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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).

Researchers uncover fundamental difference in how DNA is held together

Researchers have made a fundamental discovery about the structure of DNA; the structure is held together by water, not hydrogen alone.

23 Sep 2019

CRISPR discovery opens up new possibilities for genetic engineering

Scientists have successfully developed a different kind of CRISPR technology, opening up a world of possibility to future developments in the genetic engineering space

23 Sep 2019

African bacterium resists almost all drugs

It looks like it’s time to pay the piper. The first extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strain of Salmonella typhimurium, called ST313 sublineage II.1, has cropped up in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This fails to respond to any of the antibiotics that are commonly used in the DRC, except for ciprofloxacin. And to make things worse, one sample has been isolated that shows incomplete response even to this last drug.

22 Sep 2019

Faster, cheaper, better: improved gene therapy tool production

The heart of modern therapy is increasingly personalized and targeted at specific cellular or genetic deficits. This requires gene therapy, in many cases. A new study, published on 19 September 2019 in the journal Nature, describes an improved way to produce purified gene carrier viruses called AAVs cheaply and quickly, from the culture medium.

22 Sep 2019

New study identifies potential enzyme target for diabetic retinopathy

A new study shows that diabetic retinopathy (DR), or retinal disease caused by the high blood glucose levels in diabetes mellitus, is due to the death of retinal cells because of the high levels of a pro-enzyme called lysyl oxidase propeptide (LOX-PP). This could help researchers develop specific treatments by targeting this molecule.

22 Sep 2019

NIH grants totaling $2.8 million focus on pinpointing male fertility genes

Pinpointing the genes responsible for male fertility is the focus of two National Institutes for Health grants totaling $2.8 million.

20 Sep 2019

Study provides new insight into how cells maintain their identity

In the body's cells, some proteins are of vital importance as to which genes are active or turned off. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have discovered which proteins are necessary in order to maintain the proper genetic regulation.

20 Sep 2019

Sponge-like action of circular RNA aids tissue repair after heart attack

The human genetic blueprint is like a string of code. To follow it, the code, or DNA, is transcribed into shorter strings of RNA.

20 Sep 2019

Anti-cancer protein promotes tumor resistance, shows study

Areas of solid tumors that have limited access to oxygen, a condition called hypoxia, are highly resilient against chemo and radiation therapy.

20 Sep 2019

Daniel Weinberger wins NAM's Sarnat Prize for schizophrenia research

The National Academy of Medicine today announced Daniel Weinberger is the recipient of the 2019 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health, for his fundamental role in elucidating the biological origins and genetic expressions of schizophrenia, and for transforming how clinicians, researchers, and the public understand mental illness.

19 Sep 2019

Researchers discover key similarities between human and archaea chromosomes

A study led by researchers at Indiana University is the first to find similarities between the organization of chromosomes in humans and archaea.

19 Sep 2019

Stem cells with 'dual identity' associated with loss of smell from inflammation in chronic sinusitis

In experiments with mice and human tissue samples, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report evidence that neuronal stem cells in the part of the nose responsible for the sense of smell transform themselves to perpetuate the long-term inflammation in chronic sinusitis.

19 Sep 2019

AMP announces recipients of 2019's Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, molecular diagnostics professional society, today announced the recipients of this year's Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics, Jeffrey A. Kant Leadership Award and Meritorious Service Award.

19 Sep 2019

Salmonella responsible for bloodstream infections in sub-Saharan Africa exhibits extensive drug resistance

The first extensively drug-resistant strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, a pathogen which is responsible for millions of bloodstream infections per year in sub-Saharan Africa, have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

19 Sep 2019

DNA origami: creating DNA-based nanomachines

DNA-based nanomachines are being created by DNA origami in several ways to create mechanical force at the scale of picoNewtons.

19 Sep 2019

The resurgence of gene therapy pioneer

Twenty years ago, scientists and investors were giddy over the promise of gene therapy to cure a host of deadly diseases. But the tragic death of a young man from an experimental treatment in 1999 nearly ended a scientist's career and the entire field.

19 Sep 2019

Microrna-based therapy may prove to be effective against chemotherapy-resistant cancers

A technology that manipulates microRNAs developed by Jingfang Ju, PhD, a biochemist and Professor in the Department of Pathology at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and colleagues has shown promise when used as anti-cancer therapeutic.

19 Sep 2019

Study opens a promising new front in the fight against pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy that most often is resistant to chemotherapy. Researchers have been searching for ways to increase the sensitivity of the tumors to cancer-fighting drugs.

19 Sep 2019

Antibiotic resistance is transferring from humans to animals

Resistance to antibiotics could be moving from humans to animals, research by a Clemson University professor has shown. The research details results that demonstrate reverse zoonosis, a process by which humans infect other species of animal with diseases.

18 Sep 2019

NUS chemists develop new anti-cancer drug with less renal toxicity

A team of pharmacists and chemists from the National University of Singapore has developed a new anti-cancer drug that has less toxic effects to the kidneys.

18 Sep 2019