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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).

Spartan RX CYP2C19 DNA testing system receives European CE Mark certification

Spartan Bioscience Inc., a privately held molecular diagnostics company that develops, manufactures, and markets DNA testing systems for on-demand applications, today announced its Spartan RX CYP2C19 received a CE IVD Mark under the European Directive on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices. The CE Mark certification allows commercial distribution in Europe as well as in all countries recognizing the CE Mark in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific regions.

20 Dec 2010

Idera reports positive data from IMO-2125/ribavirin combination Phase 1 trial in null-responder HCV patients

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today preliminary data from a 4-week dose-ranging Phase 1 clinical trial of IMO-2125 in combination with ribavirin in 60 treatment-naïve patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In the trial, treatment with IMO-2125 in combination with ribavirin was well tolerated and achieved substantial decline in virus levels at two days after the first dose of IMO-2125 and after four weeks of treatment.

20 Dec 2010

U.K. decision to close operations at Forensic Science Service could contribute to Orchid Cellmark's growth

Orchid Cellmark Inc., a leading international provider of identity DNA testing services, said today the decision by the United Kingdom government to wind-down operations at the Forensic Science Service (FSS) could contribute to Orchid Cellmark's ongoing growth.

20 Dec 2010

Researchers demonstrate that monensin antibiotic prevents prostate cancer cell growth

Researchers from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the University of Turku have demonstrated that an antibiotic called "monensin" prevents the growth of prostate cancer cells. Monensin is used in the meat and dairy industry, for example.

20 Dec 2010

EpiTherapeutics, Abbott to develop new anti-cancer drugs

EpiTherapeutics and Abbott today announced a collaboration agreement to develop new anti-cancer drugs by making small-molecule inhibitors against selected epigenetic oncology targets.

20 Dec 2010

Sustainable Phosphorus Summit, Feb. 3-5, 2011

What element is commonly found in every living creature on Earth yet may become scarce in our lifetimes? If you answer phosphorus, you-d be one of only a few individuals in tune with scientists and governments aware of limitations in this mined resource.

17 Dec 2010

23andMe project aims at validating highly scalable pharmacogenomics research

23andMe has launched a project funded by the National Institutes of Health which is aimed at validating 23andMe's highly-scalable platform for pharmacogenomics research. The company received $190,000 in stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for "Web-based Phenotyping for Genome-Wide Association Studies of Drug Response" from NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute.

17 Dec 2010

Researchers contribute important expertise to new landmark study of medulloblastoma

Pediatric cancer researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia contributed important expertise to a new landmark study of medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor typically found in children. The large multicenter study defines the genetic landscape of this cancer, and holds intriguing clues to gene changes on signaling pathways that may become fruitful targets for future therapies.

17 Dec 2010

'Histone code' needs to be used with caution

The function of histones -- the proteins that enable yards of DNA to be crammed into a single cell -- depends on a number of chemical tags adorning their exterior. This sophisticated chemical syntax for packaging DNA into tight little coils or unraveling it again -- called the "histone code" -- is the latest frontier for researchers bent on understanding how genetics encodes life.

17 Dec 2010

Prions responsible for BSE can survive in new host environment

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown that prions, bits of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or "mad cow disease," have the ability to adapt to survive in a new host environment.

17 Dec 2010

Pediatric cancer researchers study medulloblastoma for new treatment

Pediatric cancer researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia contributed important expertise to a new landmark study of medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor typically found in children.

17 Dec 2010

Genetic biomarker linked to increased risk for breast cancer found in 'junk' DNA

A new genetic biomarker that indicates an increased risk for developing breast cancer can be found in an individual's "junk" (non-coding) DNA, according to a new study featuring work from researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and their colleagues.

17 Dec 2010

Scientists decipher genetic code for pediatric medulloblastoma

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have deciphered the genetic code for medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain cancer and a leading killer of children with cancer.

16 Dec 2010

Researchers discover allium vegetable consumption may lower hip osteoarthritis

Researchers at King's College London and the University of East Anglia have discovered that women who consume a diet high in allium vegetables, such as garlic, onions and leeks, have lower levels of hip osteoarthritis

16 Dec 2010

DeCODE Genetics identify SNPs to derive PSA threshold for diagnosing prostrate cancer

Scientists from deCODE genetics and academic colleagues from Iceland, the UK, US, Netherlands, Spain and Romania today report the discovery of a set of single-letter variations in the sequence of the human genome that impact individual baseline levels of prostate specific antigen, or PSA.

16 Dec 2010

New findings says TRIM24 protein plays active role in breast cancer formation

The recently identified TRIM24 protein plays an active role in pushing normal breast cells into rapid cell proliferation and, potentially, into breast cancer.

16 Dec 2010

PEG-Prom encased nanoparticle aids in cancer detection and treatment

In a proof of principal study in mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins and the Virginia Commonwealth University have shown that a set of genetic instructions encased in a nanoparticle can be used as an "ignition switch" to rev up gene activity that aids cancer detection and treatment.

16 Dec 2010

BPA exposure reduces quality of womens' eggs retrieved for IVF

A small-scale University of California, San Francisco-led study has identified the first evidence in humans that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may compromise the quality of a woman's eggs retrieved for in vitro fertilization (IVF). As blood levels of BPA in the women studied doubled, the percentage of eggs that fertilized normally declined by 50 percent, according to the research team.

16 Dec 2010

Charité begins implementation of MGN1601 clinical phase I/II study in renal cancer

The Charité - Medical University of Berlin has today begun the implementation of the clinical study phase I/II with the renal cancer medication MGN1601 (ASET Study). With this MOLOGEN AG product, an innovative cell-based gene therapy for the treatment of advanced renal cancer is entering the first important test phase.

15 Dec 2010

Profectus' GENEVAX IL-12 pDNA adjuvant improves vaccine-induced response rate in Phase I HIV study

Profectus Biosciences, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against infectious diseases and cancers, announced today that its GENEVAX™ IL-12 pDNA adjuvant has significantly improved the vaccine-induced response rate in a Phase I clinical study of an experimental DNA vaccine for the prevention of HIV infection.

15 Dec 2010

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Spartan RX CYP2C19 DNA testing system receives European CE Mark certification

Idera reports positive data from IMO-2125/ribavirin combination Phase 1 trial in null-responder HCV patients

U.K. decision to close operations at Forensic Science Service could contribute to Orchid Cellmark's growth

Researchers demonstrate that monensin antibiotic prevents prostate cancer cell growth

EpiTherapeutics, Abbott to develop new anti-cancer drugs

Sustainable Phosphorus Summit, Feb. 3-5, 2011

23andMe project aims at validating highly scalable pharmacogenomics research

Researchers contribute important expertise to new landmark study of medulloblastoma

'Histone code' needs to be used with caution

Prions responsible for BSE can survive in new host environment

Pediatric cancer researchers study medulloblastoma for new treatment

Genetic biomarker linked to increased risk for breast cancer found in 'junk' DNA

Scientists decipher genetic code for pediatric medulloblastoma

Researchers discover allium vegetable consumption may lower hip osteoarthritis

DeCODE Genetics identify SNPs to derive PSA threshold for diagnosing prostrate cancer

New findings says TRIM24 protein plays active role in breast cancer formation

PEG-Prom encased nanoparticle aids in cancer detection and treatment

BPA exposure reduces quality of womens' eggs retrieved for IVF

Charité begins implementation of MGN1601 clinical phase I/II study in renal cancer

Profectus' GENEVAX IL-12 pDNA adjuvant improves vaccine-induced response rate in Phase I HIV study

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