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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).

TSRI develops accurate structural map of complex molecular machines in cells

A team led by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has used advanced electron microscopy techniques to determine the first accurate structural map of Mediator, one of the largest and most complex "molecular machines" in cells.

6 Jun 2014

Gene networks may offer attractive targets for developing new autism drugs

A large new analysis of DNA from thousands of patients has uncovered several underlying gene networks with potentially important roles in autism.

6 Jun 2014

Brain circuit problem may contribute to auditory hallucinations of schizophrenia

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified problems in a connection between brain structures that may predispose individuals to hearing the "voices" that are a common symptom of schizophrenia. The work appears in the June 6 issue of the journal Science.

6 Jun 2014

Scientists identify new way to reactivate latent HIV

A team of scientists at the Gladstone Institutes has identified a new way to make latent HIV reveal itself, which could help overcome one of the biggest obstacles to finding a cure for HIV infection.

6 Jun 2014

Rice develops highly accurate test to detect signs of HIV

Rice University bioengineers are developing a simple, highly accurate test to detect signs of HIV and its progress in patients in resource-poor settings.

6 Jun 2014

SGC and CHDI Foundation collaborate to discover new drug targets for Huntington's disease

The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) and CHDI Foundation have entered into a unique open-access research collaboration to discover and characterize new drug targets for Huntington's disease (HD) using structural and chemical biology In this first partnership of its kind, SGC and CHDI have explicitly agreed not to file for patents on any of the collaborative research and to make all reagents and knowledge available without restriction to the wider research community, including pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic research groups.

6 Jun 2014

SAP collaborates with MolecularHealth and GATC to offer personalized cancer treatment

In the spirit of its mission to improve people's lives, SAP AG today announced that it intends to offer a personalized treatment option service, in collaboration with MolecularHealth and GATC Biotech, to qualified employees fighting cancer.

6 Jun 2014

Merck enrolls first patient in reformulated raltegravir Phase 3 trial for treatment of HIV-1 infection

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the company's global Phase 3 clinical trial, ONCEMRK.

6 Jun 2014

Newborn congenital adrenal hyperplasia screening justified

The Swedish neonatal screening programme successfully detected all cases of clinically classified salt-wasting congenital adrenal hyperplasia during a 26-year period, researchers report.

5 Jun 2014

Urinary microbiota implicated in overactive bladder

Contrary to popular belief, urine is not sterile and contains a range of microbiological organisms that vary in health and disease, US scientists have shown.

5 Jun 2014

Data from Caris Registry clinical outcomes presented at ASCO annual meeting

Caris Life Sciences and investigators from Inova Fairfax Hospital presented the first clinical outcomes data presentation from the Caris Registry™ at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, Ill., this weekend.

5 Jun 2014

Whole genome sequencing reveals severe intellectual disability in patients

With a new technique, which at once studies the whole genome, a genetic cause can be identified in six out of ten children with severe intellectual disability. This makes the method more successful than all the usual methods together.

5 Jun 2014

Thermo Fisher, Cellectis sign agreements on TALEN gene editing technology

Cellectis, a leader of engineered CART cell therapies, and Thermo Fisher Scientific announced today that they have entered into a series of agreements covering the uses of TAL nucleases under the brand name TALEN™.

5 Jun 2014

Scientists reproduce chromosomal modifications in human cells that cause certain cancer

Scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) and the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncol-gicas (CNIO) have succeeded in reproducing, in human cells, the chromosomal translocations that cause two types of cancer: acute myeloid leukemia and Ewing's sarcoma.

5 Jun 2014

Four new genes cause inherited breast cancer risk

Four new genes have been added to the growing list of those known to cause increased breast cancer risk when mutated through the efforts of researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah, who lead an international consortium working to find more gene mutations that cause inherited breast cancer susceptibilities.

5 Jun 2014

Cannabis use affects size and shape of sperm in young men

Young men who use cannabis may be putting their fertility at risk by inadvertently affecting the size and shape of their sperm according to research published today (Thursday 5 June 2014).

5 Jun 2014

Researchers investigate correlation between lower back pain and genes

Lower back pain is a broad yet subtle subject. It has widely been associated with early degeneration of the discs of the human spine.

4 Jun 2014

European researchers explore new tools for prevention of back pain

European researchers and clinicians are working hand in hand to unveil the mechanisms leading to back pain, likely the most widespread chronic pathology among humans. Until recently, it was assumed that disc degeneration was the main process behind back pain. The intervertebral discs are joints made of soft and very strain resistant material, placed between the vertebrae of the spine.

4 Jun 2014

Researchers reproduce tumor chromosomal translocations in human cells

Scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre and the Spanish National Cardiovascular Research Centre have been able to reproduce, for the first time in human cells, chromosomal translocations associated with two types of cancer: acute myeloid leukaemia and Ewing's sarcoma.

4 Jun 2014

Researchers reveal potential new drug target for dementia

Researchers at King's College London have discovered how a molecular 'scaffold' which allows key parts of cells to interact, comes apart in dementia and motor neuron disease, revealing a potential new target for drug discovery.

4 Jun 2014