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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).

Researchers discover genetic function that helps "tumor suppressor" genes to prevent cancer

Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered a genetic function that helps one of the most important "tumor suppressor" genes to do its job and prevent cancer.

4 Feb 2014

New noninvasive chemical probe detects common species of staph bacteria in the body

Chances are you won't know you've got a staph infection until the test results come in, days after the symptoms first appear. But what if your physician could identify the infection much more quickly and without having to take a biopsy and ship it off for analysis?

From Integrated DNA Technologies 3 Feb 2014

Treating peanut allergy with oral immunotherapy changes DNA of immune cells

Treating a peanut allergy with oral immunotherapy changes the DNA of the patient's immune cells, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. The DNA change could serve as the basis for a simple blood test to monitor the long-term effectiveness of the allergy therapy.

31 Jan 2014

Drugs that modify DNA structure may be beneficial for treating Alzheimer's disease

In a study published this week in Nature Neuroscience, Bess Frost, PhD, and co-authors, identify abnormal expression of genes, resulting from DNA relaxation, that can be detected in the brain and blood of Alzheimer's patients.

31 Jan 2014

Researchers develop antibiotic "smart bomb" that can identify specific strains of bacteria

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a de facto antibiotic "smart bomb" that can identify specific strains of bacteria and sever their DNA, eliminating the infection. The technique offers a potential approach to treat infections by multi-drug resistant bacteria.

31 Jan 2014

Researchers identify potential genes that can be targeted for new treatments for hepatocellular cancer

Patients with advanced hepatocellular (or liver) cancer have high mortality rates, with existing drugs demonstrating only a small, but significant survival advantage. By combining a zebrafish model of liver cancer with data from human tumors, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai hope to identify potential genes of interest that can be targeted for new treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer to develop from liver cells.

31 Jan 2014

Researchers study how epigenetic alterations contribute to age-related increases in breast cancer risk

Age is a key risk factor for breast cancer. A recent study by researchers from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center, "Age-related DNA methylation in normal breast tissue and its relationship with invasive breast tumor methylation," examines the connection between cancer and the aging process to see if epigenetic DNA alterations might contribute to age-related increases in breast cancer risk.

31 Jan 2014

TCGA Research Network identify new potential therapeutic targets for major form of bladder cancer

Investigators with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network have identified new potential therapeutic targets for a major form of bladder cancer, including important genes and pathways that are disrupted in the disease.

30 Jan 2014

Researchers use natural DNA molecules to build DNA nanoarchitectures

A Rutgers-Camden scholar is performing research as part of a collaborative effort with Arizona State University to make significant advancements in nanotechnology.

30 Jan 2014

Findings on molecular defects behind bladder cancer may pave way for new, targeted treatments

The once sketchy landscape of the molecular defects behind bladder cancer now resembles a road map to new, targeted treatments thanks to the unified efforts of scientists and physicians at 40 institutions.

30 Jan 2014

Research shows promise for developing a method of clearly identifying cancerous tissue during surgery

First-of-its-kind research by the Innovation Institute at Henry Ford Hospital shows promise for developing a method of clearly identifying cancerous tissue during surgery on one of the most common and deadliest types of brain tumor.

30 Jan 2014

Vaccine to treat precancerous cervical lesions triggers immune cell response

Preliminary results of a small clinical trial show that a vaccine used to treat women with high-grade precancerous cervical lesions triggers an immune cell response within the damaged tissue itself.

30 Jan 2014

Researchers identify unique area of human brain associated with cognitive powers

Oxford University researchers have identified an area of the human brain that appears unlike anything in the brains of some of our closest relatives.

29 Jan 2014

Researcher receives 2014 Japan Prize in Life Sciences for extraordinary work in the field of epigenetics

C. David Allis, a pioneer in the field of epigenetics whose discovery that chemical modifications of DNA-packaging proteins play a key role in regulating the activity of individual genes, will be awarded the 2014 Japan Prize in Life Sciences. The announcement, by the Japan Prize Foundation, was made at a press conference in Tokyo this morning.

29 Jan 2014

BD announces commercial availability of CE-marked PAXgene Blood DNA Tube in Europe

BD, a leading global medical technology company, today announced the commercial availability of the CE-marked PAXgene Blood DNA Tube in Europe. The PAXgene Blood DNA Tube is the first blood collection tube designed specifically for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) genomic DNA testing. The product was developed by PreAnalytiX GmbH, a joint venture between BD and QIAGEN.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 28 Jan 2014

Johns Hopkins researchers reveal how non-CpG methylation may contribute to Rett Syndrome

In normal development, all cells turn off genes they don’t need, often by attaching a chemical methyl group to the DNA, a process called methylation. Historically, scientists believed methyl groups could only stick to a particular DNA sequence: a cytosine followed by a guanine, called CpG. But in recent years, they have been found on other sequences, and so-called non-CpG methylation has been found in stem cells, and in neurons in the brain.

28 Jan 2014

New modular structures 'glued' with DNA to deliver cancer medications

A team of researchers at the University of Toronto has discovered a method of assembling "building blocks" of gold nanoparticles as the vehicle to deliver cancer medications or cancer-identifying markers directly into cancerous tumors.

28 Jan 2014

GenePeeks receives patent for developing innovative algorithms to create hypothetical "digital babies"

GenePeeks, Inc., a genetic technology company focused on pre-conception risk prediction, announced today it has been issued patent No. 8,620,594, titled "Method and System for Generating a Virtual Progeny Genome," by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

28 Jan 2014

Jackson Laboratory associate professor receives grant to study gene regulation at RNA level

Jackson Laboratory Associate Professor Jeffrey Chuang, Ph.D., has been awarded a two-year grant totaling $519,750 from the National Human Genome Research Institute for his studies of how RNA (molecules vital to protein formation in cells) interacts with proteins to change how genes are expressed.

27 Jan 2014

South Korean lung SCC genetic secrets revealed

Close examination of DNA taken from squamous cell carcinoma of the lung in South Korean patients has identified a gene fusion that may be targeted by current treatments, scientists say.

27 Jan 2014

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers discover genetic function that helps "tumor suppressor" genes to prevent cancer

New noninvasive chemical probe detects common species of staph bacteria in the body

Treating peanut allergy with oral immunotherapy changes DNA of immune cells

Drugs that modify DNA structure may be beneficial for treating Alzheimer's disease

Researchers develop antibiotic "smart bomb" that can identify specific strains of bacteria

Researchers identify potential genes that can be targeted for new treatments for hepatocellular cancer

Researchers study how epigenetic alterations contribute to age-related increases in breast cancer risk

TCGA Research Network identify new potential therapeutic targets for major form of bladder cancer

Researchers use natural DNA molecules to build DNA nanoarchitectures

Findings on molecular defects behind bladder cancer may pave way for new, targeted treatments

Research shows promise for developing a method of clearly identifying cancerous tissue during surgery

Vaccine to treat precancerous cervical lesions triggers immune cell response

Researchers identify unique area of human brain associated with cognitive powers

Researcher receives 2014 Japan Prize in Life Sciences for extraordinary work in the field of epigenetics

BD announces commercial availability of CE-marked PAXgene Blood DNA Tube in Europe

Johns Hopkins researchers reveal how non-CpG methylation may contribute to Rett Syndrome

New modular structures 'glued' with DNA to deliver cancer medications

GenePeeks receives patent for developing innovative algorithms to create hypothetical "digital babies"

Jackson Laboratory associate professor receives grant to study gene regulation at RNA level

South Korean lung SCC genetic secrets revealed

eBook: A guide to RNA sequencing eBook

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