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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).

Cabazitaxel therapy may be more effective in treating prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer for men in the United States. Only one class of chemotherapy called taxanes is effective against the disease.

17 Feb 2015

TNF signaling molecule triggers Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis

Cells lining the intestinal tract form a critical barrier, protecting our bodies from the billions of bacteria living in the gut. Breaches in this barrier are driven largely by a single signaling molecule called tumor necrosis factor (TNF), elevated amounts of which are associated with inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

17 Feb 2015

Study shows link between autoimmune diseases and gene regulatory elements

Investigators with the National Institutes of Health have discovered the genomic switches of a blood cell key to regulating the human immune system.

17 Feb 2015

Bacteria's DNA can pass trait to offspring in a way similar to parents' own DNA

It's a firmly established fact straight from Biology 101: Traits such as eye color and height are passed from one generation to the next through the parents' DNA.

17 Feb 2015

Research: 14% of cerebral palsy cases are linked to genetic mutation

An international research group led by a team at the University of Adelaide has made what they believe could be the biggest discovery into cerebral palsy in 20 years.

17 Feb 2015

Wistar researchers identify new therapeutic target for aggressive form of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all cancers affecting the female reproductive system with very few effective treatments available. Prognosis is even worse among patients with certain subtypes of the disease. Now, researchers at The Wistar Institute have identified a new therapeutic target in a particularly aggressive form of ovarian cancer, paving the way for what could be the first effective targeted therapy of its kind for the disease.

16 Feb 2015

New study finds promising target for future therapies to treat breast and ovarian cancer patients

The Food and Drug Administration's recent approval of the drug olaparib for ovarian cancer patients with inherited mutations in the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 came as welcome news to the thousands of women now eligible to receive it. A new study by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists indicates that the pool of patients who can benefit from the drug is potentially much wider - and offers a ready means of identifying them.

16 Feb 2015

Tissue and cell diagnostics market reaches $7.7 billion in 2014

With fast and effective testing techniques, the tissue and cell diagnostics market was estimated to have reached $7.7 billion in 2014 for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) and other reagents used by clinical laboratories, according to Kalorama Information.

16 Feb 2015

Discovery offers much needed information about how virulent insect-borne diseases cause infection

For decades, scientists have thought the bacteria that cause the bubonic plague hijack host cells at the site of a fleabite and are then taken to the lymph nodes, where the bacteria multiply and trigger severe disease. But UNC School of Medicine researchers discovered that this accepted theory is off base. The bacteria do not use host cells; they traffic to lymph nodes on their own and not in great numbers.

16 Feb 2015

NTU Singapore setting up new institute to find cures for human diseases

Nanyang Technological University is setting up a new institute to advance research in the life sciences, with a focus on ramping up Singapore's efforts in finding cures for human diseases.

16 Feb 2015

Study shows that de novo mutations can be detected in human in vitro fertilized embryos using PGD

Reprogenetics, the largest U.S. genetics laboratory specializing in Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), announced today the publication of new clinical data in the March issue of Genome Research demonstrating that de novo single base mutations can be detected in embryos after in vitro fertilization (IVF).

16 Feb 2015

Researchers discover molecular 'switch' that controls replication, transcription of mitochondria DNA

A team of researchers led by Dmitry Temiakov, PhD, of the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM), has discovered a molecular 'switch' that controls replication and transcription of mitochondria DNA, a key finding that could influence the development of targeted therapies for cancer, developmental processes related to fertility and aging.

16 Feb 2015

NanoGap sensor helps detect bladder and kidney cancer at an early stage

A new mobile device that allows bladder and kidney cancer to be detected at an early stage. This is being worked on by Wilfred van der Wiel, professor of nanoelectronics at the University of Twente MESA+ research institute. Thanks to this method, it is possible to read from DNA cells whether their carrier has bladder or kidney cancer.

16 Feb 2015

Research finding could lead to new therapeutic target for treating hypertension in males

Higher levels of a "danger" molecule may be one reason males tend to become hypertensive earlier and more severely than females, scientists say.

16 Feb 2015

Scientists find seven new genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability

X-linked intellectual disability is a disorder that predominantly affects men and can have highly variable clinical manifestations. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have found seven new genes that can cause this genetic disease: Mutations of these genes on the X chromosome lead to various forms of intellectual disability.

15 Feb 2015

Researchers identify two cell-signaling molecules that appear critical to stalling cancer's spread

In what is believed to be the largest epigenetic analysis to date of cell-signaling molecules in early-stage melanoma, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center have identified two tiny bits of non-coding genetic material in primary tumors that appear critical to stalling the cancer's spread -- and essentially setting the biological fate of the disease.

15 Feb 2015

UT Southwestern researchers identify common signaling mechanism that controls immune system

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a common signaling mechanism to produce interferon - one of the main proteins used to signal the immune system when the body needs to defend itself against a virus, tumor, or other diseases.

15 Feb 2015

A*STAR's GIS scientists develop new system that can predict treatment targets for cancer

In recent months, several national initiatives for personalized medicine have been announced, including the recently launched precision medicine initiative in the US, driven by rapid advances in genomic technologies and with the promise of cheaper and better healthcare. Significant challenges remain, however, in the management and analysis of genetic information and their integration with patient data.

15 Feb 2015

SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics designated as FAO Reference Centre for bioinformatics

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has appointed SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics as the FAO Reference Centre for bioinformatics.

12 Feb 2015

Researchers develop novel approach to identify potential antimalarial drugs

Each year nearly 600,000 people--mostly children under age five and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa--die from malaria, caused by single-celled parasites that grow inside red blood cells. The most deadly malarial species--Plasmodium falciparum--has proven notoriously resistant to treatment efforts.

12 Feb 2015

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Cabazitaxel therapy may be more effective in treating prostate cancer

TNF signaling molecule triggers Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis

Study shows link between autoimmune diseases and gene regulatory elements

Bacteria's DNA can pass trait to offspring in a way similar to parents' own DNA

Research: 14% of cerebral palsy cases are linked to genetic mutation

Wistar researchers identify new therapeutic target for aggressive form of ovarian cancer

New study finds promising target for future therapies to treat breast and ovarian cancer patients

Tissue and cell diagnostics market reaches $7.7 billion in 2014

Discovery offers much needed information about how virulent insect-borne diseases cause infection

NTU Singapore setting up new institute to find cures for human diseases

Study shows that de novo mutations can be detected in human in vitro fertilized embryos using PGD

Researchers discover molecular 'switch' that controls replication, transcription of mitochondria DNA

NanoGap sensor helps detect bladder and kidney cancer at an early stage

Research finding could lead to new therapeutic target for treating hypertension in males

Scientists find seven new genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability

Researchers identify two cell-signaling molecules that appear critical to stalling cancer's spread

UT Southwestern researchers identify common signaling mechanism that controls immune system

A*STAR's GIS scientists develop new system that can predict treatment targets for cancer

SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics designated as FAO Reference Centre for bioinformatics

Researchers develop novel approach to identify potential antimalarial drugs

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