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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).

Study: Protein that plays a key role in some antioxidant therapies can promote atherosclerosis

UCLA researchers have found that a protein that plays an important role in some antioxidant therapies may not be as effective due to additional mechanisms that cause it to promote atherosclerosis, or clogging of the arteries.

11 Jan 2011

Multiple sclerosis gene connection from women to offspring: Study

A new study has shown that women pass on the multiple sclerosis (MS) gene more commonly than men to their offspring. The team analyzed DNA of more than 7,000 people and found that women were also more likely to pass on the gene to female relatives. This may explain why women are up to three times more likely to get MS than men. The study was funded by the MS Society and led by George Ebers at Oxford University. It was published in the journal Neurology.

10 Jan 2011

All fat cells not the same

All fat cells are not the same - a fact that has implications in the understanding and treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in a report that appears in the current issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (http://www.jcb.rupress.org/).

10 Jan 2011

Sangamo completes enrollment in SB-509-901 Phase 2b clinical trial in diabetic neuropathy

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced today that the company completed enrollment of its Phase 2b double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (SB-509-901) in subjects with diabetic neuropathy (DN). The company expects to have efficacy data from this study in the second half of 2011. The company also plans to present the first human clinical data from its Phase 1 trials of SB-728-T in HIV/AIDS in the first quarter of 2011.

10 Jan 2011

Illumina announces next generation of iSelect custom genotyping products

Illumina, Inc. today announced its next generation of iSelect custom genotyping products that allow researchers to design custom arrays containing from 3,000 up to 1,000,000 markers, with the flexibility to add supplemental content to their array designs.

From Illumina, Inc. 10 Jan 2011

Positive preclinical results from Inovio's novel DNA vaccine targeting HIV Clade C virus

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today the publication of a scientific paper highlighting positive preclinical results from Inovio's novel DNA vaccine targeting HIV Clade C viruses in the journal Vaccine.

10 Jan 2011

Professor Puchta receives ERC's Advanced Researcher Grant

Tomatoes that resist pests and extreme weather while still tasting like tomatoes are among Professor Holger Puchtas long-term research goals. The molecular biologist develops techniques that will allow him to control inheritance in plants to selectively improve the properties of different species through nature's existing gene pool. For his fundamental research, Puchta now is awarded an Advanced Researcher Grant by the European Research Council.

10 Jan 2011

Innovative device reduces dental drill's noise, helps people to seek oral healthcare treatment

An innovative device which cancels out the noise of the dental drill could spell the end of people's anxiety about trips to the dentist, according to experts at King's College London, Brunel University and London South Bank University, who pioneered the invention.

10 Jan 2011

Specific silicon microdevices may provide new way to screen metastatic breast cancer cells

Research by engineers and cancer biologists at Virginia Tech indicate that using specific silicon microdevices might provide a new way to screen breast cancer cells' ability to metastasize.

9 Jan 2011

AFQ056 drug improves symptoms in Fragile X patients: Study

The first drug to treat the underlying disorder instead of the symptoms of Fragile X, the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, shows some promise according to a new study published in the January issue of Science Translational Medicine.

9 Jan 2011

Gigantism gene inherited by hundreds: Study

A gene that predicted gigantism in humans was identified in the DNA of the 18th-century man known as the Irish Giant, who was more than 7 feet 7 inches tall. Copies of the same mutation have been found in patients today who suffer from excessive growth, and scientists have concluded they all inherited the gene from a common ancestor.

9 Jan 2011

Chimerix initiates enrollment in CMX001 clinical study for life-threatening conditions caused by dsDNA viruses

Chimerix, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, today announced that patient enrollment has begun in a multicenter, open-label clinical study of CMX001 (the CMX001-350 study) for the treatment of life-threatening or serious conditions caused by double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses.

7 Jan 2011

Single cellular crisis shatters chromosomes in cancer causation

Remarkable new research overthrows the conventional view that cancer always develops in a steady, stepwise progression. It shows that in some cancers, the genome can be shattered into hundreds of fragments in a single cellular catastrophe, wreaking mutation on a massive scale.

