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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).

HIV transmission among male partners: CFAR scientists discover origin of strains

A team of scientists, led by a virologist from the University of California, San Diego's Center for AID Research (CFAR), has discovered the origin of strains of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among men who have sex with men. The study, which may be important in developing prevention strategies for HIV, will appear in Science Translational Medicine on February 10, 2010.

12 Feb 2010

Histone modifications associated with pancreatic cancer development and progression

Specific chemical modifications to proteins called histones, which are found in the nucleus of cells and act as spools around which DNA is wound, can be used to predict prognosis and response to treatment in subsets patients with pancreatic cancer, a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.

12 Feb 2010

New project to unravel secret lives of cancer cells may help produce new cancer therapies

A team of scientists from Princeton University and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has embarked on a major new project to unravel the secret lives of cancer cells that go dormant and self-cannibalize to survive periods of stress. The work may help produce new cancer therapies to stem changes that render cancer cells dangerous and resistant to treatment.

12 Feb 2010

Treating bacteria with insufficient levels of antibiotics leads to multidrug resistance in 'superbugs'

For years, doctors have warned patients to finish their antibiotic prescriptions or risk a renewed infection by a "superbug" that can mount a more powerful defense against the same drug. But a new study by Boston University biomedical engineers indicates that treating bacteria with levels of antibiotics insufficient to kill them produces germs that are cross-resistant to a wide range of antibiotics.

12 Feb 2010

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals' Cotara specifically targets solid tumors and anti-tumor activity

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (PPHM) today reported publication of data in the online edition of the journal Current Cancer Therapy Reviews that supports the clinical potential of the company's novel brain cancer agent Cotara® for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the deadliest form of brain cancer. Cotara specifically targets cells at the center of brain tumors, so its radioactive payload is able to kill cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue largely unaffected. Cotara is currently being tested in a Phase II clinical trial in recurrent GBM patients.

12 Feb 2010

Also in Global Health News: China's health care system; Breastfeeding practices in Pakistan; HIV transmission in MSM; Abu Dhabi joins malaria fight

The Los Angeles Times examines China's transition to "Western-style privatized medicine" through the government's "$124-billion overhaul, chiefly to improve service in rural areas." The article details the efforts of a woman from Inner Mongolia to get care in Beijing for her ailing father and looks at climbing health care costs and the growing "black market for medical care" (Pierson, 2/11).

12 Feb 2010

CapitalBio officially joins Roche NimbleGen CSP Program

Roche NimbleGen announced today that Beijing-based genomic services provider CapitalBio has officially joined the Roche NimbleGen Certified Service Provider (CSP) Program.

12 Feb 2010

ASU scientists develop versatile DNA reader to unlock DNA genetic code

Arizona State University scientists have come up with a new twist in their efforts to develop a faster and cheaper way to read the DNA genetic code. They have developed the first, versatile DNA reader that can discriminate between DNA's four core chemical components⎯the key to unlocking the vital code behind human heredity and health.

12 Feb 2010

Second-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Pharmacyclics

Pharmacyclics, Inc. today reported financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2009.

12 Feb 2010

QIAGEN N.V. enters into agreement to distribute Celera molecular multiplex assay

QIAGEN N.V. and Celera Corporation today announced an agreement under which QIAGEN will distribute a Celera molecular multiplex assay. The assay is the next generation version of QIAGEN’s ResPlex II assay for detection of respiratory pathogens.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 11 Feb 2010

Research study on epigenetic phenotypes published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology

PrognosDx Health, Inc. announced today that in an independent research study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, cellular levels of histone modifications define previously unrecognized subsets of patients with pancreatic cancer with distinct epigenetic phenotypes and clinical outcomes.

11 Feb 2010

EMEA grants Genta's request for SME designation

Genta Incorporated announced that it has received $2.8 million in non-dilutive cash proceeds from the sale of net operating tax losses and research tax credits generated in prior tax years as part of the Technology Business Tax Certificate Program sponsored by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), pursuant to the rules, regulations and stipulations set forth by the program.

