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).

Valproic acid can interact with DNA conformation and regulate gene expression

Results of recent studies involving valproic acid, used for decades as an anti-convulsant drug, show that it can interact with the conformation of DNA and regulate gene expression.

29 Sep 2020

Stanford researchers unravel how a common genetic deletion elevates schizophrenia risk

A common genetic deletion boosts the risk for schizophrenia by 30-fold. Generating nerve cells from people with the deletion has showed Stanford researchers why.

28 Sep 2020

Brain wiring genes may be linked to a significant portion of cerebral palsy cases

In an article published in Nature Genetics, researchers confirm that about 14% of all cases of cerebral palsy, a disabling brain disorder for which there are no cures, may be linked to a patient's genes and suggest that many of those genes control how brain circuits become wired during early development.

28 Sep 2020

Life-threatening COVID-19 associated with specific genetic variants

Results of a genome-wide association study on 2,244 critically-ill patients due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from 208 intensive care units across the United Kingdom revealed significant host-specific genetic determinants that can predispose people to the severe form of the disease. The report is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

28 Sep 2020

Epigenetic changes in the brain drive late-onset Alzheimer's disease

New findings suggest that late-onset Alzheimer's Disease is driven by epigenetic changes -- how and when certain genes are turned on and off -- in the brain. Results were published today in Nature Genetics.

28 Sep 2020

Study identifies genes linked with abdominal aortic aneurysm

A veteran's study identified more than a dozen genes associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) that could be used to better identify people at risk for the often-deadly condition, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

28 Sep 2020

Clover Biopharma's new trimeric subunit vaccine candidate prevents COVID-19 in monkeys

The vaccine candidate produced a high level of neutralizing antibodies in animal models. Rhesus macaques immunized with the vaccine candidate showed reduced viral loads in the lungs. The research is published on the preprint server bioRxiv.

28 Sep 2020

Researchers develop a stable nano-carrier for medications

Medications often have unwanted side-effects. One reason is that they reach not only the unhealthy cells for which they are intended, but also reach and have an impact on healthy cells.

25 Sep 2020

New optical switch to precisely control the lifespan of genetic 'copies'

A novel optical switch makes it possible to precisely control the lifespan of genetic "copies". These are used by the cell as building instructions for the production of proteins.

25 Sep 2020

Study identifies potential drug target for dangerous E. coli infections

Escherichia coli, known as E. coli, are bacteria which many people associate with causing mild food poisoning, but some types of E. coli can be fatal.

25 Sep 2020

People with one albinism gene mutation may be prone to pale-colored melanomas

People with pale-colored melanomas are more likely to have a gene mutation associated with albinism, University of Queensland research has found.

25 Sep 2020

Faulty genes and an autoimmune condition linked to severe COVID-19 in young, healthy people

More than 10 percent of young and healthy people who develop severe COVID-19 have misguided antibodies that attack not the virus, but the immune system itself, new research shows. Another 3.5 percent, at least, carry a specific kind of genetic mutation.

25 Sep 2020

Cellular and molecular map of the human heart could guide personalized medicine

Scientists have created a cellular and molecular map of the healthy human heart, to understand how this vital organ functions, and to shed light on what goes wrong in cardiovascular disease.

24 Sep 2020

Researchers uncover a new parvovirus strategy for reaching the cell nucleus

Researchers at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), in collaboration with American scientists, have uncovered a new parvovirus strategy for reaching the cell nucleus which is their site of replication.

24 Sep 2020

AI used to define the cytokine storm implicated in fatal COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in September 2020 reports the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify an invariant or universal host immune response found in all viral pandemics so far. The association of this response with severe COVID-19 phenotypes indicates a new understanding of the human immune response in viral pandemics.

24 Sep 2020

Polyphenolic compound offers new therapeutic option for chronic inflammatory disorders

Various plants and their products are known to contain "bioactive" ingredients that can alleviate human diseases. These "phytocompounds" often contain restorative biological properties such as anti-cancerous, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects.

24 Sep 2020

Study: R-spondin growth factor reduces intestinal tumors in early phase of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer constitute the third most common cancer in the Western world. Their incidence constantly increases as the population ages, and despite recent advances in colorectal cancer therapy, the cancer metastasizes in every third of colorectal cancer patients, and a significant part of these patients eventually die from the disease

24 Sep 2020

Late-life depression not linked with increased amyloid deposits in the brain

Depression in elderly people can include symptoms such as memory loss, making it hard to distinguish from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.

23 Sep 2020

New technique helps visualize the mechanical forces of cells at the molecular level

Scientists have developed a new technique using tools made of luminescent DNA, lit up like fireflies, to visualize the mechanical forces of cells at the molecular level.

23 Sep 2020

Research explains why flu is dangerous for pregnant women

A team of researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University explains why flu can lead to potentially fatal complications during pregnancy, suggesting that the virus does not only stay in the respiratory tract but spreads throughout the body.

22 Sep 2020