Ribonucleic Acid News and Research

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microRNA protects red blood cells from oxidant stress: Study

Pediatric researchers have discovered a new biological pathway in which small segments of RNA, called microRNA, help protect red blood cells from injury caused by chemicals called free radicals. The microRNA seems to have only a modest role when red blood cells experience normal conditions, but steps into action when the cells are threatened by oxidant stress.

2 Aug 2010

Researchers create artificial RNA inhibitor to block excess blood cells formation

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered a key step in the creation of new red blood cells in an animal study.They found that a tiny fragment of ribonucleic acid (RNA), a chemical cousin of DNA, prompts stem cells to mature into red blood cells. The researchers also created an artificial RNA inhibitor to block this process.

2 Aug 2010

Study: Small fragment of RNA appears to protect rats against cocaine addiction

A specific and remarkably small fragment of RNA appears to protect rats against cocaine addiction-and may also protect humans, according to a recent study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study was published today in the journal Nature.

9 Jul 2010

Researchers one step closer to understand how activity outside of nucleus determines cell's behavior

With the rapid and continuous advances in biotechnology, scientists are better able to see inside the nucleus of a cell to unlock the secrets of its genetic material. However, what happens outside of the nucleus has, in many ways, remained a mystery. Now, researchers with the National Institutes of Health are closer to understanding how activity outside of the nucleus determines a cell's behavior.

5 Jun 2010

RNA viruses hijack cellular enzyme to create viral replication factories on cell membranes

Nihal Altan-Bonnet, assistant professor of cell biology, Rutgers University in Newark, and her research team have made a significant new discovery about RNA viruses and how they replicate themselves.

29 May 2010

RNAi therapy shuts down gene critical to RSV, prevents virus replication

John DeVincenzo, MD, professor and researcher in the Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has proven for the first time that a totally new concept in drug design can be used to treat human disease. Dr. DeVincenzo, who also serves as a children's infectious diseases specialist at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, conducted his study at the Children's Foundation Research Center, a UT Health Science Center partner located at Le Bonheur.

29 May 2010

UT Southwestern researchers uncover core function of gene involved in Fragile X syndrome

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how the genetic mutation that causes Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited mental retardation, interferes with the "pruning" of nerve connections in the brain. Their findings appear in the April 29 issue of Neuron.

10 May 2010

Genomic Health reports 22% revenue growth, 58% decrease in net loss for first-quarter 2010

Genomic Health, Inc. today reported financial results and business progress for the quarter ended March 31, 2010.

6 May 2010

IRIC launches new RNA engineering laboratory in Canada

The Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Universit- de Montr-al is proud to announce the launch of the very first ribonucleic acid engineering laboratory in Canada.

30 Apr 2010

Sorrento Therapeutics completes construction of fully human mAbs library

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it has completed the construction of an extensive library of full-length, fully human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Initial analysis indicates a potential diversity of more than one trillion unique mAbs. The company believes this makes its library the largest full-length, fully human antibody library available for drug discovery and development partnerships.

15 Apr 2010

USPTO allows Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' new claims from Woppmann et al. patent series

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the United States Patent Office (USPTO) has allowed a patent (Application No. 10/560,336) for the Woppmann et al. patent series, entitled "Double-stranded ribonucleic acid with increased effectiveness in an organism." The newly allowed patent includes 31 claims broadly covering compositions and methods, including pharmaceutical compositions, for small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), the molecules that mediate RNAi.

8 Apr 2010

Potential new target for treating HCV infection

A team of scientists including University of Utah researchers has discovered that binding of a potent inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus to the genetic material of the virus causes a major conformational change that may adversely affect the ability of the virus to replicate.

30 Mar 2010

BeaconEquity.com: AVI BioPharma's revenues for fourth-quarter of 2009 are $5.1M

BeaconEquity.com announces an investment report featuring biotech company AVI BioPharma Inc. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and pertinent industry information you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

18 Mar 2010

Lowering levels of Coonexin46 with use of siRNA will help prevent tumor formation

What began as research into how diabetics could possibly preserve their eyesight has led to findings that could prolong the vision of children afflicted with retinoblastoma.

10 Mar 2010

Body repairs itself through microvesicles: New hope for tissue regeneration

Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital have discovered how cells communicate with each other during times of cellular injury. The findings shed new light on how the body repairs itself when organs become diseased, through small particles known as microvesicles, and offers hope for tissue regeneration.

27 Feb 2010

Scientists discover Ebola's immune evasion strategies

A research team led by Gaya Amarasinghe, an assistant professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, had previously solved the structure of a critical part of an Ebola protein known as VP35, which is involved in host immune suppression.

20 Jan 2010

MUHC's innovative treatment for HIV patients passes first clinical trial successfully

An innovative treatment for HIV patients developed by McGill University Health Centre researchers has passed its first clinical trial with flying colours. The new approach is an immunotherapy customized for each individual patient, and was developed by Dr. J-P. Routy from the Research Institute of the MUHC in collaboration with Dr. R. S-kaly from the Universit- de Montr-al.

26 Nov 2009

UCSB researchers use lasers to deliver drugs into cancer cells

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have developed a new way to deliver drugs into cancer cells by exposing them briefly to a non-harmful laser. Their results are published in a recent article in ACS Nano, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

10 Sep 2009

Mortality rates higher in hepatitis C virus carriers

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne disease that causes inflammation of the liver and to which there is currently no vaccine available. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3% of the world's population, approximately 170 million people, are infected with HCV and it is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis, end stage liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver transplantation.

31 Jul 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center grant aids study of lung cancer in people who never smoked

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center are among an elite group of cancer scientists to share a $2 million grant to find biomarkers for lung cancer that develops in people who have never smoked.

21 Jul 2009