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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 technique reveals potentially treatable mutations in subset of prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer patients who do not respond well to PSMA-targeted therapy often have potentially treatable mutations in their DNA damage-repair genes, according to research published in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

20 May 2020

Family environment and socioeconomic status affect brain development during adolescence

Childhood environment and socioeconomic status affect cognitive ability and brain development during adolescence independently of genetic factors, researchers at Karolinska Institutet report in a new study published in the journal PNAS.

20 May 2020

New computer model predicts the age of the human brain

Scientists have trained a computer to analyze different types of brain scan and predict the age of the human brain, according to a new study in the open-access journal eLife.

20 May 2020

Study could help identify more targeted treatments for ovarian cancer

The rogue cellular engine that drives a majority of ovarian cancers remains frustratingly difficult to disable. A new study comparing cancerous tissue with normal fallopian tube samples advances important insights about this machinery and confirms biological hallmarks of survival.

20 May 2020

Understanding why pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is so aggressive

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a deadly cancer, killing patients within a year. CSHL Professor Christopher Vakoc and his former postdoc Timothy Somerville discovered how pancreatic cells lose their identity, acquire a deadly new identity, and recruit nearby cells to help them grow, promote inflammation, and invade nearby tissues.

19 May 2020

Gene mutation linked to MEF2C haploinsufficiency syndrome

A collaboration between scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina and clinicians at the Greenwood Genetic Center has yielded new findings about how a particular gene might regulate brain development.

19 May 2020

DZD researchers discover additional genetic cause for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

In Germany about 18 million people suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver. The causes of this disease are manifold and include environmental as well as genetic factors.

19 May 2020

SWOG scientists to deliver online presentations at ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program

Researchers from SWOG, a cancer clinical trials group funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, will make 31 presentations as part of the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program, the online annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which runs May 29-31.

19 May 2020

Gene variants can increase risk of schizophrenia, shows study

Variants in a gene of the human immune system cause men and women to have different vulnerabilities to the autoimmune diseases lupus and Sjögren's syndrome, according to findings published in the journal Nature.

19 May 2020

Researchers create more crucial reagents for use in COVID-19 tests

Researchers in Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick have developed a way to create more crucial reagents for use in COVID-19 tests that could also provide enhancements to the use of, and production of, future tests.

19 May 2020

Multi-institutional clinical trial sheds new light on non-responsive tumors

Over the last decade, enzalutamide and similar drugs have led to significant tumor control and increased survival time for men who have metastatic prostate cancer that continues to grow despite treatments to reduce male hormone levels.

19 May 2020

New animal model for COVID-19

As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to ravage the world, scientists are frantically searching for a vaccine or new drug that will effectively counter the lethal effects of the virus that leads to COVID-19 disease.

19 May 2020

Study shows how RNA editing affects the replication of COVID-19 virus

Two human deaminase enzymes edit the RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 virus when it enters a patient's body, with implications for the evolution of the virus and the spread of the infection, according to a new study.

19 May 2020

Researchers identify determining factor in luminal cancer cells

The Translational Control of Cell Cycle and Differentiation Lab at IRB Barcelona, led by ICREA researcher Raúl Méndez, has published a study in the journal Science Advances that has identified a key factor in the development of luminal breast cancer.

18 May 2020

Study shows how cancer protein changes may accelerate tumorigenesis and metastasis

Understanding the genetic mutations and protein changes that take place in the progression of cancer is key to its treatment. Mutations in the gene TP53 and concomitant mutant p53 proteins in cancer cells have become notorious over the course of multiple studies of several different types of cancers.

18 May 2020

New analysis links DNA variations to risks of specific breast cancer subtypes

An analysis of genetic studies covering 266,000 women has revealed 32 new sites on the human genome where variations in DNA appear to alter the risks of getting breast cancer.

18 May 2020

SMART researchers awarded NMRC funding to develop rapid paper-based COVID-19 tests

Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, has received a grant from the National Medical Research Council COVID-19 Research fund for the acceleration of research and development of rapid paper-based serological and diagnostic tests for COVID-19.

18 May 2020