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).

BDNF deletion plays a critical role in psychiatric disease and obesity

McGill researchers have identified a small region in the genome that conclusively plays a role in the development of psychiatric disease and obesity. The key lies in the genomic deletion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, a nervous system growth factor that plays a critical role in brain development.

9 Oct 2012

New blood test can read genetic changes in prostate cancer

Scientists have designed a blood test that reads genetic changes like a barcode - and can pick out aggressive prostate cancers by their particular pattern of gene activity.

9 Oct 2012

Merck receives non-exclusive license to use Delphi StabyExpress technology

Delphi Genetics SA has announced today a broad licensing agreement with a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, for the use of the StabyExpress technology, which allows high yield, cost effective protein expression without the use of antibiotics.

8 Oct 2012

Researchers discover smallest and fastest-known RNA switches

A University of Michigan biophysical chemist and his colleagues have discovered the smallest and fastest-known molecular switches made of RNA, the chemical cousin of DNA. The researchers say these rare, fleeting structures are prime targets for the development of new antiviral and antibiotic drugs.

8 Oct 2012

Progenra’s USP7 and USP47 exert non-overlapping anticancer cell effects

Researchers at Progenra, Inc. announce the advanced online publication of the article "Selective Dual Inhibitors of the Cancer-related Deubiquitylating Proteases USP7 and USP47." The new article presents evidence of a therapeutic benefit resulting from dual inhibition of USP7 and a related enzyme, USP47.

8 Oct 2012

CytoDyn announces update on feline immunodeficiency virus therapeutic antibody program

CytoDyn Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of new therapies for combating infection with immune deficiency viruses, announced today that it is presenting an update on its Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) therapeutic antibody program at the 19th West Coast Retrovirus meeting in Palm Springs, California.

8 Oct 2012

New ways of how biological clock's neurons use electrical activity to keep behavioral rhythms in order

Biologists from New York University have uncovered new ways our biological clock's neurons use electrical activity to help keep behavioral rhythms in order. The findings, which appear in the journal Current Biology, also point to fresh directions for exploring sleep disorders and related afflictions.

6 Oct 2012

Translational Genomics Research Institute creates new center for rare childhood disorders

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) today announced the creation of a new center that could have life changing effects on the lives of potentially thousands of children and their families.

6 Oct 2012

Gene-silencing mechanism may occur later in life and lead to cancer

There are some genes that are only activated in the very first days of an embryo's existence. Once they have accomplished their task, they are shut down forever, unlike most of our genes, which remain active throughout our lives. EPFL scientists have unveiled part of this strange mechanism. The same process, accidentally initiated later in life, could be responsible for many kinds of cancer.

6 Oct 2012

Skin's outmost layer is the first line of defense against UV radiation

Reinhold Dauskardt, PhD, of Stanford's Department of Materials Science and Engineering has been studying skin for years. But when he sent his students to look for data on the mechanical properties of skin, they came back empty-handed. A lot was known about skin structure and disease, but few papers actually talked about its mechanical function - its ability to stretch and resist tension without tearing.

6 Oct 2012

BUSM leads genome-wide evaluation of genetic variants associated with Parkinson's disease

Boston University School of Medicine investigators have led the first genome-wide evaluation of genetic variants associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). The study, which is published online in PLOS ONE, points to the involvement of specific genes and alterations in their expression as influencing the risk for developing PD.

6 Oct 2012

Perplexing evolutionary history of malaria transmitting mosquito species

An African mosquito species with a deadly capacity to transmit malaria has a perplexing evolutionary history, according to discovery by researchers at the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech.

6 Oct 2012

Two genes linked to increased risk of diabetes-associated kidney disease

An international group of researchers has discovered two genes that increase the risk of developing diabetes-associated kidney disease.

6 Oct 2012

Mouse genome consists of 10-nm chromatin fibres

Scientists in Canada and the United States have used three-dimensional imaging techniques to settle a long-standing debate about how DNA and structural proteins are packaged into chromatin fibres. The researchers, whose findings are published in EMBO reports, reveal that the mouse genome consists of 10-nm chromatin fibres but did not find evidence for the wider 30-nm fibres that were previously thought to be important components of the DNA architecture.

5 Oct 2012

Scripps Health receives Qualcomm Foundation grant to support digital medicine research projects

Scripps Health announced today that it has been awarded a $3.75 million grant from the Qualcomm Foundation, to be used for the Scripps Translational Science Institute, which was established by Scripps Health in collaboration with various parties to support the development of breakthrough digital technologies designed to revolutionize the practice of medicine.

4 Oct 2012

New type of drug for drug-resistant cancer

New drug may be an effective alternative for patients whose cancer is resistant to currently available drugs.

4 Oct 2012

Positive data from three Onconova Ex-RAD clinical trials on acute radiation syndrome

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. today announced positive human safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic data from three clinical trials of Ex-RAD (recilisib sodium, ON 01210.Na), a novel radioprotectant being developed as a medical countermeasure for the treatment of acute radiation syndrome (ARS).

4 Oct 2012

Cellectis, Medicago complete first step in therapeutic protein research collaboration

Medicago Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing highly effective and competitive vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus Like Particles, and Cellectis plant sciences, a US-based subsidiary of Cellectis Group, the specialist in genome engineering, today announced the successful completion of the first step in their research collaboration to improve therapeutic proteins produced in tobacco plants.

4 Oct 2012

Treatment with Lfcin4-14 reduces DNA damage in colon cancer cells exposed to UV light

Milk consumption has been linked to improved health, with decreased risks of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and colon cancer. A group of scientists in Sweden found that lactoferricin4-14 (Lfcin4-14), a milk protein with known health effects, significantly reduces the growth rate of colon cancer cells over time by prolonging the period of the cell cycle before chromosomes are replicated. In a new study, investigators report that treatment with Lfcin4-14 reduced DNA damage in colon cancer cells exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light.

4 Oct 2012

Synthetic hybrid molecules more effectively tackle chemo-resistant cancers

When Linda Tuttle was diagnosed with breast cancer, she never imagined her experience would inspire her colleagues to design new treatments to tackle the disease.

3 Oct 2012

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

BDNF deletion plays a critical role in psychiatric disease and obesity

New blood test can read genetic changes in prostate cancer

Merck receives non-exclusive license to use Delphi StabyExpress technology

Researchers discover smallest and fastest-known RNA switches

Progenra’s USP7 and USP47 exert non-overlapping anticancer cell effects

CytoDyn announces update on feline immunodeficiency virus therapeutic antibody program

New ways of how biological clock's neurons use electrical activity to keep behavioral rhythms in order

Translational Genomics Research Institute creates new center for rare childhood disorders

Gene-silencing mechanism may occur later in life and lead to cancer

Skin's outmost layer is the first line of defense against UV radiation

BUSM leads genome-wide evaluation of genetic variants associated with Parkinson's disease

Perplexing evolutionary history of malaria transmitting mosquito species

Two genes linked to increased risk of diabetes-associated kidney disease

Mouse genome consists of 10-nm chromatin fibres

Scripps Health receives Qualcomm Foundation grant to support digital medicine research projects

New type of drug for drug-resistant cancer

Positive data from three Onconova Ex-RAD clinical trials on acute radiation syndrome

Cellectis, Medicago complete first step in therapeutic protein research collaboration

Treatment with Lfcin4-14 reduces DNA damage in colon cancer cells exposed to UV light

Synthetic hybrid molecules more effectively tackle chemo-resistant cancers

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

Latest Life Science News