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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).

Large-scale study maps the genetic underpinnings of early TB progression

While the vast majority of the 1.8 billion people infected with the TB bacterium never experience active disease, an estimated 5 to 15 percent do develop full-blown infections--roughly half of them within 18 months of exposure.

4 Sep 2019

Researchers map uncharted area of genome using advanced imaging

Using advanced imaging techniques, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have mapped a previously uncharted region of the human genome that gives rise to a variety of disease, setting the stage to potentially test for the conditions in the future.

4 Sep 2019

Study aims to achieve earlier diagnosis of ATTR cardiac amyloidosis in minority populations

Researchers at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, in collaboration with Columbia University Irving Medical Center, are leading a national, multi-site study aimed to achieve earlier diagnosis of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

4 Sep 2019

Breast cancer gene could be key to developing targeted therapy for hepatoblastoma

Hepatoblastoma is a rare form of liver cancer affecting just a few individuals per million. However, it is the leading cause of liver cancer in infants and young children, with most patients diagnosed before their third birthday.

4 Sep 2019

Study links FAK protein to chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer

Although the number of women being diagnosed and dying of ovarian cancer is declining, recurrence, drug resistance and mortality remain high for women with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, the most common form of epithelial ovarian cancer.

3 Sep 2019

CRISPR-Cas9 successfully reverses type 2 diabetes in mice

Researchers have used CRISPR-Cas9 to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes in mice, a development that could eventually benefit humans.

3 Sep 2019

Study reshapes the understanding of telomerase's function in normal cells

New research from the University of Maryland and the National Institutes of Health reveals a new role for the enzyme telomerase.

3 Sep 2019

Large study quashes idea of “gay gene”

A vast new study including almost half a million people has concluded that no single gene is associated with same-sex behavior.

2 Sep 2019

SATI gene editing could replace CRISPR

Scientists have developed a new gene editing tool called SATI that is safer than CRISPR.

2 Sep 2019

DNA methylation closely linked to telomere length

Aging is associated with multiple disease conditions. Recently it has been found that many of these illnesses are linked to the length of the telomeres at the ends of every chromosome. Telomere length (TL) is affected by both genetic and epigenetic contributions.

2 Sep 2019

Leukemia is not just one disease

An estimated 61,780 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in the United States this year, with some 2,000 cases in New Jersey, according to the American Cancer Society.

30 Aug 2019

New discovery may help identify type 1 diabetes earlier than is currently possible

Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that typically emerges before the age of 20, wipes out the body's ability to produce insulin--a hormone that's essential to life. Diagnosis often comes after symptoms arise, at which point the disease has taken hold.

30 Aug 2019

Cracking the code of a recurrent brain cancer

One of the most common brain cancers in children, Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) medulloblastoma, also is one of the more survivable for most kids. Unfortunately, for a subset of patients the cancer resists treatment and relapses with a vengeance to then turn deadly.

30 Aug 2019

Understanding yeast with probiotic properties

Researchers led by Prof. Johan Thevelein (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology) have discovered that Saccharomycesboulardii, a yeast with probiotic properties, produces uniquely excessive amounts of acetic acid, the main component of vinegar.

30 Aug 2019

Cell-free DNA identifies pathogens and quantifies injuries to organs

A common problem in diagnosing infectious disease is that the presence of a potential pathogen in the body does not necessarily mean the patient is sick. This can be particularly challenging for the treatment of organ transplant recipients, who often grapple with infection as well as complications related to immunosuppression.

29 Aug 2019

Scientists reveal the structure of a key protein in Epstein-Barr virus infection

Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine and the Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona have published a study in the journal Nature Communications revealing the structure of a key protein, known as a portal, in Epstein-Barr virus infection.

29 Aug 2019

DNA vaccine for tick-borne disease ‘SFTS’ confers protection against lethal infection in ferrets

A KAIST research team reported the development of a DNA vaccine for Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTSV) which completely protects against lethal infection in ferrets.

29 Aug 2019

Tecan launches NGS DreamPrep delivering unprecedented speed and accuracy for automated library preparation

Tecan today announces the launch of NGS DreamPrep, a fully-automated approach to next-generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation for research use. This groundbreaking new approach offers quality controlled, sequencing-ready NGS libraries in just a matter of hours, with minimal manual interaction and no sample loss.

From Tecan 29 Aug 2019

[BC]2 conference focuses on use of big data in molecular medicine

From 9 to 11 September, the [BC]2 Basel Computational Biology Conference, organized by the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, will bring together international and Swiss-based scientists working in this field, in one of the key bioinformatics events in Europe: a prime opportunity to hear from leading experts, from precision oncology to infectious diseases.

29 Aug 2019

Cannabis use may alter gene linked to autism in male sperm

Researchers from Duke University Medical centre, Durham, USA have come up with an important study that shows that use of cannabis among men could alter a specific gene in their sperm that is linked to autism. The study titled, “Cannabis use is associated with potentially heritable widespread changes in autism candidate gene DLGAP2 DNA methylation in sperm,” and is published in the latest issue of the journal Epigenetics.

28 Aug 2019