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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).

UQ researchers discover new immune defense pathway deployed against bacteria

A new understanding of one of the body’s immune defense mechanisms could lead to the development of novel therapeutic targets for conditions such as cancer and autoimmune diseases, a University of Queensland study has revealed.

31 Aug 2018

Modified Nurr1 protein may pave way for new Parkinson's therapy

Researchers have modified the protein Nurr1 so that it can enter cells from the outside. Nurr1 deficiency may be one of the causes of Parkinson's disease.

31 Aug 2018

Researchers predict how splicing errors impact disease risk

No one knows how many times in a day, or even an hour, the trillions of cells in our body need to make proteins.

31 Aug 2018

New survey reveals public attitudes towards commercial use of genetic data samples

The almost 5 million people who paid to get their DNA analyzed by the company 23andMe recently found out that their genetic data and related health information might have been sold to a major drug company.

31 Aug 2018

Study raises possibility of detecting childhood bone cancers earlier

Scientists have discovered that some childhood bone cancers start growing years before they are currently diagnosed.

30 Aug 2018

New genetic marker could improve diagnosis of prostate cancer

Scientists have discovered a link between certain genetic mutations, the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, risk of developing the disease and poorer survival rates of patients.

30 Aug 2018

Researchers provide new virulence clues through genomic study of anthrax strains

By analyzing genomic sequences from more than 400 strains of the bacterium that causes anthrax, researchers have provided the first evidence that the severity - technically known as virulence - of specific strains may be related to the number of copies of certain plasmids they carry.

30 Aug 2018

Study shows B cells could play reciprocal roles in pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc, also known as scleroderma), a connective tissue disorder of autoimmune etiology, is characterized by excessive fibrosis in the skin and various internal organs.

30 Aug 2018

Celmatix and Ferring announce genomics collaboration aimed at uncovering new insights into ovarian biology

Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Celmatix today announced an ambitious genomics collaboration aimed at uncovering new insights into ovarian biology and accelerating the development of personalized interventions in reproductive medicine and women's health.

30 Aug 2018

HKBU chemists discover metal-based inhibitor to treat triple-negative breast cancer

Chemists at Hong Kong Baptist University have discovered the use of a metal compound that inhibits the enzyme closely associated with triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most difficult forms of breast cancer to treat.

30 Aug 2018

A new national Career Development Consortium for Excellence in Glycosciences

Over the next five years, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, will award approximately $20 million to four academic centers to launch a new national Career Development Consortium for Excellence in Glycosciences.

30 Aug 2018

New model could predict personalized waiting time for progression in colorectal cancer

An evolutionary model utilizing serial blood samples from patients with advanced colorectal cancer treated with anti-EGFR therapies in a phase II trial could predict personalized waiting time for progression.

30 Aug 2018

Scientists explore DNA replication errors that can lead to cancer

Scientists at Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina have found that some cells can divide without a molecule that was previously thought necessary.

30 Aug 2018

Using novel gene therapy to cure infants born with severe combined immunodeficiency

Out of every 60,000 births, a baby arrives to face the world without a fully functioning immune system leaving them unequipped to fight even the most common infections.

29 Aug 2018

Researchers uncover why some cancers grow faster than others

University of Toronto researchers have uncovered why some cancers grow faster than others. The team led by Liliana Attisano, Professor in U of T's Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, has identified a protein called NUAK2, which is produced by cancer cells to boost their proliferation and whose presence in tumors is associated with poor disease prognosis.

29 Aug 2018

Lack of protein in father's diet can impact long-term health of his offspring

New research has shown that a lack of protein in a father's diet affects sperm quality which can have a direct impact on the long-term health of their offspring.

29 Aug 2018

Cannabis use and mental illness link found

A large new study has found that people with mental ailments such as schizophrenia are more genetically inclined to use cannabis.

29 Aug 2018

Study could open new therapeutic avenues to attack herpesviruses

Human cytomegalovirus is a leading cause of birth defects and transplant failures. As it's evolved over time, this virus from the herpes family has found a way to bypass the body's defense mechanisms that usually guards against viral infections. Until now, scientists couldn't understand how it manages to do so.

28 Aug 2018

A non-canonical approach may improve radiation treatment for cancer

Although the success or failure of radiation therapy for cancer has long been associated with the intrinsic radio-resistance or radio-sensitivity of tumor cells, a new approach is demonstrating that radiation can take credit for an additional benefit -; causing highly effective secondary immune responses that can enhance anti-tumor immunity.

28 Aug 2018