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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).

Embryo gene editing in IVF can have potential major impacts on humanity

A global conference on human fertility has been warned of huge societal and ethical challenges regulating advances in gene editing in assisted reproduction.

6 May 2021

Black swan DNA could offer insight into how humans respond to bird flu

In a world-first, scientists from The University of Western Australia have assembled the entire DNA of the black swan, which could offer insight into how the bird, and even humans, respond to bird flu and other pandemics in the same family of viruses.

6 May 2021

Study reveals a new form of muscular dystrophy associated with pathogenic changes in JAG2 gene

In about a quarter of patients with hereditary diseases, the cause of the disease remains unclear even after extensive genetic testing. One reason is that we still do not know enough about the function of many genes. Of the 30,000 known genes, just a little more than 4,000 have been found to be associated with hereditary diseases.

6 May 2021

Researchers show how low-protein diet during pregnancy can cause kidney problems in babies

Besides being underweight, babies born to women whose diet lacked sufficient protein during pregnancy tend to have kidney problems resulting from alterations that occurred while their organs were forming during the embryonic stage of their development.

5 May 2021

Certain parts of the innate immune response can be trained in response to HIV

Immunity often calls to mind the adaptive immune response, made up of antibodies and T cells that learn to fight specific pathogens after infection or vaccination.

5 May 2021

Immunome could provide unprecedented insight into an individual’s health

The human immune system doesn't just protect our health, it reflects it. Each encounter with a potential disease-causing agent causes the body to produce specific immune agents -- proteins known as antibodies and T-cell receptors -- tailor-made to recognize and destroy the invader.

5 May 2021

PAS 2021: Plenary session on prenatal environmental contaminants and childhood disease

A state of the art plenary session during the Pediatric Academic Societies 2021 Virtual Meeting discussed prenatal environmental contaminants and childhood disease, and the latest evidence for epigenetic mechanisms associated with transgenerational disease and public policy implications.

5 May 2021

Scientists identify genetic mutation associated with exfoliation syndrome known to cause glaucoma

A team of researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's Genome Institute of Singapore and Bioprocessing Technology Institute, as well as Singapore Eye Research Institute, have identified a genetic mutation (functionally defective CYP39A1 gene) associated with exfoliation syndrome, the most common cause of glaucoma.

4 May 2021

Researchers develop new technology to reduce high error rates in gene sequencing

Next-generation gene sequencing (NGS) technologies --in which millions of DNA molecules are simultaneously but individually analyzed-- theoretically provides researchers and clinicians the ability to noninvasively identify mutations in the blood stream.

4 May 2021

New drug class effective in treating certain types of ovarian cancers

A study published today in Nature Communications shows that the drug rucaparib has been effective in treating certain types of ovarian cancers if used early in treatment, after a diagnosis, and before the cancer cells build up a resistance to chemotherapy.

4 May 2021

Proteomic and transcriptomic profiling provide a full picture of aging process in the kidneys

Studying protein changes in the kidneys as we age, as well as the transcription of genes into proteins, helps provide a full picture of the age-related processes that take place in these organs, says a study in mice published today in eLife.

4 May 2021

Unique system detects small changes in DNA structures

Small changes in the structure of DNA have been implicated in breast cancer and other diseases, but they've been extremely difficult to detect -- until now.

4 May 2021

Four-part small-molecule cocktail can prevent cellular stress

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have devised a four-part small-molecule cocktail that can protect stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from stress and maintain normal stem cell structure and function.

4 May 2021

Rucaparib drug is effective in treating certain types of ovarian cancers, shows study

4 May 2021

Developmental abnormalities are controlled by genetics of the fetus and placenta

Yale researchers have shown that developmental abnormalities, including those that lead to pregnancy loss and autism, are controlled by the genetics of the fetus and placenta -- and not the mother's intrauterine environment.

4 May 2021

Ravi Sheth receives 2020 Hertz thesis prize for transforming microbial research

Hertz Fellow Ravi Sheth says his lab in the Brooklyn Navy Yard is "like a Willy Wonka factory of microbes" geared toward improving the taste and safety of food and beverages.

4 May 2021

Low doses of ionizing radiation may be a promising therapy for people with Alzheimer’s disease

Individuals living with severe Alzheimer's disease showed remarkable improvements in behavior and cognition within days of receiving an innovative new treatment that delivered low doses of radiation, a recent Baycrest-Sunnybrook pilot study found.

3 May 2021

Designing effective multidrug-resistant-TB treatments based on DNA sequencing

Globally, tuberculosis is the most common bacterial infectious disease leading to death. The pathogen causing tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has a number of peculiarities. One is that it is growing very slowly.

3 May 2021

Scientists investigate the role played by genes and environment in multiple substance use

Many drug addicts take not only one substance but rather several. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine in Göttingen have investigated the role that genes and the environment play in the development of such multiple substance consumption or polytoxicomania.

3 May 2021

New gene therapy restores dystrophin protein in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

UT Southwestern scientists successfully employed a new type of gene therapy to treat mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), uniquely utilizing CRISPR-Cas9-based tools to restore a large section of the dystrophin protein that is missing in many DMD patients.

3 May 2021

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Embryo gene editing in IVF can have potential major impacts on humanity

Black swan DNA could offer insight into how humans respond to bird flu

Study reveals a new form of muscular dystrophy associated with pathogenic changes in JAG2 gene

Researchers show how low-protein diet during pregnancy can cause kidney problems in babies

Certain parts of the innate immune response can be trained in response to HIV

Immunome could provide unprecedented insight into an individual’s health

PAS 2021: Plenary session on prenatal environmental contaminants and childhood disease

Scientists identify genetic mutation associated with exfoliation syndrome known to cause glaucoma

Researchers develop new technology to reduce high error rates in gene sequencing

New drug class effective in treating certain types of ovarian cancers

Proteomic and transcriptomic profiling provide a full picture of aging process in the kidneys

Unique system detects small changes in DNA structures

Four-part small-molecule cocktail can prevent cellular stress

Rucaparib drug is effective in treating certain types of ovarian cancers, shows study

Developmental abnormalities are controlled by genetics of the fetus and placenta

Ravi Sheth receives 2020 Hertz thesis prize for transforming microbial research

Low doses of ionizing radiation may be a promising therapy for people with Alzheimer’s disease

Designing effective multidrug-resistant-TB treatments based on DNA sequencing

Scientists investigate the role played by genes and environment in multiple substance use

New gene therapy restores dystrophin protein in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

eBook: Exploring the Cell Cycle and DNA Damage and Repair 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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