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Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate.

Scientists introduce a new approach for immunological tumor treatment

Our immune system ought to be able to recognize and kill tumor cells. However, many tumors deceive the immune system.

8 Jul 2020

New study provides insight into the origin and evolution of glioblastoma

Brain cancers have long been thought of as being resistant to treatments because of the presence of multiple types of cancer cells within each tumor. A new study uncovers a cancer cell hierarchy that originates from a single cancer cell type, which can be targeted to slow cancer growth.

8 Jul 2020

Scientists discover promising therapy to combat the growing epidemic of liver disease

In an effort to combat a growing worldwide epidemic of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), scientists have discovered a new target and a new therapy that has shown promising results in preclinical mouse models, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

8 Jul 2020

Horizon Discovery introduces Cas9 and dCas9-VPR stable cell lines to simplify and accelerate CRISPR gene editing workflows

Horizon Discovery Group plc, today announced the introduction of its stably expressing Cas9 and dCas9-VPR cell lines to help accelerate gene knockout.

8 Jul 2020

Unique nanoparticle can reduce side effects, increase the effectiveness of cancer treatment

A unique nanoparticle to deliver a localized cancer treatment inhibits tumor growth in mice, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

8 Jul 2020

RNA plays key role in helping stem cells know what to become

Look deep inside our cells, and you'll find that each has an identical genome -a complete set of genes that provides the instructions for our cells' form and function.

7 Jul 2020

Study explores the role of gut Piezo1 in sensing of bacterial RNA

In a new study published in Cell, "RNA sensing by gut Piezo1 is essential for systemic serotonin synthesis", a research team led by Kenta Maruyama M.D., Ph.D. from National Institute for Physiological Sciences explored the role of Piezo1, a mechano-sensing receptor, in the sensing of bacterial RNA.

7 Jul 2020

Evolutionary snapshot reveals genetic stability of SARS-CoV-2

A multinational study currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server shows that in the early large genome of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) only a handful of amino acids are exchanged, implying a relatively low mutation rate and selection pressure.

7 Jul 2020

New technique to sort out complex interactions unique to prostate cancer cells

UT Southwestern researchers have identified vast webs of small snippets of the genome that interact with each other and with genes to promote prostate cancer.

7 Jul 2020

New technology can sense the presence of toxic metals in the water supply

The new platform uses cell-free synthetic biology to test for 17 contaminants, including lead, copper, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

7 Jul 2020

Faulty immune response to SARS-CoV-2 one of the main causes of death

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 describes the organ and tissue-specific spread of the virus causing the current COVID-19 pandemic, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

7 Jul 2020

SARS-CoV-2 detected in Santiago, Chile wastewater with very little loss of viral RNA

A preliminary report from Chile describes the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in sewage as a sensitive method to assess the circulation of viruses within a community.

7 Jul 2020

Viral and bacterial co-infections are pervasive in severe COVID-19 patients

A large group of researchers from China recently characterized microbial co-infections in the respiratory tract of hospitalized coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients and demonstrated a high prevalence of both viral and bacterial co-infections – particularly in individuals presenting with severe disease.

6 Jul 2020

Airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2 possible and should not be ignored

Researchers at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands say that airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is possible and should not be discounted.

6 Jul 2020

Researchers create new tool to identify cancer-causing mutations lurking in 98% of the genome

Gene coding regions constitute 2% of the human genome. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have developed a computational tool to identify alterations that drive tumor formation in the remaining 98% of the genome.

6 Jul 2020

Work begins on UK-wide system for detecting coronavirus in wastewater

Scientists will develop a standardized UK-wide system for detecting coronavirus in wastewater, in order to provide an early warning of future outbreaks and reduce reliance on costly testing of large populations.

6 Jul 2020

New strategies can help increase the efficiency of artificial cell reprogramming

Maria-Elena: Can you imagine being able to artificially generate cells that can develop into any cell type? That would be really fantastic! We call this ability 'totipotency' and it is the highest level of cellular plasticity.

6 Jul 2020

Research suggests protective effect of influenza vaccine against COVID-19 severity and mortality

A new study involving over 92,000 patients with COVID-19 in Brazil shows that the odds of severe disease, ventilatory support requirement, and death are reduced with a recent trivalent flu vaccine. This seems to indicate that these vaccines should be used as widely as possible to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19, especially among high-risk groups. The study is published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020.

5 Jul 2020

Diagnosis of COVID-19 by RT-LAMP assay in 25 minutes

Even as COVID-19 continues its inexorable march, taking hundreds of thousands of lives and causing nearly 11 million cases, the diagnosis of the infection is still not sensitive or specific enough. Now, a new study by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute and published on the preprint server medRxiv...

3 Jul 2020

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shows promise - virus neutralizing antibodies achieved

In a recent medRxiv* paper, a research group from the U.S. and Germany showed a robust immunogenic response and a promising safety profile of the novel BNT162b1 RNA-based vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – actively encouraging its accelerated clinical development and potential rapid production.

2 Jul 2020

RNA News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists introduce a new approach for immunological tumor treatment

New study provides insight into the origin and evolution of glioblastoma

Scientists discover promising therapy to combat the growing epidemic of liver disease

Horizon Discovery introduces Cas9 and dCas9-VPR stable cell lines to simplify and accelerate CRISPR gene editing workflows

Unique nanoparticle can reduce side effects, increase the effectiveness of cancer treatment

RNA plays key role in helping stem cells know what to become

Study explores the role of gut Piezo1 in sensing of bacterial RNA

Evolutionary snapshot reveals genetic stability of SARS-CoV-2

New technique to sort out complex interactions unique to prostate cancer cells

New technology can sense the presence of toxic metals in the water supply

Faulty immune response to SARS-CoV-2 one of the main causes of death

SARS-CoV-2 detected in Santiago, Chile wastewater with very little loss of viral RNA

Viral and bacterial co-infections are pervasive in severe COVID-19 patients

Airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2 possible and should not be ignored

Researchers create new tool to identify cancer-causing mutations lurking in 98% of the genome

Work begins on UK-wide system for detecting coronavirus in wastewater

New strategies can help increase the efficiency of artificial cell reprogramming

Research suggests protective effect of influenza vaccine against COVID-19 severity and mortality

Diagnosis of COVID-19 by RT-LAMP assay in 25 minutes

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shows promise - virus neutralizing antibodies achieved

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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