RNA News and Research

RSS

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.

New research may help doctors diagnose diseases like HIV and hepatitis C earlier

A new method developed by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology for accurately measuring the concentration of artificial viruses in a solution may ultimately help doctors diagnose diseases like HIV and hepatitis C earlier.

2 Jul 2004

Three-dimensional cryo-electron microscope may help guide the design of new antibiotics

Understanding the last step of protein synthesis – the basic process of translating DNA into its final protein product – just became more clear both literally and figuratively.

1 Jul 2004

RNA enzyme research may lead to ways of monitoring fat metabolism and might even assist in the search for signs of life on Mars

Research aimed at teasing apart the workings of RNA enzymes eventually may lead to ways of monitoring fat metabolism and might even assist in the search for signs of life on Mars, according to University of Michigan researcher Nils Walter.

29 Jun 2004

Lou Gehrig's disease may be treated or even prevented

Tripping, stumbling, falling, slow, steady loss of muscle control and strength in hands and feet, difficulty speaking, swallowing and breathing...

28 Jun 2004

Discovery of gene that causes a rare juvenile-onset form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

The discovery of the Senataxin gene, on chromosome 9q34, may provide clues to the mechanisms of related brain disorders. The study appears in the June 2004 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

28 Jun 2004

Discovery may explain why people with AIDS may suffer severe infections from viruses that they would otherwise defeat

Researchers have uncovered the first evidence that a virus can mutate to evade the body's first line of immune defense.

25 Jun 2004

Nanogen issued patent for a new technique to detect genetic variants

The '148 patent is a continuation of patents issued to Nanogen that cover methods and apparatus that are particularly useful for detecting varying lengths of genetic variants.

25 Jun 2004

Muscular German boy sheds new light on muscle development and genetics

By studying the genetic make up of a German boy born with unusually well developed muscles, an international research team has discovered the first evidence that the gene whose loss makes "mighty mice" also controls muscle growth in people.

24 Jun 2004

Microchip to track genetic signature of cancer and normal tissue

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), tiny pieces of genetic material that can serve as stop signs for gene expression and protein synthesis, are thought to be important in the development of cancer.

23 Jun 2004

New gene found in genetic wasteland

In a region of DNA long considered a genetic wasteland, Harvard Medical School researchers have discovered a new class of gene.

20 Jun 2004

A natural molecule that blocks a key bacterial enzymes could lead to a new generation of antibiotics

Rutgers scientists have deciphered the complex mechanics of microcin J25 (MccJ25), a tiny, natural molecule that acts like a cork in a bottle to block a key bacterial enzyme – potentially leading to a new generation of antibiotics.

17 Jun 2004

New findings may help better understand how harmless viruses can cause severe disease among patients with weakened immune systems

When a major branch of the mouse immune system is disabled, a normally harmless virus can rapidly mutate into a lethal one, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

17 Jun 2004

SARS siRNA studied further to help many respiratory diseases including lung cancer

Intradigm Corporation, has announced achievement of prophylactic and therapeutic effects of siRNA (small interfering RNA) inhibitors of SARS-CoV in non-human primate cells. The results are published in the June 2004 issue of Antiviral Therapy (International Medical Press).

15 Jun 2004

Real-Time Immuno-PCR has the ability to detect HIV infection earlier than all current methods

Researchers at the Institute of Human Virology have developed an ultra-sensitive testing technique that has shown the ability to detect HIV infection earlier than all current methods.

15 Jun 2004

African Americans suffer from cardiovascular diseases at a rate about five times higher than the rest of the U.S. population

African Americans suffer from cardiovascular diseases at a rate about five times higher than the rest of the U.S. population. In a new study, scientists may have found a culprit: a serious deficiency of nitric oxide, a small molecule vital in the regulation of blood flow and blood pressure.

11 Jun 2004

Discovery could pave the way to smallpox Immunity

A team of scientists led by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) international research scholar has discovered the immune system mechanism that causes some mice to be more susceptible to mousepox than others.

9 Jun 2004

Neuroscientists have overcome a major obstacle in gene therapy research

Northwestern University neuroscientists have overcome a major obstacle in gene therapy research. They've devised a method that will safely deliver and regulate expression of therapeutic genes introduced into the central nervous system to treat Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

5 Jun 2004

Breakthrough in gene therapy

Despite a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs during the past 15 years, gene therapy has continued to attract many of the world's brightest scientists. They are tantalized by the enormous potential that replacing missing genes or disabling defective ones offers for curing diseases of many kinds.

3 Jun 2004

Scientists reveal the crystal structure of the first described enzymatic RNA

Scientists in the department of molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale revealed the crystal structure of the first described enzymatic RNA - what it looks like and how it reacts - in the journal Nature.

2 Jun 2004

Treatment helps 26% of black Americans with chronic hepatitis C

Twenty-six percent (26%) of black Americans (BA) with chronic hepatitis C who received treatment with Pegasys plus Copegus (peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin) achieved a sustained virological response (SVR), according to study results published in the June 2004 issue of Hepatology.

1 Jun 2004