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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).

Koalas protect their germline cells against retroviral attack

In a new study published in the journal Cell, scientists have found that koala DNA is protected against attack by retroviruses by a special type of immune response, which distinguishes foreign DNA from the host genome and destroys it before it can proliferate. This finding could help us understand both how koalas survive these infections, and the mechanics of adaptive gene change.

15 Oct 2019

CRISPR helps find difficult to detect cancer cells

Immunotherapy is one of the latest and most effective armaments against various types of cancers. Some of the immunotherapy drugs such as PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda from Merck can block certain proteins in the cancer cells that can make the cells invisible to the immune system normally. Some of the cancers cells can now develop other ways to disguise themselves from being killed by the immune system.

15 Oct 2019

New class of drugs could prevent cancer from becoming resistant to treatment

Scientists at Massey University in New Zealand have taken the first step towards a new class of drug that could stop cancer from becoming resistant to treatment. Treatment resistance is a serious problem to the successful treatment of cancer patients because it leads to cancer returning and becoming harder to treat.

15 Oct 2019

New molecular "clock" could help monitor life-altering development disorders in children

Scientists have developed a molecular "clock" that could reshape how pediatricians measure and monitor childhood growth and potentially allow for an earlier diagnosis of life-altering development disorders.

15 Oct 2019

A protein could play key role in neurodegenerative diseases, research suggests

Research led by Queen Mary University of London and the University of Seville around one protein's role in regulating brain inflammation could improve our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.

15 Oct 2019

PerkinElmer introduces PG-Seq Rapid Non-Invasive PGT-A kit as alternative to IVF embryo biopsies

PerkinElmer, Inc., a global leader committed to innovating for a healthier world, today introduced its PG-Seq Rapid Non-Invasive Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) kit. This solution tests spent embryo culture media for chromosomal abnormalities during in vitro fertilization treatment.

From Revvity 15 Oct 2019

Researchers reveal mechanism involved in altering DNA methylation in cancer

Understanding the mechanisms that mediate widespread DNA damage in the cancer genome is of great interest to cancer physicians and scientists because it may lead to improved treatments and diagnosis. In this study, a multi-institutional team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine has brought attention to genomic structural variation as a previously unappreciated mechanism involved in altering DNA methylation, a form of gene control, in human cancers.

15 Oct 2019

Discovery could lead to new therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases

Research led by Drs. Miguel Burguillos (University of Seville, Spain) and Miguel Branco (Queen Mary University of London, UK), has revealed new findings about mechanisms regulating brain inflammation which open a new pathway in the field of neuroinflammation.

15 Oct 2019

Finnish study offers new information about molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have discovered new changes in blood samples associated with Alzheimer's disease. A new international study was conducted on disease-discordant Finnish twin pairs: one sibling suffering from Alzheimer's disease and the other being cognitively healthy.

15 Oct 2019

How Is Ophthalmology Changing To Meet New Challenges?

Ophthalmology, a highly dynamic space in vision loss and age-related eye diseases with approximately 1.3 billion people living with vision impairment.

From Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. 15 Oct 2019

Antibody-based eye drops show promise in treating dry eye disease

Dry eye is a condition wherein a person doesn’t have enough tears to lubricate the eye. With the chronic lack of sufficient lubrication, moisture, and nourishment on the eye, it can lead to eye irritation, inflammation, and eventually, scarring.

14 Oct 2019

New system can help the immune system spot and eliminate tumors

Cancer cells are masters at avoiding detection, but a new system developed by Yale scientists can make them stand out from the crowd and help the immune system spot and eliminate tumors that other forms of immunotherapies might miss, the researchers report Oct. 14 in the journal Nature Immunology.

14 Oct 2019

New Penn Medicine study unravels the early makings of an exhausted T cell

The immune system struggles to defeat cancer or chronic infections because many of the T cells that leap into action end up "exhausted," rendering them ineffective against disease.

14 Oct 2019

Custom-made oligonucleotide therapy for girl with fatal Batten disease

Sufferers of fatal Batten disease have been given new hope as scientists develop a custom-made oligonucleotide therapy for a young girl.

14 Oct 2019

Combination of two drugs disrupts cancer cells' ability to survive DNA damage, study finds

In continuing efforts to find novel ways to kill cancer cells, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified a new pathway that leads to the destruction of cancer cells.

14 Oct 2019

Femtogenix announces efficacy, toxicity data of new DNA-binding ADC payload molecules

Femtogenix Ltd, a UK biotechnology company developing the next generation of DNA-interactive Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) payloads, today announced data verifying the favorable toxicity profile and potent efficacy of its Pyridinobenzodiazepine (PDD) ADC payload platform in tumor cell models.

14 Oct 2019