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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 identifies enzyme with key role in precancerous lesions

Cancer of the pancreas is usually not detected until it's too late to cure. But precursor lesions that form in the pancreas and its ducts can signal the disease before it strikes, and when caught early enough, they can be prevented from progressing to become cancer.

26 Feb 2014

Origin of deadly human malaria parasite linked to primates in Africa, not Asia

An international team of scientists has traced the origin of Plasmodium vivax, the second-worst malaria parasite of humans, to Africa, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.

25 Feb 2014

Researchers find that single genetic mutation causes resistance to DDT and pyrethroids

Researchers from LSTM have found that a single genetic mutation causes resistance to DDT and pyrethroids (an insecticide class used in mosquito nets). With the continuing rise of resistance the research, published in the journal Genome Biology, is key as scientists say that this knowledge could help improve malaria control strategies.

25 Feb 2014

UCLA scientists developed experimental treatment that eradicates acute type of leukemia in mice

A diverse team of scientists from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed an experimental treatment that eradicates an acute type of leukemia in mice without any detectable toxic side effects. The drug works by blocking two important metabolic pathways that the leukemia cells need to grow and spread.

25 Feb 2014

Researchers develop new technology that reveals secrets of cellular memory

Cells in our body are constantly dividing to maintain our body functions. At each division, our DNA code and a whole machinery of supporting components has to be faithfully duplicated to maintain the cell's memory of its own identity.

25 Feb 2014

Novel two-pronged strategy targeting DNA synthesis treats leukemia in mice

A novel two-pronged strategy targeting DNA synthesis can treat leukemia in mice, according to a study in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

25 Feb 2014

IRSF announces new research grants for translational research program and clinical trials

The International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) announces today ten (10) new research grants at leading global research institutions; a new Translational Research Program; and additional funding for current human clinical trials.

24 Feb 2014

Researchers discover 'microbial Pompeii' preserved on teeth of skeletons around 1,000 years old

An international team of researchers have discovered a 'microbial Pompeii' preserved on the teeth of skeletons around 1,000 years old. The key to the discovery is the dental calculus (plaque) which preserves bacteria and microscopic particles of food on the surfaces of teeth, effectively creating a mineral tomb for microbiomes.

24 Feb 2014

Blocking mechanisms for DNA repair may help to potentiate chemotherapy, says study

Chemotherapies are cancer treatments that work by inducing lesions in the DNA of tumour cells in order to inhibit their proliferation. However, the body naturally tries to repair these lesions, and thus reduces the efficacy of chemotherapy.

24 Feb 2014

Scientists discover how viral DNA of HBV can be degraded in cell nucleus

Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technische Universität München have discovered how the viral DNA of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be degraded in the cell nucleus of liver cells, consequently allowing the virus to be eliminated.

24 Feb 2014

Researchers discover 11 DNA sequence variants in genes influencing high BP, heart disease

New research from Queen Mary University of London has discovered 11 new DNA sequence variants in genes influencing high blood pressure and heart disease.

24 Feb 2014

Non-coding RNAs linked to cancer and cancer survival

Several scientists, including one at Simon Fraser University, have made a discovery that strongly links a little understood molecule, which is similar to DNA, to cancer and cancer survival.

21 Feb 2014

Genetic study reveals 11 new genetic signals are associated with blood pressure levels

A large international study analyzing genes in tens of thousands of individuals has discovered 11 new genetic signals associated with blood pressure levels. Ten of those signals are in or very near genes encoding proteins that appear to be likely targets for drugs already in existence or in development.

21 Feb 2014

Study: Recurrence of SCCOP may differ in HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients

Patients with HPV-positive squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (SCCOP) had a longer time to development of distant metastasis (DM) after initial treatment, and had more metastatic sites in more atypical locations compared to HPV-negative patients, according to research presented today at the 2014 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium.

21 Feb 2014

MATH biomarker with HPV status may provide improved outcomes in HNSCC patients

Evaluating next-generation sequencing (NGS) data and associated clinical records of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients from several institutions, made available through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), showed that combining Mutant-Allele Tumor Heterogeneity (MATH) as a biomarker with the patient's HPV status provides an effective indicator of improved patient outcome, according to research presented today at the 2014 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium.

21 Feb 2014

New DNA Quantification kits may help scientists to quickly assess highly compromised human DNA

Forensic scientists can now more quickly assess the quantity and quality of human DNA in highly compromised and degraded casework samples and provide the critical information needed to drive informed decisions on subsequent steps in the analysis process, thanks to two new Life Technologies quantification solutions announced today by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

21 Feb 2014

Researchers propose new treatment to prevent mucositis in cancer patients

Experimental work pointing to a therapy for alleviating mucositis -- a common, severe side effect of chemotherapy and irradiation of cancer patients or patients prepared for bone marrow transplantation - has been achieved by an international team of researchers from the US and Israel headed by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

20 Feb 2014

Supercomputer dramatically accelerates genome analysis

Although the time and cost of sequencing an entire human genome has plummeted, analyzing the resulting three billion base pairs of genetic information from a single genome can take many months.

20 Feb 2014

Ten researchers receive 2014 Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizes

This year's recipients of the most important prize for early career researchers in Germany have been announced. The selection committee, appointed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), has chosen ten researchers, three women and seven men, to receive the 2014 Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizes.

20 Feb 2014

Pediatric Cancer Genome Project identifies genetic alteration in brain tumor ependymoma

The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital-Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project has identified the most common genetic alteration ever reported in the brain tumor ependymoma and evidence that the alteration drives tumor development. The research appears February 19 as an advanced online publication in the scientific journal Nature.

20 Feb 2014

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Study identifies enzyme with key role in precancerous lesions

Origin of deadly human malaria parasite linked to primates in Africa, not Asia

Researchers find that single genetic mutation causes resistance to DDT and pyrethroids

UCLA scientists developed experimental treatment that eradicates acute type of leukemia in mice

Researchers develop new technology that reveals secrets of cellular memory

Novel two-pronged strategy targeting DNA synthesis treats leukemia in mice

IRSF announces new research grants for translational research program and clinical trials

Researchers discover 'microbial Pompeii' preserved on teeth of skeletons around 1,000 years old

Blocking mechanisms for DNA repair may help to potentiate chemotherapy, says study

Scientists discover how viral DNA of HBV can be degraded in cell nucleus

Researchers discover 11 DNA sequence variants in genes influencing high BP, heart disease

Non-coding RNAs linked to cancer and cancer survival

Genetic study reveals 11 new genetic signals are associated with blood pressure levels

Study: Recurrence of SCCOP may differ in HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients

MATH biomarker with HPV status may provide improved outcomes in HNSCC patients

New DNA Quantification kits may help scientists to quickly assess highly compromised human DNA

Researchers propose new treatment to prevent mucositis in cancer patients

Supercomputer dramatically accelerates genome analysis

Ten researchers receive 2014 Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizes

Pediatric Cancer Genome Project identifies genetic alteration in brain tumor ependymoma

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