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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).

Potential new drug could treat mixed-lineage leukaemia

A team lead by Cancer Research UK scientists have shown that a potential new drug could treat mixed-lineage leukaemia (MLL), the most common form of leukaemia in babies, according to a study published in Nature today.

3 Oct 2011

GeoVax completes enrollment for HIV/AIDS vaccine Phase 2a clinical trial

GeoVax Labs, Inc., an Atlanta-based biopharmaceutical firm developing vaccines to prevent and fight Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections, announced today the completion of enrollment for a Phase 2a clinical trial testing its HIV/AIDS vaccine.

3 Oct 2011

Researchers identify unusual genomic architecture linked with very severe forms of disease

When cells divide normally, DNA gets copied perfectly and distributed among the daughter cells with an even hand. Occasionally though, DNA breaks during division and is rearranged, resulting in duplications or deletions of important parts of the blueprint.

3 Oct 2011

Scientists discover 16 million SNPs that associate with increased risk of ovarian cancer

Scientists at deCODE Genetics and academic collaborators from Iceland, The Netherlands, Spain and Finland today report the discovery of variants in the human genome that associate with increased risk of invasive ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest forms of cancer in women.

3 Oct 2011

Combination of P16 immunohistochemistry, DNA qPCR can accurately detect oropharyngeal cancer

Researchers have determined that a combination of P16 immunohistochemistry and DNA qPCR to test for viral E6 can accurately determine the oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, a form of head and neck cancer, which derive from HPV16, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

3 Oct 2011

WSU to help develop alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and chemicals

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack yesterday announced that Washington State University (WSU) will receive a five-year, $40 million grant to help develop alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and chemicals.

3 Oct 2011

Researchers identify gene responsible for starting the biological clock

Ever wondered why you wake up in the morning ---- even when the alarm clock isn't making jarring noises? Wonder no more. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a new component of the biological clock, a gene responsible for starting the clock from its restful state every morning.

1 Oct 2011

Scientists discover that DNA modifications in brain cells change due to stimulated brain activity

Johns Hopkins scientists investigating chemical modifications across the genomes of adult mice have discovered that DNA modifications in non-dividing brain cells, thought to be inherently stable, instead underwent large-scale dynamic changes as a result of stimulated brain activity.

1 Oct 2011

Researchers develop HTGTS to map translocatome in the genome

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and the Immune Disease Institute (IDI) have created a method for mapping "hot spots" in the genome where chromosomes are most likely to break and recombine, knowledge that helps define the rules that govern when and where breaks occur.

30 Sep 2011

Two ACS members, editor of JACS to receive nation's highest honors in science and innovation

Peter J. Stang, Ph.D., editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), and American Chemical Society members Jacqueline K. Barton, Ph.D. and Rakesh Agrawal, Ph.D., are among 12 eminent researchers and inventors named by President Obama to receive the nation's highest honors in science and innovation.

30 Sep 2011

Two UTA scientists win 2011 PECASE award for innovative research

Two scientists from The University of Texas at Austin are among the 2011 recipients of Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

30 Sep 2011

United Nations 66th General Assembly to discuss how to reduce NCDs

University of Bergen researchers have contributed to an international declaration on the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Now the UN is discussing the issue.

30 Sep 2011

GWAS uncovers new genes associated with type 1 diabetes

The largest-ever analysis of genetic data related to type 1 diabetes has uncovered new genes associated with the common metabolic disease, which affects 200 million people worldwide. The findings add to knowledge of gene networks involved in the origin of this complex disorder, in which patients depend on frequent insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels.

30 Sep 2011

Researchers identify set of proteins that affect development of varicose veins

A new discovery published in the October 2011 print issue of The FASEB Journal explains for the first time what kicks off the process that causes varicose veins.

30 Sep 2011

New technique helps identify how RNA molecules control gene expression

A new technique developed by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine allows researchers to identify the exact DNA sequences and locations bound by regulatory RNAs. This information is necessary to understand how the recently identified RNA molecules control the expression of neighboring and distant genes.

30 Sep 2011

Ambry to provide CLIA-approved exome services for applications in clinical diagnostics

Ambry Genetics today announces that it is the first laboratory to provide CLIA-approved exome services for applications in clinical diagnostics. After comprehensive review by Ambry's staff of geneticists and medical directors, these results will allow clinicians to diagnose affected patients with conditions that have eluded traditional diagnostic approaches.

30 Sep 2011

VDC and P.A.D. Coalition present annual research awards at VDF's eighth annual meeting

The Venous Disease Coalition (VDC) and Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition presented their annual research awards at the Vascular Disease Foundation's eighth annual meeting in Washington.

30 Sep 2011

MRI-based technique allows researchers to follow neural stem cells in vivo

Carnegie Mellon University biologists have developed an MRI-based technique that allows researchers to non-invasively follow neural stem cells in vivo.

30 Sep 2011

G-Zero receives NIAID's Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Grant

G-Zero Therapeutics, an RTP company started in 2008 based on technologies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been awarded a $3 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

30 Sep 2011

Study provides insight into earliest stages of some cancers

A novel technique that enables scientists to measure and document tumor-inducing changes in DNA is providing new insight into the earliest events involved in the formation of leukemias, lymphomas and sarcomas, and could potentially lead to the discovery of ways to stop those events.

30 Sep 2011