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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).

Scientists use X-rays to study how eculizumab prevents immune system from damaging kidney tissue

In collaboration with Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., scientists from Aarhus University have used X-rays to understand how the therapeutic antibody eculizumab prevents our immune system from destroying red blood cells and damaging kidney tissue.

6 Jun 2016

Advances in precision diagnostics aid accurate detection of CNS tumors

Thanks to new methods of precision diagnostics, such as DNA sequencing and epigenetic analyses, it is becoming increasingly possible to identify specific central nervous system (CNS) tumors accurately and to provide targeted treatment. The Comprehensive Cancer Center of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital is one of the top centers in the world for diagnosing and treating this type of tumor.

6 Jun 2016

New study finds alternative approaches to target proteins sustaining cancer, Alzheimer's disease

Drugs to treat cancer and Alzheimer's disease usually target the active sites of specific protein molecules sustaining the disease. Traditional drug design views proteins as rigid 3-D objects with active sites consisting of surface-accessible "pockets" with a specific, well-defined structure.

6 Jun 2016

Rare DNA alteration may increase rsk of multiple sclerosis

Scientists at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health have proven that multiple sclerosis (MS) can be caused by a single genetic mutation - a rare alteration in DNA that makes it very likely a person will develop the more devastating form of the neurological disease.

6 Jun 2016

Giving chemotherapy after radiotherapy delays rare brain tumour growth

GIVING chemotherapy after radiotherapy delays further growth of a rare type of brain tumour, increasing the number of patients alive at five years from 44 per cent to 56 per cent.

6 Jun 2016

Early social deprivation may lower DNA methylation within stress-related genes

New research suggests that early severe social deprivation may impact DNA modifications that affect the expression of stress-related genes. These nongenetic (or epigenetic) modifications occur when molecules called methyl groups are added to components of DNA.

6 Jun 2016

Joint research reveals key mechanisms of persistent latent infection of HTLV-1

Joint research between scientists from Kumamoto University, Japan and Imperial College London, UK has revealed the mechanisms of persistent latent infection of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1).

6 Jun 2016

Gene dysregulation makes immune therapies less effective against metastatic melanoma

Patients who don't respond to treatments that use their own immune cells to destroy tumors, called tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, share changes in mechanisms that switch genes on or off in those cells, according to study results presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology on June 4 in Chicago.

6 Jun 2016

MBC Project engages patients directly to accelerate cancer research

A crowd-sourcing strategy aimed at accelerating research into metastatic breast cancer has connected advocacy groups, social media, and a dedicated web site to register more than 2,000 patients from all 50 states in its first seven months, say researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

6 Jun 2016

Novel drug atezolizumab harnesses immune system to shrink tumors in advanced bladder cancer

A new drug that harnesses the immune system to attack tumors is highly effective against advanced bladder cancer, according to the results of an international clinical trial to be presented June 5 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

6 Jun 2016

Stimulating STING pathway to provoke life-extending immune response shows promise in AML

A protein known as STING plays a crucial role in the immune system's ability to "sense" cancer by recognizing and responding to DNA from tumor cells. Injection of compounds that activate the STING pathway directly into solid tumors in mice has been shown in prior studies to result in very potent anti-tumor immune responses.

3 Jun 2016

Scientists discover master dimmer switches that control activity of immune cells

A person's genetic makeup plays a role in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis that develop when the body is attacked by its own immune system. But little is known about how immune cells are pushed into overdrive.

3 Jun 2016

Analysing blood metabolites may help monitor effects of novel drugs

Testing for metabolic changes in the blood could indicate whether a cancer drug is working as designed, a new study reports.

3 Jun 2016

Lund researchers identify four genetic keys that can unlock code, reprogram skin cells

Eight days. That's how long it takes for skin cells to reprogram into red blood cells. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden, together with colleagues at Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona, have successfully identified the four genetic keys that unlock the genetic code of skin cells and reprogram them to start producing red blood cells instead.

3 Jun 2016

CNIO researchers avoid genetic manipulation to create lab mice with extra-long telomeres

The Telomeres and Telomerase Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, in collaboration with the Centre's Transgenic Mice Core Unit, has succeeded in creating mice in the laboratory with hyper-long telomeres and with reduced molecular ageing, avoiding the use of what to date has been the standard method: genetic manipulation.

3 Jun 2016

New technique could help reduce chances of drug failure during later stages of clinical trials

An approach that could reduce the chances of drugs failing during the later stages of clinical trials has been demonstrated by a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.

2 Jun 2016

Researchers explore use of miR-192 as clinical marker for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is regarded as the cancer type with the lowest survival rates. Fewer than seven in 100 patients survive the first five years after diagnosis. Clinicians attribute this devastating prognosis to two circumstances: Pancreatic cancers often do not cause any signs or symptoms and by the time they are detected they have already reached a very advanced stage in most cases.

2 Jun 2016

FDA approves blood-based cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 for NSCLC patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2, a blood-based companion diagnostic for the cancer drug Tarceva (erlotinib). This is the first FDA-approved, blood-based genetic test that can detect epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

2 Jun 2016

RNA molecular dynamics research provides key insights into new treatments for retroviral diseases

New molecular dynamics research into how RNA folds into hairpin-shaped structures called tetraloops could provide important insights into new treatments for retroviral diseases.

1 Jun 2016

Researchers identify potential therapeutic target against oncogenic viral infection

A benign virus normally found in the skin can lead to a type of rare, lethal skin cancer. Specifically, infection by the Merkel cell polyomavirus can lead to Merkel cell carcinoma in immune-compromised individuals.

1 Jun 2016

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists use X-rays to study how eculizumab prevents immune system from damaging kidney tissue

Advances in precision diagnostics aid accurate detection of CNS tumors

New study finds alternative approaches to target proteins sustaining cancer, Alzheimer's disease

Rare DNA alteration may increase rsk of multiple sclerosis

Giving chemotherapy after radiotherapy delays rare brain tumour growth

Early social deprivation may lower DNA methylation within stress-related genes

Joint research reveals key mechanisms of persistent latent infection of HTLV-1

Gene dysregulation makes immune therapies less effective against metastatic melanoma

MBC Project engages patients directly to accelerate cancer research

Novel drug atezolizumab harnesses immune system to shrink tumors in advanced bladder cancer

Stimulating STING pathway to provoke life-extending immune response shows promise in AML

Scientists discover master dimmer switches that control activity of immune cells

Analysing blood metabolites may help monitor effects of novel drugs

Lund researchers identify four genetic keys that can unlock code, reprogram skin cells

CNIO researchers avoid genetic manipulation to create lab mice with extra-long telomeres

New technique could help reduce chances of drug failure during later stages of clinical trials

Researchers explore use of miR-192 as clinical marker for pancreatic cancer

FDA approves blood-based cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 for NSCLC patients

RNA molecular dynamics research provides key insights into new treatments for retroviral diseases

Researchers identify potential therapeutic target against oncogenic viral infection

eBook: A guide to RNA sequencing eBook

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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