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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).

Smple, painless test screens for early-stage colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is currently one of the deadliest forms of cancer -- but also one of the most treatable ... if caught early. There are diagnostic tests on the market today but they typically require extensive patient preparation and invasive procedures -- and often deliver inconclusive results.

22 Feb 2005

Secreted signaling protein called Wnt10b secret to new drugs for preventing or treating osteoporosis

Leaping tall buildings in a single bound may be out of the question, but the genetically engineered "supermice" in Ormond MacDougald's laboratory at the University of Michigan Medical School are definitely stronger than average.

22 Feb 2005

Crystallized molecular machine reveals possible new paths for treating diseases

The crystallized form of a molecular machine that can cut and paste genetic material is revealing possible new paths for treating diseases such as some forms of cancer and opportunistic infections that plague HIV patients.

21 Feb 2005

Separating chromosomes improves genetic test results

A new process that helps unmask genetic mutations by separating chromosomes so they can be studied individually may improve the diagnostic yield of some genetic tests, according to findings of a Colon Cancer Family Registry study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

16 Feb 2005

Nanoscale mechanism to externally control the function and action of a protein

"We can switch a protein on and off, and while we have controlled a specific protein, we believe our approach will work with virtually any protein," said Giovanni Zocchi, assistant professor of physics at UCLA, member of the California NanoSystems Institute and leader of the research effort. "This research has the potential to start a new approach to protein engineering."

16 Feb 2005

EuroVacc 02 HIV Vaccine trial begins

The European Vaccine Effort against HIV/AIDS, has announced that a phase I clinical trial of novel investigational vaccines comprising DNA-HIV-C and NYVAC-HIV-C for the prevention of HIV infection has started in Lausanne and London in February 2005.

16 Feb 2005

Novel genetic test helps detect mutations that may be missed by conventional DNA test

Researchers have identified a genetic test that when used with DNA testing would detect a higher number of genetic mutations in colorectal cancer patients, according to a study in the February 16 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical applications of biotechnology.

15 Feb 2005

New simple and cost-effective method of diagnosing hereditary genetic disorders

A technique called size-fractionation performed on a sample of the mother's blood allows researchers to identify fetal DNA molecules separate from maternal DNA as a way to determine which pregnancies may be at risk for genetic disorders, according to a preliminary communication in the February 16 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical applications of biotechnology.

15 Feb 2005

The link between intelligence and dementia

Scientists have turned to the brightest brains in Britain in a bid to understand the link between intelligence and dementia.

15 Feb 2005

Genetically engineered potatoes offer new hope in the fight against the Hepatitis B

Genetically engineered potatoes offer new hope in the fight against the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), an acute sometimes fatal form of viral hepatitis caused by a DNA virus that persists in the blood serum and is transmitted by sexual contact or by transfusion or by ingestion of contaminated blood or other bodily fluids.

14 Feb 2005

Why estrogenic hormones produce unintended results in women

New research is shedding light on why estrogenic hormones produce unintended results in women, giving hope to the idea that new drugs might reach their targets and work more effectively. Ultimately it could mean that postmenopausal women would know that hormone-replacement therapy would have only its intended result.

13 Feb 2005

Artemisinin could selectively kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed

Researchers at the University of Washington have blended the past with the present in the fight against cancer, synthesizing a promising new compound from an ancient Chinese remedy that uses cancer cells' rapacious appetite for iron to make them a target.

9 Feb 2005

Patients with cancer have a 7-fold increased risk for blood clots in the legs or lungs

Studies that identify patients at highest risk of thrombosis are scarce, according to background information in the article. It is unclear what risks are for various types and stages of cancer.

9 Feb 2005

PAHO vaccines books wins major award

The Pan American Health Organization’s publication, Vaccines: Preventing Disease and Protecting Health, has won an award from the Association of American Publishers in the medical science category.

9 Feb 2005

Abandoned bones suggest TB wiped out leprosy in battle of killer diseases

The spread of tuberculosis may have killed off leprosy in Europe in the Middle Ages, according to research published in the latest issue of the Royal Society Proceedings B.

8 Feb 2005

Level of immune cell DNA in the blood might help predict success of stem cell transplantation

Measuring the quantity of a certain type of immune cell DNA in the blood could help physicians predict whether a bone marrow stem cell transplant will successfully restore a population of infection-fighting cells called T lymphocytes in a child.

7 Feb 2005

Finding points towards the possibility of retrovirus involvement in ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)

A significant proportion of patients suffering from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or motor neuron disease, have a marker of retrovirus activity in their blood, reports the February 8 issue of the medical journal Neurology.

7 Feb 2005

Gene therapy for heart patients with chest pains who do not benefit from other treatments

Individuals with moderate to severe chest pains (angina) who have not found relief from medication may benefit from a new gene therapy approach being used by cardiologists at Rush University Medical Center to grow new blood vessels in the heart.

3 Feb 2005

Gene used in brain development can cause childhood brain cancers

A gene that's normally silenced after contributing to brain development was found to be expressed in cells from medulloblastoma, the most common form of pediatric brain malignancy in children, scientists report in an article published in the February 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

3 Feb 2005

Important and previously unrecognized trigger for breast cancer

A small sequence of DNA in the envelope (Env) protein of a mouse breast tumor virus (called MMTV) can transform breast cells into cancer cells, according to a study by Katz et al. in the February 7 issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

31 Jan 2005

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Smple, painless test screens for early-stage colorectal cancer

Secreted signaling protein called Wnt10b secret to new drugs for preventing or treating osteoporosis

Crystallized molecular machine reveals possible new paths for treating diseases

Separating chromosomes improves genetic test results

Nanoscale mechanism to externally control the function and action of a protein

EuroVacc 02 HIV Vaccine trial begins

Novel genetic test helps detect mutations that may be missed by conventional DNA test

New simple and cost-effective method of diagnosing hereditary genetic disorders

The link between intelligence and dementia

Genetically engineered potatoes offer new hope in the fight against the Hepatitis B

Why estrogenic hormones produce unintended results in women

Artemisinin could selectively kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed

Patients with cancer have a 7-fold increased risk for blood clots in the legs or lungs

PAHO vaccines books wins major award

Abandoned bones suggest TB wiped out leprosy in battle of killer diseases

Level of immune cell DNA in the blood might help predict success of stem cell transplantation

Finding points towards the possibility of retrovirus involvement in ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)

Gene therapy for heart patients with chest pains who do not benefit from other treatments

Gene used in brain development can cause childhood brain cancers

Important and previously unrecognized trigger for breast cancer

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