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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).

Study shows how mutations in DNA packaging machines can drive cancer development

Like wrenches made of Legos, SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes tighten or loosen DNA in our cells to control how genes are turned on and made into proteins.

7 Sep 2020

Important research on SARS-CoV-2 proteins using proximity labeling

A team of Canadian scientists has recently discovered a wide-range interaction between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and host proteins using proximity-dependent biotinylation approaches.

7 Sep 2020

Historical case studies: Pandemics in past societies

Whether it's the plague, cholera or currently COVID-19: epidemics are part of human history. Long before there were vaccinations or microscopes for the investigation of pathogens, societies had to develop coping strategies.

5 Sep 2020

Two researchers from Bielefeld University receive ERC Starting Grants

The European Research Council has awarded ERC Starting Grants to two researchers from Bielefeld University.

5 Sep 2020

Researchers develop novel model to study factors that cause type 2 diabetes

Using cells taken from patients with type 2 diabetes and new techniques to convert them into specialized precursors of muscle cells, researchers have developed a novel 'disease-in-a-dish' model to study the basic molecular factors that lead to the development of type 2 diabetes.

4 Sep 2020

New consortium established to study the characteristics of blood cells

What's the risk of different human populations to develop a disease? To find out, a team led by Université de Montréal professor Guillaume Lettre created an international consortium to study the blood of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

4 Sep 2020

Understanding mechanisms in prostate cancer metastases can provide treatment opportunities

An increased awareness on a molecular level of what mechanisms prostate cancer cells use to become mobile and start spreading may in the long run provide new opportunities for treatment of aggressive prostate cancer.

3 Sep 2020

Researchers develop new model to predict survival in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer among women and men in the USA, and recent studies have shown an increasing incidence in less developed regions, including Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

3 Sep 2020

Two MDC scientists win ERC Starting Grants for pioneering research

Dr. Kathrin de la Rosa and Dr. Ilaria Piazza, who are both junior group leaders at the Max DelbruÌ-ck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, have each won European Research Council Starting Grants.

3 Sep 2020

Study shows what happens in the fetal brain affected by congenital Zika syndrome

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause severe abnormalities in the fetus, including malformations such as microcephaly.

3 Sep 2020

New technology predicts allosteric sites in proteins

A new technology that uses a protein's structure to predict the inner wiring that controls the protein's function and dynamics is now available for scientists to utilize. The tool, developed by researchers at Penn State, may be useful for protein engineering and drug design.

3 Sep 2020

Improving COVID-19 diagnosis

News-Medical spoke to Yourgene health on their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they developed a diagnostic test for COVID-19.

From Yourgene Health 3 Sep 2020

Promega and Hitachi High-Tech launch Spectrum Compact CE System

Promega today launched its benchtop capillary electrophoresis (CE) instrument, the Spectrum Compact CE System, developed in collaboration with Hitachi High-Tech.

From Promega Corporation 3 Sep 2020

Researchers identify a pattern in cancer’s chromosomal chaos

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and the UCL Cancer Institute have identified how different cancers go through some of the same genetic mutations at the same point in their evolution.

3 Sep 2020

Bioengineering technique that boosts protein production could lead to effective COVID-19 vaccine

A bioengineering technique to boost production of specific proteins could be the basis of an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, new research suggests.

3 Sep 2020

Scientists aim to find cortisone alternatives with fewer side effects

Many people use cortisone of a regular basis. It is used for treating rheumatism, asthma, multiple sclerosis, or even COVID-19.

2 Sep 2020

Researchers create new and quicker method of diagnosing diseases

A new and quicker method of diagnosing diseases in patients has been created by researchers at the University of Leeds.

2 Sep 2020

Dogs' aging mechanism and memory performance linked to gut microbiome composition

Our gut microbiota can crucially influence our behavior and neurodevelopment. New research of the Ethology Department at the Faculty of Science at Eötvös Loránd University indicates that dogs' aging mechanism and memory performance are also linked to their gut microbiome composition.

2 Sep 2020

ACE2/TMPRSS2 not expressed in pancreatic islet endocrine cells

A new study by researchers at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 reports that both key enzymes that are required for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) entry into the human host cell are lacking in the beta cells of the pancreatic islet. This rules out the direct injury hypothesis for impaired glucose control in patients with COVID-19 disease.

1 Sep 2020

Promising new candidate 'virus-like particle' vaccine for COVID-19

Researchers in the UK and Taiwan have demonstrated the potential of a new candidate vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the virus responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

1 Sep 2020