RNA News and Research

RSS

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.

Parents can pass silenced genes to offspring through a specific mechanism

For more than a century, scientists have understood the basics of inheritance: if good genes help parents survive and reproduce, the parents pass those genes along to their offspring. And yet, recent research has shown that reality is much more complex: genes can be switched off, or silenced, in response to the environment or other factors, and sometimes these changes can be passed from one generation to the next.

4 Feb 2015

TMM journal reviews latest advances in reproductive medicine

The journal Trends in Molecular Medicine reviews the latest advances in reproductive medicine--from mitochondrial replacement therapy to the infant microbiome--with a special issue on "Nurturing the Next Generation," published February 3, 2015.

4 Feb 2015

Study demonstrates therapeutic potential of new class of synthetic oligonucleotides for DMD treatment

Research efforts associating scientists from the CNRS, UVSQ and INSERM within the Laboratoire END-ICAP, working in collaboration with a team from the University of Bern, has demonstrated the therapeutic potential of a new class of synthetic oligonucleotides in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) using RNA "surgery".

4 Feb 2015

Two genetic mutations can interact to reduce risk for heart attack

Researchers have determined that two mutations on a single gene can interact in a way that lowers the carrier's risk for a heart attack.

4 Feb 2015

Clusters of gene-blocking microRNAs can limit spread of cancer

Cancers that have spread throughout the body, a process known as metastasis, are difficult, often impossible, to control. They are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths.

4 Feb 2015

Isis announces top-line results from ISIS-PTP1B Rx Phase 2 study in type 2 diabetes patients

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today top-line results from a Phase 2 study of ISIS-PTP1B Rx in patients with type 2 diabetes. In the Phase 2 study patients treated with ISIS-PTP1B Rx achieved statistically significant reductions in body weight and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).

3 Feb 2015

Scientists identify gene mutations that provide better insight into hepatitis-liver cancer link

Using whole genomic sequencing, scientists from RIKEN in Japan have for the first time demonstrated the profound effect that chronic hepatitis infection and inflammation can have on the genetic mutations found in tumors of the liver, potentially paving the way to a better understanding of the mechanisms through which these chronic infections can lead to cancer.

2 Feb 2015

Researchers are developing stress-eating smartphone app with NIH support

Researchers at UMass Medical School and Worcester Polytechnic Institute are developing a stress-eating smartphone app that will help users better understand why they overeat, with the support of a $2 million award from the National Institutes of Health.

2 Feb 2015

ABIVAX doses first HIV positive patient in ABX464 Phase IIa clinical trial

ABIVAX, a leading clinical stage biotech company developing and commercialising anti-viral compounds and human vaccines, today announced that enrolment has been initiated and the first HIV positive patient dosed in a Phase IIa clinical trial of ABX464.

2 Feb 2015

Scientists create largest ever catalogue of biological chimeras

Scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre's Structural Computational Biology Group, led by Alfonso Valencia, are making the largest ever catalogue of biological chimeras available to the public domain.

2 Feb 2015

NEB announces introduction of one-step cloning and multiple DNA fragment assembly

New England Biolabs announces the introduction of the NEBuilder HiFi DNA Assembly Cloning Kit and Master Mix for one-step cloning and multiple DNA fragment assembly in as little as 15 minutes.

From New England Biolabs 31 Jan 2015

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation names 15 new Damon Runyon Fellows

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting innovative early career researchers, named 15 new Damon Runyon Fellows at its fall Fellowship Award Committee review. The recipients of this prestigious, four-year award are outstanding postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research in the laboratories of leading senior investigators across the country.

31 Jan 2015

Nanoscale DNA tool to detect molecular behavior

A complex interplay of molecular components governs almost all aspects of biological sciences - healthy organism development, disease progression, and drug efficacy are all dependent on the way life's molecules interact in the body. Understanding these bio-molecular interactions is critical for the discovery of new, more effective therapeutics and diagnostics to treat cancer and other diseases, but currently requires scientists to have access to expensive and elaborate laboratory equipment.

