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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).

New protein complex helps embryonic stem cells to maintain their indefinite potential

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are the very definition of being full of potential, given that they can become any type of cell in the body. Once they start down any particular path toward a type of tissue, they lose their unlimited potential.

12 Dec 2018

DNA analysis finds that stethoscopes used in the ICU are teeming with bacteria

Researchers have found that stethoscopes carried by healthcare practitioners in an intensive care (ICU) setting are loaded with a wide range of bacteria.

12 Dec 2018

Genetics study offers hope for new acne treatment

A discovery by researchers from the School of Basic & Medical Biosciences and NIHR Guy's and St Thomas' Biomedical Research Centre could lead to new treatments for severe acne. Scientists found 15 genome regions linked to developing the condition.

12 Dec 2018

Faster, cheaper test has potential to enhance prostate cancer evaluation

For men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer or patients previously treated, the risk of metastasis is a crucial determinant of whether to choose conservative management or undergo further treatment.

12 Dec 2018

Specific class of biomarkers can accurately indicate the severity of cancer

A cancer diagnosis tells you that you have cancer, but how that cancer will progress is a terrifying uncertainty for most patients. Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have now identified a specific class of biomarkers that can tell a lot about how aggressive a patient's cancer will be.

11 Dec 2018

ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress showcases novel technologies set to benefit many cancer patients

Innovation in immuno-oncology is exploding and new technologies that are set to benefit many patients with cancer are being showcased in the highly diverse array of topics to be discussed at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress, to be held 13-16 December in Geneva, Switzerland.

11 Dec 2018

Slow-growing type of glioma may be vulnerable to immunotherapy, suggests study

Immunotherapy has proved effective in treating a number of cancers, but brain tumors have remained stubbornly resistant.

11 Dec 2018

Study uncovers 11 new genes associated with epilepsy

The largest study of its kind, led by international researchers including scientists at RCSI, has discovered 11 new genes associated with epilepsy.

10 Dec 2018

Novel therapeutic targets based on biology of aging show promise for Alzheimer's disease

A scientific strategy that explores therapeutic targets based on the biology of aging is gaining ground as an effective approach to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease, according to research published in the December 7, 2018 online issue of Neurology.

10 Dec 2018

Researchers use new technique to probe hydrogen bonds

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have used nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy to probe the hydrogen bonds that modulate the chemical reactivity of enzymes, catalysts and biomimetic complexes.

10 Dec 2018

Fractals can help describe how cancer spreads in the body and the right tools to stop it

What can seashells, lightning and the coastline of Britain teach us about new drugs for cancer?

7 Dec 2018

New way of controlling HIV latency to completely eradicate the virus

A new study suggests that a genetic switch that causes latent HIV inside cells to begin to replicate can be manipulated to completely eradicate the virus from the human body. Cells harboring latent HIV are "invisible" to the natural defenses of the immune system.

7 Dec 2018

New diagnostic tools may help identify breast cancer patients who could benefit from targeted therapies

A set of emerging diagnostic tools may help identify breast cancer patients who are most likely to benefit from therapies that target important enzymes fueling a range of subtypes, including BCRA-mutated and triple negative cancers.

7 Dec 2018

Earliest strain of plague bacteria found in neolithic Swedish mass grave

Researchers have unearthed a strain of plague bacteria Yersinia pestis, in a woman who was buried in Sweden during the stone ages.

6 Dec 2018

Researchers develop new molecular tool to decode sugar-protein attachments

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have developed a new molecular tool they call EXoO, which decodes where on proteins specific sugars are attached--a possible modification due to disease.

6 Dec 2018

Study reveals how the absence of Dna2 enzyme affects chromosome instability

Cells have in place a number of mechanisms to protect the integrity of the genome, including processes that repair mistakes that may occur during DNA replication.

6 Dec 2018

Researchers create new light-activated tools for controlling neurons

By enabling super-fast remote control of specific cells, light-activated proteins allow researchers to study the function of individual neurons within a large network - even an entire brain. Now one of the pioneers of 'optogenetics' and colleagues have created two new tools - protein pores which when illuminated allow Ca2+ into cells or K+ out - for switching neurons on or off using light.

6 Dec 2018