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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).

Novel drug may increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy for brain cancer

A novel drug may help increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy for the most deadly form of brain cancer, report scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. In mouse models of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the new drug helped significantly extend survival when used in combination with radiation therapy.

15 May 2013

Echevarne to distribute Natera's non-invasive prenatal screening test in Spain

Natera, a leading innovator in prenatal genetic testing, and Echevarne, a leading clinical analysis laboratory in Spain, today announced the signing of a distribution agreement for Echevarne to offer Natera's non-invasive prenatal screening test, Panorama, through its facilities in Spain.

From Natera 15 May 2013

IFR scientists mine the genome of C. botulinum to reveal new information about toxin genes

The toxin that causes botulism is the most potent that we know of. Eating an amount of toxin just 1000th the weight of a grain of salt can be fatal, which is why so much effort has been put into keeping Clostridium botulinum, which produces the toxin, out of our food.

15 May 2013

Better understanding of cells' development has implications in study of inflammatory diseases

Labs around the world, and a core group at Penn, have been studying recently described populations of immune cells called innate lymphoid cells. Some researchers liken them to foot soldiers that protect boundary tissues such as the skin, the lining of the lung, and the lining of the gut from microbial onslaught. They also have shown they play a role in inflammatory disease, when the body's immune system is too active.

15 May 2013

ALKBH7 protein plays key role in controlling programmed necrosis pathway

When cells suffer too much DNA damage, they are usually forced to undergo programmed cell death, or apoptosis. However, cancer cells often ignore these signals, flourishing even after chemotherapy drugs have ravaged their DNA.

15 May 2013

Annual Century for the Cure bike ride supports research on hematologic malignancies

The annual Century for the Cure bike ride that has raised more than $1 million since 2005 for research at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is now making it possible for new scientific exploration in the area of hematologic malignancies.

14 May 2013

First Edition: May 13, 2013

Today's headlines include reports that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has been seeking out funds from private sources to support efforts to publicize the health law.

13 May 2013

Scientists make novel discoveries concerning current vaccine against whooping cough

Scientists at Trinity College Dublin have made novel discoveries concerning the current vaccine against whooping cough that may lead to the development of an improved future vaccine.

13 May 2013

New research shows that spontaneous mutations contribute to congenital heart disease

Every year, thousands of babies are born with severely malformed hearts, disorders known collectively as congenital heart disease. Many of these defects can be repaired though surgery, but researchers don't understand what causes them or how to prevent them. New research shows that about 10 percent of these defects are caused by genetic mutations that are absent in the parents of affected children.

13 May 2013

Disease-in-a-dish models show promise for treating ataxia telangiectasia

Led by Dr. Peiyee Lee and Dr. Richard Gatti, researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have used induced pluripotent stem cells to advance disease-in-a-dish modeling of a rare genetic disorder, ataxia telangiectasia.

13 May 2013

Ancient DNA study provides information about origin of Justinianic Plague

From the several pandemics generally called 'pestilences' three are historically recognized as due to plague, but only for the third pandemic of the 19th to 21st centuries AD there were microbiological evidences that the causing agent was the bacterium Yersinia pestis.

13 May 2013

Study: Rb plays critical role in maintaining starvation-induced transcriptome

A particular tumor suppressor gene that fights cancer cells does more than clamp down on unabated cell division -- the hallmark of the disease -- it also can help make cells more fit by allowing them to fend off stress, says a University of Colorado Boulder study.

13 May 2013

Inherited mutations in p53 gene put people at high risk of developing cancers

The understanding of how a powerful protein called p53 protects against cancer development has been upended by a discovery by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers. More than half of human cancers carry defects in the gene for p53, and almost all other cancers, with a normal p53 gene, carry other defects that somehow impair the function of the p53 protein. Inherited mutations in the p53 gene put people at a very high risk of developing a range of cancers.

10 May 2013

Scientists identify new way to boost gene-silencing mechanism

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has found how to boost or inhibit a gene-silencing mechanism that normally serves as a major controller of cells' activities. The discovery could lead to a powerful new class of drugs against viral infections, cancers and other diseases.

10 May 2013

Research findings have important implications for developmental and cancer biology

Researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah have discovered that while the genes provided by the father arrive at fertilization pre-programmed to the state needed by the embryo, the genes provided by the mother are in a different state and must be reprogrammed to match.

10 May 2013

Research could help battle stubborn bacterial infections that do not respond to antibiotics

Bacteria on a surface wander around and often organize into highly resilient communities known as biofilms. It turns out that they organize in a rich-get-richer pattern similar to many economies, according to a new study by researchers at UCLA, Northwestern University and the University of Washington.

10 May 2013

National Institutes of Health names University of Rochester a Center for AIDS Research

The University of Rochester was named a Center for AIDS Research by the National Institutes of Health, a designation that infuses $7.5 million into HIV/AIDS work across the University and places it amongst the best in the nation for research to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of the disease.

10 May 2013

Researchers reveal how genes are turned on and off during early human development

A large, multi-institutional research team involved in the NIH Epigenome Roadmap Project has published a sweeping analysis in the current issue of the journal Cell of how genes are turned on and off to direct early human development.

10 May 2013

Modifications in key epigenetic markers influence human embryonic stem cells

Scientists have long known that control mechanisms known collectively as "epigenetics" play a critical role in human development, but they did not know precisely how alterations in this extra layer of biochemical instructions in DNA contribute to development.

10 May 2013

Researchers discover novel mechanism of tumor hypoxia

An article published recently in Tumor Microenvironment and Therapy - an open access journal by Versita, defines a novel mechanism of tumor hypoxia induced by the longitudinal gradient of residual oxygen along tumor vessels as they transverse the tumor.

10 May 2013

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Novel drug may increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy for brain cancer

Echevarne to distribute Natera's non-invasive prenatal screening test in Spain

IFR scientists mine the genome of C. botulinum to reveal new information about toxin genes

Better understanding of cells' development has implications in study of inflammatory diseases

ALKBH7 protein plays key role in controlling programmed necrosis pathway

Annual Century for the Cure bike ride supports research on hematologic malignancies

First Edition: May 13, 2013

Scientists make novel discoveries concerning current vaccine against whooping cough

New research shows that spontaneous mutations contribute to congenital heart disease

Disease-in-a-dish models show promise for treating ataxia telangiectasia

Ancient DNA study provides information about origin of Justinianic Plague

Study: Rb plays critical role in maintaining starvation-induced transcriptome

Inherited mutations in p53 gene put people at high risk of developing cancers

Scientists identify new way to boost gene-silencing mechanism

Research findings have important implications for developmental and cancer biology

Research could help battle stubborn bacterial infections that do not respond to antibiotics

National Institutes of Health names University of Rochester a Center for AIDS Research

Researchers reveal how genes are turned on and off during early human development

Modifications in key epigenetic markers influence human embryonic stem cells

Researchers discover novel mechanism of tumor hypoxia

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