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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 DNA test can predict adult heart attack risk much earlier in life

People at high risk of a heart attack in adulthood could be spotted much earlier in life with a one-off DNA test, according to new research part-funded by the British Heart Foundation and published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

9 Oct 2018

Massively parallel single-nucleus RNA sequencing reveals insights into heart disease

Scientists using a powerful new technology that sequences RNA in 20,000 individual cell nuclei have uncovered new insights into biological events in heart disease.

9 Oct 2018

Cutting-edge precision medicine spreading from specialist cancer units to community setting

Nearly 1 in 4 patients with advanced cancer, treated at Comprehensive Cancer Care Network centers in the US, are receiving innovative drugs matched to DNA mutations in their tumors.

8 Oct 2018

Study suggests novel approach to treating adults with autism spectrum disorder

A team of scientists at Florida Atlantic University has uncovered a brain-signaling pathway that can be pharmacologically manipulated in genetically engineered mice to reverse an autism-related pathway.

8 Oct 2018

Researchers provide new knowledge about retrovirus-host coevolution

Retroviruses have colonized vertebrate hosts for millions of years by inserting their genes into host genomes, enabling their inheritance through generations as endogenous retroviruses.

8 Oct 2018

Researchers design new method to pinpoint genetic differences between species

Why do naked mole rats live up to 31 years, when distantly related lab mice are lucky to make it to four? How is the aquatic axolotl capable of regenerating limbs, jaws, spines and even brains when frogs can only regrow tails as tadpoles? How can these difference be exploited for the benefit of human health?

8 Oct 2018

New genome editing tool used to heal genetic disease

Parents of newborns may be familiar with the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria: in Switzerland, all newborn babies are screened for this genetic disease.

8 Oct 2018

Beyond BRCA: Epigenetic Silencing in Breast Cancer

An interview with Professor William Newman, discussing his recent discovery in the field of breast cancer research, and the options that this will provide for women who have a family history of breast cancer but test negative for BRCA1/2 mutations.

8 Oct 2018

New epigenetic screening method could improve cancer detection

Researchers have found a better way to determine the epigenetic code of DNA for the identification of disease, using enzymes instead of bisulphite.

8 Oct 2018

Researchers use CRISPR-Cas9 to prevent congenital disease in utero

Researchers have successfully used prenatal gene editing (CRISPR-Cas9) to prevent a fatal metabolic disorder in an animal model.

8 Oct 2018

DNA of people with depression, trauma is biologically older than healthy individuals

DNA from people who suffer from major depression is biologically older than that of healthy people by on average 8 months, suggesting that they are biologically older than their corresponding calendar age.

8 Oct 2018

Nanopore technology combined with DNA computing to catch early biomarkers for small cell lung cancer

Small Cell Lung Cancer is very aggressive, since the cancer cells not only quickly grow but also easily spread to entire body. Often SCLC can be diagnosed using several common tests unfortunately after spread of cancer cells, resulting in poor survival.

7 Oct 2018

UTMB researchers develop less expensive way to produce vaccines

Researchers at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have developed less expensive way to produce vaccines that cuts the costs of vaccine production and storage by up to 80 percent without decreasing safety or effectiveness.

6 Oct 2018

Study finds typical mutations in offspring of radar soldiers

The offspring of radar soldiers exposed to high doses of radiation during their service experience more genetic alterations than families without radiation exposure.

5 Oct 2018

New method for studying the cell nucleus could improve disease detection

Researchers at New York University have found a way to measure the physical properties of the nucleus and its constituents in live human cells.

5 Oct 2018

RNA sequencing method uncovers new insights into biological events in heart disease

Scientists using a powerful new technology that sequences RNA in 20,000 individual cell nuclei have uncovered new insights into biological events in heart disease.

5 Oct 2018

New DNA tool can predict people's height and potentially assess risk for serious illnesses

A new DNA tool created by Michigan State University can accurately predict people's height, and more importantly, could potentially assess their risk for serious illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer.

5 Oct 2018

Periodontal disease may be an initiator of Alzheimer's

Long-term exposure to periodontal disease bacteria causes inflammation and degeneration of brain neurons in mice that is similar to the effects of Alzheimer's disease in humans, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

4 Oct 2018

Expert proposes new model to generate automated updates of genetic test results

Maybe the genetic test report your doctor ordered says your DNA contains many “variants of unknown significance.” Currently, up to 70 percent of such reports are negative or inconclusive.

4 Oct 2018