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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).

Exploring how absence of ASS1 protein affects sick children may provide a 'lens' on cancer

What can a rare genetic childhood disease teach us about cancer? Dr. Ayelet Erez of the Weizmann Institute of Science's Department of Biological Regulation says: "A single-mutation disease can act as a 'lens.' If we find exactly what malfunctions in the sick child, we can zoom in and understand the role of the same gene among the many genetic changes that accompany cancer."

26 Nov 2015

Research reveals MECP2 Duplication Syndrome can be reversed

The methyl CpG binding protein 2 gene (MECP2) produces a protein of the same name, the level of which is critical for normal brain function. Mutations leading to protein under-expression cause Rett Syndrome while gene duplication causing over-expression lead to MECP2 Duplication Syndrome. Both disorders are severely debilitating childhood neurological diseases.

26 Nov 2015

Scientists map out genes that keep cancer cells alive

Scientists have mapped out the genes that keep our cells alive, creating a long-awaited foothold for understanding how our genome works and which genes are crucial in disease like cancer.

26 Nov 2015

Researchers aiming to improve accuracy of current diagnostics for Leishmania infantum kinetoplast

In an article published in Small, researchers successfully applied a new qualitative and quantitative method for the detection of a DNA sequence characteristic of Leishmania infantum kinetoplast, a frequent parasite in veterinary that affects humans too.

26 Nov 2015

Research brings scientists closer to understanding mechanisms underlying genomic imprinting process

Research led by Dr. Keiji Tanimoto from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, has brought us closer to understanding the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of genomic imprinting.

25 Nov 2015

New sensor can detect estrogen levels in liquids

Estrogen is a tiny molecule, but it can have big effects on humans and other animals. Estrogen is one of the main hormones that regulates the female reproductive system - it can be monitored to track human fertility and is sometimes administered to livestock like cows and sheep to control the reproductive cycle.

25 Nov 2015

Researchers offer novel solution to promote successful radiotherapy for cancer patients

Researchers at The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered a key mechanism by which radiation treatment (radiotherapy) fails to completely destroy tumors. And, in the journal Nature Immunology, they offer a novel solution to promote successful radiotherapy for the millions of cancer patients who are treated with it.

25 Nov 2015

Fat cells produced from bone marrow may be linked to chronic diseases

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that fat cells produced by stem cells from the bone marrow may be linked to chronic illnesses like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and some cancers.

25 Nov 2015

Prenatal smoking exposure can potentially affect someone's health for years after birth

New Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research finds that blood taken from children up to the age of five contains molecular evidence about whether their mothers smoked during pregnancy.

23 Nov 2015

Oxford University researchers unlock the secret behind bacterial sex

Migration between different communities of bacteria is the key to the type of gene transfer that can lead to the spread of traits such as antibiotic resistance, according to researchers at Oxford University.

23 Nov 2015

CRISPR tool unlocks potential for novel treatments across different therapeutic areas

CRISPR is one of the most exciting advances in gene-based medicine in decades. A uniquely powerful tool for editing the genome, it allows scientists to manipulate DNA with unprecedented precision by deleting unwanted or faulty genes and replacing them with different ones. Its promise in this field of medicine is immense, unlocking the potential for novel treatments across a wide range of therapeutic areas.

22 Nov 2015

FDA takes important steps regarding genetically engineered plants and animals intended for food

Based on sound science and a comprehensive review, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking several important steps today regarding food from genetically engineered (GE) plants and animals, including the first approval for a genetically engineered animal intended for food, AquAdvantage Salmon.

20 Nov 2015

Research findings may lead to potential therapeutic target for treating inflammatory bowel diseases

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have shown that a pathogen-sensing molecule plays a vital role in keeping gastrointestinal (GI) systems healthy.

20 Nov 2015

Researchers devise system to accelerate the process of making life-saving vaccines

Researchers at Brigham Young University have devised a system to speed up the process of making life-saving vaccines for new viruses.

20 Nov 2015

Scientists identify way to sensitize drug-resistant glioblastoma cells to chemotherapy

Scientists from the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and clinicians from Carilion Clinic have discovered how to sensitize drug-resistant human glioblastoma cells to chemotherapy.

20 Nov 2015

Researchers suggest new way to target cancer protein

For years, scientists have struggled to find a way to block a protein known to play an important role in many cancers. The protein, STAT3, acts as a transcription factor -- it performs the crucial task of helping convert DNA into the RNA instructions used to make new proteins.

19 Nov 2015

UF Health investigators make new discovery about Huntington's disease

University of Florida Health researchers have made a new discovery about Huntington's disease, showing that the gene that causes the fatal disorder makes an unexpected "cocktail" of mutant proteins that accumulate in the brain.

19 Nov 2015

Last resort antibiotics may no longer work

E.coli has become resistant to the last line of antibiotics we have left and untreatable bugs may already be circulating in Britain, warn scientists.

19 Nov 2015

Role of genetic predisposition in pediatric cancer patients

The most detailed analysis yet of the role germline mutations in genes associated with cancer predisposition play in the development of childhood cancer suggests that comprehensive genomic screening may be warranted on all pediatric cancer patients, not just those with a family history of cancer.

19 Nov 2015

New technique improves accuracy of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system

A new CRISPR/Cas9 technology developed by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is precise enough to surgically edit DNA at nearly any genomic location, while avoiding potentially harmful off-target changes typically seen in standard CRISPR gene editing techniques.

19 Nov 2015

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Exploring how absence of ASS1 protein affects sick children may provide a 'lens' on cancer

Research reveals MECP2 Duplication Syndrome can be reversed

Scientists map out genes that keep cancer cells alive

Researchers aiming to improve accuracy of current diagnostics for Leishmania infantum kinetoplast

Research brings scientists closer to understanding mechanisms underlying genomic imprinting process

New sensor can detect estrogen levels in liquids

Researchers offer novel solution to promote successful radiotherapy for cancer patients

Fat cells produced from bone marrow may be linked to chronic diseases

Prenatal smoking exposure can potentially affect someone's health for years after birth

Oxford University researchers unlock the secret behind bacterial sex

CRISPR tool unlocks potential for novel treatments across different therapeutic areas

FDA takes important steps regarding genetically engineered plants and animals intended for food

Research findings may lead to potential therapeutic target for treating inflammatory bowel diseases

Researchers devise system to accelerate the process of making life-saving vaccines

Scientists identify way to sensitize drug-resistant glioblastoma cells to chemotherapy

Researchers suggest new way to target cancer protein

UF Health investigators make new discovery about Huntington's disease

Last resort antibiotics may no longer work

Role of genetic predisposition in pediatric cancer patients

New technique improves accuracy of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system

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