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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).

Vanderbilt to lead Direct Volunteers Pilot Studies under Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program

Federal officials with the White House and National Institutes of Health announced today that Vanderbilt University Medical Center will lead the Direct Volunteers Pilot Studies under the first grant to be awarded in the federal Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program.

27 Feb 2016

Radiotherapy plus panobinostat more effective for aggressive, recurrent brain cancer

Radiotherapy effectively damages brain tumors but the cancer cells can repair themselves in order to live on. Now, researchers at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center have tested a strategy that combines radiotherapy with a drug that shuts down the ability of tumor to mend themselves.

27 Feb 2016

Over-expression of heme oxygenase-1 enzyme protects the heart from doxorubicin damage

Life-threatening heart damage is an adverse side effect of the cancer drug doxorubicin, damage that also limits the use of newer chemotherapeutic agents such as trastuzumab and imatinib. The ability to protect the heart from these side effects would benefit patients, including cancer survivors who are at risk of developing heart damage years later, and it also could allow safer use of these drugs at higher doses.

26 Feb 2016

Genome sequencing shows association between STIs and Trachoma

For the first time, genome sequencing has been carried out on Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), a bacteria responsible for the disease Trachoma - the world's leading infectious cause of blindness, according to a study in Nature Communications.

26 Feb 2016

Research finding could lay foundation for more accurate diagnosis for rare childhood brain tumor

An international research team has identified four likely new subtypes of a rare brain tumor using molecular techniques that lay the foundation for more accurate diagnosis and tailored therapies for the hard-to-treat cancer. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center led the study, results of which appear today in the scientific journal Cell.

26 Feb 2016

Medical community has unique role to play in determining future use of mitochondrial replacement techniques

There is a unique role for the United States medical community to play in determining the future application of, and ethically acceptable approach to, mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs), according to a commentary published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

26 Feb 2016

Clinical validation study on MaterniT GENOME test published in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Sequenom, Inc., a life sciences company committed to enabling healthier lives through the development of innovative products and services, today announced the publication of a clinical validation study on the MaterniT GENOME laboratory-developed test in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

26 Feb 2016

New anti-ageing therapy may be effective against aplastic anaemia

Aplastic anaemia is a rare, and potentially fatal, disease of the blood, by which the bone marrow is unable to generate blood cells at the appropriate pace. Many forms of aplastic anaemia share an important link with the ageing process: the shortening of telomeres, structures that protect the ends of chromosomes.

25 Feb 2016

Researchers reveal how stress conditions favor lytic reactivation of herpesviruses

Hiding their DNA genome inside the nucleus of the infected cells, the herpesviruses establish a lifelong infection in humans. Not well defined stress conditions are known to wake up these parasites from their dormancy - the latent phase - and reactivate the production of new viral progeny, eventually causing cell death by lysis - the lytic phase.

25 Feb 2016

Ground-breaking discovery could lead to new treatments for diabetes

Why would a bacteria-killing protein be present in an area of the body that is not normally exposed to bacteria, like the pancreas? Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa puzzled over this question for some time, until they eventually discovered that the protein in question was doing something entirely unexpected - it was actually helping the pancreas regenerate and produce insulin.

25 Feb 2016

Okayama University e-Bulletin highlights role of designer DNA-binding proteins to fight viral infections in agriculture, medicine

This issue includes a feature on designer DNA-binding proteins to combat viral infections in agriculture and medicine; news items include updates of official opening of the Okayama University Silicon Valley Office at Fremont (CA), and international collaboration work with Xiamen University; research highlights on immunizing plants; identification of gene Vrn-D4 for enabling wheat to adapt to areas with warm winters; importance of introgression on intra-specific genetic differentiation and adaptive divergence; an interesting twist on supercooled liquid water; and manufacturing denim in Okayama.

25 Feb 2016

Sangamo presents immunological data from SB-728-T HIV clinical study at CROI 2016

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc., the leader in therapeutic genome editing, announced the presentation of immunological data from the Company's clinical trials of SB-728-T, a ZFP Therapeutic designed to provide functional control of HIV.