7 Jan 2011

Hologic announces acquisition of Interlace Medical

Hologic, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of premium diagnostics, medical imaging systems and surgical products dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, announced today it has acquired Interlace Medical, Inc. (Interlace), the developer and manufacturer of the MyoSure hysteroscopic tissue removal system (MyoSure). Interlace's operations will be integrated within Hologic's GYN Surgical Products division.

From Hologic, Inc. 7 Jan 2011

Chromosome shattering seen in two to three percent of all cancers

Most of the time cancer seems to creep up gradually over time; cells become premalignant, then increasingly abnormal before they become cancerous. But sometimes cancers seem to pop up as if out of nowhere. Now, researchers reporting in the January 7th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, have new evidence to explain how that can happen.

7 Jan 2011

Plexxikon, Genentech enter PLX4032 co-promotion agreement

Plexxikon, Inc., announced today that it has signed an agreement with Genentech to co-promote PLX4032 (RG7204) in the United States. PLX4032, an oral, novel kinase inhibitor that targets the oncogenic BRAF mutation, is being tested in late-stage clinical trials for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.

7 Jan 2011

Intrexon Corporation, ZIOPHARM enter partnership to develop, commercialize DNA-based therapeutics

ZIOPHARM Oncology, a small molecule late-stage oncology drug development company, and Intrexon Corporation, a next generation synthetic biology company, announced today a global exclusive channel partnership in oncology where ZIOPHARM will develop and commercialize DNA-based therapeutics using Intrexon's UltraVector Technology.

7 Jan 2011

Spirogen, Genentech enter multi-year ADC research collaboration and license agreement

Spirogen Ltd. a leading oncology-focused company developing DNA sequence targeted agents, announced a multi-year research collaboration and license agreement with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

7 Jan 2011

Generex, Antigen Express and RXi report positive research data from active immunotherapy collaboration

Generex Biotechnology Corporation, together with its wholly-owned immunotherapeutic vaccines subsidiary, Antigen Express, Inc., and RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a recognized leader in RNAi-based therapeutics, today announced that they have obtained positive early research data from their collaboration to explore the use of RXi's RNAi technology to develop proprietary vaccine formulations for active immunotherapy.

7 Jan 2011

Scientists perform surgery on single cell to extract and examine mitochondria

Medical researchers who crave a means of exploring the genetic culprits behind a host of neuromuscular disorders may have just had their wish granted by a team working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where scientists have performed surgery on single cells to extract and examine their mitochondria.

7 Jan 2011

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Study: Protein that plays a key role in some antioxidant therapies can promote atherosclerosis

Multiple sclerosis gene connection from women to offspring: Study

All fat cells not the same

Sangamo completes enrollment in SB-509-901 Phase 2b clinical trial in diabetic neuropathy

Illumina announces next generation of iSelect custom genotyping products

Positive preclinical results from Inovio's novel DNA vaccine targeting HIV Clade C virus

Professor Puchta receives ERC's Advanced Researcher Grant

Innovative device reduces dental drill's noise, helps people to seek oral healthcare treatment

Specific silicon microdevices may provide new way to screen metastatic breast cancer cells

AFQ056 drug improves symptoms in Fragile X patients: Study

Gigantism gene inherited by hundreds: Study

Chimerix initiates enrollment in CMX001 clinical study for life-threatening conditions caused by dsDNA viruses

Single cellular crisis shatters chromosomes in cancer causation

Hologic announces acquisition of Interlace Medical

Chromosome shattering seen in two to three percent of all cancers

Plexxikon, Genentech enter PLX4032 co-promotion agreement

Intrexon Corporation, ZIOPHARM enter partnership to develop, commercialize DNA-based therapeutics

Spirogen, Genentech enter multi-year ADC research collaboration and license agreement

Generex, Antigen Express and RXi report positive research data from active immunotherapy collaboration

Scientists perform surgery on single cell to extract and examine mitochondria

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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