10 Feb 2010

Second-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Bioniche Life Sciences

Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, today announced financial results for its Fiscal 2010 second quarter, ended December 31, 2009.

10 Feb 2010

Bombarding DNA nucleotides and mammalian meat with ‘femto-neutrons’ open new path to femtomedicine

Bombarding DNA nucleotides and mammalian meat with ‘femto-neutrons’ has opened up the path to femtomedicine, an entirely new cancer diagnostics, it was reported today at First Global Congress on NanoEngineering for Medicine and Biology in Houston, TX.

10 Feb 2010

Mapping of all fragile sites of yeast S.cerevisiae may lead to better understanding of cancer development

The research group of Dr. Fran-ois Robert, a researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM), in collaboration with the team of Dr. Daniel Durocher (Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute and University of Toronto) accomplished a technical breakthrough: they mapped all the fragile sites of a living organism, the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The method used by the researchers can be applied to humans. This study has been published online today in the scientific journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.

10 Feb 2010

Autism Speaks: Ten most significant autism research achievements in 2009

Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization has released its annual list of the 10 most significant research achievements to have impacted autism during the previous year. Every year, Autism Speaks documents the progress made toward its mission to discover the causes and treatment for autism spectrum disorders, and compiles a list of the 10 most significant research achievements to have impacted autism during the previous year.

10 Feb 2010

Sequenom CMM licenses rights from Optherion to develop and commercialize AMD diagnostic tests

Sequenom, Inc., today announced an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Optherion, Inc. Under the agreement, Sequenom's CAP accredited and CLIA-certified laboratory, Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM), obtained the rights to develop and commercialize diagnostic tests to predict genetic predisposition to late stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

10 Feb 2010

Research suggests a potential means of circumventing drug resistance in breast cancer patients

Overexpression of low-molecular-weight (LMW-E) forms of the protein cyclin E renders the aromatase inhibitor letrozole ineffective among women with estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers, researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in Clinical Cancer Research.

10 Feb 2010

MSU launches research and training program to address product counterfeiting

Michigan State University has launched the nation's first comprehensive research and training program designed to address product counterfeiting-- which the FBI has called "the crime of the 21st century."

10 Feb 2010

Data provide key information about epigenetic profiles for gastric cancer

Gastric cancer, one of the most common types of cancer, is associated with high mortality rates. In the last decades, a decrease in the worldwide incidence has been observed with some changes in the therapeutic and diagnostic options.

10 Feb 2010

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

HIV transmission among male partners: CFAR scientists discover origin of strains

Histone modifications associated with pancreatic cancer development and progression

New project to unravel secret lives of cancer cells may help produce new cancer therapies

Treating bacteria with insufficient levels of antibiotics leads to multidrug resistance in 'superbugs'

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals' Cotara specifically targets solid tumors and anti-tumor activity

Also in Global Health News: China's health care system; Breastfeeding practices in Pakistan; HIV transmission in MSM; Abu Dhabi joins malaria fight

CapitalBio officially joins Roche NimbleGen CSP Program

ASU scientists develop versatile DNA reader to unlock DNA genetic code

Second-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Pharmacyclics

QIAGEN N.V. enters into agreement to distribute Celera molecular multiplex assay

Research study on epigenetic phenotypes published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology

EMEA grants Genta's request for SME designation

Second-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Bioniche Life Sciences

Bombarding DNA nucleotides and mammalian meat with ‘femto-neutrons’ open new path to femtomedicine

Mapping of all fragile sites of yeast S.cerevisiae may lead to better understanding of cancer development

Autism Speaks: Ten most significant autism research achievements in 2009

Sequenom CMM licenses rights from Optherion to develop and commercialize AMD diagnostic tests

Research suggests a potential means of circumventing drug resistance in breast cancer patients

MSU launches research and training program to address product counterfeiting

Data provide key information about epigenetic profiles for gastric cancer

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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