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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.

Discovery of naturally occurring RNA "switches" that manage the amino acid glycine

Two University of Washington computer scientists are part of a team that has discovered a pair of rare, naturally occurring RNA "switches" in a class of bacteria that work cooperatively to manage the amino acid glycine.

11 Oct 2004

Discovery could lead to the creation of naturally decaffeinated coffee plants

Chemists at Emory University have made an important advance in harnessing the ability of bacteria to make new molecules, and their discovery could eventually lead to the creation of naturally decaffeinated coffee plants.

10 Oct 2004

Researchers have found a starting point to establishing the genetic basis for sinus disease

In a three-year analysis of more than 10,500 genes, one-third of the human genome, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found a starting point to establishing the genetic basis for sinus disease and the growth of nasal polyps, illnesses not well understood despite their prevalence.

8 Oct 2004

Influenza is a contagious disease caused by an RNA virus of the orthomyxoviridae family

Influenza (or as it is commonly known, the flu) is a contagious disease caused by an RNA virus of the orthomyxoviridae family (The orthomyxoviridae is a family of RNA viruses which infect vertebrate).

6 Oct 2004

RiboNovix secures license to novel anti-infective discovery technology from Wayne State University

New biotechnology company, RiboNovix, Inc., is addressing the worsening problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by developing new anti-infectives that are less susceptible to drug resistance.

5 Oct 2004

Berkeley searches for AIDS cure in a Samoan indigenous tree

The University of California, Berkeley, has signed an agreement with the Samoan government to isolate from an indigenous tree the gene for a promising anti-AIDS drug and to share any royalties from sale of a gene-derived drug with the people of Samoa.

30 Sep 2004

Phase II trials of the first second-generation antisense cancer drug to be used in patients soon to be underway

Phase II trials of the first second-generation antisense cancer drug to be used in patients are soon to be underway in the wake of a successful Phase I study, which has demonstrated that the new drug blocks its target gene in exactly the way it is designed to do.

28 Sep 2004

Study presents multiple lines of evidence against the proposed link between SV40 and human mesotheliomas

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the chest cavity that kills about 2000 people a year in the United States.

26 Sep 2004

New link in the growth of Ewing’s sarcoma

To develop new therapeutic approaches to cancer, it is essential to understand the long and extremely complex process that underlies it, in other words the various stages of cancer development from the initial mutation to the tumor.

23 Sep 2004

Neck surgeons brush up on West Nile virus

Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, being held September 19-22, 2004, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City, NY.

17 Sep 2004

RNAi enlisted in hunt for prawn vaccines

CSIRO researchers are using a biological phenomenon called RNA interference (RNAi) in an effort to develop a major biotechnological breakthrough for the aquaculture industry - vaccines for common prawn diseases.

16 Sep 2004

Liver cancer genes cluster into two subsets that correlate to survival

An analysis of the gene expression patterns of 91 unrelated liver tumors revealed two distinctive subclasses highly associated with patient survival, according to a new study published in the September 2004 issue of Hepatology.

14 Sep 2004

Study provides insight on how DNA code is turned into instructions for protein construction

A team of scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science has revealed the structure of a cellular editor that “cuts and pastes” the first draft of RNA straight after it is formed from its DNA template.

9 Sep 2004

Advances in gene silencing on the agenda

Recent advances in using 'RNA interference' (RNAi) to improve plant, animal and human health will be the major focus of the CSIRO-hosted Horizons in Livestock Sciences Conference on the Gold Coast from 12-15 September.

8 Sep 2004

Researchers unravel genetic makeup of ticks to tackle disease

Ticks as small as a freckle can transmit a number of illnesses for which there is no vaccine and, in some cases, no cure. These creatures even could become bioterrorism weapons.

4 Sep 2004

Epimmune presents SIV vaccine study data showing control of virus despite the presence of viral mutations

Epimmune today presented preliminary data from its ongoing SIV rhesus macaque vaccine study at the AIDS Vaccine 2004 conference in Lausanne, Switzerland.

31 Aug 2004

FDA reinforces use of Sustiva in first-line HIV combination therapy

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that Sustiva® (efavirenz) has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to include new long-term virologic and clinical data from BMS Study 006 in its prescribing information.

26 Aug 2004

Researchers have coaxed RNA to self-assemble into 3-D arrays

These RNA structures can form a wider variety of shapes than double-stranded DNA can and are easier to manipulate than many protein alternatives.

23 Aug 2004

New database about a group of genes associated with multidrug resistance in cancerous tumors

Scientists at the National Cancer Institute, have created a database of information about a group of genes associated with multidrug resistance in cancerous tumors.