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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).

NAC improves effectiveness of adoptive cell therapy for treating melanoma

A collaborative team of investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina and Loyola University have demonstrated for the first time that culturing T cells in N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) before they are infused as immunotherapy improves effectiveness and outcomes in a preclinical model of melanoma. These findings were reported in the October 15, 2016 issue of Cancer Research.

17 Oct 2016

Icelandic people more likely to carry novel rare genetic variant linked to risk of Alzheimer's disease

People with Icelandic heritage are more likely to carry a novel rare mutation in the TM2D3 gene, which leads to greater risk for Alzheimer's disease, based on a new study published October 14th, 2016 in PLOS Genetics by Johanna Jakobsdottir of the Icelandic Heart Association, Sven van der Lee of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, and colleagues.

17 Oct 2016

Scientists develop software package to predict chemical properties of molecules

Scientists from MIPT's Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases together with Inria research center, Grenoble, France have developed a software package called Knodle to determine an atom's hybridization, bond orders and functional groups' annotation in molecules.

17 Oct 2016

New global Human Cell Atlas initiative could revolutionise diagnosis and treatment

An ambitious global initiative to create a Human Cell Atlas - a description of every cell in the human body as a reference map to accelerate progress in biomedical science - is being discussed at an International meeting in London this week.

14 Oct 2016

Crohn's disease appears to have two distinct genetic subtypes, study finds

Crohn's disease, a common inflammatory disorder of the intestinal tract, can have devastating consequences for a patient's quality of life and is notoriously hard to treat successfully, in part because its course and severity vary so much from one case to the next.

14 Oct 2016

UA study questions safety and efficacy of selenium in reducing risk of colorectal cancer

A 12-year study led by a team of University of Arizona Cancer Center researchers is bringing into question the safety and efficacy of selenium, a popular nutritional supplement touted to combat and reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

14 Oct 2016

Clinical Genomics’ blood test detects twice the number of colorectal cancer recurrence cases than CEA testing

Clinical Genomics, a private company developing innovative diagnostic tools for colorectal cancer, today announced that data supporting its two-gene circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) blood test for post-surgical monitoring of colorectal cancer (CRC) recurrence have been published online by Cancer Medicine, and will appear in the October issue.

14 Oct 2016

Substance NAD+ can extend life and postpone onset of aging processes

The coenzyme NAD+ plays a main role in aging processes. In mice and roundworm adding the substance can both extend life and postpone the onset of aging processes.

14 Oct 2016

ASCO issues new global guideline on screening for cervical cancer

The American Society of Clinical Oncology today issued a new global guideline on screening for cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer related death among women worldwide.

14 Oct 2016

U of A researchers to study origin of Leigh's disease

Researchers at the University of Arkansas and their collaborators will use a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study the origin of Leigh's disease, a rare and incurable disease that affects the central nervous system.

13 Oct 2016

Nabsys uses HD-mapping platform to produce first long-range, non-optical maps of whole human genomes

Genomics firm Nabsys has produced the first long-range, non-optical maps of whole human genomes using its high-definition electronic HD-mapping platform.

13 Oct 2016

Two Australian scientists receive CSL Centenary Fellowship for leukaemia and Alzheimer’s disease research

Two Australian scientists have each been awarded an AUD$1.25 million, five-year, CSL Centenary Fellowship to further research that aims to help patients beat leukaemia and examine the origins of memory to better understand Alzheimer’s disease.

13 Oct 2016

Six million investment to boost research on new antibiotics

Edith Schippers, Minister of Health, will be investing six million euros over the coming four years to boost research on new antibiotics. The programme will be set up by several different parties, including the Leiden Centre for Antimicrobial Research.

13 Oct 2016

Genome engineering-based methods pave way for new treatment of patients with sickle cell disease

A team of physicians and laboratory scientists has taken a key step toward a cure for sickle cell disease, using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to fix the mutated gene responsible for the disease in stem cells from the blood of affected patients.

12 Oct 2016

Study on common bacterium presents new pathway to combat gastric cancers

A common bacterium that more than half of people have in their gut can use hydrogen gas present in the gastrointestinal tract to inject a cancer-causing toxin into otherwise healthy cells, according to a recently published study led by University of Georgia researchers.

12 Oct 2016

Researchers uncover how vitamins A and C act to modify epigenetic cell memory

Vitamins A and C aren't just good for your health, they affect your DNA too. Researchers at the Babraham Institute and their international collaborators have discovered how vitamins A and C act to modify the epigenetic 'memory' held by cells; insight which is significant for regenerative medicine and our ability to reprogramme cells from one identity to another.

12 Oct 2016

Novel biomarkers enhance power to predict therapeutic efficacy in LN prognostic models

Results of preclinical studies by investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina reported in the August 2016 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology demonstrate for the first time that including novel biomarkers in lupus nephritis (LN) prognostic models significantly increases their power to predict therapeutic efficacy.

12 Oct 2016

Biomedical researchers develop new RNA ligase for laboratory use

Ligases are enzymes that serve critical functions in cells, helping to fuse together broken strands of DNA and RNA. These enzymes are also important bioengineering tools, useful in genetic sequencing, mutation detection and other applications.

12 Oct 2016

PARP inhibitor prolongs progression-free survival in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer

The PARP inhibitor niraparib significantly improves the outcome of platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, according to full data from the ENGOT-OV16/NOVA trial presented for the first time at the ESMO 2016 Congress in Copenhagen and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

8 Oct 2016

UT Southwestern researchers discover protein that leads to brain cell death during stroke

One particular protein is the final executioner of events that result in the death of brain cells during stroke, researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center and their collaborators report. This finding could ultimately lead to new ways to protect against brain damage.

7 Oct 2016

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

NAC improves effectiveness of adoptive cell therapy for treating melanoma

Icelandic people more likely to carry novel rare genetic variant linked to risk of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists develop software package to predict chemical properties of molecules

New global Human Cell Atlas initiative could revolutionise diagnosis and treatment

Crohn's disease appears to have two distinct genetic subtypes, study finds

UA study questions safety and efficacy of selenium in reducing risk of colorectal cancer

Clinical Genomics’ blood test detects twice the number of colorectal cancer recurrence cases than CEA testing

Substance NAD+ can extend life and postpone onset of aging processes

ASCO issues new global guideline on screening for cervical cancer

U of A researchers to study origin of Leigh's disease

Nabsys uses HD-mapping platform to produce first long-range, non-optical maps of whole human genomes

Two Australian scientists receive CSL Centenary Fellowship for leukaemia and Alzheimer’s disease research

Six million investment to boost research on new antibiotics

Genome engineering-based methods pave way for new treatment of patients with sickle cell disease

Study on common bacterium presents new pathway to combat gastric cancers

Researchers uncover how vitamins A and C act to modify epigenetic cell memory

Novel biomarkers enhance power to predict therapeutic efficacy in LN prognostic models

Biomedical researchers develop new RNA ligase for laboratory use

PARP inhibitor prolongs progression-free survival in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer

UT Southwestern researchers discover protein that leads to brain cell death during stroke

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