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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).

Johns Hopkins researchers link sperm with specific 'epigenetic tags' to autism

In a small study, Johns Hopkins researchers found that DNA from the sperm of men whose children had early signs of autism shows distinct patterns of regulatory tags that could contribute to the condition. A detailed report of their findings will be published online in the International Journal of Epidemiology on April 15.

15 Apr 2015

Ancient natural compound can protect the heart from hypertrophy

A natural compound derived from the bark of the magnolia tree, can protect the heart from hypertrophy, a thickening of cardiac muscle often caused by chronic high blood pressure that can lead to heart failure, researchers report in the April 14 issue of the online journal Nature Communications.

15 Apr 2015

Focus Diagnostics announces FDA clearance for Simplexa Group A Strep Direct Kit

Focus Diagnostics, the clinical-laboratory products business of Quest Diagnostics, today announced the FDA 510(k) clearance and CLIA moderate-complexity categorization for its Simplexa Group A Strep Direct Kit. Simplexa Group A Strep Direct is a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of Group A Streptococcus bacteria directly from throat swabs.

From Quest Diagnostics 15 Apr 2015

SELLAS inks exclusive global collaboration, license agreement with TrojanTec

SELLAS Life Sciences Group, a Swiss based, development-stage biopharmaceutical company with its main focus in developing innovative products for the treatment of various indications in Oncology and the Central Nervous System, today announced that it has signed an exclusive global collaboration and license agreement with TrojanTec Ltd, a UK-based Discovery Research and Development Company affiliated with Imperial College London, UK, for the development, marketing and commercialization of the innovative and proprietary TR-1 cancer therapeutic technology and drug.

15 Apr 2015

Atlas Genetics signs diagnostic collaboration to explore new use of io system

Atlas Genetics Ltd, the ultra-rapid 'test and treat' molecular diagnostics company, today announces that it has entered into a collaboration with a major pharmaceutical company to develop a diagnostic test, expanding capabilities beyond infectious diseases.

15 Apr 2015

A beginner’s guide to CRISPR genome editing

In a recent DECODED Online entry, Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), the world leader in oligonucleotide synthesis, provides an overview of the CRISPR/Cas9 system to scientists looking to enhance their genome modification strategy in model organisms or cell lines.

From Integrated DNA Technologies 14 Apr 2015

No effect of baseline cirrhosis on long-term TDF treatment outcomes

Research suggests that virological, serological and histological outcomes are comparable between cirrhotic and noncirrhotic patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection undergoing long-term tenofovir disoproxil fumarate treatment.

13 Apr 2015

Penn researchers receive 2015 Vaccine Industry Excellence Award

The laboratory of David Weiner, PhD, a professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, received the 2015 Vaccine Industry Excellence Award for Best Academic Research Team, at the World Vaccine Congress in Washington, DC this week.

12 Apr 2015

Rob Knight wins Creative Promise Prize in Biomedical Science

Rob Knight was named winner of a Creative Promise Prize in Biomedical Science for his groundbreaking research on microbial communities and the development of computational tools that honed the analysis of microbial data.

12 Apr 2015

New combination therapy holds promise for treating HER2-positive breast cancer

Resistance to therapy is a major problem in the cancer field. Even when a treatment initially works, the tumors often find ways around the therapy.

10 Apr 2015

Subpopulation of tumor cells make melanoma aggressive

KU Leuven researchers have zeroed in on what makes cancer cells in melanoma so aggressive. They also succeeded in taming the effect in cell cultures.

10 Apr 2015

New automated tool rapidly delivers large particles into mammalian cells

A new device developed by UCLA engineers and doctors eventually help scientists study the development of disease, enable them to capture improved images of the inside of cells and lead to other improvements in medical and biological research.

10 Apr 2015

Stem cell disease model reveals how tumor suppressor may drive bone cancer

Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a team led by Mount Sinai researchers has gained new insight into genetic changes that may turn a well known anti-cancer signaling gene into a driver of risk for bone cancers, where the survival rate has not improved in 40 years despite treatment advances.

10 Apr 2015

Challenges involved in tracing the source of Legionnaires’ disease outbreak

Genetic research helps to explain why tracing the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that claimed four lives has proven to be more complicated than scientists hoped.

10 Apr 2015

Researchers use new gene editing tool to cut HIV DNA

The virus that causes AIDS is an efficient and crafty retrovirus. Once HIV inserts its DNA into the genome of its host cells, it has a long incubation period, and can remain dormant and hidden for years.

10 Apr 2015

Research opens door to potential drug target for deadly Ebola virus

Opening the door to potential treatments for the deadly Ebola virus, scientists have found that a protein made by the virus plays a role similar to that of a coat-check attendant.

9 Apr 2015

Shorter individuals at greater risk of heart disease

In a study of more than 200,000 people with or without heart disease, researchers from the University of Leicester found that for every 2.5 inch decrease in a person’s height, the risk of coronary heart disease increased by 13.5%...

9 Apr 2015

Study suggests that pancreatic cancers harbor genetic alterations

A genetic analysis led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggests that most pancreatic cancers harbor genetic alterations that could be targeted by existing drugs, using their genetic features as a roadmap for treatment. The findings support a precision approach to treating pancreatic cancer, the fourth most deadly cancer for both men and women.

9 Apr 2015

University of York scientists use low temperature plasmas to treat prostate cancer

Scientists at the University of York have discovered a potential new treatment for prostate cancer using low temperature plasmas (LTPs).

9 Apr 2015

UAB scientists create alternative to the use of viruses in gene therapy

A team of scientists from the Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the UAB has produced an alternative to the use of viruses in gene therapy. The researchers synthesised nanoparticles which act as artificial viruses, capable of surrounding DNA fragments and releasing them as therapeutic agents, with no biological risk, into the interior of the cells.

9 Apr 2015