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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).

Childhood cancer survivors more likely to be obese than healthy peers

Childhood cancer survivors - especially those whose treatment included brain irradiation or chemotherapy with glucocorticoids - are 14 percent more likely to be obese than their healthy peers.

12 May 2015

Novel insights into the genetics of autism

A study of 2,377 children with autism, their parents and siblings has revealed novel insights into the genetics of the condition.

12 May 2015

Researchers identify three genes involved in choroid plexus carcinoma

Researchers have identified three genes that play a pivotal role in the brain tumor choroid plexus carcinoma (CPC), a discovery that lays the groundwork for more effective treatment of this rare, often fatal cancer. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, which appears today in the journal Cancer Cell.

12 May 2015

MD Anderson researchers discover link between telomere degeneration and MDS

A study revealing fresh insight about chromosome "tails" called telomeres may provide scientists with a new way to look at developing treatments or even preventing a group of blood cell disorders known as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

12 May 2015

Study finds extremely high levels of cardiovascular risk factors in people with psychosis

Extremely high levels of cardiovascular risk factors have been found in people with established psychosis, with central obesity evident in over 80 per cent of participants, in a study by researchers from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London.

12 May 2015

9-Valent HPV vaccine can potentially prevent 80% of cervical cancers in the U.S.

The new 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine, can potentially prevent 80 percent of cervical cancers in the United States, if given to all 11- or 12-year-old children before they are exposed to the virus.

12 May 2015

Scientists identify gene that causes hereditary hypertension and brachydactyly type E

Individuals with this altered gene have hereditary hypertension (high blood pressure) and at the same time a skeletal malformation called brachydactyly type E, which is characterized by unusually short fingers and toes. The effect on blood pressure is so serious that -- if left untreated -- it most often leads to death before age fifty.

11 May 2015

Researchers discover potential mechanism to combat haemorrhagic diseases

A potential mechanism to combat diseases caused by haemorrhagic fever viruses has been discovered by researchers at the University of Montreal's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine. These diseases present a dramatic risk to human health as they often spread quickly and kill a high percentage of infected individuals, as demonstrated by the recent Ebola outbreaks.

11 May 2015

Study sheds light on developing more targeted therapies against medulloblastoma

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have gained ground toward developing more targeted therapies for the most common childhood brain tumor.

10 May 2015

Moffitt scientists examine why prostate cancer patients who receive ADT experience hot flashes

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a common treatment option for patients with advanced stage prostate cancer. But nearly 80 percent of patients who receive ADT report experiencing hot flashes during and after treatment. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers are working to determine what genetic factors and other characteristics might make prostate cancer patients more likely to experience hot flashes during and after therapy.

10 May 2015

Researchers identify promising combination strategy for treating glioblastomas

Therapies that specifically target mutations in a person's cancer have been much-heralded in recent years, yet cancer cells often find a way around them. To address this, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center identified a promising combinatorial approach to treating glioblastomas, the most common form of primary brain cancer.

10 May 2015

Danish researchers discover way to map more than one protein at a time

Danish researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered how to map more than one protein at a time, when proteins repair damaged DNA. It is a discovery that will help accelerate the process of developing better and gentler cancer treatments.

8 May 2015

Overexpression of cyclin E protein could lead to breast cancer, leukemia

A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute sheds light on the cause of some cancers, including breast cancer and leukemia.

8 May 2015

Gene therapy is key to addressing Sanfilippo Syndrome, say Ohio scientists and clinicians

Gene therapy is the delivery of DNA into a patient's cells to replace faulty or missing genes—or adds new genes—in an attempt to cure cancer or make changes so the body is better able to fight off disease. Scientists and clinicians have identified a number of different ways to do this, in an effort to correct malfunctioning or mutated genes. Many gene therapy clinical trials are ongoing to assess the safety and potential benefits in patients with rare diseases.

8 May 2015

GTEx findings reveal how genomic variants can affect gene activity and disease susceptibility

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project have created a new and much-anticipated data resource to help establish how differences in an individual's genomic make-up can affect gene activity and contribute to disease.

8 May 2015

Quest Diagnostics launches genomic test service that aids in diagnosis for myeloid neoplasms

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced LeukoVantage, an evidence-based genomic test service that aids in the diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring and selection of treatment for myeloid neoplasms, a group of hematologic malignancies that includes acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common form of adult acute leukemia, as well as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

From Quest Diagnostics 7 May 2015

Positive data from two studies analyzing Good Start's test for inherited diseases presented at ACOG 2015

Good Start Genetics, Inc., a commercial-stage molecular genetics information company, today presented data from two studies analyzing detection rates among patients at in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics who underwent carrier screening for inherited diseases. The studies were presented at the 2015 Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists being held in San Francisco, Calif.

7 May 2015

Salk discovery may offer new avenues for generating novel therapies

Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a novel type of pluripotent stem cell--cells capable of developing into any type of tissue--whose identity is tied to their location in a developing embryo. This contrasts with stem cells traditionally used in scientific study, which are characterized by their time-related stage of development.

7 May 2015

Researchers report novel approach to combat multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens

With the threat of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens growing, new ideas to treat infections are sorely needed. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences report preliminary success testing an entirely novel approach -- tagging bacteria with a molecular "homing beacon" that attracts pre-existing antibodies to attack the pathogens.

7 May 2015

Psychologists plan to enhance online health information on lung cancer

Psychologists are to improve online health information on lung cancer after research showed that family members are more likely to search online to encourage loved ones to seek help.

7 May 2015

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Childhood cancer survivors more likely to be obese than healthy peers

Novel insights into the genetics of autism

Researchers identify three genes involved in choroid plexus carcinoma

MD Anderson researchers discover link between telomere degeneration and MDS

Study finds extremely high levels of cardiovascular risk factors in people with psychosis

9-Valent HPV vaccine can potentially prevent 80% of cervical cancers in the U.S.

Scientists identify gene that causes hereditary hypertension and brachydactyly type E

Researchers discover potential mechanism to combat haemorrhagic diseases

Study sheds light on developing more targeted therapies against medulloblastoma

Moffitt scientists examine why prostate cancer patients who receive ADT experience hot flashes

Researchers identify promising combination strategy for treating glioblastomas

Danish researchers discover way to map more than one protein at a time

Overexpression of cyclin E protein could lead to breast cancer, leukemia

Gene therapy is key to addressing Sanfilippo Syndrome, say Ohio scientists and clinicians

GTEx findings reveal how genomic variants can affect gene activity and disease susceptibility

Quest Diagnostics launches genomic test service that aids in diagnosis for myeloid neoplasms

Positive data from two studies analyzing Good Start's test for inherited diseases presented at ACOG 2015

Salk discovery may offer new avenues for generating novel therapies

Researchers report novel approach to combat multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens

Psychologists plan to enhance online health information on lung cancer

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