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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).

Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator funds advanced biomedical research projects

A few years ago, Andrew Myers' laboratory discovered a new way to synthesize an important class of antibiotics that could one day tackle the toughest, most resistant infections.

20 Aug 2015

Experimental MERS-CoV vaccine shows promise in monkeys and camels

National Institutes of Health scientists and colleagues report that an experimental vaccine given six weeks before exposure to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) fully protects rhesus macaques from disease. The vaccine also generated potentially protective MERS-CoV antibodies in blood drawn from vaccinated camels.

20 Aug 2015

PHD1 inhibition may have therapeutic potential for colorectal cancer

Scientists at VIB and KU Leuven have shown that blocking the PHD1 oxygen sensor hinders the activation of p53, a transcription factor that aids colorectal cancer (CRC) cells in repairing themselves and thus resisting chemotherapy. Chemotherapy resistance remains a major clinical issue in the treatment of CRC. These findings indicate that PHD1 inhibition may have valuable therapeutic potential. The study was published in the leading medical journal EMBO Molecular Medicine, which features molecular biology-driven research.

19 Aug 2015

Further understanding of genetic influence in ALS to be explored in new partnership

Biogen, the ALS Association and Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) today announced a new collaboration to better understand the differences and commonalities in the ALS disease process and how genes influence the clinical features of the disease.

19 Aug 2015

LINE-1 jumping gene unusually active in gastrointestinal cancer

Results of a trio of studies done on human cancer tissue biopsies have added to growing evidence that a so-called jumping gene called LINE-1 is active during the development of many gastrointestinal cancers.

19 Aug 2015

IDT webinar explores effective RNAi and antisense oligo methods

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) will host an informative webinar, entitled ‘Knockdown of lncRNAs: exploring RNAi and antisense oligo methods’, on Tuesday, August 25, 2015. Kim Lennox, a research scientist at IDT and expert in the suppression of gene expression, will present the webinar at 9 am and 1 pm Central Standard Time.

From Integrated DNA Technologies 19 Aug 2015

Synthorx employs synthetic DNA technology to produce proteins containing novel amino acids

Synthorx Inc. announced today that the company has employed its proprietary protein expression system to successfully produce proteins containing novel amino acids. Using a semi-synthetic DNA template (containing the synthetic base pair X and Y), Synthorx scientists were able to produce RNA containing X and Y, which was used with an otherwise fully natural biological system, to efficiently direct the incorporation of multiple novel amino acids at different sites in proteins.

19 Aug 2015

MRI scanners can steer cell-based, tumour busting therapies to exact target sites in the body

Scientists from the University of Sheffield have discovered MRI scanners, normally used to produce images, can steer cell-based, tumour busting therapies to specific target sites in the body.

19 Aug 2015

Benitec prices initial public offering of 1,500,000 American Depositary Shares

Benitec Biopharma Limited, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, is pleased to announce the pricing of its U.S. initial public offering of 1,500,000 American Depositary Shares (ADSs), representing 30,000,000 fully paid ordinary shares of Benitec and warrants to purchase 500,000 ADSs, representing 10,000,000 fully paid ordinary shares, at a price of US$9.21 per ADS and US$0.01 per warrant.

18 Aug 2015

First patient enrolled in Phase II trial of ImmunoPulse IL-12 and pembrolizumab combination therapy

OncoSec Medical Incorporated, a company developing DNA-based intratumoral cancer immunotherapies, today announced enrollment of the first patient into the Phase II Investigator Sponsored Trial led by the University of California, San Francisco to assess the anti-tumor activity, safety, and tolerability of the combination of OncoSec's investigational therapy, ImmunoPulse IL-12, and Merck's approved anti-PD-1 agent, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), in patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma.

18 Aug 2015

New research explores underlying mechanisms by which bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance genes

A scientific peek into bacteria boudoirs is revealing how "sex" among disease-causing microbes can lead different species or strains to become resistant to antibiotic medications.

