DNA Damage News and Research

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Andor's Komet software used to automatically score modified 3D 'Comet' assay results

With cancer rates rising worldwide, and Cancer Research UK predicting that the lifetime risk of cancer will reach 50% by 2027, the need for early diagnosis is overwhelming. Now, a British research group has published details of a simple empirical test to detect any early-stage cancer, relying on Andor's Komet software to automatically score the modified 3D 'Comet' assay results.

From Andor Technology Ltd. 11 Dec 2014

Findings open new avenues for research to predict risk of therapy-related AML

For a small percentage of cancer patients, treatment aimed at curing the disease leads to a form of leukemia with a poor prognosis. Conventional thinking goes that chemotherapy and radiation therapy induce a barrage of damaging genetic mutations that kill cancer cells yet inadvertently spur the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a blood cancer.

8 Dec 2014

Novel targeted therapies and treatment combinations for leukemia

Recognizing that leukemia cannot be conquered with a "one-size-fits-all" approach, researchers are pursuing novel targeted therapies and combinations of existing treatment regimens with new agents for patient populations with historically poor prognoses, according to data presented today during the 56th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition.

7 Dec 2014

Resveratrol in red wine may prevent cancer

Alcohol use is a major risk factor for head and neck cancer. But an article published in the November issue of the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology shows that the chemical resveratrol found in grape skins and in red wine may prevent cancer as well.

4 Dec 2014

Mayo Clinic recommends genetic screening for patients with triple-negative breast cancer

Most patients with triple-negative breast cancer should undergo genetic testing for mutations in known breast cancer predisposition genes, including BRCA1 and BRCA2, a Mayo Clinic-led study has found.

2 Dec 2014

Study reveals how one type of DNA damage may lead to several human diseases

Using a new imaging technique, National Institutes of Health researchers have found that the biological machinery that builds DNA can insert molecules into the DNA strand that are damaged as a result of environmental exposures. These damaged molecules trigger cell death that produces some human diseases, according to the researchers.

26 Nov 2014

Protein complex plays key role in detecting tumor cells, promotes anti-tumor response

A recently discovered protein complex known as STING plays a crucial role in detecting the presence of tumor cells and promoting an aggressive anti-tumor response by the body's innate immune system, according to two separate studies published in the Nov. 20 issue of the journal Immunity.

21 Nov 2014

Study shows how phthalates linked with complications of pregnancy

In recent years, scientists have linked chemicals known as phthalates with complications of pregnancy and fetal development.

18 Nov 2014

Olaparib shows promise for advanced cancers associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations

Olaparib, an experimental twice-daily oral cancer drug, produces an overall tumor response rate of 26 percent in several advanced cancers associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, according to new research co-led by the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

7 Nov 2014

UCLA study: Asthma harms more than just the lungs, may be more harmful than previously thought

Asthma may be more harmful than was previously thought, according to UCLA researchers who found that genetic damage is present in circulating, or peripheral, blood. Doctors previously thought that the genetic damage it caused was limited to the lungs.

5 Nov 2014

SIRT6 protein inhibits liver and colon cancers, but promotes skin cancer caused by ultraviolet light

A new study published in Cancer Research shows SIRT6—a protein known to inhibit the growth of liver and colon cancers—can promote the development of skin cancers by turning on an enzyme that increases inflammation, proliferation and survival of sun-damaged skin cells.

16 Oct 2014

Penn Medicine announces recipients of new Basser External Research Grant Program

The University of Pennsylvania's Basser Research Center for BRCA has announced $6.9 million to research teams both at Penn and at five other institutions across the United States, aimed at advancing the care of patients living with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations through multi-disciplinary collaboration.

15 Oct 2014

Broccoli sprout compound may help ease classic behavioral symptoms in people with autism

Results of a small clinical trial suggest that a chemical derived from broccoli sprouts — and best known for claims that it can help prevent certain cancers — may ease classic behavioral symptoms in those with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

15 Oct 2014

Research finding could potentially lead to new strategies to improve cancer therapies

Cells are generally able to repair spontaneous damage that arises in their genetic material. Unfortunately, the DNA repair process is not perfect and sometimes, damaged DNA gets passed on to newly made cells. A team of researchers at the Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University has recently discovered that in yeast cells, the amount of nutrients that cells are exposed to can affect DNA surveillance and repair mechanisms and therefore the quality of their DNA.

8 Oct 2014

TyrRS enzyme protects DNA during cellular stress

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that an enzyme best known for its fundamental role in building proteins has a second major function: to protect DNA during times of cellular stress.

3 Oct 2014

IRCM researchers discover mechanism that promotes progression of medulloblastoma

Scientists at the IRCM discovered a mechanism that promotes the progression of medulloblastoma, the most common brain tumour found in children. The team, led by Fr-d-ric Charron, PhD, found that a protein known as Sonic Hedgehog induces DNA damage, which causes the cancer to develop.

3 Oct 2014

COMPAC-50 enables simultaneous electrophoresis of up to 50 COMET Assay slides

Developed in collaboration with the Oxidative Stress Group at the University of Leicester (Leicester, UK), the unique design of the COMPAC-50 enables simultaneous electrophoresis of up to 50 COMET Assay slides saving considerable lab space and reducing slide handling time by up to two-thirds when compared to previous standard methods. This would equate to a significant time-saving of up to 90% when handling 50 COMET Assay slides.

From Cleaver Scientific Ltd 3 Oct 2014

Scientists identify gene mutation that causes aplastic anemia

An international team of scientists has identified a gene mutation that causes aplastic anemia, a serious blood disorder in which the bone marrow fails to produce normal amounts of blood cells.

23 Sep 2014

Sequencing the Asian liver fluke genome: an interview with Dr Neil Young

Opisthorchis viverrini is a parasitic flatworm (or liver fluke) endemic throughout Thailand, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Vietnam and Cambodia. Humans are infected with this parasite when they eat a fluke encysted in inadequately cooked/preserved freshwater fish.

21 Sep 2014

Collaborative study takes important step toward finding targeted treatments for bladder cancer

The story of cancer care seems so simple: find the mutated gene that causes cancer and turn it off or fix it. But rarely does a single gene cause cancer. More often, many genes are altered together to drive the disease. So the challenge becomes sorting out which altered genes are the most to blame in which cancers.

16 Sep 2014