DNA News and Research

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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).

Scientists identify cause of antibiotic resistance

Scientists have confirmed for the first time that bacteria can change form to avoid being detected by antibiotics in the human body.

26 Sep 2019

Researchers use AI to predict depression outcomes

The psychiatry field has long sought answers to explain why antidepressants help only some people.

25 Sep 2019

Experimental treatment shows early promise to help nearly half of DMD patients

A new therapeutic being tested by University of Alberta researchers is showing early promise as a more effective treatment that could help nearly half of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

25 Sep 2019

Metabolic imbalance in cancer patients associated with resistance to immune checkpoint blocker

A metabolic imbalance in some cancer patients following treatment with a checkpoint inhibitor drug, nivolumab, is associated with resistance to the immunotherapy agent and shorter survival, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in collaborative work with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

25 Sep 2019

Physiologists, researchers to discuss factors underlying cardiovascular disease at APS conference

International physiologists and researchers studying the kidney, high blood pressure and related medical conditions will convene next week at the American Physiological Society (APS) Aldosterone and ENaC in Health and Disease: The Kidney and Beyond Conference in Estes Park, Colo.

25 Sep 2019

Johns Hopkins researchers link a gene to melanoma growth and spread

Using a small noncoding RNA, microRNA 211, and tools that track the stability and decay of the protein-coding and noncoding RNAs in lab-grown melanoma cells, a team led by a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researcher identified highly unstable RNA molecules in human melanomas, including a novel miR-211 target gene DUSP3.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 25 Sep 2019

Study on gene mutations may lead to better diagnosis and treatment for cancer

When a cell divides into two daughter cells, it must replicate its DNA according to a very specific scenario. In the presence of some disruptive elements, however, cancer cells are unable to perform this operation optimally; replication then takes place more slowly and less efficiently.

25 Sep 2019

New lab-on-a-chip system quickly identifies health aspects of a person's immune system

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a lab-on-a-chip system that can identify the health aspects of a person's immune system from a drop of their blood, within minutes.

25 Sep 2019

Improved mapping of genomes from 1,000 Swedish individuals

In so-called whole genome sequencing, surveys are made of the total genome of an individual. It is still relatively rare in healthcare today, but it occurs at an increasing rate, for example in order to make an accurate diagnosis in the case of a rare disease.

25 Sep 2019

Molecular changes are linked with adverse events following treatment of lymphatic filariasis

The Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis delivers mass drug administration to 500 million people each year, and adverse events are common following treatment. Now, researchers have reported in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases that certain changes in gene expression are associated with these adverse events.

From PLOS ONE 25 Sep 2019

Native American DNA is still carried by descendants of early Europeans and Africans in the U.S.

Many people in the U.S. do not belong to Native American communities but still carry bits of Native American DNA, inherited from European and African ancestors who had children with indigenous individuals during colonization and settlement.

From PLOS ONE 25 Sep 2019

Space-based investigation helps address challenges involved in learning more about the human brain

Researchers studying neurological diseases face several daunting challenges. For one thing, these conditions may take years or even decades to develop.

25 Sep 2019

Love hormone oxytocin linked to hypersexuality

Sex addiction or hypersexual disorder is a behavior characterized by an excessive preoccupation with sexual fantasies, behaviors, or urges that are hard to control, causing negative effects on one’s health and relationships.

25 Sep 2019

Study uncovers new DNA sequences in Swedish genomes

People - or more specifically just Swedes - are more like chimpanzees than previously known. This is indicated in a genetic mapping of one thousand Swedish individuals, where new DNA sequences that should be included in the reference genome have been identified.

24 Sep 2019