18 Aug 2015

Newly developed technique delivers wireless power for optogenetics

A miniature device that combines optogenetics - using light to control the activity of the brain - with a newly developed technique for wirelessly powering implanted devices is the first fully internal method of delivering optogenetics.

18 Aug 2015

Studies show jumping genes more active during development of gastrointestinal cancers

18 Aug 2015

DelMar obtains additional funding to support ongoing research project with lead product candidate VAL-083

DelMar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing proven cancer therapies in new orphan drug indications, today announced an increase in funding of up to CDN$287,000 from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) to support an ongoing research project.

17 Aug 2015

Improved method for building proteins into antibodies

Some proteins exist so fleetingly in the bloodstream that they can't be given effectively as therapies. However, building them into larger proteins, such as antibodies, can make them persist long enough to be useful. Now a team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has devised an improved method for accomplishing this protein-engineering feat.

14 Aug 2015

TSRI-led team devises selection-based, protein-engineering method to work on obesity therapy

Some proteins exist so fleetingly in the bloodstream that they can’t be given effectively as therapies. However, building them into larger proteins, such as antibodies, can make them persist long enough to be useful. Now a team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has devised an improved method for accomplishing this protein-engineering feat.

14 Aug 2015

New study uses big data analytical methods to reveal 'social character' of genes

A new study at the University of Haifa has used "big data" analytical methods to reveal the "social character" of genes - a phenomenon in certain diseases whereby genes operate jointly rather than independently.

14 Aug 2015

Researchers help explain how malaria infection increases children's risk of developing Burkitt's lymphoma

In equatorial Africa, a region of the globe known as the "lymphoma belt," children are ten times more likely than in other parts of the world to develop Burkitt's lymphoma, a highly aggressive blood cancer that can be fatal if left untreated. That area is also plagued by high rates of malaria, and scientists have spent the last 50 years trying to understand how the two diseases are connected.

14 Aug 2015

New study explains why statins are more beneficial than others in some cases

Statins' success in reducing atherosclerosis-related events has elevated the medications to wonder-drug status, with some researchers advocating for their wider use as a preemptive therapy for cardiovascular disease.

13 Aug 2015

CMC Biologics, PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative sign agreement for development of specific monoclonal antibodies

CMC Biologics, a global leader in clinical and commercial development and contract manufacture of therapeutic proteins, announced today it has entered into an agreement with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) for process development and manufacture of specific monoclonal antibodies to test for their capacity to protect humans from malaria infection.

12 Aug 2015

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator funds advanced biomedical research projects

Experimental MERS-CoV vaccine shows promise in monkeys and camels

PHD1 inhibition may have therapeutic potential for colorectal cancer

Further understanding of genetic influence in ALS to be explored in new partnership

LINE-1 jumping gene unusually active in gastrointestinal cancer

IDT webinar explores effective RNAi and antisense oligo methods

Synthorx employs synthetic DNA technology to produce proteins containing novel amino acids

MRI scanners can steer cell-based, tumour busting therapies to exact target sites in the body

Benitec prices initial public offering of 1,500,000 American Depositary Shares

First patient enrolled in Phase II trial of ImmunoPulse IL-12 and pembrolizumab combination therapy

New research explores underlying mechanisms by which bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance genes

Newly developed technique delivers wireless power for optogenetics

Studies show jumping genes more active during development of gastrointestinal cancers

DelMar obtains additional funding to support ongoing research project with lead product candidate VAL-083

Improved method for building proteins into antibodies

TSRI-led team devises selection-based, protein-engineering method to work on obesity therapy

New study uses big data analytical methods to reveal 'social character' of genes

Researchers help explain how malaria infection increases children's risk of developing Burkitt's lymphoma

New study explains why statins are more beneficial than others in some cases

CMC Biologics, PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative sign agreement for development of specific monoclonal antibodies

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