DNA News and Research

RSS

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

A VSV-based COVID vaccine effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

A new study discusses the development of recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus COVID-19 vaccines.

25 Jul 2022

Insights into molecular folding of AAT protein will help develop new therapies for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

In a major new development in the quest to develop better gene therapies with which to treat a host of diseases, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and UMass Chan Medical School recently announced that they have mapped the expression and maturation of the protein alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) with unprecedented clarity.

25 Jul 2022

Elevated insulin resistance, advanced cell aging associated with childhood poverty

Black adolescents who lived in poverty and were less optimistic about the future showed accelerated aging in their immune cells and were more likely to have elevated insulin resistance at ages 25-29, researchers found.

25 Jul 2022

Using CRISPR technology to successfully prevent and treat SARS-CoV-2 infections

In what is believed to be a first, a research team led by Duke Health has demonstrated a way to use CRISPR technology to successfully prevent and treat COVID infections.

25 Jul 2022

New RT-PCR platform gives results faster than other COVID-19 tests on the market

For more than 30 years, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been the gold standard in molecular diagnostic testing, detecting genetic material, such as those from a virus or from human DNA.

25 Jul 2022

Study identifies risks in the use of CRISPR therapeutics

The researchers caution: "The CRISPR genome editing method is very effective, but not always safe. Sometimes cleaved chromosomes do not recover and genomic stability is compromised - which in the long run might promote cancer."

25 Jul 2022

Research reveals molecular clues associated with traumatic brain injury

New research led by scientists at Arizona State University has revealed some of the first detailed molecular clues associated with one of the leading causes of death and disability, a condition known as traumatic brain injury (TBI).

23 Jul 2022

Study may help overcome some obstacles to the development of nanoparticle-based drugs

Using nanoparticles to deliver cancer drugs offers a way to hit tumors with large doses of drugs while avoiding the harmful side effects that often come with chemotherapy.

21 Jul 2022

A different approach to build a more durable, broadly effective COVID-19 vaccine

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, describe a different way to build a COVID-19 vaccine, one that would, in theory, remain effective against new and emerging variants and could be taken as a pill, by inhalation or other delivery methods.

21 Jul 2022

Unlocking the power of proteins to better understand human health

We speak to Andrew Lynn, the chief executive at Fluidic Analytics, about the role proteins play in understanding human disease.

From Fluidic Analytics 21 Jul 2022

Is monkeypox a global public-health emergency?

A summary of available knowledge on the monkeypox virus including pathogenicity, risk to the human population, and strategies that can help limit its spread.

20 Jul 2022

Novel blood test offers unprecedented insight into a patient's cancer make-up

Researchers at the Vancouver Prostate Centre have developed a new blood test that provides unprecedented insight into a patient's cancer make-up, potentially allowing doctors to better select treatment options that will improve patient outcomes.

20 Jul 2022

Study finds white adipose tissue to be the most vulnerable organ to obesity-related metabolic changes

When the body is subjected to a high-calorie diet, the physiological response is not homogeneous and some organs or tissues are more sensitive to metabolic stress.

20 Jul 2022

Researchers describe viral shedding of monkeypox virus in patients to better understand the possible role of different bodily fluids in disease transmission

Researchers described the shedding of the monkeypox (MPX) virus (MPXV) in Barcelona city of Spain.

20 Jul 2022

Scientists find new evidence against using BET inhibitors to treat COVID-19

A while ago, some researchers had suggested that blocking a set of proteins, known as bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins, might be a way to fight COVID-19.

20 Jul 2022

Study determines the reason behind the failure of IVF embryos

In humans, a fertilized egg is no guarantee of reproductive success. Most embryos stop developing and perish within days of fertilization, usually because they have an abnormal number of chromosomes. Now, researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons have found that most of these mistakes are due to spontaneous errors in DNA replication in the earliest phase of cell division.

20 Jul 2022

Non-coding 'junk' DNA could potentially contribute to the development of cancer

Scientists have found that non-coding 'junk' DNA, far from being harmless and inert, could potentially contribute to the development of cancer.

19 Jul 2022

Gut-lung axis: Using commensal bacteria to reinforce mucosal immunity

A recent study discusses the use of commensal bacteria in the gut and/or respiratory tract to deliver viral antigens to the host, thus acting as vaccines

19 Jul 2022

New microbiome-based predictive models to forecast human health outcomes

A new approach that uses artificial intelligence (AI) shows how to use microorganisms in the body and molecules in cells to predict human health outcomes, according to Penn State College of Medicine and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers.

19 Jul 2022

Elephant genes could offer new clues to preventing cancer development

Scientists modeling the cancer-suppressing p53 gene identify how the 20 different molecules unique to elephants get activated for increased sensitivity and response against carcinogenic conditions - with implications for cancer treatments in humans.

19 Jul 2022