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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).

DNA forensic test frees prisoner with life sentence after having served 18 years

In a landmark case, a prisoner with a life sentence was freed after serving 18 years in a Florida prison, based on DNA findings presented by DDC (DNA Diagnostics Center). DNA analysis and testimony provided by Dr. Julie Heinig, DDC's DNA Forensics Assistant Laboratory Director, is credited with leading to the exoneration of Derrick Williams earlier this week. DDC is the largest provider of private DNA paternity and other DNA testing in the United States and worldwide.

8 Apr 2011

New report finds 13,000 cancer cases per year in the UK due to alcohol consumption

Alcohol causes at least 13,000 cases of cancer a year in the UK, according to a new report published in the British Medical Journal today.

8 Apr 2011

Experimental Biology 2011 to be held April 9-13 in Washington, D.C.

The meeting Experimental Biology 2011 (EB 2011) begins April 9 and runs through April 13 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

8 Apr 2011

T2 Biosystems' technology platform demonstrates ability to detect Candida organisms in whole blood samples

T2 Biosystems, Inc., a company developing next-generation diagnostic products, presented data today on the rapid and sensitive detection of five species of the fungal infection Candida at the Annual Meeting of the Mycoses Study Group in Philadelphia, PA.

8 Apr 2011

IBM discovers biodegradable nanoparticles that seek out and destroy drug-resistant bacteria

IBM's announcement of the first biodegradable nanoparticles that can seek out and destroy drug-resistant bacteria caps off a century of healthcare and life sciences innovation from IBM.

8 Apr 2011

Researchers determine age of atherosclerotic plaques using carbon dating

In a new study performed in humans, researchers from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet have determined the age of atherosclerotic plaques by taking advantage of Carbon-14 residues in the atmosphere, prevailing after the extensive atomic bomb tests in the 50ties and 60ties.

8 Apr 2011

GeoVax Labs to update its HIV/AIDS vaccine status at World Vaccine Conference

Harriet Robinson, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at GeoVax Labs, Inc., will provide an update on the status of the Company's therapeutic and preventative HIV vaccines at the 2011 World Vaccine Conference at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in Washington DC on Thursday, April 14.

8 Apr 2011

New discovery in cancer and gene therapy

DNA's role as the master blueprint of the cell means that even small sequence changes can have catastrophic consequences. For this reason, much of our understanding of cancer development comes from studying how cells copy DNA and repair sequence errors--and how these processes can go wrong.

8 Apr 2011

Luminex receives Medical Design Excellence Award for innovative MAGPIX system

Luminex Corporation has won a 2011 Medical Design Excellence Award in the category of In Vitro Diagnostics for its innovative MAGPIX system. Introduced in 2010, MAGPIX is a compact, versatile laboratory analysis platform designed to improve productivity by delivering multiple highly accurate, reproducible results from a single sample.

From Luminex 8 Apr 2011

Alcohol raises risk of cancers: Study

This comes from a large Europe-wide study published in the British Medical Journal that found that one-in-10 of all cancers in men and one-in-33 of all cancers in women are caused by past or current alcohol intake. For alcohol-related cancers, one-in-three in men and one-in-20 in women are caused by any excessive drinking. According to cancer charities say people should limit their drinking to lower the risk.

7 Apr 2011

Scarab Genomics, CellMed enter agreement for Clean Genome E. coli Technology

Scarab Genomics announced a strategic agreement today with CellMed AG, a BTG International group company, in which CellMed AG will use Scarab Genomics' Clean Genome E. coli Technology in a new product development in the life science field.

7 Apr 2011

Key enzyme in non-small cell lung cancers could make standard chemotherapy more effective

Scientists at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit today presented a study at the American Association for Cancer Research's 102nd Annual Meeting 2011 that identifies a key enzyme in non-small cell lung cancers that could potentially make standard chemotherapy more effective against this highly deadly disease.

7 Apr 2011

Novel strategy to build molecular probes may lead to development of new cancer drugs

Chemical engineers at UC Santa Barbara expect that their new process to create molecular probes may eventually result in the development of new drugs to treat cancer and other illnesses.

7 Apr 2011

Study reveals few genes involved with lymphoma shared by dogs and humans

Researchers at North Carolina State University are narrowing the search for genes involved in non-Hodgkin lymphoma - by turning dogs into humans.

7 Apr 2011

ALR announces medical research grant awards to cure lupus

The Alliance for Lupus Research – the world's largest private funder of lupus research – today announced its most recent medical research grant awards, totaling $3.6 million, which support the ALR mission of finding better treatments and ultimately preventing and curing systemic lupus erythematosus, a debilitating autoimmune disease.

7 Apr 2011

Study: New cancer drug shrinks tumors in mouse model with few side effects

A study led by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center showed in animal studies that new cancer drug compounds they developed shrank tumors, with few side effects.

7 Apr 2011

LabCorp to acquire Orchid Cellmark

Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings and Orchid Cellmark Inc., an international provider of DNA testing services primarily for forensic and family relationship applications, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger under which LabCorp will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Orchid Cellmark in a cash tender offer for $2.80 per share for a total purchase price to stockholders and optionholders of approximately $85.4 million.

6 Apr 2011

Asuragen launches InformThyroid, a panel of molecular markers

Asuragen, Inc. announced today the launch of Inform™Thyroid, a panel of molecular markers used on Fine Needle Aspirates (FNA) of thyroid nodules to aid physicians in the management of thyroid cancer.

6 Apr 2011

First-of-its-kind map of recombination hotspots in a multi-celled organism

Researchers have zoomed in on mouse chromosomes to map hotspots of genetic recombination - sites where DNA breaks and reforms to shuffle genes. The findings of the scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USU) have the potential to improve the detection of genes linked to disease and to help understand the root causes of genetic abnormalities.

6 Apr 2011

Seventeen projects granted access to PRACE Research Infrastructure's Tier-0 resources

On this second PRACE regular call, a new system, CURIE funded by GENCI and installed at CEA, Bruyères-Le-Châtel, France and designed by BULL, came into production adding capability to the PRACE Research Infrastructure (RI). CURIE is the second Tier-0 system in the PRACE RI after "JUGENE" (GCS at Jülich). The number of PRACE systems will continue to grow and provide more capacity and services to the European communities.

6 Apr 2011