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).

Switching what heart cells consume could help them regenerate

Switching what the powerhouses of heart cells consume for energy could help the heart regenerate when cells die, a new study led by UT Southwestern researchers suggests.

23 Feb 2020

Coriell researchers find new genetic indicator of obesity risk

Obesity is among the most common complex diseases in the United States and has been a stubborn public health challenge for decades. Its causes are wide ranging, but genetic heritability is increasingly understood to be an influential factor in determining a person's risk for the disease.

23 Feb 2020

Novel discovery about enzymes ensures efficient DNA repair

DNA is the hereditary material in humans, a unique cookbook of who we are. This is where you'll find the answer as to why you have your specific eye and hair color, or perhaps why you sunburn easily.

23 Feb 2020

Harmful levels of metal linked to DNA damage found in the urine of e-cigarette users

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have completed a cross-sectional human study that compares biomarkers and metal concentrations in the urine of e-cigarette users, nonsmokers, and cigarette smokers.

20 Feb 2020

Researchers develop novel therapy to combat antibiotic-resistant superbug infections

There may be a solution on the horizon to combating superbug infections resistant to antibiotics. The tenacious bacteria and fungi sicken more than 2.8 million people and lead to more than 35,000 deaths in the United States each year.

20 Feb 2020

New study expands the knowledge on tumor-suppressor role of HERC proteins

The RAF protein could be a therapeutical target to treat the tumor growth in regulated pathways by the p38 protein, according to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports by a team of experts of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona and the Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research.

20 Feb 2020

Scientists think they've found the earliest interbreeding event

A new study published in the journal Science Advances in February 2020 reports that it has found the earliest interbreeding event between different human populations ever, where the "super-archaics" of Eurasia interbred with another group known as the Neanderthal-Denisovan population long ago.

20 Feb 2020

New breakthrough offers hope for potential treatment of rare childhood epilepsy

Seizure disorders in babies are frightening and heartbreaking. A new basic science breakthrough offers hope for a potential treatment for rare developmental and epileptic encephalopathies resulting from a single genetic mutation.

20 Feb 2020

New biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer identified

Applying bioinformatics to resolve biological problems. This is the objective of the research group of the University of Malaga "BI4NEXT", which, in one of its latest studies, developed in the Supercomputing and Bioinnovation Center based on biobank samples, has identified new biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis and even treatment of lung cancer.

20 Feb 2020

Scientists discover novel molecular pathway involved in immunotherapy response

Scientists at The Wistar Institute discovered a novel pathway that enables detection of DNA in the cytoplasm and triggers inflammation and cellular senescence.

20 Feb 2020

Innovative breath collecting device could change coronavirus diagnosis around the world

An innovative breath collecting device developed by academics at Northumbria University, Newcastle, could revolutionize the way we diagnose diseases, such as the newly emerged strain of coronavirus, COVID-19.

19 Feb 2020

BIA Separations signs agreement with University of Zagreb to commercialize technology for viral vector purification

BIA Separations, a leading bio-chromatography development and manufacturing company, announced it has signed a licensing agreement with the University of Zagreb to commercialize a novel elution method that helps preserve the integrity, infectivity and potency of viruses during immunoaffinity purification.

19 Feb 2020

Sophisticated genetic tests are not notably better than traditional risk factors at predicting heart disease

Traditional cardiovascular risk factors often assessed in an annual physical, such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes, and smoking status, are at least as valuable in predicting who will develop coronary heart disease as a sophisticated genetic test that surveys millions of different points in DNA, a study led by a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher suggests.

19 Feb 2020

Supersensitive nanomaterials hold promise for DNA analysis and next-generation drugs

In 1900, German physician Paul Ehrlich came up with the notion of a "magic bullet." The basic idea is to inject a patient with smart particles capable of finding, recognizing, and treating a disease. Medicine has pursued the magic bullet ever since.

19 Feb 2020

Study identifies new CoV responsible for the Wuhan outbreak

The 2019 novel coronavirus causes fatal pneumonia that has claimed over 1300 lives, with more than 52000 confirmed cases of infection by February 13, 2020, all in the span of just over a month.

18 Feb 2020

Genetic tests to predict heart disease risk have limited benefit

Genetic tests to predict a person's risk of heart disease and heart attack have limited benefit over conventional testing.

18 Feb 2020

Salivary uric acid found to be a good predictor of body fat percentage in adolescents

In addition to helping us chew and swallow, keeping the mouth moist and protecting us against germs, saliva can also be used for early detection of the risk of developing diseases associated with surplus body fat.

18 Feb 2020

Increased risk of uterine cancer linked to 24 gene variants

The risk of uterine endometrial cancer is increased by 24 gene variants that code for different cellular processes such as cell growth and death, gene regulation, and estrogen metabolism, according to a comprehensive review published in the Journal of Medical Genetics.

17 Feb 2020

Fragile X syndrome-causing repeats help human neurons function, study finds

Over half of our genomes are made of repeating elements within DNA. In rare cases, these repeats can become unstable and grow in size. These repeat "expansions" cause neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and dementia as well as learning disorders and autism in Fragile X syndrome.

17 Feb 2020

New technique can label diverse molecules in a single tissue sample

A new technique can label diverse molecules and amplify the signal to help researchers spot those that are especially rare. Called SABER (signal amplification by exchange reaction), Peng Yin's lab at Harvard's Wyss Institute first introduced this method last year and since have found ways to apply it to proteins, DNA and RNA.

16 Feb 2020