers

Regulus Therapeutics reports top-line results from RG-101 clinical study for HCV treatment

Investigators develop microbiome map of New York City subway system

New study links cell communication pathway to common brain tumors found in children

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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