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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).

Research shows promise for developing a method of clearly identifying cancerous tissue during surgery

First-of-its-kind research by the Innovation Institute at Henry Ford Hospital shows promise for developing a method of clearly identifying cancerous tissue during surgery on one of the most common and deadliest types of brain tumor.

30 Jan 2014

Vaccine to treat precancerous cervical lesions triggers immune cell response

Preliminary results of a small clinical trial show that a vaccine used to treat women with high-grade precancerous cervical lesions triggers an immune cell response within the damaged tissue itself.

30 Jan 2014

Researchers identify unique area of human brain associated with cognitive powers

Oxford University researchers have identified an area of the human brain that appears unlike anything in the brains of some of our closest relatives.

29 Jan 2014

Researcher receives 2014 Japan Prize in Life Sciences for extraordinary work in the field of epigenetics

C. David Allis, a pioneer in the field of epigenetics whose discovery that chemical modifications of DNA-packaging proteins play a key role in regulating the activity of individual genes, will be awarded the 2014 Japan Prize in Life Sciences. The announcement, by the Japan Prize Foundation, was made at a press conference in Tokyo this morning.

29 Jan 2014

BD announces commercial availability of CE-marked PAXgene Blood DNA Tube in Europe

BD, a leading global medical technology company, today announced the commercial availability of the CE-marked PAXgene Blood DNA Tube in Europe. The PAXgene Blood DNA Tube is the first blood collection tube designed specifically for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) genomic DNA testing. The product was developed by PreAnalytiX GmbH, a joint venture between BD and QIAGEN.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 28 Jan 2014

Johns Hopkins researchers reveal how non-CpG methylation may contribute to Rett Syndrome

In normal development, all cells turn off genes they don’t need, often by attaching a chemical methyl group to the DNA, a process called methylation. Historically, scientists believed methyl groups could only stick to a particular DNA sequence: a cytosine followed by a guanine, called CpG. But in recent years, they have been found on other sequences, and so-called non-CpG methylation has been found in stem cells, and in neurons in the brain.

28 Jan 2014

New modular structures 'glued' with DNA to deliver cancer medications

A team of researchers at the University of Toronto has discovered a method of assembling "building blocks" of gold nanoparticles as the vehicle to deliver cancer medications or cancer-identifying markers directly into cancerous tumors.

28 Jan 2014

GenePeeks receives patent for developing innovative algorithms to create hypothetical "digital babies"

GenePeeks, Inc., a genetic technology company focused on pre-conception risk prediction, announced today it has been issued patent No. 8,620,594, titled "Method and System for Generating a Virtual Progeny Genome," by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

28 Jan 2014

Jackson Laboratory associate professor receives grant to study gene regulation at RNA level

Jackson Laboratory Associate Professor Jeffrey Chuang, Ph.D., has been awarded a two-year grant totaling $519,750 from the National Human Genome Research Institute for his studies of how RNA (molecules vital to protein formation in cells) interacts with proteins to change how genes are expressed.

27 Jan 2014

South Korean lung SCC genetic secrets revealed

Close examination of DNA taken from squamous cell carcinoma of the lung in South Korean patients has identified a gene fusion that may be targeted by current treatments, scientists say.

27 Jan 2014

New Chromatrap Enzymatic Shearing Kit announced by Porvair Sciences

Porvair Sciences has announced a new Chromatrap Enzymatic Shearing Kit that contains all the necessary reagents and buffers for up to 10 chromatin preparations.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 27 Jan 2014

NextSource BioTechnology announces product re-launch, market availability of Lomustine in U.S.

NextSource BioTechnology, LLC, (NSB), an emerging Specialty Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Marketing Company focused on Consolidating, Re-Branding and Launching "Matured & Orphan Drugs," has announced its most recent product Lomustine (CCNU), formerly known as CeeNu® by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), which has officially been removed from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Drug Shortage List.

