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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).

Rapid DNA biochip tests for screening disease-causing bacteria

Patients affected by a bacterial infection can usually be treated with an antibiotic. But sometimes a resistant bacterial strain is causing the infection. In a hospital setting, doctors ideally want to know if they are dealing with such bacteria and which drugs they should choose. But if the doctor runs a test it can take days to get a result. Now, a European project is paving the way for much more rapid tests using DNA biochips. The aim is to rapidly screen disease-causing bacteria using a microarray to spot which resistant genes are present in bacteria.

20 Nov 2013

New approach may help researchers find new drugs for human diseases

A team of biochemists and mathematicians have developed a sophisticated geometric model to predict how a biological molecule will interact with water molecules, computing the results up to 20 times faster than other existing approaches. This new approach may help researchers find new drugs to treat human diseases, said the team, who described their theoretical approach in the Journal of Chemical Physics, which is produced by AIP Publishing.

20 Nov 2013

Gene-based method for selecting doses of warfarin no better than standardized dosing methods

A new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has determined that a gene-based method for selecting patients' doses of the popular heart medication warfarin is no better than standardized dosing methods. The study was presented today at the 2013 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Nov 2013

MO BIO Laboratories announces launch of PowerClean Pro DNA and RNA Clean-Up Kits

MO BIO Laboratories, Inc., the leader in microbial, stool, plant, and soil nucleic acid purification, announces the launch of the PowerClean Pro DNA and RNA Clean-Up Kits, featuring a fast, 7 minute protocol for removal of amplification inhibitors including humic substances, polysaccharides, polyphenolics, heme, and lipids from purified DNA or RNA.

20 Nov 2013

Study shows bacteria can passively integrate damaged DNA in their own genome

From a bacteria's perspective the environment is one big DNA waste yard. Researchers have now shown that bacteria can take up small as well as large pieces of old DNA from this scrapheap and include it in their own genome.

20 Nov 2013

Researchers discover new genetic risk factor for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Investigators at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered a new genetic risk factor for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder called NDST3. The findings are published online in Nature Communications.

20 Nov 2013

Penn researchers advance towards new DNA sequencing technique using graphene nanoribbon

The instructions for building all of the body's proteins are contained in a person's DNA, a string of chemicals that, if unwound and strung end to end, would form a sentence 3 billion letters long. Each person's sentence is unique, so learning how to read gene sequences as quickly and inexpensively as possible could pave the way to countless personalized medical applications.

19 Nov 2013

Curie-Cancer inks partnership agreements with Meiogenix to develop SpiX technology

Curie-Cancer, the body responsible for developing Institut Curie's industry partnership activity, today announces two three-year partnership agreements with Meiogenix, a French SME. Meiogenix develops SpiX technology under license from Institut Curie and Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique.

19 Nov 2013

Study confirms therapeutic potential of inhibiting Aurora-A in cancer treatment

Aurora-A is a protein involved in the cell division process that is highly expressed or synthesised in a large number of human cancers, especially in those associated with a bad prognosis. Several pharmaceutical companies have recently developed these protein inhibitors, although the therapeutic and physiological effects that blocking Aurora-A might have on adult tissues are still unknown.

19 Nov 2013

Manipulating PRH protein can help prevent cancer cells from unnecessary migration

Understanding how and why cancer cells move away from their original location is important to find ways to stop the spread of the disease. New findings, published in the Nature journal Oncogene, reveal how a protein, called 'PRH', is normally able to prevent cells from unnecessary migration. It is likely that this protein is less effective in cancer cells allowing the cells to venture away.

19 Nov 2013

Scientists use new method to draw map of cancer's family tree

A new method to take the DNA fingerprint of individual cancer cells is uncovering the true extent of cancer's genetic diversity, new research reveals.

19 Nov 2013

Mutations affecting immune system play important role in breast cancer

Mutations in the genes that defend the body against cancer-related viruses and other infections may play a larger role in breast cancer than previously thought, according to a study at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

19 Nov 2013

Habitual dietary intake of monozygotic twins associated with fecal microbiota composition

The establishment of microbial populations in the gastrointestinal-tract is a complex process, involving microbial and host interactions eventually resulting in a dense and stable population.

18 Nov 2013

Scientists reveal surprising role for HDAC1 proteins in development of skin tumors

Findings by scientists from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna reveal a surprising role for histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) - a member of a family of chromatin modifying proteins - in the development of skin tumors.

18 Nov 2013

DNA tells the story of how ancient humans first came to the Americas

University of Illinois anthropology professor Ripan Malhi looks to DNA to tell the story of how ancient humans first came to the Americas and what happened to them once they were here.

18 Nov 2013

Researchers identify genes that put children at high risk of serious asthma attacks

An international team spearheaded by researchers from the University of Copenhagen has identified the genes that put some children at particularly high risk of serious asthma attacks, including one not previously suspected of being implicated in the disease.

18 Nov 2013

Close to 100 novel human gene regions that code for proteins may be linked to cancer

By using a new analysis method, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab) in Sweden have found close to one hundred novel human gene regions that code for proteins. A number of these regions are so-called pseudogenes, which may be linked to cancer.

18 Nov 2013

Scientists discover gene associated with high risk of severe childhood asthma.

An international scientific team has discovered a gene associated with a high risk of severe childhood asthma. The specific gene variant may be an actual cause of this form of asthma, a leading cause of hospitalization in young children.

17 Nov 2013

Heidelberg scientists identify protein motifs that influence gene silencing

Bioscientists at Heidelberg University have studied the function of certain proteins, known as Argonaute (Ago) proteins, in the process of gene regulation. They sought to understand why only the Ago2 protein is able to target and directly turn off genes in humans, while the closely related Ago3 protein is not.

16 Nov 2013

Johns Hopkins undergraduate students win first and third prize in national Collegiate Inventors Competition

A Johns Hopkins undergraduate biomedical engineering student team that devised a two-part system to improve the way life-saving shocks are delivered to hearts has earned first prize in the undergraduate division of the national Collegiate Inventors Competition.

16 Nov 2013

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Rapid DNA biochip tests for screening disease-causing bacteria

New approach may help researchers find new drugs for human diseases

Gene-based method for selecting doses of warfarin no better than standardized dosing methods

MO BIO Laboratories announces launch of PowerClean Pro DNA and RNA Clean-Up Kits

Study shows bacteria can passively integrate damaged DNA in their own genome

Researchers discover new genetic risk factor for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Penn researchers advance towards new DNA sequencing technique using graphene nanoribbon

Curie-Cancer inks partnership agreements with Meiogenix to develop SpiX technology

Study confirms therapeutic potential of inhibiting Aurora-A in cancer treatment

Manipulating PRH protein can help prevent cancer cells from unnecessary migration

Scientists use new method to draw map of cancer's family tree

Mutations affecting immune system play important role in breast cancer

Habitual dietary intake of monozygotic twins associated with fecal microbiota composition

Scientists reveal surprising role for HDAC1 proteins in development of skin tumors

DNA tells the story of how ancient humans first came to the Americas

Researchers identify genes that put children at high risk of serious asthma attacks

Close to 100 novel human gene regions that code for proteins may be linked to cancer

Scientists discover gene associated with high risk of severe childhood asthma.

Heidelberg scientists identify protein motifs that influence gene silencing

Johns Hopkins undergraduate students win first and third prize in national Collegiate Inventors Competition

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