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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).

WCI sponsors 5th Annual Jean Sindab Triple Negative Breast Cancer Symposium

The 5th Annual Jean Sindab Triple Negative Breast Cancer Symposium, sponsored by the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, provides an intimate learning environment in which the most current advances in triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) will be explored.

30 Apr 2012

Consumption of resistant starch leads to positive changes in the bowel

Consumption of resistant starch leads to positive changes in the bowel and could protect against genetic damage implicated in bowel cancer.

27 Apr 2012

Allied Healthcare increases stake in Coridon to over 44%

Allied Healthcare Group (ASX: AHZ) announced today that post the recent capital raising it has invested a further $1 million into Coridon, increasing its holding in the company to 44.4%. Allied has increased its investment in Coridon as the Company progresses towards its Phase I study for a herpes vaccine and makes further progress on its HPV therapeutic vaccine program.

26 Apr 2012

U of A develops new technology that enables personalized medicine

You wouldn't know it from appearances, but a metal cube the size of a toaster, created at the University of Alberta, is capable of performing the same genetic tests as most fully equipped modern laboratories-and in a fraction of the time.

26 Apr 2012

Fragile-X gene linked with disrupting de novo mutations in children with autism

A team led by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) publishes research today indicating a striking association between genes found disrupted in children with autism and genes that are targets of FMRP, the protein generated by the gene FMR1, whose dysfunction causes Fragile-X syndrome.

26 Apr 2012

InDex Pharmaceuticals granted U.S. patent for novel treatment of steroid-resistant inflammation

InDex Pharmaceuticals today announced that it has been granted a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent provides additional protection for the use of Kappaproct® and additional DNA-based immunomodulatory sequences (DIMS) for the treatment of steroid-resistant inflammatory diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, asthma, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

26 Apr 2012

PLUS Diagnostics, MDxHealth partner to co-promote ConfirmMDx for Prostate Cancer

MDxHealth SA, a leading molecular diagnostic company that develops and commercializes epigenetic tests to support cancer treatment, and PLUS Diagnostics today announced that they have entered into an agreement to co-promote MDxHealth's ConfirmMDx for Prostate Cancer test in the United States.

26 Apr 2012

New 'super food' breakthrough in sports nutrition

RESEARCHERS have found that antioxidant-rich watercress, often labelled a super-food, can alleviate the natural stress put on our body by a workout.

26 Apr 2012

Body’s own DNA can cause inflammation in the heart

DNA from the heart's own cells plays a role in heart failure by mistakenly activating the body's immune system, according to a study by British and Japanese researchers, co-funded by the British Heart Foundation.

26 Apr 2012

P-bodies have a much broader role in controlling the activities of the cell than previously thought

Cells can reuse the chemical messengers that carry genetic information to the machinery that makes proteins. Sometimes cells shuttle the messengers to storage and later reactivate them to make proteins, according to new research.

26 Apr 2012

Leica receives FDA Pre-Market Approval for new HER2 IHC test

Leica Biosystems, a division of Leica Microsystems, announced that it has received Pre-Market Approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the Leica Bond Oracle HER2 IHC System with the Leica BOND-MAX, establishing their commitment to developing quality companion diagnostic products.

26 Apr 2012

Kids who are abused or bullied may age faster

The study finds that violence-related stress in children affects telomeres - special DNA sequences found at the tips of chromosomes. Telomeres, which prevent DNA from unravelling, get shorter each time cells divide, which limits the number of times cells can divide. Shorter telomeres have been linked to poorer survival and chronic diseases. Previous research has shown that smoking, obesity, mental-health disorders and stress may accelerate the process of telomere loss. This suggests that telomere length may reflect a person's biological age as well as their chronological age.

25 Apr 2012

Eating pistachios may help alter levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut

A preliminary 16-person study suggests that eating pistachios may help alter levels of potentially beneficial bacteria in the gut, a finding that holds promise for supporting digestive health. The research, presented as an abstract this week at the Experimental Biology conference, is the first study of pistachios and almonds and their modulating role on the gut microbiota composition.

25 Apr 2012

Non-coding RNA gives off biological signals during viral infection

Once considered unimportant "junk DNA," scientists have learned that non-coding RNA (ncRNA) - RNA molecules that do not translate into proteins - play a crucial role in cellular function. Mutations in ncRNA are associated with a number of conditions, such as cancer, autism, and Alzheimer's disease.

25 Apr 2012

Researchers create aqueous nanopore for use in high-speed genomic sequencing device

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Yale University have developed a new concept for use in a high-speed genomic sequencing device that may have the potential to substantially drive down costs.

25 Apr 2012

PET/CT could help improve prediction of heart attack

An award-winning research project, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), has tested a new imaging method which could help improve how doctors predict a patient's risk of having a heart attack.

25 Apr 2012

Stress can shorten telomeres at a very young age

Children who have experienced violence might really be older than their years. The DNA of 10-year-olds who experienced violence in their young lives has been found to show wear and tear normally associated with aging, a Duke University study has found.

24 Apr 2012

TopBP1 protein prevents early brain cells from DNA damage

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have rewritten the job description of the protein TopBP1 after demonstrating that it guards early brain cells from DNA damage. Such damage might foreshadow later problems, including cancer.

24 Apr 2012

Novel technological treatment for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

A research team, led by John Guy, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has pioneered a novel technological treatment for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), an inherited genetic defect that causes rapid, permanent, and bilateral loss of vision in people of all ages, but primarily males ages 20-40.

24 Apr 2012

Researchers identify gene that increases risk of MI in newborns with CF

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a gene that modifies the risk of newborns with cystic fibrosis (CF) developing neonatal intestinal obstruction, a potentially lethal complication of CF.

24 Apr 2012