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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).

Extra-coding RNA modulates neuronal DNA methylation patterns

The creation of memories in the brain involves addition or removal of methyl groups at precise spots on chromosomal DNA. But what controls the careful targeting of these neuronal DNA methylation dynamics?

8 Jul 2016

Tumor DNA fragments in blood can help identify risk of colorectal cancer recurrence

Ludwig researchers working in collaboration with colleagues in Australia and the US have shown that fragments of tumor DNA circulating in the blood can be used to gauge the risk of colorectal cancer recurrence and the efficacy of chemotherapy following surgery.

7 Jul 2016

Inherited mutations in DNA repair genes may predispose to metastatic prostate cancer

Inherited mutations in genes that function to repair DNA may contribute to metastatic prostate cancer more than previously recognized, according to a study out today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Jul 2016

Mitochondrial stress can trigger tumor-related metabolic shifts, study finds

Cancerous tumors must be fed. Their unregulated growth requires a steady stream of blood flow and nutrients. Thus, one way that researchers have tried to wipe out cancer is to target cells undergoing the metabolic shifts that enable a tumor's rapid growth.

7 Jul 2016

Experts discuss potential of DNA origami

Ten years after its introduction, DNA origami, a fast and simple way to assemble DNA into potentially useful structures, is finally coming into its own.

7 Jul 2016

Review examines role of gut microbes in development, progression of MS

An increasing number of clinical studies are pointing to a link between the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS) and the composition of microbes in the human gut, sparking new research on the gut microbiome as a potential target for MS treatment and prevention.

7 Jul 2016

Genetic test detects colon cancer-linked DNA in blood to predict disease recurrence risk

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and University of Melbourne report they have used a genetic test that spots bits of cancer-related DNA circulating in the blood to accurately predict the likelihood of the disease's return in some — but not all — of a small group of patients with early-stage colon cancer.

7 Jul 2016

Existing anti-inflammatory drugs may be effective in treating epilepsy

In epileptic patients, seizures lead to an increased level of inflammation-related proteins called chemokines in the brain, and systemic inflammation likely helps trigger and promote the recurrence of seizures, making inflammation a promising new target for anticonvulsant therapy.

6 Jul 2016

BU researcher receives grant to better understand breast cancer in African-American women

Why do African-American women die at a higher rate and experience more aggressive breast tumors than white women? Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC) have received funding from the National Cancer Institute to explore this question.

6 Jul 2016

Whole-genome omics data can improve accuracy of breast cancer survival predictions

Precise predictions of whether a tumor is likely to spread would help clinicians and patients choose the best course of treatment. But current methods fall short of the precision needed.

6 Jul 2016

Scientists discover X-chromosome-inherited type of osteogenesis imperfecta

Researchers from the University of Zurich and University Children's Hospital Zurich have discovered the first X-chromosome-inherited type of the congenital disease osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle-bone disease.

6 Jul 2016

New lung-targeted gene therapy shows promise in improving treatment for emphysema

Researchers have developed a new strategy using lung-targeted gene therapy that may lead to improved treatments for inherited diseases including emphysema.

6 Jul 2016

Researchers find distinct, non-identical differences among retroviruses

In the most comprehensive study of its kind, researchers in the report that most types of retroviruses have distinct, non-identical virus structures.

6 Jul 2016

Researchers identify potential biomarker for Parkinson's disease in biobanked urine samples

For more than five years, urine and cerebral-spinal fluid samples from patients with Parkinson's disease have been locked in freezers in the NINDS National Repository, stored with the expectation they might someday help unravel the still-hidden course of this slow-acting neurodegenerative disease.

6 Jul 2016

Penn researchers develop low-cost genetic test for Zika virus

University of Pennsylvania engineers have developed a rapid, low-cost genetic test for the Zika virus.

6 Jul 2016

Roche Diagnostics responds to HPV announcement

Roche Diagnostics welcomes the announcement by Public Health Minister, Jane Ellison, to introduce Human Papillomavirus (HPV) primary screening in England.

6 Jul 2016

CDC invests in Donator’s unique heat stabilization technology

Denator, the Swedish-based biotechnology company specialized in biological sample preparation technologies announced today that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, had made a major purchase of its proprietary heat stabilization technology Stabilizor T1™.

6 Jul 2016

Scientists discover new genetic variations linked to increased myeloma risk

Researchers have identified eight new genetic variations in the human genome that could be linked to an increased risk of developing myeloma. The findings provide additional evidence and build on existing research that suggests myeloma can run in families.

5 Jul 2016

Tiny viruses speed-up evolution of bacteria causing infections in cystic fibrosis patients

SCIENTISTS in the UK have found new evidence that tiny viruses called bacteriophages turbo-charge the evolution of bacteria that cause lung infections in Cystic Fibrosis patients.

5 Jul 2016

TDF reduces vertical HBV transmission

The mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus is reduced with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate treatment during the third trimester in pregnant chronic HBV patients with a high viral load, show the findings of a trial conducted in China.

4 Jul 2016

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Extra-coding RNA modulates neuronal DNA methylation patterns

Tumor DNA fragments in blood can help identify risk of colorectal cancer recurrence

Inherited mutations in DNA repair genes may predispose to metastatic prostate cancer

Mitochondrial stress can trigger tumor-related metabolic shifts, study finds

Experts discuss potential of DNA origami

Review examines role of gut microbes in development, progression of MS

Genetic test detects colon cancer-linked DNA in blood to predict disease recurrence risk

Existing anti-inflammatory drugs may be effective in treating epilepsy

BU researcher receives grant to better understand breast cancer in African-American women

Whole-genome omics data can improve accuracy of breast cancer survival predictions

Scientists discover X-chromosome-inherited type of osteogenesis imperfecta

New lung-targeted gene therapy shows promise in improving treatment for emphysema

Researchers find distinct, non-identical differences among retroviruses

Researchers identify potential biomarker for Parkinson's disease in biobanked urine samples

Penn researchers develop low-cost genetic test for Zika virus

Roche Diagnostics responds to HPV announcement

CDC invests in Donator’s unique heat stabilization technology

Scientists discover new genetic variations linked to increased myeloma risk

Tiny viruses speed-up evolution of bacteria causing infections in cystic fibrosis patients

TDF reduces vertical HBV transmission

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