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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).

Study finds that K13 gene mutations cause malaria drug resistance in Southeast Asia

Growing resistance to malaria drugs in Southeast Asia is caused by a single mutated gene inside the disease-causing Plasmodium falciparum parasite, according to a study led by David Fidock, PhD, professor of microbiology & immunology and of medical sciences (in medicine) at Columbia University Medical Center.

12 Dec 2014

Cold 'sensor' hold key to new therapeutic target for treatment of frostbite and hypothermia

A cold 'sensor' which triggers the skin's vascular response to the cold could represent an exciting new therapeutic target for the treatment of frostbite and hypothermia, according to scientists at King's College London.

12 Dec 2014

MSU researchers find possible way to boost healthy cell production in cancer patients during chemo

Michigan State University scientists are closer to discovering a possible way to boost healthy cell production in cancer patients as they receive chemotherapy. By adding thymine - a natural building block found in DNA - into normal cells, they found it stimulated gene production and caused them to multiply.

12 Dec 2014

BGI Diagnostics develops ‘education hub’ to raise awareness about non-invasive prenatal testing

provider of accurate, reliable and affordable genetic tests and molecular diagnostics services has demonstrated its commitment to raising awareness about non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) by developing a dedicated ‘education hub’ as part of its new, highly informative website.

12 Dec 2014

Claritas, NextCODE Health partner to bring global leadership in pediatric medicine, sequence analysis

To rapidly expand the use and power of genomic sequencing for diagnosing and treating rare diseases, Claritas Genomics and NextCODE Health today announced a strategic partnership bringing together global leadership in pediatric medicine and sequence analysis. Claritas Genomics, affiliated with Boston Children's Hospital, is a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory serving the DNA-based diagnostic testing needs of children's hospitals that admit hundreds of thousands of patients with genetic disorders every year.

11 Dec 2014

GI Partners completes acquisition of 9911 Belward Campus Drive

GI Partners today announced that it has completed the acquisition of 9911 Belward Campus Drive located in Rockville, Maryland. The acquisition was made through TechCore, LLC, which is a $1 billion discretionary core real estate fund managed by GI Partners.

11 Dec 2014

Andor's Komet software used to automatically score modified 3D 'Comet' assay results

With cancer rates rising worldwide, and Cancer Research UK predicting that the lifetime risk of cancer will reach 50% by 2027, the need for early diagnosis is overwhelming. Now, a British research group has published details of a simple empirical test to detect any early-stage cancer, relying on Andor's Komet software to automatically score the modified 3D 'Comet' assay results.

From Andor Technology Ltd. 11 Dec 2014

Higher human exposure to metal cadmium can lead to shorter telomeres

A new study led by a researcher at Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University looks at the metal cadmium and finds that higher human exposure can lead to significantly shorter telomeres, bits of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that are associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other diseases of old age.

11 Dec 2014

Researchers pinpoint rare gene mutations that increase risk of heart attack early in life

A team of investigators from the Broad Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital and other leading biomedical research institutions has pinpointed rare mutations in a gene called APOA5 that increase a person's risk of having a heart attack early in life. These mutations disable the APOA5 gene and also raise the levels in the blood of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, a type of fat.

11 Dec 2014

Researchers identify way to assess women at increased risk for UTI after pelvic-floor surgery

Researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine may have identified a way to assess who is at risk for developing a urinary tract infection (UTI) following pelvic-floor surgery.

11 Dec 2014

New technique allows rapid, large-scale studies of gene function

Using a gene-editing system originally developed to delete specific genes, MIT researchers have now shown that they can reliably turn on any gene of their choosing in living cells.

11 Dec 2014

STSI researchers launch study to examine root cause of sudden unexpected death

Researchers at the Scripps Translational Science Institute have launched a clinical trial aimed at cracking one of the toughest mysteries in forensic science -- sudden unexplained death.