27 Jan 2014

Research: Architecture of DNA maintained by protein ANP32E

A team of scientists from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), the Institut de G-n-tique et de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire (Strassbourg France), and the Institut Albert Bonniot (Grenoble, France) have made an important finding on how genes are regulated. This study will be released in the January 30th, 2014 print issue of the journal Nature.

27 Jan 2014

Researchers identify important steps to understand mechanisms underlying pathogenic effect of prions

"When they are healthy, they look like tiny spheres; when they are malignant, they appear as cubes" stated Giuseppe Legname, principal investigator of the Prion Biology Laboratory at the Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) in Trieste, when describing prion proteins.

25 Jan 2014

New drugs for treatment of prostate cancer may not target root cause of the disease

NEW drugs being developed for the treatment of prostate cancer may not be targeting the root cause of the disease, according to research published today (Friday, 24 January 2014) in Cell Death & Differentiation.

25 Jan 2014

Scientists identify genetic alterations in pediatric soft-tissue cancer

Scientists have mapped the genetic changes that drive tumors in rhabdomyosarcoma, a pediatric soft-tissue cancer, and found that the disease is characterized by two distinct genotypes. The genetic alterations identified in this malignancy could be useful in developing targeted diagnostic tools and treatments for children with the disease. The study, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues, appeared in the Jan. 23, 2014, issue of the journal Cancer Discovery.

24 Jan 2014

Researchers locate two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain

Setting the stage for possible advances in pain treatment, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland report they have pinpointed two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain in mice. The molecules, they say, also appear to have a role in the phenomenon that causes uninjured areas of the body to be more sensitive to pain when an area nearby has been hurt.

24 Jan 2014

Environmental endocrine disrupters may endanger embryonic heart valves

Exposure to environmental endocrine disrupters, such as bisphenol A, which mimic estrogen, is associated with adverse health effects. Bisphenol A is commonly found in plastic bottles and plastic food containers. New research from a team including Carnegie's Daniel Gorelick and Marnie Halpern on the effects of these chemicals on zebrafish shows that embryonic heart valves could be particularly in danger. It is published by Environmental Health Perspectives.

24 Jan 2014

Simple protein test useful in predicting survival chances for patients with head-and-neck cancer

Scientists from The University of Manchester - part of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre - used a simple protein test that could prove more useful in predicting survival chances for patients with head-and-neck cancer compared to existing methods.

24 Jan 2014

Researchers reveal how genetic susceptibility plays large role in cancer risk

In laboratory experiments conducted on human cell lines at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, scientists have shown that people carrying certain mutations in two hereditary cancer genes, BRCA2 and PALB2, may have a higher than usual susceptibility to DNA damage caused by a byproduct of alcohol, called acetaldehyde.

24 Jan 2014

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Research shows promise for developing a method of clearly identifying cancerous tissue during surgery

Vaccine to treat precancerous cervical lesions triggers immune cell response

Researchers identify unique area of human brain associated with cognitive powers

Researcher receives 2014 Japan Prize in Life Sciences for extraordinary work in the field of epigenetics

BD announces commercial availability of CE-marked PAXgene Blood DNA Tube in Europe

Johns Hopkins researchers reveal how non-CpG methylation may contribute to Rett Syndrome

New modular structures 'glued' with DNA to deliver cancer medications

GenePeeks receives patent for developing innovative algorithms to create hypothetical "digital babies"

Jackson Laboratory associate professor receives grant to study gene regulation at RNA level

South Korean lung SCC genetic secrets revealed

New Chromatrap Enzymatic Shearing Kit announced by Porvair Sciences

NextSource BioTechnology announces product re-launch, market availability of Lomustine in U.S.

Research: Architecture of DNA maintained by protein ANP32E

Researchers identify important steps to understand mechanisms underlying pathogenic effect of prions

New drugs for treatment of prostate cancer may not target root cause of the disease

Scientists identify genetic alterations in pediatric soft-tissue cancer

Researchers locate two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain

Environmental endocrine disrupters may endanger embryonic heart valves

Simple protein test useful in predicting survival chances for patients with head-and-neck cancer

Researchers reveal how genetic susceptibility plays large role in cancer risk

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