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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).

Cellectis 2010 total operating revenues increase 55% to EUR 15.8M

Cellectis, the genome engineering specialist, has announced its consolidated financial results for the financial year ended December 31, 2010.

31 Mar 2011

Regular CT scans can cause secondary malignancies in older men with testicular cancer

UC Davis cancer researchers have found that older men with early-stage testicular cancer who opt for surveillance with regular CT scans over lymph node removal are at greater risk for secondary cancers.

31 Mar 2011

Study links genes with alcohol consumption among Asians

In a study of 1,721 Korean male drinkers aged 40󈞱 y in an urban population-based cohort, and another sample of 1,113 male drinkers from an independent rural cohort, information on average daily alcohol consumption was collected and DNA samples were collected for genotyping.

31 Mar 2011

Study provides insight into kidney cancer

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered genetic pathways to starve selectively kidney cancer cells.

31 Mar 2011

KSB, SuperNova sign agreement to develop and commercialize Neopterin

SuperNova Diagnostics, a privately-held global diagnostics company for human and non-human health applications, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Shenzhen Kang Sheng Bao Bio-Technology, a biotechnology diagnostics company specializing in research, manufacture and distribution of in-vitro diagnostic kits and research reagents in China and affiliated markets for the research, development, manufacture and commercialisation of diagnostic products and services for the measurement of Neopterin, its metabolites and derivatives utilising the SuperNova technology platform of AmpCrystal.

31 Mar 2011

Gilead and Yale enter multi-year cancer research collaboration

Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Yale School of Medicine today announced the formation of a multi-year research collaboration focused on the discovery of novel cancer therapies. The research effort will initially span four years with an option to renew for up to ten years.

30 Mar 2011

Roche launces new GS GType HLA Primer Sets for HLA genotyping

454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company, announced today the launch and immediate availability of the new GS GType HLA Primer Sets for high- and medium-resolution genotyping of class I and class II loci of the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genes.

30 Mar 2011

XTRAC laser therapy can offer relief to patients with severe psoriasis

PhotoMedex, Inc. announced today the implications of the preliminary findings of a current clinical trial being performed by John Y.M. Koo, M.D., professor and vice chairman, department of dermatology, University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Koo's experimental treatment protocol could change the lives of millions of people suffering from moderate to severe psoriasis.

30 Mar 2011

SHMT1 gene and folate deficiency increase risk for colon cancer

Offering a likely insight into how such cancers develop in humans - Cornell University researchers report they have identified a gene that increases the risk for colon cancer in laboratory mice when the animals' diets are deficient in folate.

30 Mar 2011

Transgenomic discovers novel BLOCker-Sequencing technology

Transgenomic, Inc. today announced that it has discovered a novel sequencing technology, which the company has termed BLOCker-Sequencing, which enhances the limit of detection of standard Sanger Sequencing, enriches for direct sequencing of mutated DNA over wild-type and can be run on standard Sanger Sequencing equipment.

30 Mar 2011

Oral antioxidant formulation before medical imaging may minimize cell damage

A unique formulation of antioxidants taken orally before imaging with ionizing radiation minimizes cell damage, noted researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 36th Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, Ill.

30 Mar 2011

New schizophrenia research reveals difference in identical twins genetic makeup

Just like snowflakes, no two people are alike, even if they're identical twins according to new genetic research from The University of Western Ontario. Molecular geneticist Shiva Singh has been working with psychiatrist Dr. Richard O'Reilly to determine the genetic sequencing of schizophrenia using identical or monozygotic twins. The study is published in this month's PLoS ONE.

29 Mar 2011

Study: Donor's DNA level in heart transplant recipient's blood can reveal organ rejection

Heart transplant recipients and their physicians are likely more concerned with the function of the donated organ than with the donor's DNA sequences that tag along in the new, healthy tissue.

29 Mar 2011

Backscatter airport scanners may not increase lifetime risk of cancer in travelers

Calculations by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley estimate that the cancer risk associated with one type of airport security scanners is low based on the amount of radiation these devices emit, as long as they are operated and function correctly.

29 Mar 2011

FDA clears new BD ProbeTec Qx Amplified DNA Assays to detect HSV 1 and 2

Clinicians now have a new tool to help diagnose symptomatic patients with Herpes Simplex Viruses -- one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 29 Mar 2011

CPRIT awards $36.7 million grant to UT Southwestern for cancer research

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas has awarded more than $36.7 million in new grants to investigators at UT Southwestern Medical Center to support cancer-related projects and to recruit pre-eminent cancer investigators.

29 Mar 2011

State laws regarding baby blood samples analyzed

State laws and policies governing the storage and use of surplus blood samples taken from newborns as part of the routine health screening process range from explicit to non-existent, leaving many parents ill-informed about how their babies' left over blood might be used, according to a team led by a member of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Utah. A report on their analysis of the subject is published March 28 in the journal Pediatrics.

28 Mar 2011

Genetic link to attempted suicide discovered - Findings could lead to new avenues of treatment

Johns Hopkins scientists, reporting in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, have identified a small region on chromosome 2 that is associated with increased risk for attempted suicide. This small region contains four genes, including the ACP1 gene, and the researchers found more than normal levels of the ACP1 protein in the brains of people who had committed suicide. This protein is thought to influence the same biological pathway as lithium, a medication known to reduce the rate of suicidal behavior.

28 Mar 2011

New pill may protect DNA from radiation damage

The Japanese nuclear crisis has caused a surge in the demand of potassium iodide, causing shortages not only in Japan, but as far away as California, western Canada, and even southeastern Russia. Although potassium iodide does not provide generalized radiation protection because it only shields the thyroid, manufacturers and pharmacies are being bombarded with orders as the radiation hysteria mounts.

28 Mar 2011

Essex scientists receive £205,000 grant for breast cancer research

Scientists from the University of Essex have received a £205,000 grant from Cancer Research UK to investigate the early reversible changes in the genes associated with breast cancer development.

28 Mar 2011