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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).

Researchers obtain first detailed and complete picture of PRC2 protein

The first detailed and complete picture of a protein complex that is tied to human birth defects as well as the progression of many forms of cancer has been obtained by an international team of researchers led by scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

18 Sep 2012

FDA clears Meridian Bioscience’s new illumigene Group A Strep test

Meridian Bioscience, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio today announced that it has received FDA clearance for a new molecular diagnostic test for Group A Streptococcus on the illumigene platform.

18 Sep 2012

UCSF-led research team targets physiological factors that lead to asthma attack

A new study that identifies ways to reduce the factors that lead to an asthma attack gives hope to asthma sufferers. A UCSF researcher and his colleagues believe they have found a way to help asthma sufferers by impeding the two most significant biological responses that lead to an asthma attack.

18 Sep 2012

Mitochondrial variations unlikely cause of osteoarthritis

Researchers have been unable to confirm a link between the development of osteoarthritis and maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA variants.

17 Sep 2012

New test to assess viral load of cytomegalovirus

Roche announced today the commercial availability of a new test to assess a patient's viral load of cytomegalovirus (CMV). Physicians use information from the test to help them manage patients who have been diagnosed with CMV disease, specifically patients with an immune system that has been suppressed for solid organ transplantation.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 17 Sep 2012

Bed nets and insecticides could fail to protect people from new malaria-transmitting mosquitoes

A potentially dangerous new malaria-transmitting mosquito has been discovered in Kenya by scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. This species, which has never been implicated in the transmission of malaria before, poses a threat because it bites humans at times when they are not protected by current malaria control techniques.

17 Sep 2012

PARP inhibitors may be novel treatment strategy in women with HER2-positive breast cancers

Poly (ADP-Ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, shown to have clinical activity when used alone in women with familial breast and ovarian cancers linked to BRCA mutations, may be a novel treatment strategy in women with HER2-positive breast cancers, according to the results of a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

17 Sep 2012

Consumer Genetics Conference to take place from October 3-5

Advancements in sequencing and diagnostics technology are the underlying elements driving the genomic revolution. With the free-falling cost of sequencing, richer reference data and improved interpretation methods, the use of personal genomics is beginning to take greater root in clinical practice.

15 Sep 2012

New NHGRI grants to help develop technologies to dramatically reduce DNA sequencing costs

Grants of almost $19 million will help to develop technologies to dramatically reduce the cost of DNA sequencing, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced today.

15 Sep 2012

Study could reveal whether breast cancer patients with BRCA mutations are responsive to Veliparib

Ongoing research at the Methodist Cancer Center could reveal whether metastatic breast cancer patients with BRCA gene mutations are particularly responsive to a drug regimen that includes Veliparib, an investigational drug believed to hamper cancer cells.

15 Sep 2012

New stem cell differentiation study could help scientists better understand genetic basis of CVD

The fate of an embryonic stem cell, which has the potential to become any type of body cell, is determined by a complex interaction of genes, proteins that bind DNA, and molecules that modify those genes and proteins.

15 Sep 2012

Wake Forest Baptist to identify genetic variants associated with premature cardiovascular disease

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center are leading a four-year, $8.9 million national project to identify variations in the human genome and corresponding changes in the arterial proteins associated with premature development of atherosclerosis.

15 Sep 2012

Whole-genome scan can help doctors choose best treatment option for children with neuroblastoma

A whole-genome scan to identify large-scale chromosomal damage can help doctors choose the best treatment option for children with neuroblastoma, one of the most common types of childhood cancer, finds an international collaboration jointly led by The Institute of Cancer Research, London.

15 Sep 2012

CINJ experts available to discuss prevention and treatment of breast cancer

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) is making experts available to discuss the risks, and options for treatment and prevention surrounding breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society 227,000 women nationwide will be diagnosed with the disease this year, and while the disease affects mostly women, men also can be diagnosed with breast cancer.

15 Sep 2012

A mysterious form of cell death uncovers prime suspect for new cancer drug development

A mysterious form of cell death, coded in proteins and enzymes, led to a discovery by UNC researchers uncovering a prime suspect for new cancer drug development.

15 Sep 2012

Genomes of lung cancer smokers have more mutations

Lung cancer patients with a history of smoking have 10 times more genetic mutations in their tumors than those with the disease who have never smoked, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

14 Sep 2012

Scientists describe how DNA origami can enhance effect of cytostatics in cancer treatment

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden describe in a new study how so-called DNA origami can enhance the effect of certain cytostatics used in the treatment of cancer. With the aid of modern nanotechnology, scientists can target drugs direct to the tumour while leaving surrounding healthy tissue untouched.

14 Sep 2012

Local Talent Global Impact event at Queen's University to be held on Sep. 13

Members of the public are being invited to Queen's University at lunchtime on Thursday (13 September) to meet and hear from the people behind some of the biggest scientific, medical and technological breakthroughs of recent times.

13 Sep 2012

ICREA researcher updates latest findings in applied epigenetics

The research team led by Manel Esteller, director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), professor of genetics at the University of Barcelona and ICREA researcher, has updated the latest findings in applied epigenetics in a review paper published in Nature Reviews Genetics.

13 Sep 2012

Endocannabinoids may contribute to pregnancy complications

New research indicates marijuana-like compounds called endocannabinoids alter genes and biological signals critical to the formation of a normal placenta during pregnancy and may contribute to pregnancy complications like preeclampsia.

13 Sep 2012

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers obtain first detailed and complete picture of PRC2 protein

FDA clears Meridian Bioscience’s new illumigene Group A Strep test

UCSF-led research team targets physiological factors that lead to asthma attack

Mitochondrial variations unlikely cause of osteoarthritis

New test to assess viral load of cytomegalovirus

Bed nets and insecticides could fail to protect people from new malaria-transmitting mosquitoes

PARP inhibitors may be novel treatment strategy in women with HER2-positive breast cancers

Consumer Genetics Conference to take place from October 3-5

New NHGRI grants to help develop technologies to dramatically reduce DNA sequencing costs

Study could reveal whether breast cancer patients with BRCA mutations are responsive to Veliparib

New stem cell differentiation study could help scientists better understand genetic basis of CVD

Wake Forest Baptist to identify genetic variants associated with premature cardiovascular disease

Whole-genome scan can help doctors choose best treatment option for children with neuroblastoma

CINJ experts available to discuss prevention and treatment of breast cancer

A mysterious form of cell death uncovers prime suspect for new cancer drug development

Genomes of lung cancer smokers have more mutations

Scientists describe how DNA origami can enhance effect of cytostatics in cancer treatment

Local Talent Global Impact event at Queen's University to be held on Sep. 13

ICREA researcher updates latest findings in applied epigenetics

Endocannabinoids may contribute to pregnancy complications

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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