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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).

Predictive Biosciences completes $25M Series C financing round

Predictive Biosciences, a commercial stage, fully-integrated developer of novel molecular diagnostic cancer assays and a provider of anatomic pathology laboratory products and services, today announced the completion of a $25 million Series C round of growth capital financing. New investor ProQuest Investments led the round, joined by all current investors: Flybridge Capital Partners, Highland Capital Partners, Kaiser Permanente Ventures and New Enterprise Associates.

16 Jun 2010

Independent SMB recommends continuance of Allovectin-7 Phase 3 trial for metastatic melanoma

Vical Incorporated today announced that an independent Safety Monitoring Board (SMB) for the company's Phase 3 trial of Allovectin-7® in patients with metastatic melanoma has completed the trial's fourth scheduled safety analysis and recommended that the trial continue per the protocol.

16 Jun 2010

Many Huntington's disease patients suffer from weight loss, sleeping problems

An aggregating protein causes many of the symptoms of Huntington's disease, an incurable and frequently fatal brain disorder. Mosaic winner Ahmad Aziz discovered that the abnormal protein also aggregates in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system.

16 Jun 2010

Pervasive bacterial presence unique to contaminated drywall identified

RealTime Laboratories, LLC announced today significant new findings regarding pervasive bacterial presence unique to contaminated drywall. RealTime has identified specific bacteria found only in symptomatic drywall and not in normal domestic drywall that are viable, pervasive and produce hydrogen sulfide and reduced sulfur gases under conditions similar to those found in residences.

16 Jun 2010

ISB, GIND collaborate on whole-genome sequencing to identify drug targets for Huntington's Disease

The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) of Seattle, WA, is collaborating with the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) and its Taube-Koret Center for Huntington's Disease Research to use whole-genome sequencing to identify genes and novel drug targets related to the onset and progression of Huntington's disease (HD). The research team, led by GIND associate director and senior investigator Steven Finkbeiner, MD, PhD, will also use induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from patients with HD to screen for drugs that might delay, prevent, or even reverse this devastating condition.

16 Jun 2010

NIH awards Geisinger $1.8M grant for study of nuclear ErbB3 protein

A new five-year, $1.8 million National Institutes of Health grant awarded to staff scientist Nikolaos Tapinos, M.D., Ph.D., of Geisinger's Sigfried and Janet Weis Center for Research will be used to study the role of nuclear ErbB3 protein during development of the nervous system and in response to nerve injury.

16 Jun 2010

High vitamin B levels in blood reduce lung cancer risk: Study

Regular intake of Vitamin B complex can reduce the risk of getting lung cancer, researchers have found. The research paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association however emphasized that quitting smoking was the best method to reduce the risk of lung cancer. It is too early to say that vitamin supplements can actually prevent lung cancer say researchers. Lung cancer kills nearly 1.3 million people globally each year according to the World Health Organization and 10 to 15 percent of smokers develop lung cancer.

15 Jun 2010

CLC bio headed molecular diagnostics project receives $2M grant

CLC bio, Ion Torrent, and Aarhus University Hospital - Departments of Molecular Medicine and Clinical Genetics, have received a 2 million USD grant from the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation.

15 Jun 2010

CombiMatrix Diagnostics receives final licensure documentation and approvals to begin Medicare billing

CombiMatrix Corporation announced today that its laboratory services subsidiary, CombiMatrix Diagnostics, has received the final licensure documentation and approvals from Medicare in order to begin billing for its suite of array-based diagnostics tests.

15 Jun 2010

Inovio commences immunization in U.S. Phase I clinical trial of SynCon H5N1 influenza DNA vaccine

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that it has immunized its first subject in a U.S. Phase I clinical trial to evaluate its SynCon™ H5N1 (avian) influenza DNA vaccine, VGX-3400X.

15 Jun 2010

First patient treated in multicentre Phase I clinical trial of SCIB1 DNA ImmunoBody vaccine for melanoma

Scancell Holdings Plc,, the developer of therapeutic cancer vaccines, today announces the enrolment and treatment of the first patient in its multicentre Phase I clinical trial of SCIB1, its DNA ImmunoBody® vaccine being developed for the treatment of melanoma. The trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of SCIB1 in patients with late stage melanoma.

