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).

Cellular mechanism protects genes from damaging effects of mutation

Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered that a cellular mechanism preferentially protects plant genes from the damaging effects of mutation.

5 Jan 2018

Researchers discover genetic mechanism for resistance to immunotherapy drugs

An urgent question for cancer scientists is why immunotherapy achieves dramatic results in some cases but doesn't help most patients.

5 Jan 2018

Newly identified germline variations increase risk of relapse or second cancers in leukemia patients

Newly identified germline variations in a key tumor suppressor gene predispose individuals to develop leukemia as children and leave them with a 1-in-4 chance of developing a second cancer later. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, which appears today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

5 Jan 2018

Study provides insight into how early-stage breast cancer progresses to invasive ductal carcinoma

A new genetic-based model may explain how a common form of early-stage breast cancer known as ductal carcinoma in situ progresses to a more invasive form of cancer say researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

4 Jan 2018

Study finds new brainstem changes in Parkinson’s disease

A pioneering study has found that patients with Parkinson's disease have more errors in the mitochondrial DNA within the brainstem, leading to increased cell death in that area.

4 Jan 2018

Researchers develop new compound that inhibits growth of melanoma cells

An international team of researchers has developed a novel compound that successfully inhibits growth of melanoma cells by targeting specific epigenetic modifying proteins in these cells.

4 Jan 2018

Study illustrates the role of alcohol in causing damage to DNA and increased cancer risk

A new study conducted by a group of researchers at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge revealed the significant role of alcohol in causing damage to DNA in stem cells and thereby increasing cancer risks. The study was funded by Cancer Research UK and the results were published in Nature.

4 Jan 2018

Scientists show how alcohol exposure leads to permanent genetic damage

Scientists have shown how alcohol damages DNA in stem cells, helping to explain why drinking increases your risk of cancer, according to research part-funded by Cancer Research UK and published in Nature today (Wednesday).

4 Jan 2018

Genetic labeling helps researchers track behavior of blood cells

By tagging bone marrow cells of mice with a genetic label, or barcode, researchers were able to track and describe the family tree of individual blood cells as they form in their natural environment.

4 Jan 2018

Genetic changes help mosquitoes to develop pesticide resistance

For decades, chemical pesticides have been the most important way of controlling insects like the Anopheles mosquito species that spreads malaria to humans.

4 Jan 2018

'Thunder' protein activity may be associated with behavioral disorders like schizophrenia

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report they have identified rare genetic variations in a protein called Thorase, which is responsible for breaking down receptors at the connections between neurons in the brain.

3 Jan 2018

Experimental diabetes drugs can make cancer cells vulnerable to chemotherapy agents

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown that experimental diabetes drugs can make cancer cells more vulnerable to traditional chemotherapy agents, and they say such combinations should be explored to potentially improve outcomes for cancer patients.

2 Jan 2018

Research sheds light on role of epigenetics in placing egg cells into stasis

Keeping egg cells in stasis during childhood is a key part of female fertility. New research published today (1st January) in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology sheds some light on the role of epigenetics in placing egg cells into stasis.

2 Jan 2018

Bioengineers reveal how to recreate complex folded shapes from living tissue

Many of the complex folded shapes that form mammalian tissues can be recreated with very simple instructions, UC San Francisco bioengineers report December 28 in the journal Developmental Cell.

30 Dec 2017

Genes in Space-3 team identifies microbes in real time aboard the space station

Being able to identify microbes in real time aboard the International Space Station, without having to send them back to Earth for identification first, would be revolutionary for the world of microbiology and space exploration.

29 Dec 2017

UAB study shows missense mutations as key risk factor for severe symptoms of neurofibromatosis type 1

Research led by Ludwine Messiaen, Ph.D., professor of genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, shows that missense mutations in a cluster of just five codons in the NF1 gene are an important risk factor for severe symptoms of the genetic disease neurofibromatosis type 1.

28 Dec 2017

$Study uncovers genomic targets in refractory neuroblastoma$

Study uncovers genomic targets in refractory neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common solid tumor found in children. It starts in some very early forms of nerve cells found in the embryo or fetus.

28 Dec 2017

Nanobiotix receives FDA approval for first immuno-oncology trial

NANOBIOTIX, a late clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering new approaches to the treatment of cancer, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its Investigational New Drug Application for NBTXR3, a first-in-class nanoparticle designed for direct injection into cancerous tumors, activated by stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) and administered in combination with an anti-PD1 antibody (nivolumab or pembrolizumab).

26 Dec 2017

Scientists discover five new regions of the genome that increase asthma risk

An international study led by scientists from Inserm and Paris Diderot Universit, the University of Chicago, the National Heart and Lung Institute and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus together with researchers of the Trans-National Asthma Genetics Consortium has discovered five new regions of the genome that increase the risk of asthma.

22 Dec 2017

New method sifts through millions of molecular targets to find precise tumor beacon

By screening millions of molecular targets, researchers have uncovered a tumor beacon detected by the immune cells of two patients with colorectal cancer.

22 Dec 2017