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).

AutoGenomics, Genomas sign agreement to develop DNA-guided diagnostic systems

AutoGenomics, Inc, a leader in automated microarray technology for molecular diagnostics, and Genomas, a biomedical company enabling DNA-guided medicine for personal healthcare, announced today that they have signed an agreement to jointly develop genetic tests and DNA-guided diagnostic systems for optimal selection of statins and for improved delivery of statin therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes.

7 Jul 2014

Research on intestinal microbiota overturns vision of human gut ecosystem

An international research team within the MetaHIT consortium coordinated by INRA and involving teams from CEA, CNRS and Université d'Evry, has developed a new method to analyse the global genome, or the metagenome of the intestinal microbiota.

7 Jul 2014

Scientists develop chip for detection of RNA strand of dengue fever virus

Scientists at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) in Mexico developed a chip (also known as cDNA microarray) that allows detection of the RNA strand of the dengue fever virus.

7 Jul 2014

Researchers map unknown microorganisms in human intestinal flora

Researchers from DTU Systems Biology have mapped 500 previously unknown microorganisms in human intestinal flora as well as 800 also unknown bacterial viruses (also called bacteriophages) which attack intestinal bacteria.

7 Jul 2014

Transcription factor IRF4 plays key role in brown fat's thermogenic process

The body contains two types of fat cells, easily distinguished by color: White and brown. While white fat serves to store excess calories until they're needed by the body, brown adipocytes actually burn fat by turning it into heat.

4 Jul 2014

Plasmonic biosensors: A key asset in personalised medicine

A new type of high-sensitivity and low-cost sensors, called plasmonic biosensors, could ultimately become a key asset in personalised medicine by helping to diagnose diseases at an early stage.

4 Jul 2014

Scientists find unexpected degree of complexity in transcriptional enhancers’ interactions

Contrary to what was thought, sequences of DNA called enhancers - which control a gene's output - find their targets long before they are activated during embryonic development, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have found.

4 Jul 2014

Researchers discover new way by which metabolism is linked to regulation of DNA

A research team at the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta have discovered a new way by which metabolism is linked to the regulation of DNA, the basis of our genetic code. The findings may have important implications for the understanding of many common diseases, including cancer.

4 Jul 2014

Computer simulations show how two knots on DNA strand can interchange positions

Physicists of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Graduate School of Excellence "Materials Science in Mainz" (MAINZ) have been able with the aid of computer simulations to confirm and explain a mechanism by which two knots on a DNA strand can interchange their positions.

4 Jul 2014

genOway to provide EUCOMM conditional knockout mouse models to study human diseases

genOway, the biotechnology company dedicated to the development of genetically modified animal models, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (UK) and Helmholtz Zentrum München (Germany), members of the EUCOMM Program (European Conditional Mouse Mutagenesis Program) and its successor program EUCOMMTOOLS (EUCOMM: Tools for functional annotation of the mouse genome) announce today the signing of a license enabling genOway to provide industry scientists with conditional knockout (KO) models developed by EUCOMM.

3 Jul 2014

Findings provide new insights into the basic biology of stem cells

A team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University and Salk Institute for Biological Studies has shown for the first time that stem cells created using different methods produce differing cells.

3 Jul 2014

NMR Spectroscopy for In-Vitro Diagnostic Research

An interview with Dr. Manfred Spraul, discussing AVANCE, an advanced NMR spectrometer that is being applied to the fields of epidemiology and metabolomics.

From Bruker BioSpin Group 2 Jul 2014

UCLA receives $7.2 million grant to develop ways to diagnose rare genetic disorders

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is one of six institutions nationwide chosen by the National Institutes of Health to join their effort in tackling the most difficult-to-solve medical cases and develop ways to diagnose rare genetic disorders.

1 Jul 2014

Aspirin, smoking influence aging processes of female genome connected to colorectal cancer

The risk of developing cancer increases with age. Factors like smoking and regular aspirin use also affect the risk of cancer - although in the opposite sense. Researchers from the University of Basel were now able to show that aspirin use and smoking both influence aging processes of the female genome that are connected to colorectal cancer.

1 Jul 2014

Reticular drusen linked to AMD progression

Four percent of individuals aged 49 years and above will develop reticular drusen over 15 years of follow-up, Australian study findings suggest, with the incidence higher in those with age-related macular degeneration risk factors.

1 Jul 2014

New approach may help develop more effective immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma

A new approach demonstrated that the recognition of unique cancer mutations appeared to be responsible for complete cancer regressions in two metastatic melanoma patients treated with a type of immunotherapy called adoptive T-cell therapy.

1 Jul 2014

A*STAR scientists pioneered a molecular connection between obesity and diabetes

Scientists from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, a research institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, have discovered that obese individuals lack a protein that is essential for regulating blood glucose levels, causing them to face higher risks of developing diabetes.

1 Jul 2014

Genetic variants alter chance of sunitinib dose reduction

Scientists have identified genetic variants that reduce the likelihood of sunitinib dose reduction in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

30 Jun 2014

UK's TSB provides £347,000 for project to optimise gene library assembly technology

Today, Monday 30th June, 2014, Isogenica, Cambridge UK and Imperial College London secure funding from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the UK's innovation agency, for a £347,000 project to optimise a gene library assembly technology for potential use in synthetic biology.

30 Jun 2014

Age of sperm donor does not affect outcome in terms of live birth

Despite emerging evidence of a decline in sperm quality with increasing age, an analysis of every first fertility treatment cycle performed in the UK using sperm donation shows that outcome in terms of live birth is not affected by the age of the sperm donor.

30 Jun 2014