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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 develop 3D printed pill that samples bacteria found in the gut

The gut microbiome is made up of trillions of living microbes, and more than a thousand species of bacteria. It has been known that the gut plays major roles in the body’s health. A team of university engineers may have developed a way to study and collect samples of microbes living in the gut.

25 Jul 2019

Salk study unlocks new way to target hard-to-treat cancers

Now, a new Salk Institute study, published on July 24, 2019, in the journal Science Advances, shows that researchers could target these hard-to-treat cancers by pursuing drugs that keep a cellular "switch," called CREB, from triggering tumor growth.

25 Jul 2019

Researchers explore stem cells for answers to how fragile X syndrome develops

The lab of Yongchao Ma, PhD, from Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, discovered how the genetic defect in fragile X syndrome – a type of autism – delays production of neurons (nerve cells) at a critical time in the embryo's brain development.

24 Jul 2019

New vaccine containing DNA and recombinant proteins may protect from HIV

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a novel vaccine consisting of DNA and recombinant proteins?proteins composed of a portion of an HIV protein and another unrelated protein.

24 Jul 2019

Women who inherit BRCA mutations have high risk of developing cancer

Women who inherit harmful mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

24 Jul 2019

Folic acid supplementation mitigates risk of neural tube defects linked to HIV drug

Dolutegravir is a preferred medication for treating HIV infection, but it recently has been linked to a 6- to 9-fold increase in the risk for neural tube defects among babies born to mothers receiving the drug during early gestation.

24 Jul 2019

Unexpected discovery could improve treatment of cancer, other diseases

EU-funded researchers have discovered an important new mechanism by which cells flag and repair damage to their DNA - an unexpected finding that could improve the treatment of diseases such as cancer.

23 Jul 2019

Molecular action that enables cilantro to effectively delay certain seizures uncovered

Herbs, including cilantro, have a long history of use as folk medicine anticonvulsants. Until now, many of the underlying mechanisms of how the herbs worked remained unknown.

23 Jul 2019

Scientists identify new way to target bottleneck for cancer cell growth

The enzyme ribonucleotide reductase is a bottleneck for cancer cell growth. Scientists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have identified a way of targeting ribonucleotide reductase that may avoid the toxicity of previous approaches, informing focused drug discovery efforts.

23 Jul 2019

UV-DDB protein scouts DNA damage and oversees repair

In the time it takes you to read this sentence, every cell in your body suffers some form of DNA damage. Without vigilant repair, cancer would run rampant, and now scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have gotten a glimpse of how one protein in particular keeps DNA damage in check.

22 Jul 2019

New chip device offers superior detection of blood residues for forensic applications

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers have developed a new chip device that offers superior identification of miniscule blood residues for forensic applications.

22 Jul 2019

BIA Separations selected to support AveXis’ gene therapy pipeline

BIA Separations, a leading biochromatography development and manufacturing company, today announced it is collaborating with AveXis, a Novartis company, to enhance the commercial purification process for its gene therapy pipeline, beginning with Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-xioi), the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved gene therapy indicated for the treatment of pediatric patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) who are less than two years of age.

22 Jul 2019