DNA News and Research

RSS

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).

UCLA study: Asthma harms more than just the lungs, may be more harmful than previously thought

Asthma may be more harmful than was previously thought, according to UCLA researchers who found that genetic damage is present in circulating, or peripheral, blood. Doctors previously thought that the genetic damage it caused was limited to the lungs.

5 Nov 2014

Researchers develop new test to identify drugs that could work against Lyme disease

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a test they say will allow them to test thousands of FDA-approved drugs to see if they will work against the bacteria that causes tick-borne Lyme disease.

4 Nov 2014

MO BIO Laboratories announces launch of PowerMag Blood DNA/RNA Isolation Kit

MO BIO Laboratories, Inc., the leader in soil, stool and microbial nucleic acid purification, announces the launch of the PowerMag Blood DNA/RNA Isolation Kit. The kit is designed for automated, hands-free purification of nucleic acids from blood samples using the Thermo Scientific KingFisher automated processing system and other similar automation platforms.

4 Nov 2014

Innovative tool could redefine limits of synthetic biology, improve study of yeast genetics

NYU Langone yeast geneticists report they have developed a novel tool -- dubbed "the telomerator" -- that could redefine the limits of synthetic biology and advance how successfully living things can be engineered or constructed in the laboratory based on an organism's genetic, chemical base-pair structure.

4 Nov 2014

Scientists develop new system to treat a host of genetic conditions

As potential next-generation therapeutics and research tools, few life sciences technologies hold more promise than genome-editing proteins – molecules that can be programmed to alter specific genes in order to treat or even cure genetic diseases.

31 Oct 2014

DNA Diagnostics Forensics recognized at OIP's tenth Anniversary Gala

DNA Diagnostics Forensics, a Division of DNA Diagnostics Center, the world's largest paternity testing company, was honored at Ohio Innocence Project's tenth Anniversary Gala, celebrating freedom for those exonerated, and the organizations that have contributed to the effort.

31 Oct 2014

New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics

Oligonucleotide-based therapeutics present unique challenges when it comes to testing their potential to cause reproductive and developmental harm. New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing that take into consideration the combined chemical and biological characteristics of these novel biopharmaceuticals are presented in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers.

31 Oct 2014

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Two major genetic studies of autism, led in part by UC San Francisco scientists and involving more than 50 laboratories worldwide, have newly implicated dozens of genes in the disorder. The research shows that rare mutations in these genes affect communication networks in the brain and compromise fundamental biological mechanisms that govern whether, when, and how genes are activated overall.

31 Oct 2014

Molecular profiling reveals potential therapeutic targets for lung cancer

Analysis of 607 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) lung tumors and neuroendocrine tumors (NET) identified common molecular markers among both groups that could reveal new therapeutic targets for patients with similar types of lung cancer, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

31 Oct 2014

Dosing of antiretroviral medication to prevent HIV infection differs by sex

A mathematical model developed by NIH grantees predicts that women must take the antiretroviral medication Truvada daily to prevent HIV infection via vaginal sex, whereas just two doses per week can protect men from HIV infection via anal sex.

31 Oct 2014

Moffitt researcher uncovers new approach to treat cancer

The scientific community has made significant strides in recent years in identifying important genetic contributors to malignancy and developing therapeutic agents that target altered genes and proteins. A recent approach to treat cancer called synthetic lethality takes advantage of genetic alterations in cancer cells that make them more susceptible to certain drugs.

31 Oct 2014

Aging astrocytes lose ability to protect motor neurons, reveal Cedars-Sinai ALS researchers

Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, attacks muscle-controlling nerve cells – motor neurons – in the brain, brainstem and spinal cord, leading to progressive weakness and eventual paralysis of muscles throughout the body. Patients typically survive only three to five years after diagnosis.

31 Oct 2014

Study on papillary thyroid carcinoma to be presented at 84th Annual Meeting of the ATA

The prevalence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the most common type of thyroid cancer, is increasing rapidly. New research to determine the impact of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy on survival in PTC, describing a novel blood test able to detect circulating BRAFV600E-positive tumor DNA, and identifying a long non-coding RNA specifically associated with the thyroid that is down-regulated in PTC compared to normal thyroid tissue in patient-derived clinical specimens and cell cultures will be featured in oral presentations delivered at the 84th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association, October 29-November 2, 2014, in Coronado, California.