31 Jan 2015

TCGA researchers uncover differences between tumors with and without HPV infection

The study by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) researchers analyzed the genomes of 279 head and neck cancer tumors. They identified subtypes of head and neck cancer based on their genomic characteristics, changes in smoking-related tumors, as well as genomic differences in head and neck cancer tumors linked to HPV, the most commonly sexually transmitted disease in the United States.

31 Jan 2015

Cell-penetrating nanoparticles can efficiently transport oligonucleotide drugs into cells

Therapeutic oligonucleotide analogs represent a new and promising family of drugs that act on nucleic acid targets such as RNA or DNA; however, their effectiveness has been limited due to difficulty crossing the cell membrane.

31 Jan 2015

AstraZeneca announces research collaborations to use genome-editing tool for drug discovery and development

AstraZeneca today announced four research collaborations aimed at harnessing the power of CRISPR, a pioneering genome-editing technique, across its entire discovery platform in the company’s key therapeutic areas.

30 Jan 2015

Case Western researchers awarded NSF grant to develop new method to reduce risk of Ebola virus

Health care workers must diagnose and isolate Ebola victims at an early stage to have a chance to save them and prevent the virus from spreading. But the most sensitive and quickest diagnostic test produces a small percentage of false negative results that undermine efforts to control the deadly agent.

27 Jan 2015

SLU researcher discovers new information about how antibiotics stop staph infections

In research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Saint Louis University Mee-Ngan F. Yap, Ph.D., discovered new information about how antibiotics like azithromycin stop staph infections, and why staph sometimes becomes resistant to drugs.

23 Jan 2015

UAB Research Probes Molecular Basis Of Rare Genetic Disorder

An international group co-led by University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher Mary MacDougall, Ph.D., has unraveled the molecular basis for the rare, inherited genetic disorder, Singleton-Merten Syndrome (SMS). Individuals with SMS develop extreme, life-threatening calcification of the aorta and heart valves, early-onset periodontitis and root resorption of the teeth, decreases in bone density, and loss of bone tissue at the tips of fingers and toes.

23 Jan 2015

INRS researchers to use new specialized equipment to study environmental equity, male infertility

With the acquisition of new specialized equipment, INRS researchers Philippe Apparicio, Géraldine Delbès, and Maritza Jaramillo and their teams will be able to advance knowledge and train highly qualified people in the fields of environmental equity, reproductive toxicology, and the treatment of infections. They received a total of over $1 million from the Quebec government and the John R. Evans Leaders Fund of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

22 Jan 2015

RNA News and Research

Further Reading

Parents can pass silenced genes to offspring through a specific mechanism

TMM journal reviews latest advances in reproductive medicine

Study demonstrates therapeutic potential of new class of synthetic oligonucleotides for DMD treatment

Two genetic mutations can interact to reduce risk for heart attack

Clusters of gene-blocking microRNAs can limit spread of cancer

Isis announces top-line results from ISIS-PTP1B Rx Phase 2 study in type 2 diabetes patients

Scientists identify gene mutations that provide better insight into hepatitis-liver cancer link

Researchers are developing stress-eating smartphone app with NIH support

ABIVAX doses first HIV positive patient in ABX464 Phase IIa clinical trial

Scientists create largest ever catalogue of biological chimeras

NEB announces introduction of one-step cloning and multiple DNA fragment assembly

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation names 15 new Damon Runyon Fellows

Nanoscale DNA tool to detect molecular behavior

TCGA researchers uncover differences between tumors with and without HPV infection

Cell-penetrating nanoparticles can efficiently transport oligonucleotide drugs into cells

AstraZeneca announces research collaborations to use genome-editing tool for drug discovery and development

Case Western researchers awarded NSF grant to develop new method to reduce risk of Ebola virus

SLU researcher discovers new information about how antibiotics stop staph infections

UAB Research Probes Molecular Basis Of Rare Genetic Disorder

INRS researchers to use new specialized equipment to study environmental equity, male infertility

Latest eBooks

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (3rd edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Microbiome (1st edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition)

Advancing degrader and proximity-based drug development

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo