DNA News and Research

RSS

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).

Tenofovir amibufenamide shows efficacy in chronic hepatitis B patients with normal ALT

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients may exhibit liver fibrosis and other pathological changes despite normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT).

19 Aug 2025

Improving gene therapy safety with human kidney organoids

Ryuji Morizane, MD, PhD, of the Department of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, is the senior/corresponding author of a new paper published in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, "AAV for gene therapy drives a nephrotoxic response via NFκB in kidney organoids."

19 Aug 2025

Johns Hopkins team develops a more reliable AI for early cancer detection

Two studies led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Ludwig Center, and Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering researchers report on a powerful new method that significantly improves the reliability and accuracy of artificial intelligence (AI) for many applications. As an example, they apply the new method to early cancer detection from blood samples, known as liquid biopsy.

19 Aug 2025

Dual vector gene therapy for GM2 gangliosidosis shows encouraging results in clinical trial

Patients in a Phase I/II clinical trial conducted by UMass Chan Medical School of a dual vector gene therapy for GM2 gangliosidosis, which includes Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, exhibited a biochemical correction of the disease with minimal adverse reactions.

18 Aug 2025

Polβ enzyme found to protect developing brain from harmful DNA mutations

A research group led by The University of Osaka has discovered that the DNA repair enzyme Polβ plays a crucial role in protecting the developing brain from harmful mutations.

18 Aug 2025

RNA quality control protein PELOTA found to slow aging and extend lifespan

As aging progresses, the quality of DNA and proteins inside cells declines, known to be the cause of various degenerative diseases.

18 Aug 2025

Researchers uncover a novel way platelets can suppress inflammation

Platelets are probably best known for their role in blood clotting, making scabs and related, if less salubrious, contributions to heart attacks and strokes. But these tiny, saucer-shaped blood cells have other physiological duties as well, including surveillance for viral or bacterial infections, the recruitment of immune cells to the site of a suspected incursion, and even the direct destruction of pathogens.

18 Aug 2025

2025 Chikungunya outbreak: A global health challenge

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus causing fever, severe joint pain, rash, and muscle aches, mainly transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. As of 2025,

From Sino Biological Inc. 18 Aug 2025

Amino acid metabolism shapes the tumor immune microenvironment and therapy response

The tumor microenvironment is not just a site of cancer growth—it is a high-stakes metabolic contest where tumor and immune cells vie for limited resources.

17 Aug 2025

RUNX1C isoform identified as driver of chemoresistance in acute myeloid leukemia

One of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment is that certain cancers reappear after chemotherapy-and an aggressive type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is notorious for this.

17 Aug 2025

Weill Cornell Medicine leads $14.9 million effort to develop personalized HIV cures

A multi-institutional team led by Weill Cornell Medicine has received a five-year, $14.9 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to find ways to remove latent HIV from the cells of individuals with HIV.

17 Aug 2025

New generation of CRISPR shows safer path to treating genetic diseases

A new generation of CRISPR technology developed at UNSW Sydney offers a safer path to treating genetic diseases like Sickle Cell, while also proving beyond doubt that chemical tags on DNA - often thought to be little more than genetic cobwebs - actively silence genes.

17 Aug 2025

Eating over 60g of almonds a day may protect DNA and cut oxidative damage

A meta-analysis of eight clinical trials found that almond supplementation, especially at doses above 60 g/day, significantly reduced oxidative DNA and lipid damage and improved antioxidant enzyme activity in adults. The benefits varied by biomarker and were influenced by dose, preparation, and participant characteristics.

14 Aug 2025

Reengineered enzyme enables precise detection of cell surface glycans

Sugars known as glycans form dense envelopes around cells. But they're often ignored in biological investigations because, unlike DNA, proteins and other cellular components, tools to study them are lacking.

14 Aug 2025

Engineered telomerase RNA offers temporary boost to telomere length in human stem cells

Much the way the caps on the ends of a shoelace prevent it from fraying, telomeres - regions of repetitive DNA sequences and a protein structure - protect the tips of chromosomes from damage.

14 Aug 2025

Diagnostic mimicry and management of rare pure form of ovarian cancer

A new case report was published in Volume 12 of Oncoscience on July 28, 2025, titled "A rare case of pure non-gestational ovarian choriocarcinoma: Diagnostic mimicry and management strategies."

14 Aug 2025

Origin-recognition complex plays a broad role in the regulation of gene expression

Origin-recognition complex, or ORC, plays an unexpectedly broad role in the regulation of human cell gene expression, according to a study in the journal Cell Reports.

14 Aug 2025

Gene editing restores hearing and balance in adult mice with DFNA41 deafness

Zheng-Yi Chen, DPhil, associate scientist at the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, and Ines and Fredrick Yeatts Chair in Otolaryngology, at Mass Eye and Ear, is the senior and co-corresponding author of a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, "Single Dose Genome Editing Therapy Rescues Auditory and Vestibular Functions in Adult Mice with DFNA41 Deafness."

14 Aug 2025

Microbial DNA signature in the blood differentiates primary liver cancer from metastatic colorectal cancer

Determining whether a cancerous tumor originated in a given location or spread there from another tissue or organ in the body is important when assessing the likely course of a patient's disease.

14 Aug 2025

Frailty raises the risk of lung attacks and death in smokers

A new research paper was published in Volume 17, Issue 7, of Aging (Aging-US) on July 3, 2025, titled "Frailty associates with respiratory exacerbations and mortality in the COPDGene cohort."

14 Aug 2025