DNA Methylation News and Research

RSS

DNA methylation is a type of chemical modification of DNA that can be inherited and subsequently removed without changing the original DNA sequence. As such, it is part of the epigenetic code and is also the most well characterized epigenetic mechanism.

Researchers identify miR-506 as potential therapeutic candidate for metastatic ovarian cancer

Researchers employed an extensive analysis of genomic information to identify a new, high-risk cohort of ovarian cancer patients, characterize their tumors, find a potential treatment and test it in mouse models of the disease.

11 Feb 2013

Paternal obesity may alter genetic mechanisms in next generations

A father's obesity is one factor that may influence his children's health and potentially raise their risk for diseases like cancer, according to new research from Duke Medicine.

6 Feb 2013

Scientists discover new evidence for role of epigenetic changes on premature aging diseases

Scientists at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain have found new evidence for the role of epigenetic changes (those heritable alterations in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in DNA sequence) on premature aging diseases.

1 Feb 2013

Insight into reasons why precocious puberty occurs in females

New research from Oregon Health & Science University has provided significant insight into the reasons why early-onset puberty occurs in females.

30 Jan 2013

Research reveals the mechanism of epigenetic reprogramming

New research reveals a potential way for how parents' experiences could be passed to their offspring's genes.

28 Jan 2013

Scientists identify consistent epigenetic signatures in men with metastatic prostate cancer

In a genome-wide analysis of 13 metastatic prostate cancers, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center found consistent epigenetic "signatures" across all metastatic tumors in each patient.

23 Jan 2013

Range of epigenetic immunoassays from VolitionRx now available for research use

VolitionRx Limited, a life sciences company focused on developing blood-based diagnostic tests, announces the launch of NuQ, its range of research use only epigenetic immunoassays, to be available for sale at www.nucleosomics.com.

17 Dec 2012

Study identifies epigenetic events critical to cancer cell survival

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center research that identifies specific genes that have to be turned off in order for cancer cells to survive was named one of the top major advances in cancer research this year by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

7 Dec 2012

Study finds relationships between body size and epigenetic changes

New research in human volunteers has shown that molecular changes to our genes, known as epigenetic marks, are driven mainly by ageing but are also affected by what we eat.

6 Dec 2012

Childhood trauma can leave permanent epigenetic marks on DNA

Abused children are at high risk of anxiety and mood disorders, as traumatic experience induces lasting changes to their gene regulation. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich have now documented for the first time that genetic variants of the FKBP5 gene can influence epigenetic alterations in this gene induced by early trauma.

3 Dec 2012

IL17RC-mediated immune responses can be crucial in causing AMD

Changes in how genes in the immune system function may result in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of visual impairment in older adults, based on preliminary research conducted by National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigators.

29 Nov 2012

Methylome modifications offer new measure of a person's biological age

Women live longer than men. Individuals can appear or feel years younger - or older - than their chronological age. Diseases can affect our aging process. When it comes to biology, our clocks clearly tick differently.

22 Nov 2012

RainDance's ThunderStorm System for targeted sequencing selected by UCL Cancer Institute

RainDance Technologies, Inc., the Digital Biology Company, today announced that the University College London (UCL) Cancer Institute has adopted its ThunderStorm System as a centralized platform for the validation of genomic and epigenomic targets from clinical and non-clinical studies, including follow-ups for genome-wide and epigenome-wide association studies (GWAS and EWAS), as well as stratified cancer medicine and basic research.

15 Nov 2012

Researchers decode software instructions that drive 3 different forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

30 Oct 2012

Scientists decode epigenetic programming of three virulent forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A team of national and international researchers, led by Weill Cornell Medical College scientists, have decoded the key "software" instructions that drive three of the most virulent forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). They discovered ALL's "software" is encoded with epigenetic marks, chemical modifications of DNA and surrounding proteins, allowing the research team to identify new potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

29 Oct 2012

Maternal bariatric surgery affects cardiovascular risk profile of offsprings

Kids born to moms who have lost a substantial amount of weight after undergoing bariatric surgery have fewer cardiovascular risk factors than their siblings who were born before the weight loss surgery.

29 Oct 2012

Epigenetic alteration associated with increased risk of breast cancer

Monozygotic twins have the same genome, that is, the same DNA molecule in both siblings. Despite being genetically identical, both twins may have different diseases at different times. This phenomenon is called "twin discordance". But how can people who have the same genetic sequence present different pathologies and at different ages? The explanation partly lies in the fact that the chemical signals added in the DNA to "switch off" or "switch on" genes can be different. These signals are known as epigenetic marks.

20 Oct 2012

Childhood poverty, demographics associated with DNA methylation patterns

A University of British Columbia and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT) study has revealed that childhood poverty, stress as an adult, and demographics such as age, sex and ethnicity, all leave an imprint on a person's genes. And, that this imprint could play a role in our immune response.

20 Oct 2012

White blood cell variation can help predict non-blood cancers

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Devin Koestler is a biostatistician in the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He develops and applies statistical methods to large volumes of data, seeking new approaches for understanding disease, cancer in particular. Koestler and his colleagues are investigating the potential use of white blood cell variation as a diagnostic, predictive, and research tool in the study of non-blood cancers.

15 Oct 2012

Study identifies epigenetic changes that occur in adult stem cells to generate different body tissues

The team led by Manel Esteller, director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program in the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Professor of Genetics at the University of Barcelona and ICREA researcher, has identified epigenetic changes that occur in adult stem cells to generate different body tissues. The finding is published this week in The American Journal of Pathology.

3 Oct 2012