DNA News and Research

RSS

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).

The genetics of Candida albicans to be explored

A University of Arkansas postdoctoral researcher has received funding from the American Heart Association to study the genetics of a fungus that has the potential to kill people when they are most vulnerable - after organ transplants.

1 Nov 2007

Significant improvement over current test for human papillomavirus

Iowa State University researchers have developed a technology that detects a single molecule of the virus associated with cervical cancer in women.

31 Oct 2007

One in seven Americans over the age of 70 suffers from dementia

About 3.4 million people, or 13.9 percent of the population age 71 and older, have some form of dementia, the study found. As expected, the prevalence of dementia increased dramatically with age, from five percent of those aged 71 to 79 to 37.4 percent of those age 90 and older.

31 Oct 2007

Stanford scientists find gene that gives dogs black fur

A discovery about the genetics of coat color in dogs could help explain why humans come in different weights and vary in our abilities to cope with stress, a team led by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine reports.

30 Oct 2007

Copper transporter plays an unexpected role in the absorption of cisplatin

Platinum complexes such as the well-known cisplatin are powerful antitumor medications. They cross the cell membrane and reach the nucleus, where they attach to DNA and stop cell growth. But how does cisplatin get to the nucleus?

30 Oct 2007

Scientists use shared genome data to confirm SORL1 gene linked to Alzheimer's

Until recently, only one of the approximately 30,000 genes in the human genome has been linked to risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD).

29 Oct 2007

Canadian beef the culprit in E.coli outbreaks in U.S. and Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a warning to the public regarding various beef products.

29 Oct 2007

Possible biomarker for colon cancer in people under 50

An abnormality of chromosomes long associated with diseases of aging has, for the first time, been linked to colon cancer in people 50 years old and younger, an age group usually considered young for this disease.

28 Oct 2007

Red hair and freckles - Neanderthals in Europe

Fossil remains of Neanderthals paint an incomplete picture; they cannot tell us about their cognitive skills or give us details of what they looked like.

28 Oct 2007

Possible biomarker for colon cancer in people 50 and under

28 Oct 2007

Discovery of a key cell-signaling pathway

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers have discovered a key cell-signaling pathway that regulates cell progression and switches on front-to-back body patterning in tadpoles.

28 Oct 2007

Sigma-Aldrich and Oxford BioMedica win key ruling in Open Biosystems patent case

Sigma-Aldrich and Oxford BioMedica have announced that they received a key order confirming the strength and validity of intellectual property owned by Oxford BioMedica and licensed exclusively in the research field to Sigma-Aldrich.

25 Oct 2007

piRNAs play an important role in controlling gene function

A study by researchers at the Yale Stem Cell Center for the first time demonstrates that piRNAs, a recently discovered class of tiny RNAs, play an important role in controlling gene function, it was reported this week in Nature.

25 Oct 2007

Not just humans benefit from animal biotechnology

Laboratory animals are the source of major discoveries and breakthroughs in biology, not just in tackling disease but also unravelling fundamental molecular processes.

25 Oct 2007

Potential new ways to treat ulcers

The alarming truth is more than 14.5 million people suffer from ulcers worldwide due to factors such as stress and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).

24 Oct 2007

Genetics of alcoholism

While both environmental and genetic factors contribute to the risk of developing alcohol dependence, it is believed to be a largely heritable – 52 to 64 percent – disease.

24 Oct 2007

Combination targets offer new hope in fight against cancer

While some targeted therapies - drugs developed to attack specific molecules in the critical chemical pathways occurring within cancer cells - work well by themselves, increasingly researchers are finding that they work better when teamed with other targeted and conventional therapies.

24 Oct 2007