30 Oct 2014

BloodCenter of Wisconsin announces availability of cancer mutation HemeOnc Panel

BloodCenter of Wisconsin's Diagnostic Laboratories today announced the availability of a comprehensive cancer mutation HemeOnc Panel using next generation sequencing (NGS) technology. The NGS panel developed by BloodCenter of Wisconsin is designed to detect variants in 30 genes that are either prognostic or diagnostic for 10 different myeloid hematologic malignancies.

30 Oct 2014

New research findings on Graves' disease to be highlighted at ATA meeting

A unique mouse model of Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes hyperthyroidism, and new research findings that may help improve the treatment of Graves' disease will be highlighted in oral and poster presentations at the 84th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association, October 29-November 2, 2014, in Coronado, California.

30 Oct 2014

WUSM researchers sequence genome of enterovirus D68 samples from patients

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have sequenced the genome of enterovirus D68 sampled from patients treated at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Nationwide, the virus has spread rapidly in recent months and caused severe respiratory illness in young children, with some patients requiring hospitalization.

30 Oct 2014

Prof. Mary-Claire King receives 2014 Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science

At a ceremony held in New York City on September 19, 2014, leading geneticist and humanitarian Prof. Mary-Claire King, the American Cancer Society Professor of Genome Sciences and Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle and 2008 Honorary Doctor of Philosophy of Tel Aviv University, was awarded the 2014 Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science.

30 Oct 2014

New study pinpoints complex genetic origins for autoimmune diseases

Scores of autoimmune diseases afflicting one in 12 Americans — ranging from type 1 diabetes, to multiple sclerosis (MS), to rheumatoid arthritis, to asthma — mysteriously cause the immune system to harm tissues within our own bodies. Now, a new study pinpoints the complex genetic origins for many of these diseases, a discovery that may lead to better diagnosis and ultimately to improved treatments.

30 Oct 2014

Landmark study provides new insight into function of enzyme related to BRCA1 protein

A landmark study to be published in the October 30, 2014 print edition of the journal Nature provides new insight into the function of an enzyme related to the BRCA1 breast-cancer protein. The study by a team at Penn State University is the first to produce a detailed working image of an enzyme in the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) -- a group that regulates cell development and is associated with many types of cancer.

30 Oct 2014

UCLA research could lead to simple saliva test for early diagnosis of deadly diseases

UCLA research could lead to a simple saliva test capable of diagnosing — at an early stage — diabetes and cancer, and perhaps neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases.

30 Oct 2014

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

UCLA study: Asthma harms more than just the lungs, may be more harmful than previously thought

Researchers develop new test to identify drugs that could work against Lyme disease

MO BIO Laboratories announces launch of PowerMag Blood DNA/RNA Isolation Kit

Innovative tool could redefine limits of synthetic biology, improve study of yeast genetics

Scientists develop new system to treat a host of genetic conditions

DNA Diagnostics Forensics recognized at OIP's tenth Anniversary Gala

New consensus guidelines for toxicity testing of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Molecular profiling reveals potential therapeutic targets for lung cancer

Dosing of antiretroviral medication to prevent HIV infection differs by sex

Moffitt researcher uncovers new approach to treat cancer

Aging astrocytes lose ability to protect motor neurons, reveal Cedars-Sinai ALS researchers

Study on papillary thyroid carcinoma to be presented at 84th Annual Meeting of the ATA

BloodCenter of Wisconsin announces availability of cancer mutation HemeOnc Panel

New research findings on Graves' disease to be highlighted at ATA meeting

WUSM researchers sequence genome of enterovirus D68 samples from patients

Prof. Mary-Claire King receives 2014 Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science

New study pinpoints complex genetic origins for autoimmune diseases

Landmark study provides new insight into function of enzyme related to BRCA1 protein

UCLA research could lead to simple saliva test for early diagnosis of deadly diseases

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

Latest Life Science News