DNA News and Research

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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).

Bioniche granted patent for oligonucleotide technology

Bioniche Life Sciences has announced that it has been granted a European patent - EP1432450 - covering the composition and use of a novel oligonucleotide family for the treatment of cancer entitled: "Therapeutically Useful Triethyleneglycol Cholesteryl Oligonucleotides"

17 Mar 2006

Third Wave Technologies issued "Invasive Cleavage of Nucleic Acids" patent

Third Wave Technologies has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,011,944, entitled "Invasive Cleavage of Nucleic Acids," to the company.

17 Mar 2006

European research brings us a step closer to a better understanding of psychiatric disorders

About 1 in 10 Europeans has to contend with some form of depression during his or her life. But how people become depressed is still largely a mystery.

15 Mar 2006

Researchers use computer simulations to mimic DNA mess inside the nucleus

Almost three metres of tightly-coiled DNA strands fit into a cell's nucleus. As DNA replicates, the strands unwind and unfold and then re-package into chromosomes, the genetic blueprints of life - but what happens if this process becomes entangled?

15 Mar 2006

Discovery in yeast opens door to new source of information on DNA damage, repair, and cancer

The discovery in yeast cells of a genetic network that guards against lethal DNA damage is a first step in the creation of a database of disease-causing combinations of mutated human genes, according to researchers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine led by Jef. D. Boeke, Ph.D.

15 Mar 2006

Cells in mucus from lungs point to a unique screening method that could lead to earlier treatment of lung cancer

In a group of high-risk patients, a test that examined DNA from cells expelled in sputum for evidence of "silenced" genes correctly identified the majority of patients who were later diagnosed with lung cancer, say researchers in a study published in the March 15 issue of Cancer Research.

15 Mar 2006

Man-made chemical compound targets and kills tumor cells

A man-made chemical compound called ARC causes tumor cells to die but leaves normal cells unharmed, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago report in a study highlighted in the March 15 issue of Cancer Research.

15 Mar 2006

Innovative treatment for critical limb ischemia

A new randomized study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 55th Annual Scientific Session investigates an innovative treatment for critical limb ischemia, or lack of arterial blood supply and oxygen to the legs, using a therapeutic approach to generate new blood vessels.

14 Mar 2006

Cells have a natural defense against HIV

Scientists here have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that cells use to fight off the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the cause of AIDS.

14 Mar 2006

Study recommends treatment change for pre-leukemia disease

A new study finds that longer courses of a mild form of chemotherapy may help patients with a bone marrow disease only recently considered a form of cancer.

14 Mar 2006

Decitabine improves myelodysplastic syndrome treatment

A potent member of a new class of drugs increases survival in some patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and may become the new standard of therapy for this group of pre-cancer disorders

14 Mar 2006

Smk-1 is the first known gene that regulates longevity without disrupting life-sustaining function

Within a hormone-triggered cascade of molecular signals that plays a crucial for a wide range of physiological functions, researchers for the very first time have identified a protein that functions specifically to extend lifespan and youthfulness - without disrupting fertility

13 Mar 2006

Wobble pairs make RNA more reactive

The wealth of information contained in a strand of genetic material boils down to sequences of matched pairs of nucleotides that cellular machinery decodes to construct proteins.

13 Mar 2006

Breakthrough in fast, disposable DNA testing

Thermal Gradient announced today that it has successfully developed a 30-cycle PCR device that can amplify DNA in just 4.4 minutes, far faster than anything available in the marketplace.

9 Mar 2006

Scientists create a mosquito resistant to Type 2 dengue fever virus

Researchers have successfully created a genetically engineered mosquito that shows a high level of resistance against the most prevalent type of dengue fever virus, providing a powerful weapon against a disease that infects 50 million people each year.

9 Mar 2006