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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).

MIT engineers develop new way to visualize RNA molecules in higher resolution

Cells contain thousands of messenger RNA molecules, which carry copies of DNA's genetic instructions to the rest of the cell. MIT engineers have now developed a way to visualize these molecules in higher resolution than previously possible in intact tissues, allowing researchers to precisely map the location of RNA throughout cells.

4 Jul 2016

Researchers discover human factor that drives maturation of helper T cells

A powerful arm of the immune system is production of antibodies that circulate through the blood and neutralize invading pathogens. Although B cells actually manufacture antibody proteins, the process is aided by neighboring T cells, which shower B cells with cytokines to make them churn out high-quality antibody proteins--and remember how to do so.

4 Jul 2016

Mitochondrial DNA levels may represent accurate, predictive measure of embryo viability in IVF

Despite the claims and counter-claims for new embryo assessment techniques introduced over the past two decades, the search for the holy grail of assisted reproduction - the key to the embryo destined to implant - continues.

4 Jul 2016

Novel high-resolution method helps study which genes are active in tissues

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet and the Royal Institute of Technology have devised a new high-resolution method for studying which genes are active in a tissue.

1 Jul 2016

Scientists investigate molecular mechanisms that regulate STAT3 activity

Hokkaido University scientists are getting closer to understanding the function of a protein involved in vital cellular processes. This may lead to the discovery of drugs that can treat some cancers and autoimmune disorders.

1 Jul 2016

Scientists discover new way to predict risk for delayed recovery in children with AML

The chemotherapy treatments necessary to treat Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in children can be grueling on the body, and can cause health-related complications during therapy, as well as long down the road after remission.

1 Jul 2016

Resistant starch in diet improves balance of gut bacteria, decreases cholesterol

The secret ingredient is in the flour, but its impact lies within the gut. Adding resistant starch to the diets of people with metabolic syndrome can improve bacteria in the gut, according to research from South Dakota State University.

1 Jul 2016

Recommendations for integrating genomic results into clinical practice

A quiet transformation has been brewing in medicine, as large-scale DNA results become increasingly available to patients and healthcare providers.

1 Jul 2016

Researchers test experimental Zika virus vaccine in mice

An experimental vaccine against Zika virus developed by Brazilian and US researchers has been tested successfully in trials with mice.

30 Jun 2016

Novel therapeutic approach may be effective for disrupting bacterial biofilms

Biofilms are communities of bacteria that adhere to a surface and are nearly impossible to eradicate when they are pathogenic, or disease-causing.

30 Jun 2016

New research identifies flaws in LM-method for Lyme disease

A new microscopy technique (LM-method) developed to detect Lyme disease is unable to distinguish infected patients from healthy controls, yielding false-positive results that could lead doctors to over-diagnose a patient, according to new research published in the journal Infectious Diseases.

30 Jun 2016

Study focuses on critical proteins involved in ovarian cancer biology

In what is believed to be the largest study of its kind, scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University and their collaborators from institutions across the nation have examined the collections of proteins in the tumors of 169 ovarian cancer patients to identify critical proteins present in their tumors.

30 Jun 2016

Scientists develop new nonradioactive method to determine telomere length

UT Southwestern Medical Center cell biologists have identified a new method for determining the length of telomeres, the endcaps of chromosomes, which can influence cancer progression and aging.

30 Jun 2016

Researchers reveal novel mechanism by which viral protein VII suppresses immune alarm signals

Viruses must avoid a host's immune system to establish successful infections—and scientists have discovered another tool that viruses use to frustrate host defenses.

30 Jun 2016

Experts compile model list of essential diagnostic tests aiming to improve global health

In a western doctor's office or hospital, patients don't think twice about giving a blood or urine sample that can tell if they have a disease or infection, or show if their medicines are working. The samples get rushed to a testing lab with modern equipment that's held to high quality standards.

30 Jun 2016

TSRI scientists develop new strategy to design potential HIV vaccine candidates

Want to catch a criminal? Show a mugshot on the news. Want to stop HIV infections? Get the immune system to recognize and attack the virus's tell-tale structure. That's part of the basic approach behind efforts at The Scripps Research Institute to design an AIDS vaccine.

29 Jun 2016

Experts receive NIH grant to study why some HIV-infected individuals resist TB

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine experts and colleagues in the United States and Africa have received an $11 million, five-year NIH grant to understand why some people living with HIV in Africa avoid becoming infected with the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB) despite exposure to high-TB-risk circumstances.

29 Jun 2016

Researchers develop new computational method to track colorectal cancer progression

Team of researchers elaborated a computational method to track the progress of the colorectal cancer. It is a scientific advance that can bring new perspectives to discover the factors that push this pathology and the selection of efficient therapies.

29 Jun 2016

New test may help predict sepsis risk in patients with severe burn injuries

Birmingham researchers have created a potentially life-saving new test that will allow clinicians to predict which burn victims will develop sepsis during their treatment.

29 Jun 2016

Researchers identify set of genes that play vital role in early human development

Oxford University researchers are closer to solving a decade-old mystery after discovering that a set of genes they are studying play a key role in early human development.

29 Jun 2016