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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).

New compound could combat multidrug-resistant pathogens in healthcare settings

For years, public-health experts have been sounding the alarm about the next phase in humanity's co-existence with bacteria-;a dark future where emerging strains have rendered once-powerful antibiotics useless.

5 Jan 2022

Folic acid-like drug reprograms DNA methylome of aggressive brain tumors

A folic acid-like drug, L-methylfolate, when administered alongside the standard therapy for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, changed aDNA process within their brain tumors, according to results from a phase 1 clinical trial.

5 Jan 2022

New CRISPR-based assay can non-invasively detect a biomarker of acute kidney rejection in urine

When a patient receives a kidney transplant, doctors carefully monitor them for signs of rejection in several ways, including biopsy. However, this procedure is invasive and can only detect issues at a late stage.

5 Jan 2022

New gene therapy addresses primary cellular deficit associated with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2B

Children's National Hospital experts developed a new pre-clinical gene therapy for a rare disorder, known as limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) 2B, that addresses the primary cellular deficit associated with this disease.

4 Jan 2022

Unique nanoparticle can deliver genome editing technology to endothelial cells

The lab of Youyang Zhao, PhD, from Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago developed a unique nanoparticle to deliver genome editing technology, including CRISPR/Cas9, to endothelial cells, which are cells that line blood vessel walls.

4 Jan 2022

Research provides compelling insights into the complex nature of genomic imprinting in mice

Mammalian offspring inherit two versions, or alleles, of each gene with one allele from each biological parent. However, gene expression is tightly regulated and certain genes undergo the phenomenon of "genomic imprinting", which is where only the allele received by the male or the female parent is expressed.

4 Jan 2022

Exposure to parasitic roundworm linked with lower lung-function and asthma in younger men

By looking at the exposure to the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides/suum in Nothern Europe (Norway, Denmark and Estonia), the study finds that younger men exposed to Ascaris had a striking reduction in lung function and nearly five times higher odds of having asthma compared to the non-exposed.

4 Jan 2022

Study finds increased oxidative stress, oxidant damage and glutathione deficiency in COVID-19 patients

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have investigated the effect of infection with COVID-19 on the levels of oxidative stress, oxidant damage and glutathione, the most abundant physiological antioxidant.

3 Jan 2022

COVID-19 tests with the new assay may be just as reliable as laboratory-based molecular tests

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have designed a high-quality assay that can be used in at-home tests for rapid COVID-19 screening.

3 Jan 2022

Genomic variant may help predict which patients will experience chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity

A team of investigators have discovered a genomic variant that may help clinicians predict which patients will experience cardiotoxicity from a widely used chemotherapy drug, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in Circulation.

3 Jan 2022

Researchers discover how the sponginess of stem cell nuclei controls cell differentiation

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered how the sponginess and stickiness of stem cell nuclei controls how they "differentiate" into specialized cells.

3 Jan 2022

The use of monoclonal antibodies against infectious pathogens

Joshua Tan of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health wrote a review article in the journal DNA and Cell Biology about the role of monoclonal antibodies and briefly described a study on bispecific antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2.

30 Dec 2021

New strategy to create a cheap and rapid COVID-19 test based on isothermal amplification

Russian researchers have developed a strategy to create a cheap and rapid COVID-19 test based on isothermal amplification. According to their publication in Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology, use of this strategy will make it possible to create universal test systems for any of the COVID-19 variants.

29 Dec 2021

New techniques enable visualization of DNA repair machinery in detail

Each one of the trillions of cells that make up the human body suffers more than 10,000 DNA lesions every day. These injuries would be catastrophic if cells were unable to repair them, but a very delicate machinery that detects and repair genetic damage is at work to prevent DNA mutations and diseases such as cancer.

29 Dec 2021

New study targets the methylation profile of microglia from human brain

In the central nervous system, microglial cells play critical roles in development, aging, brain homeostasis, and pathology. Recent studies have shown variation in the gene-expression profile and phenotype of microglia across brain regions and between different age and disease states.

29 Dec 2021

LJI researchers discover how loss of TET enzymes can lead to B cell lymphoma

Scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have uncovered how loss of TET enzymes can lead to B cell lymphoma. Their research, published in Nature Immunology, could potentially open opportunities for designing drug treatment strategies to target malignant cells in many cancers.

24 Dec 2021

Single-patient pilot study shows the ability of antisense oligonucleotide to suppress mutant ALS gene

Using a short, synthetic chain of chemically modified nucleotides engineered in the RNA Therapeutics Institute at UMass Chan Medical School, Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, Jonathan Watts, PhD, and colleagues have shown the ability to suppress mutant forms of an ALS gene known as C9ORF72 in a single-patient pilot study.

24 Dec 2021

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

New compound could combat multidrug-resistant pathogens in healthcare settings

Folic acid-like drug reprograms DNA methylome of aggressive brain tumors

New CRISPR-based assay can non-invasively detect a biomarker of acute kidney rejection in urine

New gene therapy addresses primary cellular deficit associated with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2B

Unique nanoparticle can deliver genome editing technology to endothelial cells

Research provides compelling insights into the complex nature of genomic imprinting in mice

Exposure to parasitic roundworm linked with lower lung-function and asthma in younger men

Study finds increased oxidative stress, oxidant damage and glutathione deficiency in COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 tests with the new assay may be just as reliable as laboratory-based molecular tests

Genomic variant may help predict which patients will experience chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity

Researchers discover how the sponginess of stem cell nuclei controls cell differentiation

The use of monoclonal antibodies against infectious pathogens

New strategy to create a cheap and rapid COVID-19 test based on isothermal amplification

New techniques enable visualization of DNA repair machinery in detail

New study targets the methylation profile of microglia from human brain

LJI researchers discover how loss of TET enzymes can lead to B cell lymphoma

Single-patient pilot study shows the ability of antisense oligonucleotide to suppress mutant ALS gene

Strains - not species - of gut bacteria may provide better insights into the microbiome

Are our bowel habits written in our DNA?

Peto's paradox offers new insights into cancer risk across mammals

eBook: A guide to RNA sequencing eBook

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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