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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).

New easy-to-use computer program can quickly identify drug-resistant infections

Scientists have developed an easy-to-use computer program that can quickly analyse bacterial DNA from a patient's infection and predict which antibiotics will work, and which will fail due to drug resistance. The software is currently being trialled in three UK hospitals to see whether it could help speed up diagnosis of drug-resistant infections and enable doctors to better target the prescription of antibiotics.

21 Dec 2015

Chromatrap to be Lead Sponsor at 'Epigenetics in Drug Discovery' conference

Chromatrap, a business unit of Porvair Sciences, has announced that it will be the Lead Sponsor at the prestigious “Epigenetics in Drug Discovery” conference to be held in Cambridge, UK from 26th-27th January 2016.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 21 Dec 2015

New study improves understanding of metal-based chemotherapy drugs

What is the mechanism of action of metal-based chemotherapy drugs (the most widely used for treating common cancers like testicular or ovarian cancer)? How can we improve their effect and reduce their toxicity? A new study combining experiments and theory has broadened our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of these active drugs to help experimentalists devising increasingly effective drugs with fewer side effects.

21 Dec 2015

Heidelberg neurobiologists identify Dnmt3a2 protein that boosts memory performance

Increasing the level of a certain DNA-modified enzyme in the brain significantly improves cognitive ability. The discovery was made by the research team led by Prof. Dr. Hilmar Bading at the Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences of Heidelberg University. Mouse experiments showed that the Dnmt3a2 protein can boost memory performance in the animals.

21 Dec 2015

Certain gut bacteria linked to type 2 diabetes, reveal Russian scientists

A group of Russian scientists, including Dr Elena Kostryukova, the Head of the Laboratory of Postgenomic Research in Biology of the Scientific Research Institute of Physical-Chemical Medicine and a researcher at MIPT (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology), and Maria Vakhitova, an MIPT postgraduate student, has discovered that the presence of certain bacteria in the gut may be linked to the development of type 2 diabetes.

21 Dec 2015

New discovery may soon make prostate cancer cells easier to destroy

A newly discovered connection between two common prostate cancer treatments may soon make prostate cancer cells easier to destroy. Drugs that could capitalize on the discovery are already in the pipeline, and a clinical trial to test whether the finding could improve treatments for prostate cancer patients could be only a few years away.

20 Dec 2015

Research opens door to validation studies in multiple tumor types of liquid biopsy

Pancreatic cancer tumors spill their molecular secrets into the blood stream, shedding their complete DNA and RNA wrapped inside protective lipid particles that make them ripe for analysis with a liquid biopsy, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report online at the Annals of Oncology.

18 Dec 2015

Scientists identify overlooked consequence of spatial separation of cells into nucleus, cytoplasm

Genetically identical cells do not always behave the same way. According to the accepted theory, the reason are random molecular processes - known as random noise. For decades this view has been underpinned by numerous experiments and theoretical models.

18 Dec 2015

New study sheds light on the molecular basis of memory and learning

The brain still harbours many unknowns. Basically, it is assumed that it stores experiences by altering the connections between brain cells. This ability to adapt - which is also called "plasticity" - provides the basis for memory and learning, which is the ability to draw conclusions from memories. On a molecular scale these changes are mediated by modifications of expression of specific genes that as required strengthen or weaken the connections between the brain cells.

18 Dec 2015

Zoledronate drug can protect stem cells from ageing

Stem cells can be protected from the effects of ageing by a drug currently used to treat patients with osteoporosis, a breakthrough study has found.

17 Dec 2015

A glass of clean drinking water contains 10 million bacteria

Researchers from Lund University in Sweden have discovered that our drinking water is to a large extent purified by millions of "good bacteria" found in water pipes and purification plants. So far, the knowledge about them has been practically non-existent, but this new research is about to change that.

17 Dec 2015

UMMS researchers identify new life cycle stage in HIV infection

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have identified a new life cycle stage in HIV infection, thanks to a novel technique they developed to take images of intact infected cells.

