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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).

Penn researchers lay groundwork for developing lncRNA-based tools for new cancer treatment

Growing insights about a significant, yet poorly understood, part of the genome - the "dark matter of DNA" -- have fundamentally changed the way scientists approach the study of diseases.

13 Oct 2015

Prostate Cells Undergo 'Reprogramming' To Form Tumors, Study Finds

Scientists have gained a key insight into how prostate tumors get their start - not by rewriting the normal DNA code, but by reprogramming the master regulator of genes in prostate cells to drive malignant growth.

12 Oct 2015

Study identifies four distinct types of bowel cancer

Bowel cancer can be divided up into four distinct diseases, each with its own set of biological characteristics, a major new study reports.

12 Oct 2015

Researchers reveal that supercoiled DNA's shape more dynamic than well-known double helix

Researchers have imaged in unprecedented detail the three-dimensional structure of supercoiled DNA, revealing that its shape is much more dynamic than the well-known double helix.

12 Oct 2015

Sequenom signs clinical collaboration with University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Sequenom, Inc., a life sciences company committed to enabling healthier lives through the development of innovative products and services, today announced that it has entered into a clinical collaboration with University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) in Germany.

12 Oct 2015

Researchers reveal 3-D structure of biologically active DNA

Using a multidisciplinary approach, researchers, led by those at Baylor College of Medicine, revealed in unprecedented detail the three-dimensional structure of biologically active DNA. A report on their work appears online in the journal Nature Communications.

12 Oct 2015

UV robots help reduce rates of C. diff transmission among cancer inpatients

Robots are capable of all sorts of tasks to help better treat cancer: They connect oncologists to patients remotely, make incisions, staple them shut, deliver "nano" therapies--and they clean rooms. New research from Penn Medicine infection control specialists found that ultraviolet (UV) robots helped reduce the rates transmission of the common bacterial infection known as Clostridium difficile among cancer inpatients - mostly blood cancer patients, a group more vulnerable to hospital-acquired infections - by 25 percent. The interventions also saved about $150,000 in annual direct medical costs.

12 Oct 2015

UConn researchers sequence RNA of most complicated gene

UConn researchers have sequenced the RNA of the most complicated gene known in nature, using a hand-held sequencer no bigger than a cell phone.

From Oxford Nanopore Technologies 12 Oct 2015

Role for endogenous retrovirus proposed in ALS pathogenesis

Expression of the human endogenous retrovirus-K is upregulated in some patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and causes degeneration of motor neurons when overexpressed in mice, research shows.

9 Oct 2015

Scientists can now use skin samples from older patients to grow brain cells

For the first time, scientists can use skin samples from older patients to create brain cells without rolling back the youthfulness clock in the cells first. The new technique, which yields cells resembling those found in older people's brains, will be a boon to scientists studying age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

9 Oct 2015

Scientists engineer stem cells to better understand mechanisms behind leukemia

Scientists engineered stem cells to better understand the mechanisms behind a form of leukemia caused by changes in a key gene, according to a study led by Mount Sinai researchers and published online today in the journal Cell Reports.

9 Oct 2015

Proposed thin-plate model sheds light on structural basis of chromosomal aberrations in cancer cells

During cell division, each metaphase chromosome contains a single enormously long DNA molecule that is associated with histone proteins and forms a long chromatin filament with many nucleosomes.

9 Oct 2015

Scientists map EGFRvIII mutant that causes brain cancer

A team of Ludwig Cancer Research scientists has mapped out how a mutant version of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) known as EGFRvIII specifically drives critical processes that alter the reading of the genome to fuel the growth of the brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and--most important--how each process is linked to the other.

9 Oct 2015

Father’s life experiences can affect health, development of both children and grandchildren

If you have diabetes, or cancer or even heart problems, maybe you should blame it on your dad's behaviour or environment. Or even your grandfather's.

9 Oct 2015

Penn study forms basis for new treatment approaches for Sezary syndrome

Sezary syndrome (SS), an aggressive leukemia of mature T cells, is more complicated at a molecular level than ever suspected, according to investigators from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

8 Oct 2015

Cleaning patient rooms with combination of chemicals and UV light cuts transmission of superbugs

Healthcare facilities continue to battle drug-resistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that loiter on surfaces even after patient rooms have been cleaned and can cause new, sometimes-deadly infections.

8 Oct 2015

SMC5/6 protein complex plays vital role in cancer suppression and premature ageing

A study conducted by the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre´s Genomic Instability Group, led by Óscar Fernández-Capetillo, describes for the first time in mammals, the role played by the SMC5/6 protein complex in cancer suppression and premature ageing. Mutations in these complexes, which were sensitive to chemotherapeutic agents, had been previously described in yeast cells, but their exact relationship with cancer or other diseases in mammals was unknown.

8 Oct 2015

Claritas Genomics announces launch of Claritas Clinical Exome, novel diagnostic test

Claritas Genomics, Inc., announced the launch of its Claritas Clinical Exome, at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics running 10/6 – 10/10 in Baltimore, MD. This novel diagnostic test is the first to exploit the strengths of multiple DNA sequencing platforms simultaneously to deliver confirmed results for a patient’s clinical whole exome within 4 weeks, compared to the industry standard of 12 weeks or more. Patients with rare disease typically seek a diagnosis for 8-12 years, receiving 3-5 separate tests at a high cost.

7 Oct 2015

Genocea announces positive data in Phase 2 trial evaluating GEN-003 for the treatment of genital herpes

Genocea Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GNCA), a biopharmaceutical company developing T cell-directed vaccines and immunotherapies, has announced positive results from a planned interim analysis of data collected six months after dosing from its ongoing Phase 2 dose optimization trial evaluating GEN-003 for the treatment of genital herpes. At its best performing dose of 60 µg per protein / 75 µg of Matrix-M2TM adjuvant, GEN-003 demonstrated a statistically significant 58 percent reduction from baseline in the viral shedding rate (p < 0.0001), the primary endpoint of the study.

7 Oct 2015

Brain metastases evolve ‘clinically actionable’ mutations

Brain metastatic disease shows branched evolution from the primary tumour, suggest preliminary findings from the largest massively parallel sequencing study of paired samples performed so far.

7 Oct 2015

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Penn researchers lay groundwork for developing lncRNA-based tools for new cancer treatment

Prostate Cells Undergo 'Reprogramming' To Form Tumors, Study Finds

Study identifies four distinct types of bowel cancer

Researchers reveal that supercoiled DNA's shape more dynamic than well-known double helix

Sequenom signs clinical collaboration with University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Researchers reveal 3-D structure of biologically active DNA

UV robots help reduce rates of C. diff transmission among cancer inpatients

UConn researchers sequence RNA of most complicated gene

Role for endogenous retrovirus proposed in ALS pathogenesis

Scientists can now use skin samples from older patients to grow brain cells

Scientists engineer stem cells to better understand mechanisms behind leukemia

Proposed thin-plate model sheds light on structural basis of chromosomal aberrations in cancer cells

Scientists map EGFRvIII mutant that causes brain cancer

Father’s life experiences can affect health, development of both children and grandchildren

Penn study forms basis for new treatment approaches for Sezary syndrome

Cleaning patient rooms with combination of chemicals and UV light cuts transmission of superbugs

SMC5/6 protein complex plays vital role in cancer suppression and premature ageing

Claritas Genomics announces launch of Claritas Clinical Exome, novel diagnostic test

Genocea announces positive data in Phase 2 trial evaluating GEN-003 for the treatment of genital herpes

Brain metastases evolve ‘clinically actionable’ mutations

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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