DNA Damage News and Research

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Scientist offers evidence to challenge mutation accumulation theory of oncogenesis

What causes cancer? Smoking, certainly, and also things like sun and chemical exposure. Cancer risk also increases with some genetic predispositions and in old age.

1 Aug 2017

Penn researchers discover how DNA damage turns immune cells against cancer

Cancer is essentially a disease of the cell replication cycle. The goal of treating the disease is to permanently kill off the cells that replicate with abandon without any molecular brakes.

31 Jul 2017

Gene editing technology shines light on rare dyskeratosis congenita

Using the gene editing technology CRISPR, scientists have shed light on a rare, sometimes fatal syndrome that causes children to gradually lose the ability to manufacture vital blood cells.

27 Jul 2017

Study provides fresh insights into how the body detects early signs of cancer

Fresh insights into how cells detect damage to their DNA - a hallmark of cancer - could help explain how the body keeps disease in check.

26 Jul 2017

African-American patients have increased gene mutations in tobacco-related tumors, study finds

African-Americans typically have worse outcomes from smoking-related cancers than Caucasians, but the reasons for this remain elusive. However, scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have taken a big step toward solving this puzzle.

25 Jul 2017

Researchers detect new gene mutation linked to Fanconi anemia

Fanconi anemia is a rare genetic disease characterized by bone marrow failure heralded by low platelet counts and unusually large red blood cells.

14 Jul 2017

Increase in male partner’s age associated with decline in cumulative live birth rate, study finds

A new study of IVF couples, conducted in the USA, finds the effects of the age of male partners in cumulative live birth outcomes. The results clearly state that there can be a significant reduction in the chances of live births owing to the increased age of the male partner, also seen with certain younger female age groups whose age has less potency on the effects.

3 Jul 2017

Live birth outcome affected by age of male partner, study shows

Men, unlike women, do not have a menopause or a predictable and detectable decline in their fertility. Female age is thus the dominant factor in predicting (or explaining) a couple's chance of conception, whether natural or assisted.

3 Jul 2017

Study sheds light on night work−cancer link

A new study has offered insights into the association between night shift work and increased cancer risk, as well as pointing towards a potential solution. For several years, scientists have thought that disruption to the body’s natural circadian rhythm is accountable for the increased cancer risk, but the mechanisms behind this have not yet been pinpointed.

27 Jun 2017

Cancer cells may lose copies of ribosomal DNA to enable faster proliferation, study shows

Research from the Stowers Institute provides evidence suggesting that cancer cells might streamline their genomes in order to proliferate more easily.

23 Jun 2017

MIT biologists identify how the immune system eliminates genetically imbalanced cells

Most living cells have a defined number of chromosomes: Human cells, for example, have 23 pairs. As cells divide, they can make errors that lead to a gain or loss of chromosomes, which is usually very harmful.

20 Jun 2017

Researchers discover broad role for DNA-cutting enzyme in driving abnormal genetic rearrangements

Researchers studying a DNA-cutting enzyme with a crucial role in regulating the structure of genes have discovered a broad role for its cutting activity in driving abnormal genetic rearrangements called translocations that cause cancer, including leukemias and solid tumors.

16 Jun 2017

Penn/CHOP research helps to better understand cause of pediatric and treatment-related leukemias

Certain pediatric leukemias share a common underlying cause with treatment-related secondary leukemias.

16 Jun 2017

Study finds that e-cigarettes are potentially as harmful as tobacco cigarettes in damaging DNA

A study by chemists at the University of Connecticut (UConn) offers new evidence that e-cigarettes loaded with a nicotine-based liquid are potentially as harmful as unfiltered cigarettes when it comes to causing DNA damage.

13 Jun 2017

Scientists create method for mapping genome-wide DNA damage caused by chemical carcinogen

Scientists have known for decades that smoking cigarettes causes DNA damage, which leads to lung cancer. Now, for the first time, UNC School of Medicine scientists created a method for effectively mapping that DNA damage at high resolution across the genome.

13 Jun 2017

UConn researchers find e-cigarettes to be equally harmful as tobacco cigarettes

A study by chemists at the University of Connecticut offers new evidence that electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes are potentially as harmful as tobacco cigarettes.

12 Jun 2017

New cancer drug shows promise to treat leukemia in mouse models

Almost 6,000 new cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, are expected to be diagnosed this year in the United States. The blood cancer can affect both children and adults.

9 Jun 2017

Southern Research aims to develop new radiosensitizers that may greatly benefit cancer patients

Two out of three cancer patients are treated with radiation, but the therapy often fails to wipe out the tumor or slow its growth. Southern Research is working to develop a new class of drugs that will help the radiation deliver a more powerful punch to the disease.

9 Jun 2017

Galactic cosmic ray exposure increases cancer risk for astronauts traveling to the red planet

The cancer risk for a human mission to Mars has effectively doubled following a UNLV study predicting a dramatic increase in the disease for astronauts traveling to the red planet or on long-term missions outside the protection of Earth's magnetic field.

6 Jun 2017

Tumorigenesis may be induced from neighboring tissues, study suggests

Current view is that cancer development is initiated from cells that acquire initial DNA mutations. These in turn provoke additional defects, and ultimately the affected cells begin to proliferate in an uncontrolled manner to develop primary tumors.

2 Jun 2017