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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).

New DNA microarray to speed bone disease research

Velcura Therapeutics has announced the development of a custom Affymetrix GeneChip(R) array that aids the development of bone disease therapies by enabling researchers to follow global changes in gene expression during human bone formation.

23 Jul 2004

Preliminary tests of the new method, which can detect cancer in a sample with as few as 50 cells

Finding cancer in a tiny drop of body fluid containing relatively few cells now may be possible with a new method of analyzing multiple genes in small samples of DNA, the cellular building blocks of our genetic code.

23 Jul 2004

Researchers discover a mechanism that blocks replication of a retrovirus

A team of scientists led by University of Georgia researchers has discovered a naturally occurring mechanism that blocks a critical step late in retrovirus replication.

21 Jul 2004

New book predicts a "vaccine century"

A new book published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) predicts that the 21st century will become the "century of vaccines" thanks to rapid developments in the field of immunization.

21 Jul 2004

Discovery challenges current thinking about how a cancer develops and spreads

When a physician discovers cancer in a patient, the first thing the doctor wants to know is whether that cancer has spread, or "metastasized."

20 Jul 2004

U.S. scientists have found the genetic basis for one form of sudden infant death syndrome

Sudden infant death syndrome, also known as cot death and crib death, is defined as the death of an infant between the ages of one month and one year which remains unexplained after a thorough postmortem, investigation of the death scene and review of the clinical history.

20 Jul 2004

Russian scientists incorporate HIV antigen into a tomato

Russian scientists are currently creating a pleasant and harmless vaccine, and edible one at that. So far, they managed to incorporate the protein gene – HIV antigen in tomatoes. The research is supported by International Science and Technology Center.

19 Jul 2004

First international server to analyze genetic diversity on a large scale

Researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have developed the first international server that allows the user to analyze genetic diversity on a large scale.

19 Jul 2004

DNA left overs, new mechanism for evolution

A team of researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has discovered that transposons, small DNA sequences that travel through the genomes, can silence the genes adjacent to them by inducing a molecule called antisense RNA.

16 Jul 2004

The cancer risk from plutonium exposure

Plutonium may be many times more dangerous than previously thought. The cancer risk from exposure inside the body could be 10 times higher than is allowed for in calculating international safety limits.

15 Jul 2004

Effective treatment for soft tissue sarcoma (rhabdomyosarcoma)

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a highly malignant aggressive form of soft tissue cancer in children, the causes of which are currently unknown. Although the fibrous growths can be found all over the body they commonly develop around the head, neck, bladder and testes in young boys.

15 Jul 2004

A drug derived from an ocean-growing sponge helps prevent the growth of cancer cells

A drug derived from an ocean-growing sponge teams up to enhance the performance of the yew tree derivative Taxol® (paclitaxel) in preventing the growth of cancer cells, according to research published in the July 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

15 Jul 2004

Latest findings on HIV pathogenesis at AIDS Conference in Bangkok

At the XVth International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation (LIR), will present his laboratory’s latest findings on how aberrant immune activation underlies HIV pathogenesis.

15 Jul 2004

Dietary niacin may protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease

Dietary niacin (vitamin B3 ) may protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease and the cognitive decline associated with ageing in older people, suggests research in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

15 Jul 2004

Human antibodies that thwart the SARS virus in mice can be mass-produced quickly

Human antibodies that thwart the SARS virus in mice can be mass-produced quickly using a new laboratory technique developed by an international research team collaborating with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

12 Jul 2004

DNA testing of one millionth sheep for scrapie susceptibility

Orchid BioSciences has announced that its animal genetic testing facility in the U.K. has completed DNA testing of its one millionth sheep for scrapie susceptibility.

10 Jul 2004

Myriad Genetics awarded a $14.2 million contract for AIDS and hepatitis research

Myriad Genetics has announced that it has been awarded a five-year, $14.2 million contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

10 Jul 2004

DNAPrint significantly reduced the DNA donor sample collections required in a major criminal investigation

DNAPrint genomics, Inc. has announced that, according to the July 7, 2004 London Times article "1,000 men were asked to give DNA in hunt for serial rapist" by Madeleine Acey, "Detectives hunting one of Britain's worst serial sex attackers are inviting 1,000 men to provide DNA samples as they try to identify the rapist. Officers have narrowed down a list of possible suspects to 1,000 men who meet a geographical and racial profile. They started off with 10,000."

10 Jul 2004

The structure of AGT shows how one human protein reduces the potency of chemotherapy

The fine details of this x-ray structure may help scientists find ways to fight certain cancers, such as brain tumors, which express high levels of AGT making them resistant to chemotherapy.

9 Jul 2004

Anal cancer is on the rise in both sexes

Anal cancer is on the rise in both sexes, particularly among American men, and changing trends in sexual behavior — combined with current tobacco use and infection by a specific strain of the human papillomavirus — may help explain the increase.

9 Jul 2004