11 Dec 2014

Added benefit of daclatasvir drug not proven for chronic hepatitis C infection

The drug daclatasvir (trade name Daklinza) has been available since August 2014 for the treatment of adults with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care examined in a dossier assessment whether this new drug offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy.

11 Dec 2014

Myriad Genetics highlights three new studies at SABCS 2014

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced results from a new study that demonstrated the ability of the myRisk Hereditary Cancer test to detect 105 percent more mutations in cancer causing genes than conventional BRCA testing alone. The Company also presented two key studies in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) that show the myChoice HRD test accurately predicted response to platinum-based therapy in patients with early-stage TNBC and that the BRACAnalysis molecular diagnostic test significantly predicted response to platinum-based drugs in patients with metastatic TNBC.

10 Dec 2014

Study: Long-term endurance training alters epigenetic pattern in the human skeletal muscle

A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that long-term endurance training in a stable way alters the epigenetic pattern in the human skeletal muscle. The research team behind the study, which is being published in the journal Epigenetics, also found strong links between these altered epigenetic patterns and the activity in genes controlling improved metabolism and inflammation.

10 Dec 2014

Variations in ERAP1 enzyme could lead to Ankylosing Spondylitis

Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered variations in an enzyme belonging to the immune system that leaves individuals susceptible to Ankylosing Spondylitis.

10 Dec 2014

Researchers freeze biological structures to illustrate DNA double-strand break process

Scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, led by Guillermo Montoya, have developed a method for producing biological crystals that has allowed scientists to observe --for the first time-- DNA double chain breaks. They have also developed a computer simulation that makes this process, which lasts in the order of millionths of a second, visible to the human eye.

9 Dec 2014

Study finds that disarray in methylation helps tumors adapt to changing circumstances

The genetic tumult within cancerous tumors is more than matched by the disorder in one of the mechanisms for switching cells' genes on and off, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard report in a new study.

9 Dec 2014

Researchers test new nanopore DNA sequencing technology to detect cause of antibiotic resistance

New nanopore DNA sequencing technology on a device the size of a USB stick could be used to diagnose infection - according to new research from the University of East Anglia and Public Health England.

From Oxford Nanopore Technologies 9 Dec 2014

Agent THZ1 shrinks human-like small cell lung tumors in mice

Small cell lung cancer - a disease for which no new drugs have been approved for many years - has shown itself vulnerable to an agent that disables part of tumor cells' basic survival machinery, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported.

9 Dec 2014

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Study finds that K13 gene mutations cause malaria drug resistance in Southeast Asia

Cold 'sensor' hold key to new therapeutic target for treatment of frostbite and hypothermia

MSU researchers find possible way to boost healthy cell production in cancer patients during chemo

BGI Diagnostics develops ‘education hub’ to raise awareness about non-invasive prenatal testing

Claritas, NextCODE Health partner to bring global leadership in pediatric medicine, sequence analysis

GI Partners completes acquisition of 9911 Belward Campus Drive

Andor's Komet software used to automatically score modified 3D 'Comet' assay results

Higher human exposure to metal cadmium can lead to shorter telomeres

Researchers pinpoint rare gene mutations that increase risk of heart attack early in life

Researchers identify way to assess women at increased risk for UTI after pelvic-floor surgery

New technique allows rapid, large-scale studies of gene function

STSI researchers launch study to examine root cause of sudden unexpected death

Added benefit of daclatasvir drug not proven for chronic hepatitis C infection

Myriad Genetics highlights three new studies at SABCS 2014

Study: Long-term endurance training alters epigenetic pattern in the human skeletal muscle

Variations in ERAP1 enzyme could lead to Ankylosing Spondylitis

Researchers freeze biological structures to illustrate DNA double-strand break process

Study finds that disarray in methylation helps tumors adapt to changing circumstances

Researchers test new nanopore DNA sequencing technology to detect cause of antibiotic resistance

Agent THZ1 shrinks human-like small cell lung tumors in mice

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