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).

What’s better for your gut: lean beef or chicken? Science weighs in

A crossover trial in healthy young adults found that both lean chicken and beef diets reduced gut microbial richness, but only chicken caused significant diversity loss. The study highlights that lean local beef may have a milder impact on the gut microbiome than chicken.

29 Jul 2025

Plant compounds show promise against leishmaniasis through mitochondrial targeting

Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania parasites, affects millions globally. Current synthetic treatments face limitations including toxicity, cost, and resistance.

28 Jul 2025

New computer program mimics cell behavior for faster medical discoveries

Using mathematical analysis of patterns of human and animal cell behavior, scientists say they have developed a computer program that mimics the behavior of such cells in any part of the body.

28 Jul 2025

Brain’s blood vessels and immune cells play key role in Alzheimer’s and stroke

The brain's health depends on more than just its neurons. A complex network of blood vessels and immune cells acts as the brain's dedicated guardians-controlling what enters, cleaning up waste, and protecting it from threats by forming the blood-brain barrier.

28 Jul 2025

Bacterial self-defense may hold clues to tackling antibiotic resistance

Researchers at the University of Southampton have worked out how bacteria defend themselves against viruses called phages and the new insights could be key to tackling antibiotic resistance.

28 Jul 2025

TraMA offers breakthrough in measuring biological age

A new research paper was published in Aging (Aging-US) Volume 17, Issue 6, on June 13, 2025, titled "Development of a novel transcriptomic measure of aging: Transcriptomic Mortality-risk Age (TraMA)."

28 Jul 2025

Advancing precision medicine in colorectal cancer with multi-omics approaches

Colorectal cancer is among the most prevalent and lethal malignancies worldwide, with liver metastases occurring in nearly one-third of patients and accounting for a major share of cancer-related deaths.

28 Jul 2025

Largest genetic study confirms biological basis of stuttering

The largest genetic analysis of stuttering has demonstrated a clear genetic basis for the speech disorder, highlighting neurological pathways of risk.

28 Jul 2025

Australian scientists uncover new way to halt aggressive cancer growth

Australian researchers have discovered a promising new strategy to suppress the growth of aggressive and hard-to-treat cancers by targeting a specialized molecular process known as 'minor splicing'.

28 Jul 2025

Decoding DNA packing: Understanding nucleosomes' role in cellular efficiency

Each cell in our bodies carries about two meters of DNA in its nucleus, packed into a tiny volume of just a few hundred cubic micrometers-about a millionth of a milliliter. The cell manages this by winding the strings of DNA around protein spools. The protein-DNA complexes are called nucleosomes, and they ensure that DNA is safely stored.

28 Jul 2025

New model predicts mRNA protein production, accelerating drug and vaccine discovery

A new artificial intelligence model can improve the process of drug and vaccine discovery by predicting how efficiently specific mRNA sequences will produce proteins, both generally and in various cell types. The new advance, developed through an academic-industrial partnership between The University of Texas at Austin and Sanofi, helps predict how much protein cells will produce, which can minimize the need for trial-and-error experimentation, accelerating the next generation of mRNA therapeutics.

26 Jul 2025

Discovery of TAF1's role could revolutionize cancer treatment

A new study led by Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, shows how a key molecule regulates the generation of new blood cells, a process called hematopoiesis that goes awry in cancer. The findings have the potential to lead to new therapeutic strategies targeting the molecule, a regulator of gene activity called TAF1.

26 Jul 2025

New research shows neurogenesis slows in early adulthood, impacting memory

Age often brings a gradual decline in the ability to learn new things and retain memories. This phenomenon, often associated with the elderly, is linked to the brain's deteriorating capacity to generate new neurons-a process that primarily occurs in the hippocampus -as neural stem cells (NSCs) divide and mature. Recent research suggests this decline begins much earlier in life than previously thought, potentially starting in early adulthood.

25 Jul 2025

Scientists open new atlas of genetic diversity with advanced sequencing

A global team mapped over 100,000 structural variants in human genomes by applying Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing and a novel graph-based analytical approach to samples from 26 populations. The study reveals the extraordinary complexity and diversity of human DNA, providing an open-access atlas that will accelerate discoveries in genetic disease and human evolution.

24 Jul 2025

Salk researcher awarded funding to boost immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer

Salk Institute Professor Diana Hargreaves was named a 2025 All-Star Translational Award Program grantee by the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

24 Jul 2025

Standard DNA tests miss most cases of NUT carcinoma

The diagnosis of a suspected lung, head, and neck cancer called NUT carcinoma should include additional testing capable of detecting gene fusions that are definitive markers of the disease, according to a study by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators.

24 Jul 2025

Promising therapeutic approach identified for multiple myeloma

Researchers at Uppsala University have identified a promising therapeutic approach for the challenging blood cancer multiple myeloma.

24 Jul 2025

CoVerage outperforms rivals in early detection of COVID mutations

The CoVerage system monitors SARS-CoV-2 evolution, predicting variants and scoring amino acid changes to inform vaccine efficacy and public health strategies.

24 Jul 2025

Reactivating silent genes offers hope for Rett syndrome treatment

Researchers led by UC Davis Health scientist Sanchita Bhatnagar have developed a promising gene therapy that could treat Rett syndrome.

23 Jul 2025

Weill Cornell Medicine launches study to advance treatments for rare neurological disorder

A $1.1 million grant from the parent-caregiver-led Rare Bird Foundation to Weill Cornell Medicine is supporting the launch of a natural history study for a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that causes developmental delays and seizures called MEF2C Haploinsufficiency syndrome (MCHS).

23 Jul 2025