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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).

Pioneering technique shows promise for new medical diagnostics, targeted drug delivery

Living systems rely on a dizzying variety of chemical reactions essential to development and survival. Most of these involve a specialized class of protein molecules--the enzymes.

12 Feb 2016

Nutrients in food may influence our genes

Almost all of our genes may be influenced by the food we eat, suggests new research published today in the journal Nature Microbiology. The study, carried out in yeast - which can be used to model some of the body's fundamental processes - shows that while the activity of our genes influences our metabolism, the opposite is also true and the nutrients available to cells influence our genes.

12 Feb 2016

GEMS project to explore events leading to MS in at-risk individuals

A team of investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has launched a study of individuals at risk for multiple sclerosis (MS). By focusing on first-degree family members of MS patients, the research team seeks to better understand the sequence of events that leads some people to develop the disease.

11 Feb 2016

Unlocking intrinsically disordered proteins: an interview with Peter Wright

I'm a professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at The Scripps Research Institute. I have been performing NMR research on proteins for nearly 40 years.

From Bruker BioSpin Group 11 Feb 2016

Simple physics may play key role in helping the body to fight infection

Simple physics may play a larger role than previously thought in helping control key bodily processes - such as how the body fights infection.

11 Feb 2016

Scientists propose use of mathematical models to find better treatment for bladder cancer

MIPT scientists together with their colleagues from St. Petersburg and Israel have analyzed more than 500 previously published scientific articles and proposed their own approach to the choice of methods used for the treatment of one of the most common cancers.

11 Feb 2016

TSRI scientists develop new screening device for drug discovery

Screening large "libraries" of compounds to find those with a desired biological activity is a powerful method for discovering new drugs, but requires a large, expensive and dedicated facility. Now, scientists at the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have devised the central component of a screening system that would be orders of magnitude smaller and cheaper.

11 Feb 2016

Helpful protein can change genetic sequence of normal cells and make mutations that cause cancers

Washington State University researchers have determined how a protein that helps cells fight viruses can also cause genetic mutations that lead to cancer.

10 Feb 2016

2D-NMR could be a powerful complementary technique for assessing biosimilarity of protein drugs

A first-ever interlaboratory study of four versions of a therapeutic protein drug—all manufactured from living cells—reports that an established analytical tool akin to magnetic resonance imaging reliably assessed the atomic structures of the biologically similar products, yielding the equivalent of a fingerprint for each.

10 Feb 2016

Researchers sequence genetic blueprint of Lyme-disease-spreading tick

Researchers have sequenced the genetic blueprint of one of the most prolific pathogen-transmitting agents on the planet - the Lyme-disease-spreading tick (Ixodes scapularis) that bites humans. The findings could lead to advances in not only disrupting the tick's capacity to spread diseases but also in eradicating the pest.

10 Feb 2016

Penn investigators devise new method to map 'transcriptome'

A new way of mapping the "transcriptome" -- the collection of RNA read-outs that are expressed by a cell's active genes -- has been devised by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

10 Feb 2016

Structural movie reveals step-by-step creation of chemical that plays important role in some cancers

An international team of scientists led by the University of Liverpool has produced a 'structural movie' revealing the step-by-step creation of an important naturally occurring chemical in the body that plays a role in some cancers.

10 Feb 2016

Temple team describes use of cadaver DNA to advance genetics learning in medical curriculum

Cadavers have long been one of the most important resources for anatomy teaching in medical school. Now, they are also at the forefront of cutting-edge genetics teaching, thanks to innovative thinking by professors at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

10 Feb 2016

Researchers find new mutation signature in cancer cells

Mutations are the replacement of DNA bases known as Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and Thymine (T) with other bases. When mutations such as C to T or G to A are found within a specific DNA sequence, this is known as a mutation signature.

10 Feb 2016

Mayo Clinic researchers discover new bacterial species that triggers Lyme disease in people

Mayo Clinic researchers, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health officials from Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin, have discovered a new bacterial species that causes Lyme disease in people. The new species has been provisionally named Borrelia mayonii. Prior to this finding, the only species believed to cause Lyme disease in North America was Borrelia burgdorferi.

9 Feb 2016

Study reveals link between genomic instability, aneuploidy and cancer

A recent analysis of 43,205 human tumours unveiled that 68% of solid tumours are aneuploid, that is to say, they have an altered number of chromosomes. In recent years, scientists have attempted to clarify whether this aneuploidy contributes to tumour development or whether it is a co-lateral effect of the genomic instability of cancer cells, which increase the rate of mutations and the likelihood of cancer.

9 Feb 2016

Some heart disease drugs, antibiotics show promising perspectives in treating cancers

North American researchers have identified drugs that showed promising perspectives in treating cancers, according to a recent study published in Cancer Research.

9 Feb 2016

New technique allows better understanding of cellular stress reaction

Stress in the body's cells is both the cause and consequence of inflammatory diseases or cancer. The cells react to stress to protect themselves. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now developed a new technique that allows studying a fundamental response to stress in much more detail than previously possible: the ADP-ribosylation of chromatin.

9 Feb 2016

Researchers seek to better understand sequence of events that leads people to develop MS

A team of investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has launched a study of individuals at risk for multiple sclerosis (MS).

9 Feb 2016

UM SOM researchers reveal genetic makeup of various strains of E. coli

A multi-disciplinary group of researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have for the first time determined the genetic makeup of various strains of E. coli, which every year kills hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

9 Feb 2016

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Pioneering technique shows promise for new medical diagnostics, targeted drug delivery

Nutrients in food may influence our genes

GEMS project to explore events leading to MS in at-risk individuals

Unlocking intrinsically disordered proteins: an interview with Peter Wright

Simple physics may play key role in helping the body to fight infection

Scientists propose use of mathematical models to find better treatment for bladder cancer

TSRI scientists develop new screening device for drug discovery

Helpful protein can change genetic sequence of normal cells and make mutations that cause cancers

2D-NMR could be a powerful complementary technique for assessing biosimilarity of protein drugs

Researchers sequence genetic blueprint of Lyme-disease-spreading tick

Penn investigators devise new method to map 'transcriptome'

Structural movie reveals step-by-step creation of chemical that plays important role in some cancers

Temple team describes use of cadaver DNA to advance genetics learning in medical curriculum

Researchers find new mutation signature in cancer cells

Mayo Clinic researchers discover new bacterial species that triggers Lyme disease in people

Study reveals link between genomic instability, aneuploidy and cancer

Some heart disease drugs, antibiotics show promising perspectives in treating cancers

New technique allows better understanding of cellular stress reaction

Researchers seek to better understand sequence of events that leads people to develop MS

UM SOM researchers reveal genetic makeup of various strains of E. coli

Understanding the DNA Damage Response in Innate Immunity eBook

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