15 Jun 2010

Help Conquer Cancer Project taps World Community Grid to discover structure of cancer-related proteins

Scientists have devised a way to automate and accelerate a manual, complex process that enables researchers to more easily discover the structure of cancer-related proteins, and, eventually, formulate cancer cures. This new, automated approach may also help the exploration of other diseases and food-related research.

15 Jun 2010

Tel Aviv University research suggests link between IVF treatments and autism

The first "test tube baby" was born in 1978. With advances in reproductive science, an estimated one percent of all American babies are now born each year through in vitro fertilization. But IVF and other assisted fertility treatments may be solving one problem by creating another, suggests new evidence from Tel Aviv University.

15 Jun 2010

SIRS-Lab, Analytik Jena partner in molecular sepsis diagnostics

SIRS-Lab GmbH and Analytik Jena AG, also based in Jena, will be strengthened by working together in the field of molecular sepsis diagnostics. As part of this cooperation, Analytik Jena subsidiary AJ Innuscreen GmbH will provide the partner with a platform for automated isolation of nucleic acids with the associated reagent system worth almost half a million euro.

15 Jun 2010

Pediatric oncologist describes current state of science in combating neuroblastoma

Pediatric oncologist John M. Maris, M.D., describes the current state of the science in combating neuroblastoma, the most common solid cancer of early childhood. In his article in the June 10, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine, "Recent Advances in Neuroblastoma," Maris reviews the field's latest research knowledge—much of it based on efforts by Maris and his colleagues at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

15 Jun 2010

Researchers discover how bacteria boost the immune system

Scientists have long known that certain types of bacteria boost the immune system. Now, Loyola University Health System researchers have discovered how bacteria perform this essential task.

15 Jun 2010

Entomologists to develop genetically engineered bacteria for killing mosquito larvae

Roughly half the world's population still lives in areas at risk of malaria transmission. Even in the United States, 1500 cases of malaria are reported annually on average.

15 Jun 2010

Winners of BioMed Central Annual Research Awards announced

The winners of BioMed Central's 4th Annual Research Awards were announced at London's Swiss Re Tower last night. The event was attended by shortlisted authors, eminent researchers, publishers, open access advocates and science journalists from around the world.

14 Jun 2010

ARCA receives approval to commence enrollment of first therapeutic trial using HIV vaccine candidate

News on the progress of a new trial may give new hope to patients with HIV who are dependent on anti-HIV drugs. The AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta has received approval to begin enrollment of the first therapeutic trial ever conducted using a promising HIV vaccine candidate from Atlanta-based, GeoVax Inc, a biotechnology company that creates, develops and tests innovative HIV/AIDS vaccines.

14 Jun 2010

Study may yield more targeted therapies for telomere associated diseases

A new study at the University of Leicester is examining a sequence of DNA- known as telomeres - that varies in length between individual.

14 Jun 2010

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Predictive Biosciences completes $25M Series C financing round

Independent SMB recommends continuance of Allovectin-7 Phase 3 trial for metastatic melanoma

Many Huntington's disease patients suffer from weight loss, sleeping problems

Pervasive bacterial presence unique to contaminated drywall identified

ISB, GIND collaborate on whole-genome sequencing to identify drug targets for Huntington's Disease

NIH awards Geisinger $1.8M grant for study of nuclear ErbB3 protein

High vitamin B levels in blood reduce lung cancer risk: Study

CLC bio headed molecular diagnostics project receives $2M grant

CombiMatrix Diagnostics receives final licensure documentation and approvals to begin Medicare billing

Inovio commences immunization in U.S. Phase I clinical trial of SynCon H5N1 influenza DNA vaccine

First patient treated in multicentre Phase I clinical trial of SCIB1 DNA ImmunoBody vaccine for melanoma

Help Conquer Cancer Project taps World Community Grid to discover structure of cancer-related proteins

Tel Aviv University research suggests link between IVF treatments and autism

SIRS-Lab, Analytik Jena partner in molecular sepsis diagnostics

Pediatric oncologist describes current state of science in combating neuroblastoma

Researchers discover how bacteria boost the immune system

Entomologists to develop genetically engineered bacteria for killing mosquito larvae

Winners of BioMed Central Annual Research Awards announced

ARCA receives approval to commence enrollment of first therapeutic trial using HIV vaccine candidate

Study may yield more targeted therapies for telomere associated diseases

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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