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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).

Researchers identify new genetic variants that cause heart disease in infants

Florida State University researchers working in an international collaboration have identified new genetic variants that cause heart disease in infants, and their research has led to novel insights into the role of a protein that affects how the heart pumps blood.

7 Mar 2020

Biomarker in saliva linked to emergence of childhood obesity

A molecular marker in saliva is associated with the emergence of childhood obesity in a group of preschool-aged Hispanic children.

7 Mar 2020

New 'Immuno-Engineering to Improve Immunotherapy' Center formed to advance cancer therapy

Harvard University's Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering and its collaborating institutions, the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, announce the formation of a new NIH-funded Immuno-Engineering to Improve Immunotherapy Center.

7 Mar 2020

New technique to distinguish freshly made transcripts from pre-existing transcripts

Our bodies consist of trillions of cells that all contain the same DNA. Even though the DNA in each cell is the same, we consist of many different cell types, each with different functions.

6 Mar 2020

The Pancreatic Cancer Collective awards additional funding of $16 million for new therapies

The Pancreatic Cancer Collective, the strategic partnership of Lustgarten Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer, has awarded additional funding of up to $16 million to four teams of top researchers as part of its "New Therapies Challenge Grants," the American Association for Cancer Research, Scientific Partner of SU2C, announced today.

5 Mar 2020

Study provides new insight into neurofibromin-deficient ER+ breast cancer

An international team of researchers led by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine has new insights into the function of neurofibromin, a tumor suppressor produced by the NF1 gene.

5 Mar 2020

New bacteria-killing light-activated coating

A new antimicrobial coating that can be activated by light has been reported by researchers in the journal Nature Communications, in March 2020. The coating can be used to prevent transmission from computer and phone screens and keyboards, the inside of catheters, and breathing tubes. All these are significant routes of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).

5 Mar 2020

New sepsis intervention enhances the body's bacteria-capturing neutrophil extracellular traps

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have developed a novel treatment for sepsis - one of the leading causes of hospital death - that enhances the body's bacteria-capturing neutrophil extracellular traps so that they more effectively capture infectious bacteria, resist degradation, and improve sepsis outcomes and survival.

5 Mar 2020

Newly identified genetic signatures in common pediatric cancer pave way for precision medicine

Researchers with Nemours Children's Health System utilized Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to more precisely identify genomic characteristics of leukemias in children, the most common childhood cancer.

5 Mar 2020

New type of adoptive cell therapy could target prostate and pancreatic cancers in humans

In experiments with mice, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have slowed the growth of transplanted human prostate and pancreatic cancer cells by introducing bone marrow cells with a specific gene deletion to induce a novel immune response.

5 Mar 2020

New NGS technique offers quick, accurate diagnosis of sepsis

A report in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier, describes a new technique that uses real-time next-generation sequencing to analyze tiny amounts of microbial cell-free DNA in the plasma of patients with sepsis, offering the possibility of accurate diagnosis of sepsis-causing agents within a few hours of drawing blood.

5 Mar 2020

Study provides new evidence about optimal way to treat BRCA carriers with breast cancer

Commonly known as the breast cancer genes, the BRCA gene family plays a role in repairing damaged DNA. Inherited mutations in the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 raise the risk of developing breast, ovarian, prostate and other cancers.

5 Mar 2020

Italy shuts down schools, universities amid surge in coronavirus cases

Italy will shut down schools and universities in response to the sharp increase in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases. The Italian government has ordered the nationwide cancellation of education classes until Mar. 15, as the country grapples to contain the worst outbreak that has hit Europe, claiming 107 lives and infecting more than 3,000 people.

5 Mar 2020

Personalized approach in IVF increases success rate

Becoming pregnant can be a lengthy and stressful process for one in every six couples. As fertility treatment protocols are based on the "average woman", approximately 30 per cent of patients need a personalised approach in IVF.

4 Mar 2020

How do cells protect themselves from viruses?

Amid the coronavirus outbreak that is wreaking havoc across the globe, it is essential to know how the cells of the body evade infection from viruses. A team of scientists has explained the mechanism that takes place in case a virus penetrates the body.

4 Mar 2020

New repair mechanism for alcohol-induced DNA damage discovered

Researchers of the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, The Netherlands, and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, United Kingdom, have discovered a new way in which the human body repairs DNA damage caused by a degradation product of alcohol.

4 Mar 2020

Victims of mass casualty event are quickly identified by rapid DNA test

To quickly identify victims of the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California's history, researchers used a technique called Rapid DNA Identification that can provide results within hours, compared with months to years required of conventional DNA analysis.

4 Mar 2020

A new, promising method for developing drugs that target, block macropinocytosis

With drug resistance a major challenge in the fight against cancer, a discovery by University of California, Irvine biologists could offer new approaches to overcoming the obstacle.

3 Mar 2020

Chemists develop promising molecular tool to target cell immortality's underlying gears

One of the hallmarks of cancer is cell immortality. A Northwestern University organic chemist and his team now have developed a promising molecular tool that targets and inhibits one of cell immortality's underlying gears: the enzyme telomerase.

3 Mar 2020

Novel drug to arrest antibiotic resistance by preventing micro-evolution

Desperate times need desperate measures. Accordingly, scientists, today published a new study in the journal Cell Host and Microbe in March 2020, showing that drugs that prevent the acquisition of DNA-borne antibiotic resistance traits from their surroundings by bacteria can stop mice from becoming resistant to the action of the antibiotics.

3 Mar 2020

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers identify new genetic variants that cause heart disease in infants

Biomarker in saliva linked to emergence of childhood obesity

New 'Immuno-Engineering to Improve Immunotherapy' Center formed to advance cancer therapy

New technique to distinguish freshly made transcripts from pre-existing transcripts

The Pancreatic Cancer Collective awards additional funding of $16 million for new therapies

Study provides new insight into neurofibromin-deficient ER+ breast cancer

New bacteria-killing light-activated coating

New sepsis intervention enhances the body's bacteria-capturing neutrophil extracellular traps

Newly identified genetic signatures in common pediatric cancer pave way for precision medicine

New type of adoptive cell therapy could target prostate and pancreatic cancers in humans

New NGS technique offers quick, accurate diagnosis of sepsis

Study provides new evidence about optimal way to treat BRCA carriers with breast cancer

Italy shuts down schools, universities amid surge in coronavirus cases

Personalized approach in IVF increases success rate

How do cells protect themselves from viruses?

New repair mechanism for alcohol-induced DNA damage discovered

Victims of mass casualty event are quickly identified by rapid DNA test

A new, promising method for developing drugs that target, block macropinocytosis

Chemists develop promising molecular tool to target cell immortality's underlying gears

Novel drug to arrest antibiotic resistance by preventing micro-evolution

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