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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).

Roche Diagnostics and Takara Bio enter into license agreement

Roche Diagnostics and Takara Bio, the Shiga (Japan)-based supplier of systems for use in life science research, announced that they have entered into a license agreement for use of the melting curve analysis technology and SYBR Green techniques in their Kits and Instruments for Real Time PCR.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 18 Dec 2009

Full Accreditation in Health Utilization Management awarded to DNA Direct

DNA Direct, a leading provider of guidance and decision support for genomic medicine, announced today that it has been awarded Full Accreditation in Health Utilization Management by URAC, a Washington D.C.-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry.

17 Dec 2009

Avecia Biologics to be acquired by Merck

Merck & Co. Inc., (operating in the United Kingdom as MSD) and Avecia Investments Limited today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement by which Merck will acquire the biologics business of the Avecia group through a Merck affiliate (Merck Sharp & Dohme (Holdings) Limited or "MSD"). Avecia Biologics is a contract manufacturing organization with specific expertise in microbial-derived biologics. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

17 Dec 2009

Advances in DNA-sequencing technology help identify your personal genome

What secrets about your risk for diseases are written in your own personal "Book of Life" - the 30,000 or so genes that make you you? Advances in DNA-sequencing technology are bringing closer the day when it will be more economical for consumers to get an answer to that question, and others, by ordering up the deciphering of their entire genetic endowment - their "personal genome."

17 Dec 2009

Next-generation DNA sequencing demonstrates potential in identifying mutations in SCLC

Applied Biosystems, part of Life Technologies Corporation, today announced the publication of a paper in the journal Nature that demonstrates the power of next-generation DNA sequencing used to identify DNA mutations in a small cell lung cancer (SCLC) line and identify the mutational burden associated with tobacco smoking.

17 Dec 2009

Human embryonic stem cell lines lack genetic diversity, says study

The most widely used human embryonic stem cell lines lack genetic diversity, a finding that raises social justice questions that must be addressed to ensure that all sectors of society benefit from stem cell advances, according to a University of Michigan research team.

17 Dec 2009

Typical smoker acquires one mutation for every 15 cigarettes and all cancers are caused by mutations

Research teams led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute announce the first comprehensive analyses of cancer genomes.

17 Dec 2009

Discovery of common single-letter variant in SNP links parental origin to risk of T2D

Scientists at deCODE genetics, Inc. publish in the journal Nature the discovery of a version of a common single-letter variant in the sequence of the human genome (SNP) with a major impact on susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D).

17 Dec 2009

Diagnostic Nano Technology to use Instant Detect Technology to detect H1N1 virus

Diagnostic Nano Technology Corporation (DNA), a subsidiary of Avisio, Inc., announced today that with the early laboratory success of its Instant Detect Technology in the detection of certain viruses that cause Dengue Fever, it plans to begin testing the technology on the detection of the H1N1 virus.

17 Dec 2009

HFU increases mortality among diabetics, says report

Cardium Therapeutics today reported on recent clinical findings published in the December issue of Diabetes Care showing an increase in mortality in diabetic patients with a history of foot ulcer (HFU) compared with diabetic patients without HFU and with non-diabetic patients.

17 Dec 2009

Researchers discover new gene involved in lung cancer using DNA sequencing technology

Aided by next-generation DNA sequencing technology, an international team of researchers has gained insights into how more than 60 carcinogens associated with cigarette smoke bind to and chemically modify human DNA, ultimately leading to cancer-causing genetic mutations.

17 Dec 2009

Researchers identify genetic markers to help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics

Researchers using a DNA analysis tool developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and UCLA have identified genetic markers that could help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics.

17 Dec 2009

Pistachios can decrease inflammation and cardiovascular disease

New research published online, December 10, 2009 indicates that bioactive compounds in pistachios, and molecules present in pistachios, have anti-inflammatory properties.

17 Dec 2009

DNA reveals earliest proven case of leprosy, Turin Shroud not from Jesus-era Jerusalem

The DNA of a 1st century shrouded man found in a tomb on the edge of the Old City of Jerusalem has revealed the earliest proven case of leprosy. Details of the research will be published December 16 in the PloS ONE Journal.

16 Dec 2009

Genes work together by huddling in clusters inside nucleus, research reveals

Research from the Babraham Institute has revealed for the first time that genes work together by huddling in clusters inside the nucleus - the information centre of a cell. These findings, published in the online edition of the journal Nature Genetics, represent a paradigm shift in our understanding of how the genome is spatially organised in relation to gene expression.

16 Dec 2009

imaGenes achieves Roche NimbleGen CSP-status for ChIP-chip application

Roche NimbleGen has announced that imaGenes GmbH, a Berlin-based genomics & proteomics specialist, has achieved status as a Certified Service Provider (CSP) of NimbleGen microarrays for Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP-chip). imaGenes GmbH has passed a rigorous ChIP-chip certification to officially become part of the Roche NimbleGen Certified Service Provider Program.

16 Dec 2009

Italian patent issued for NPM1 to test patients with AML

Xenomics, Inc., a developer of transrenal molecular diagnostics, announced today that a key Italian patent covering a unique diagnostic application with critical significance for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has issued.

16 Dec 2009

Zecotek Photonics' proprietary TGFL selected for research in flow cytometry

Zecotek Photonics Inc., a developer of leading-edge photonics technologies for medical, industrial and scientific markets, today announced that the National Cancer Institute, a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), has selected its proprietary Tunable Green Fiber Laser (TGFL) for research in flow cytometry.

16 Dec 2009

Idaho Technology signs licensing agreement with Kapa Biosystems

Idaho Technology, Inc. has signed a licensing agreement with Kapa Biosystems, Inc., covering reagents or methods using SYBR® Green I technology and melting curve analysis for real time PCR.

16 Dec 2009

Findings raise new hope for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

A new study involving data from more than 20,000 individuals has uncovered several DNA sequences linked to impaired pulmonary function. The research, an analysis that combined the results of several smaller studies, provides insight into the mechanisms involved in reaching full lung capacity.

15 Dec 2009