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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).

Researchers discover new genetic cause of rare, complex form of epilepsy

A research team led by scientists at the Scripps Translational Science Institute has used whole genome sequencing to identify a new genetic cause of a severe, rare and complex form of epilepsy that becomes evident in early childhood and can lead to early death.

7 Nov 2014

Researchers obtain detailed picture of how Gas5 RNA interacts with steroid hormone receptors

It arises from what scientists previously described as "junk DNA" or "the dark matter of the genome," but this gene is definitely not junk.

7 Nov 2014

Zinc supplements more beneficial for some people with diabetes

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and elsewhere have found that genetic differences may account for why zinc supplements are more beneficial to some people than to others for the prevention and control of diabetes. The results of their pilot study of a population of Old Order Amish is believed to be the first to point out the relevance of small genetic differences in response to zinc supplementation at play in diabetes management.

7 Nov 2014

Olaparib shows promise for advanced cancers associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations

Olaparib, an experimental twice-daily oral cancer drug, produces an overall tumor response rate of 26 percent in several advanced cancers associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, according to new research co-led by the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

7 Nov 2014

Scientists develop human stem cell disease model of Parkinson's disease in a dish

A team of scientists led by The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute successfully created a human stem cell disease model of Parkinson's disease in a dish. Studying a pair of identical (monozygotic) twins, one affected and one unaffected with Parkinson's disease, another unrelated Parkinson's patient, and four healthy control subjects, the scientists were able to observe key features of the disease in the laboratory, specifically differences in the patients' neurons' ability to produce dopamine, the molecule that is deficient in Parkinson's disease.

6 Nov 2014

Joslin researcher identifies molecular pathway that causes neural tube defects in diabetic pregnancies

Mary R. Loeken, Ph.D., Investigator in the Section on Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology at Joslin Diabetes Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, has discovered a molecular pathway responsible for neural tube defects in diabetic pregnancies. Her latest research findings in this pathway were published in the October issue of Diabetes.

6 Nov 2014

EKF Molecular Diagnostics to present at AMP annual meeting

EKF, announces that senior executives from EKF Molecular Diagnostics including CEO, Andrew Webb, will be present at the Association for Molecular Pathology.

From EKF Diagnostics 6 Nov 2014

Researchers develop mouse model that reproduces most typical features of Noonan syndrome

Noonan syndrome is a rare disease that is characterised by a set of pathologies, including heart, facial and skeletal alterations, pulmonary stenosis, short stature, and a greater incidence of haematological problems (mainly juvenile myeloid leukaemia, or childhood leukaemia).

6 Nov 2014

New research suggests that brain aging can be postponed if placed on a high-fat diet

New Danish-led research suggests that signs of brain aging can be postponed in mice if placed on a high-fat diet. In the long term, this opens the possibility of treatment of children suffering from premature aging and patients with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The research project is headed by the Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen and the National Institute of Health.

6 Nov 2014

Effects of unhealthy lifestyle persist even after atherosclerosis treatment

Almost everyone knows that improving your eating habits will most likely improve your health. What most people may not know, however, is that the effects of poor eating habits persist long after dietary habits are improved. In a new report appearing in the November 2014 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, scientists use mice to show that even after successful treatment of atherosclerosis (including lowering of blood cholesterol and a change in dietary habits) the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle still affect the way the immune system functions.

6 Nov 2014

Research findings could pave way for new treatments against filoviruses

Filoviruses like Ebola "edit" genetic material as they invade their hosts, according to a study published this week in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

5 Nov 2014

UCLA study: Asthma harms more than just the lungs, may be more harmful than previously thought

Asthma may be more harmful than was previously thought, according to UCLA researchers who found that genetic damage is present in circulating, or peripheral, blood. Doctors previously thought that the genetic damage it caused was limited to the lungs.

5 Nov 2014

Researchers develop new test to identify drugs that could work against Lyme disease

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a test they say will allow them to test thousands of FDA-approved drugs to see if they will work against the bacteria that causes tick-borne Lyme disease.

4 Nov 2014

MO BIO Laboratories announces launch of PowerMag Blood DNA/RNA Isolation Kit

MO BIO Laboratories, Inc., the leader in soil, stool and microbial nucleic acid purification, announces the launch of the PowerMag Blood DNA/RNA Isolation Kit. The kit is designed for automated, hands-free purification of nucleic acids from blood samples using the Thermo Scientific KingFisher automated processing system and other similar automation platforms.

4 Nov 2014

Innovative tool could redefine limits of synthetic biology, improve study of yeast genetics

NYU Langone yeast geneticists report they have developed a novel tool -- dubbed "the telomerator" -- that could redefine the limits of synthetic biology and advance how successfully living things can be engineered or constructed in the laboratory based on an organism's genetic, chemical base-pair structure.

4 Nov 2014

Scientists develop new system to treat a host of genetic conditions

As potential next-generation therapeutics and research tools, few life sciences technologies hold more promise than genome-editing proteins – molecules that can be programmed to alter specific genes in order to treat or even cure genetic diseases.

31 Oct 2014

DNA Diagnostics Forensics recognized at OIP's tenth Anniversary Gala

DNA Diagnostics Forensics, a Division of DNA Diagnostics Center, the world's largest paternity testing company, was honored at Ohio Innocence Project's tenth Anniversary Gala, celebrating freedom for those exonerated, and the organizations that have contributed to the effort.

31 Oct 2014

New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics

Oligonucleotide-based therapeutics present unique challenges when it comes to testing their potential to cause reproductive and developmental harm. New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing that take into consideration the combined chemical and biological characteristics of these novel biopharmaceuticals are presented in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers.

31 Oct 2014

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Two major genetic studies of autism, led in part by UC San Francisco scientists and involving more than 50 laboratories worldwide, have newly implicated dozens of genes in the disorder. The research shows that rare mutations in these genes affect communication networks in the brain and compromise fundamental biological mechanisms that govern whether, when, and how genes are activated overall.

31 Oct 2014

Molecular profiling reveals potential therapeutic targets for lung cancer

Analysis of 607 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) lung tumors and neuroendocrine tumors (NET) identified common molecular markers among both groups that could reveal new therapeutic targets for patients with similar types of lung cancer, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

31 Oct 2014

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers discover new genetic cause of rare, complex form of epilepsy

Researchers obtain detailed picture of how Gas5 RNA interacts with steroid hormone receptors

Zinc supplements more beneficial for some people with diabetes

Olaparib shows promise for advanced cancers associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations

Scientists develop human stem cell disease model of Parkinson's disease in a dish

Joslin researcher identifies molecular pathway that causes neural tube defects in diabetic pregnancies

EKF Molecular Diagnostics to present at AMP annual meeting

Researchers develop mouse model that reproduces most typical features of Noonan syndrome

New research suggests that brain aging can be postponed if placed on a high-fat diet

Effects of unhealthy lifestyle persist even after atherosclerosis treatment

Research findings could pave way for new treatments against filoviruses

UCLA study: Asthma harms more than just the lungs, may be more harmful than previously thought

Researchers develop new test to identify drugs that could work against Lyme disease

MO BIO Laboratories announces launch of PowerMag Blood DNA/RNA Isolation Kit

Innovative tool could redefine limits of synthetic biology, improve study of yeast genetics

Scientists develop new system to treat a host of genetic conditions

DNA Diagnostics Forensics recognized at OIP's tenth Anniversary Gala

New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Molecular profiling reveals potential therapeutic targets for lung cancer

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