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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).

Copper can prevent horizontal transmission of genes in antibiotic-resistant bacteria

New research from the University of Southampton has shown that copper can prevent horizontal transmission of genes, which has contributed to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant infections worldwide.

5 Dec 2012

Mutations signaling poor neuroblastoma prognosis identified

Children with neuroblastoma who have mutations in the ARID1A and ARID1B genes in their tumors have a poor prognosis compared with those without these alterations, show study findings.

4 Dec 2012

Data from OncoSec Medical clinical studies to be presented at DNA Vaccines 2012 Conference

OncoSec Medical Inc., a company developing its advanced-stage ImmunoPulse DNA-based immunotherapy and NeoPulse therapy to treat solid tumor cancers, announced it will be presenting at the DNA Vaccines 2012 Conference at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego, California. OncoSec is a Silver Sponsor of the conference.

4 Dec 2012

Hebrew University researchers pave way for development of new approaches to cure malaria

More than a million people die each year of malaria caused by different strains of the Plasmodium parasite transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. The medical world has yet to find an effective vaccine against the deadly parasite, which mainly affects pregnant women and children under the age of five. By figuring out how the most dangerous strain evades the watchful eye of the immune system, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have now paved the way for the development of new approaches to cure this acute infection.

4 Dec 2012

Researchers discover 15 new genetic regions linked with coronary artery disease

The University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) participated in the largest genetic study of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) to date. Researchers from the CARDIoGRAMplusC4D Consortium report the identification of 15 genetic regions newly associated with the disease, bringing to 46 the number of regions associated with CAD risk.

3 Dec 2012

Researchers identify new genetic regions associated with heart attacks

In the largest genetic study of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) to date, researchers from the CARDIoGRAMplusC4D Consortium report the identification of 15 genetic regions newly associated with the disease, bringing to 46 the number of regions associated with CAD risk.

3 Dec 2012

Childhood trauma can leave permanent epigenetic marks on DNA

Abused children are at high risk of anxiety and mood disorders, as traumatic experience induces lasting changes to their gene regulation. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich have now documented for the first time that genetic variants of the FKBP5 gene can influence epigenetic alterations in this gene induced by early trauma.

3 Dec 2012

Scientists identify 15 new genetic regions associated with coronary artery disease

Fifteen new genetic regions associated with coronary artery disease have been identified by a large, international consortium of scientists - including researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine - taking a significant step forward in understanding the root causes of this deadly disease. The new research brings the total number of validated genetic links with heart disease discovered through genome-wide association studies to 46.

3 Dec 2012

Children with changes in bully genes have poor survival

In a genome sequencing study of 74 neuroblastoma tumors in children, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that patients with changes in two genes, ARID1A and ARID1B, survive only a quarter as long as patients without the changes. The discovery could eventually lead to early identification of patients with aggressive neuroblastomas who may need additional treatments.

3 Dec 2012

Scientists sequence DNA of biopsied tissue from colon polyps

The causes underlying the development of certain types of common cancers have not yet been elucidated. In order to better determine the origin and the sequence of events responsible for the onset of colon cancer, the teams led by Thanos Halazonetis and Stylianos Antonarakis, professors at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have sequenced the DNA of biopsied tissue from colon polyps.

2 Dec 2012

Researchers uncover molecular structure of master regulator central to melanoma

With the X-ray vision of DESY's light source DORIS, a research team from Hamburg and Iceland has uncovered the molecular structure of a master regulator central to the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma.

1 Dec 2012

New genetic study defines biology behind brain developmental disorder in children

This study describes how a combination of sequencing and mouse models were used to identify the gene responsible for a brain developmental disorder seen in four patients.

1 Dec 2012

Reduced production of myelin may play role in development of mental illness: Study

Reduced production of myelin, a type of protective nerve fiber that is lost in diseases like multiple sclerosis, may also play a role in the development of mental illness, according to researchers at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

1 Dec 2012

New insights into relationship between autoimmunity and brain function

A study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics by a group of French investigators of the University of Paris unravels new insights as to the relationship between autoimmunity and brain function.

30 Nov 2012

New insights into POT-1/TTP-1 protein complex

New insights into a protein complex that regulates the very tips of chromosomes could improve methods of screening anti-cancer drugs.

30 Nov 2012

New detection method can identify genetic switches associated with breast cancer

Physicians may now be better at detecting breast cancer than ever before, but much more work remains to ensure accurate diagnosis is possible and especially to assess future risk. That's why researchers from Germany have been working to develop a new test of gene action to predict cancer risk both at first diagnosis and into the future.

30 Nov 2012

UBE3B gene linked to brain development disorder in children

Researchers have defined the gene responsible for a rare developmental disorder in children. The team showed that rare variation in a gene involved in brain development causes the disorder. This is the first time that this gene, UBE3B, has been linked to a disease.

30 Nov 2012

Ponatinib thwarts T315I gene mutation in chronic myeloid leukemia

A previously invincible mutation in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has been thwarted by an investigational drug in a phase I clinical trial reported in the current edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.

29 Nov 2012

Combination of blood test and whole-genome sequencing technology could screen cancers

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have combined the ability to detect cancer DNA in the blood with genome sequencing technology in a test that could be used to screen for cancers, monitor cancer patients for recurrence and find residual cancer left after surgery.

29 Nov 2012

DLKI-DIO3 miRNA cluster suppresses spread of cancer from its primary site

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have uncovered a group of what have been considered relatively minor regulators in the body that band together to suppress the spread of cancer from its primary site.

29 Nov 2012

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Copper can prevent horizontal transmission of genes in antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Mutations signaling poor neuroblastoma prognosis identified

Data from OncoSec Medical clinical studies to be presented at DNA Vaccines 2012 Conference

Hebrew University researchers pave way for development of new approaches to cure malaria

Researchers discover 15 new genetic regions linked with coronary artery disease

Researchers identify new genetic regions associated with heart attacks

Childhood trauma can leave permanent epigenetic marks on DNA

Scientists identify 15 new genetic regions associated with coronary artery disease

Children with changes in bully genes have poor survival

Scientists sequence DNA of biopsied tissue from colon polyps

Researchers uncover molecular structure of master regulator central to melanoma

New genetic study defines biology behind brain developmental disorder in children

Reduced production of myelin may play role in development of mental illness: Study

New insights into relationship between autoimmunity and brain function

New insights into POT-1/TTP-1 protein complex

New detection method can identify genetic switches associated with breast cancer

UBE3B gene linked to brain development disorder in children

Ponatinib thwarts T315I gene mutation in chronic myeloid leukemia

Combination of blood test and whole-genome sequencing technology could screen cancers

DLKI-DIO3 miRNA cluster suppresses spread of cancer from its primary site

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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