25 Feb 2016

New research shows copper can destroy MRSA in touch contamination

New research from the University of Southampton shows that copper can destroy MRSA spread by touching and fingertip contamination of surfaces.

24 Feb 2016

Ohio State researchers working on new way to treat drug-resistant cancer

Researchers at The Ohio State University are working on a new way to treat drug-resistant cancer that the ancient Greeks would approve of--only it's not a Trojan horse, but DNA that hides the invading force.

24 Feb 2016

Caribou Biosciences grants IDT worldwide rights to commercialize CRISPR-Cas9 reagents

Caribou Biosciences, Inc., a developer of CRISPR technologies for precision cell engineering, and Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., a producer of custom synthetic oligonucleotide-based technologies for genomics applications, have entered into a non-exclusive license agreement under which Caribou has granted IDT worldwide rights to commercialize CRISPR-Cas9 reagents under Caribou’s intellectual property.

24 Feb 2016

UCLA researchers pioneer more effective approach to improve cancer treatment

Despite a growing interest in developing non-invasive methods to identify rare cancer cells or cancer cell DNA in blood, current techniques remain complicated and often prohibitively expensive. Now, UCLA researchers have pioneered a more effective approach to these "liquid biopsies" that has the potential to offer a streamlined and low-cost solution for people with the disease.

23 Feb 2016

Hiroshima University researchers identify new class of cancer-causing genetic variations

Researchers at Hiroshima University have opened the door to finding a new class of cancer-causing genetic variations.

23 Feb 2016

Study identifies new mechanism for controlling HIV replication

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that HIV infection of human immune cells triggers a massive increase in methylation, a chemical modification, to both human and viral RNA, aiding replication of the virus.

23 Feb 2016

Researchers investigate effect of naturally-derived pigment ASX on hippocampal function

With the recent rise in popularity of naturally-derived supplements to maintain a healthy body, there has been a great deal of attention toward development of the so-called "brain foods", which can enhance brain function. Of particular importance is the natural red pigment astaxanthin (ASX) abundant in both salmon and in crustaceans such as shrimp and crab.

22 Feb 2016

Researchers analyze how Topo II enzyme may affect stability of genomes

While researchers are now familiar with how cancer begins—cells mutate and then multiply wildly out of control—it is still uncertain exactly how that mutation starts in the molecules of the cells.

22 Feb 2016

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Vanderbilt to lead Direct Volunteers Pilot Studies under Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program

Radiotherapy plus panobinostat more effective for aggressive, recurrent brain cancer

Over-expression of heme oxygenase-1 enzyme protects the heart from doxorubicin damage

Genome sequencing shows association between STIs and Trachoma

Research finding could lay foundation for more accurate diagnosis for rare childhood brain tumor

Medical community has unique role to play in determining future use of mitochondrial replacement techniques

Clinical validation study on MaterniT GENOME test published in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

New anti-ageing therapy may be effective against aplastic anaemia

Researchers reveal how stress conditions favor lytic reactivation of herpesviruses

Ground-breaking discovery could lead to new treatments for diabetes

Okayama University e-Bulletin highlights role of designer DNA-binding proteins to fight viral infections in agriculture, medicine

Sangamo presents immunological data from SB-728-T HIV clinical study at CROI 2016

New research shows copper can destroy MRSA in touch contamination

Ohio State researchers working on new way to treat drug-resistant cancer

Caribou Biosciences grants IDT worldwide rights to commercialize CRISPR-Cas9 reagents

UCLA researchers pioneer more effective approach to improve cancer treatment

Hiroshima University researchers identify new class of cancer-causing genetic variations

Study identifies new mechanism for controlling HIV replication

Researchers investigate effect of naturally-derived pigment ASX on hippocampal function

Researchers analyze how Topo II enzyme may affect stability of genomes

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