17 Dec 2015

Scientists reveal major players in severe muscle damage caused by sepsis

Scientists from the Institut Pasteur, Paris Descartes University, Sainte-Anne Hospital and the CNRS have recently published a paper in Nature Communications in which they reveal major players in the severe muscle damage caused by sepsis, or septicemia, which explains why many patients suffer debilitating muscle impairment long-term after recovery.

17 Dec 2015

Researchers report development of rapid, low-cost test for detecting TB in resource-limited areas

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious disease and a major global health problem, especially in countries with developing health care systems. Because there is no fast, easy way to detect TB, the deadly infection can spread quickly through communities. Now, a team reports in ACS Sensors the development of a rapid, sensitive and low-cost method for detecting the disease in resource-limited areas.

17 Dec 2015

Mitochondrial variation and viable pregnancy: an interview with Dr Elpida Fragouli

Embryos require adequate amounts of energy so that they can successfully progress through each of their cell divisions.

16 Dec 2015

Researchers find new way to prevent or reduce pathologies caused by malformed proteins

Improperly formed proteins can cause a host of serious illnesses, from muscular dystrophy to cystic fibrosis. A question of enormous import in research, beyond the challenge of determining how malformed proteins contribute to specific disease processes, is figuring out ways to prevent or reduce the pathologies they cause.

16 Dec 2015

New study finds a reason for ethnic disparity in CF diagnoses

Cystic fibrosis (CF) occurs less frequently in nonwhites than in whites, and nonwhites tend to be diagnosed at a later age. This late diagnosis often comes only once they have become symptomatic, rather than through newborn screening programs or molecular diagnostic testing.

16 Dec 2015

Study points to future treatment for post-stroke damage

A study of rats released today shows that blocking a type of RNA produced by what used to be called "junk DNA" can prevent a significant portion of the neural destruction that follows a stroke. The research points toward a future treatment for post-stroke damage, which is often more extensive than the initial destruction that results when blood to the brain is temporarily shut off.

16 Dec 2015

Cancer drug may protect kidneys from damage caused by chemotherapy agent cisplatin

A class of drugs used increasingly to help fight cancer may have the additional benefit of protecting the kidneys when packaged with the powerful chemotherapy agent cisplatin.

16 Dec 2015

Researchers discover novel way to enhance, restore cancer suppressor activity in B-ALL

Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine, working with Chinese and American colleagues, have discovered a novel way to enhance and restore cancer suppressor activity in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, resulting in better outcomes in a pre-clinical model of the disease. The finding could pave the way for a new class of drugs for this and other forms of leukemia.

15 Dec 2015

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

New easy-to-use computer program can quickly identify drug-resistant infections

Chromatrap to be Lead Sponsor at 'Epigenetics in Drug Discovery' conference

New study improves understanding of metal-based chemotherapy drugs

Heidelberg neurobiologists identify Dnmt3a2 protein that boosts memory performance

Certain gut bacteria linked to type 2 diabetes, reveal Russian scientists

New discovery may soon make prostate cancer cells easier to destroy

Research opens door to validation studies in multiple tumor types of liquid biopsy

Scientists identify overlooked consequence of spatial separation of cells into nucleus, cytoplasm

New study sheds light on the molecular basis of memory and learning

Zoledronate drug can protect stem cells from ageing

A glass of clean drinking water contains 10 million bacteria

UMMS researchers identify new life cycle stage in HIV infection

Scientists reveal major players in severe muscle damage caused by sepsis

Researchers report development of rapid, low-cost test for detecting TB in resource-limited areas

Mitochondrial variation and viable pregnancy: an interview with Dr Elpida Fragouli

Researchers find new way to prevent or reduce pathologies caused by malformed proteins

New study finds a reason for ethnic disparity in CF diagnoses

Study points to future treatment for post-stroke damage

Cancer drug may protect kidneys from damage caused by chemotherapy agent cisplatin

Researchers discover novel way to enhance, restore cancer suppressor activity in B-ALL

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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