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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.

Tel Aviv University pinpoints mechanism that causes rare and severe congenital syndrome

In the 1950s and 1960s, pregnant women with morning sickness were often prescribed the new drug thalidomide. Shortly after the medicine was released on the market, a reported 10,000 infants were born with an extreme form of the rare congenital phocomelia syndrome, which caused death in 50 percent of cases and severe physical and mental disabilities in others.

2 May 2014

Highly stressed people who eat lot of high-fat are more prone to health risks

New research out of UC San Francisco is the first to demonstrate that highly stressed people who eat a lot of high-fat, high-sugar food are more prone to health risks than low-stress people who eat the same amount of unhealthy food.

30 Apr 2014

Illumina launches VeriSeq PGS for preimplantation genetic screening of embryos

Illumina, Inc. today announced the launch of VeriSeq PGS, a next-generation sequencing solution developed for preimplantation genetic screening of embryos using Illumina's NextSeq 500 and MiSeq® sequencing systems.

From Illumina, Inc. 29 Apr 2014

Researchers use RNA sequencing to look at early- and late-stage development of the heart

Most people think the development of the heart only happens in the womb, however the days and weeks following birth are full of cellular changes that play a role in the structure and function of the heart. Using mouse models, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have now been able to categorize the alternative splicing (the process in which genes code proteins, determining their role) that takes place during these changes and what mechanisms they affect.

26 Apr 2014

University of Michigan scientists uncover how cells block mutation-causing activity of junk DNA

There's a civil war going on inside every one of the 37 trillion cells in your body. Now, University of Michigan scientists have uncovered how your cells keep this war from causing too much collateral damage.

26 Apr 2014

MGH investigators develop next-generation genome editing system

A next-generation genome editing system developed by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators substantially decreases the risk of producing unwanted, off-target gene mutations. In a paper receiving online publication in Nature Biotechnology, the researchers report a new CRISPR-based RNA-guided nuclease technology that uses two guide RNAs, significantly reducing the chance of cutting through DNA strands at mismatched sites.

26 Apr 2014

Junk DNA linked to heart failure, reveals Washington University study

Large sections of the genome that were once referred to as "junk" DNA have been linked to human heart failure, according to research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

26 Apr 2014

SFU researchers trace evolution of HIV in North America

A study tracing the evolution of HIV in North America involving researchers at Simon Fraser University has found evidence that the virus is slowly adapting over time to its human hosts. However, this change is so gradual that it is unlikely to have an impact on vaccine design.

26 Apr 2014

MIT researchers develop test that can rapidly assess DNA repair systems

Our DNA is under constant attack from many sources, including environmental pollutants, ultraviolet light, and radiation. Fortunately, cells have several major DNA repair systems that can fix this damage, which may lead to cancer and other diseases if not mended.

25 Apr 2014

Researchers use gold nanoparticles to detect, measure cancer levels in living cell

Purdue University researchers have developed a way to detect and measure cancer levels in a living cell by using tiny gold particles with tails of synthetic DNA.

25 Apr 2014

Aspirin can lower colon cancer risk among people with high levels of specific gene

The humble aspirin may have just added another beneficial effect beyond its ability to ameliorate headaches and reduce the risk of heart attacks: lowering colon cancer risk among people with high levels of a specific type of gene.

25 Apr 2014

New Ebola variant identified in Guinea

Performed in less than a month, sequencing of the complete genome and subsequent phylogenetic analysis show that the virus present in Guinea forms a clade (variant) that is distinct from strains previously identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Gabon. Epidemiological investigations also linked the laboratory confirmed cases with the initial deaths recorded during the December 2013 outbreak.

25 Apr 2014

Exposure to microgravity can simulate aging for immune cells

Telling someone to "act your age" is another way of asking him or her to behave better. Age, however, does not always bring improvements.

23 Apr 2014

Investigators use computer-assisted approach to identify and rank new clock genes

Over the last few decades researchers have characterized a set of clock genes that drive daily rhythms of physiology and behavior in all types of species, from flies to humans.

23 Apr 2014

Study reveals how human genome is protected from inadvertent import of viral RNA into cell

Scientists of the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna, together with colleagues of the ETH Zurich, have now shown how double stranded RNA, such as viral genetic information, is prevented from entering the nucleus of a cell.

23 Apr 2014

Pediatric viral respiratory tract infection often complicated by bacterial sinusitis

Nearly 1 in 10 cases of viral upper respiratory tract infections in infants and young children is complicated by acute bacterial sinusitis, often in conjunction with acute otitis media, a longitudinal cohort study has found.

22 Apr 2014

Sarepta Therapeutics plans to submit eteplirsen NDA for treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc., a developer of innovative RNA-based therapeutics, today announced it plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of 2014 for the approval of eteplirsen for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

21 Apr 2014

New computational method speeds up estimates of gene activity from RNA-seq data

With gene expression analysis growing in importance for both basic researchers and medical practitioners, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Maryland have developed a new computational method that dramatically speeds up estimates of gene activity from RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data.

21 Apr 2014

New device uses space-tested concept of capillary flow to diagnose infectious diseases

A new medical-testing device is being prepped to enter the battle against infectious disease. This instrument could improve diagnosis of certain diseases in remote areas, thanks in part to knowledge gained from a series of investigations aboard the International Space Station on the behavior of liquids. The device uses the space-tested concept of capillary flow to diagnose infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

20 Apr 2014

U.Va. researchers named recipients of 2013 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards

University of Virginia neurologist Dr. Erin Pennock Foff, biologist Sarah Kucenas and biomedical engineer Shayn Peirce-Cotter have been named recipients of 2013 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards to benefit children of the United States. Each scientist will receive $100,000 in direct annual research support from The Hartwell Foundation for three years.

19 Apr 2014

RNA News and Research

Further Reading

Tel Aviv University pinpoints mechanism that causes rare and severe congenital syndrome

Highly stressed people who eat lot of high-fat are more prone to health risks

Illumina launches VeriSeq PGS for preimplantation genetic screening of embryos

Researchers use RNA sequencing to look at early- and late-stage development of the heart

University of Michigan scientists uncover how cells block mutation-causing activity of junk DNA

MGH investigators develop next-generation genome editing system

Junk DNA linked to heart failure, reveals Washington University study

SFU researchers trace evolution of HIV in North America

MIT researchers develop test that can rapidly assess DNA repair systems

Researchers use gold nanoparticles to detect, measure cancer levels in living cell

Aspirin can lower colon cancer risk among people with high levels of specific gene

New Ebola variant identified in Guinea

Exposure to microgravity can simulate aging for immune cells

Investigators use computer-assisted approach to identify and rank new clock genes

Study reveals how human genome is protected from inadvertent import of viral RNA into cell

Pediatric viral respiratory tract infection often complicated by bacterial sinusitis

Sarepta Therapeutics plans to submit eteplirsen NDA for treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

New computational method speeds up estimates of gene activity from RNA-seq data

New device uses space-tested concept of capillary flow to diagnose infectious diseases

U.Va. researchers named recipients of 2013 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards

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