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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).

Immune cells in cerebrospinal fluid could be novel biomarkers of response to immune-based therapies

Results from a study led by Joan Seoane, Director of Preclinical and Translational Research co-program at VHIO and ICREA Professor, show that immune cells accessing cerebrospinal fluid faithfully recapitulate the characteristics of cells identified in brain metastasis, and could therefore constitute novel biomarkers of response to immune-based therapies.

8 Mar 2021

Scientists optimize wastewater disinfection process to minimize spread of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a global threat today, owing in part to the efficiency with which resistance spreads among them. Some of this spread happens in waterbodies—and our wastewater systems are no exception.

8 Mar 2021

New method provides more control over gene drive releases

Powerful new genetic engineering methods have given scientists the potential to revolutionize several sectors of global urgency.

8 Mar 2021

Rare Disease Day: Illumina shines a spotlight on people living with rare diseases

With a mission of empowering the rare disease community, Illumina has today partnered with medical researchers and families to highlight the importance of genomic sequencing and to shine the spotlight on the 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease.

8 Mar 2021

Study shows how mutant huntingtin protein triggers brain cell death

In 1993, scientists discovered that a single mutated gene, HTT, caused Huntington's disease, raising high hopes for a quick cure. Yet today, there's still no approved treatment.

7 Mar 2021

FDA issues emergency use authorization for T-Detect COVID Test

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the T-Detect COVID Test developed by Adaptive Biotechnologies.

5 Mar 2021

Eight hallmarks of environmental exposures that contribute to disease

A new review of existing evidence proposes eight hallmarks of environmental exposures that chart the biological pathways through which pollutants contribute to disease: oxidative stress and inflammation, genomic alterations and mutations, epigenetic alterations, mitochondrial dysfunction, endocrine disruption, altered intercellular communication, altered microbiome communities, and impaired nervous system function.

5 Mar 2021

Multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains may be spreading between pigs, farmworkers in North Carolina

DNA sequencing of bacteria found in pigs and humans in rural eastern North Carolina, an area with concentrated industrial-scale pig-farming, suggests that multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains are spreading between pigs, farmworkers, their families and community residents, and represents an emerging public health threat, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

5 Mar 2021

Researchers describe new approach for hematopoietic stem cell transplant in embryos

Most people have heard of stem cells, cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the architects of blood cell development and are responsible for blood cell formation throughout the life of an organism.

5 Mar 2021

Identification of neutralizing IFNL3 autoantibodies in severe COVID-19 cases

Scientists have recently developed a novel alternative molecular display technology called Molecular Indexing of Proteins by Self Assembly (MIPSA). Their research explains how this technology overcomes the critical disadvantages of PLATO and other full-length protein array technologies.

5 Mar 2021

A small sensor can be used for rapid detection of RNA and DNA

In less than a second, a small sensor used in brain chemistry research can detect the key molecules that provide the genetic instructions for life, RNA, and DNA, a new study from American University shows

5 Mar 2021

Study demonstrates the impact of 'reverse antibiotic' on gram-negative bacteria

Scientists from Skoltech and MSU have investigated antibiotic nybomycin that could prove effective against bacteria resistant to other antibiotics. Their research was published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

5 Mar 2021

New mRNA treatment appears to stop replication of flu and Covid-19 viruses

With a relatively minor genetic change, a new treatment developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University appears to stop replication of both flu viruses and the virus that causes Covid-19.

4 Mar 2021

Innovative cancer treatment effective in combating fungal infection in vitro and in mice

An innovative cell-based treatment for cancer has been found promising for the control of infections caused by fungi.

4 Mar 2021

Researchers explore mutational signatures associated with exposure to microplastic pollutants

According to the World Health Organization, plastic products and their chemical derivatives present in the environment present public health concerns on a global scale and more exploration on the potential impact to human health is needed.

3 Mar 2021

PICI awards $3 million to support early career cancer researchers

From improving immunotherapy response in childhood cancer patients, to better understanding how cancer's spread to the liver affects the body's immune system, to helping T cells stay energized to fight cancer, The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI)'s 2021 class of early career researchers award recipients are pursuing ideas that have the potential to change the face of oncology.

3 Mar 2021

Scientists report new insights into the development of blood cancers

Utah researchers report significant new insights into the development of blood cancers. In work published today in Blood Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, scientists describe an analysis of published data from more than 7,000 patients diagnosed with leukemia and other blood disorders.

3 Mar 2021