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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).

Study provides evidence for use of inherited genetic markers to improve melanoma prognostication

Melanoma is the most dangerous and lethal form of skin cancer. But just how long will a patient survive following the removal of a melanoma tumor? A more definitive answer to that question could come from new studies at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center. Researchers there have discovered an inherited genetic marker that might provide clinicians with a personalized tool to gauge an individual's survival and determine which patients require closer monitoring in the years following surgery.

21 Jan 2016

Discovery may help researchers identify new ways to attack malaria parasite

New anti-malarial drugs could be developed after researchers discovered a new mechanism used by the malaria parasite when it infects humans.

21 Jan 2016

UC Berkeley researchers make major improvement in CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology

University of California, Berkeley, researchers have made a major improvement in CRISPR-Cas9 technology that achieves an unprecedented success rate of 60 percent when replacing a short stretch of DNA with another.

21 Jan 2016

Variations in RANBP1 gene may disrupt brain signaling in neuropsychiatric conditions

Scientists have identified a gene that appears to play a significant role in raising a person's risk of having more severe subtypes of autism that co-occur with other genetic diseases, such as the chromosomal disorder 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

20 Jan 2016

Depression in expectant parents during pregnancy increases risk of premature birth

Depression in both expectant mothers and fathers increases the risk of premature birth, finds a study published in BJOG: an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG).

20 Jan 2016

Immune killer cells use microptosis pathway to kill intracellular parasites

The immune system's killer cells deliver a tightly controlled, 3-phase knockout punch that kills intracellular parasites through a novel pathway that an international team led by researchers from the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine (PCMM) at Boston Children's Hospital have named "microptosis."

20 Jan 2016

Women who carry inherited fault in BRIP1 gene at higher risk of developing ovarian cancer

Women who carry an inherited fault in the gene BRIP1 are over three times more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those without the fault, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

20 Jan 2016

Rice scientists develop new tool to analyze thermal behaviors of DNA and RNA strands

Rice University scientists have developed a tool to speed the design of molecular diagnostics that depend on the specific recognition of pathogen DNA and RNA.

20 Jan 2016

Profectus begins Phase 1 clinical study of VesiculoVax-vectored Ebola virus vaccine

Profectus BioSciences, Inc., a clinical-stage vaccine company developing novel vaccines for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and the treatment of cancer, announced today the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical study of Profectus' VesiculoVax-vectored Ebola virus vaccine.

19 Jan 2016

RIKEN researchers discover how to reverse abnormal axonal development

Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan have discovered how to reverse the abnormal axonal development characteristic of CFEOM3, a congenital disease that affects the muscles that control eye movements.

19 Jan 2016

CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique could be controlled using RNA-based drugs

In just the past few years, researchers have found a way to use a naturally occurring bacterial system known as CRISPR/Cas9 to inactivate or correct specific genes in any organism. CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing activity runs continuously, though, leading to risk of additional editing at unwanted sites.

19 Jan 2016

Researchers suggest ways to make TB drugs more efficacious against mutations

Biophysicists have discovered why the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) are naturally somewhat resistant to antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones. Their findings, based on mapping the detailed three-dimensional structure of the drugs interacting with an essential enzyme in the TB germ, also reveal why some TB drugs are more potent than others and suggest how drug developers can make fluoroquinolones more efficacious against mutations that make the lung disease drug resistant.

19 Jan 2016

Combination of PARP inhibitors and c-MET may benefit breast cancer patients

Findings from a new study reveal that PARP inhibitors, an emerging class of drugs being studied in cancer clinical trials, may be enhanced by combining them with inhibitors targeting an oncogene known as c-MET which is overexpressed in many cancers.

19 Jan 2016

Antivirulence antibiotics could evade resistance longer than traditional antibiotics

We've all seen the headlines. "Man found to be shedding virulent strain of polio"; "Virulent flu strain in Europe hits the economy"; "Most virulent strain of E. coli ever seen contains DNA sequences from plague bacteria."

19 Jan 2016

NIST researchers simulate new method for fast, precise DNA sequencing

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have simulated a new concept for rapid, accurate gene sequencing by pulling a DNA molecule through a tiny, chemically activated hole in graphene--an ultrathin sheet of carbon atoms--and detecting changes in electrical current.

19 Jan 2016

Scientists find new way to re-engineer body’s immune system to target cancer

Scientists have demonstrated a new way of re-engineering the body’s immune system to target cancer, paving the way for a new generation of drugs, unprecedented in safety and effectiveness.

18 Jan 2016

High Performance UV Assay Microplates

Krystal UV quartz bottomed microplates from Porvair Sciences Ltd. are designed for high throughput applications which require excitation or detection wavelengths in the far UV region below 350nm.

From Porvair Sciences Limited 14 Jan 2016

Small volumes of biological liquid waste easily aspirated

VACUSIP is an out-of-the-box solution. Simply connect the collection bottle to the built-in pump and choose the aspiration adapter matching your application. Operation is straight forward – switch the unit on and regulate the vacuum by applying pressure on the autoclavable hand adapter.

From INTEGRA Biosciences 14 Jan 2016

Researchers reveal totally new biological mechanism that underlies cancer

In a landmark study, researchers from the Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital reveal a completely new biological mechanism that underlies cancer. By studying brain tumors that carry mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) genes, the team uncovered some unusual changes in the instructions for how the genome folds up on itself.

13 Jan 2016

New discovery may help researchers tackle mitochondrial diseases and age-related diseases

Buck Institute faculty Judith Campisi, PhD, says age researchers need to stop thinking of cellular senescence, now accepted as an important driver of aging, as a single phenotype that stems from genotoxic stress. Research from her lab reveals that cellular senescence, a process whereby cells permanently lose the ability to divide, is also induced by signaling from dysfunctional mitochondria - and that the arrested cells secrete a distinctly different "stew" of biologically active factors in a process unrelated to the damaging free radicals that are created in mitochondria as part of oxygen metabolism.

13 Jan 2016

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Study provides evidence for use of inherited genetic markers to improve melanoma prognostication

Discovery may help researchers identify new ways to attack malaria parasite

UC Berkeley researchers make major improvement in CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology

Variations in RANBP1 gene may disrupt brain signaling in neuropsychiatric conditions

Depression in expectant parents during pregnancy increases risk of premature birth

Immune killer cells use microptosis pathway to kill intracellular parasites

Women who carry inherited fault in BRIP1 gene at higher risk of developing ovarian cancer

Rice scientists develop new tool to analyze thermal behaviors of DNA and RNA strands

Profectus begins Phase 1 clinical study of VesiculoVax-vectored Ebola virus vaccine

RIKEN researchers discover how to reverse abnormal axonal development

CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique could be controlled using RNA-based drugs

Researchers suggest ways to make TB drugs more efficacious against mutations

Combination of PARP inhibitors and c-MET may benefit breast cancer patients

Antivirulence antibiotics could evade resistance longer than traditional antibiotics

NIST researchers simulate new method for fast, precise DNA sequencing

Scientists find new way to re-engineer body’s immune system to target cancer

High Performance UV Assay Microplates

Small volumes of biological liquid waste easily aspirated

Researchers reveal totally new biological mechanism that underlies cancer

New discovery may help researchers tackle mitochondrial diseases and age-related diseases

eBook: Exploring the Cell Cycle and DNA Damage and Repair 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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