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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).

Cell-free DNA employed to identify measurable residual disease

Researchers demonstrated that cell-free DNA from CSF could be employed to examine MRD in children treated for the brain tumor medulloblastoma.

25 Oct 2021

Study uses artificial evolution to search DNA molecules for light producing deoxyribozymes

Once thought to function primarily as a storage molecule for genetic information, it is now known that DNA can also catalyze chemical reactions. Although such DNA enzymes (deoxyribozymes) have not been identified in nature, they can be isolated in the lab using powerful methods of artificial evolution.

22 Oct 2021

Scientists use DNA to create what may be the world's tiniest ruler for measuring proteins

As scientists have probed the mysteries of life down to smaller and smaller scales, they have invented tools to help them understand what they observe.

22 Oct 2021

'Mini brains' allow researchers to study a fatal, untreatable neurological disorder

Cambridge researchers have developed 'mini brains' that allow them to study a fatal and untreatable neurological disorder causing paralysis and dementia – and for the first time have been able to grow these for almost a year.

22 Oct 2021

Study pinpoints the mutational hotspots in DNA

Recent research at the University of Bath reveals that tangles in unwound DNA can develop mutational hotspots in the genomes of bacteria.

From University of Bath 21 Oct 2021

Research illustrates the complex mechanism of bacterial innate immunity

Recent research anticipates utilizing newly characterized defense systems in bacteria to match changes to the human genome.

From Durham University 21 Oct 2021

Researchers use light instead of DNA to define plant populations

In Star Trek, characters carry a little handheld device called a tricorder that they can point at objects to analyze and identify them. When the show's writers cooked up the idea in the 1960s, it was purely science fiction, but a new paper in New Phytologist takes the idea a step closer to reality.

20 Oct 2021

MIT researchers discover new way to awaken the immune system to attack tumors

Immunotherapy is a promising strategy to treat cancer by stimulating the body's own immune system to destroy tumor cells, but it only works for a handful of cancers. MIT researchers have now discovered a new way to jump-start the immune system to attack tumors, which they hope could allow immunotherapy to be used against more types of cancer.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 20 Oct 2021

Study uncovers new gene variants that may cause inherited retinal dystrophies

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at University of California San Diego and Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health, has broadened and deepened understanding of how inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) affect different populations of people and, in the process, have identified new gene variants that may cause the diseases.

20 Oct 2021

Junk DNA' plays a crucial role in early embryonic development in all mammals, study shows

Nearly half of our DNA has been written off as junk, the discards of evolution: sidelined or broken genes, viruses that got stuck in our genome and were dismembered or silenced, none of it relevant to the human organism or human evolution.

19 Oct 2021

Experts discover effective means to design and build DNA nanostructures

Researchers recently identified the means to get the best DNA to communicate with membranes in the body.

From The University of New South Wales (UNSW) 19 Oct 2021

Cellular environment impacts structure of the nuclear pore complex

Context matters. It's true for many facets of life, including the tiny molecular machines that perform vital functions inside our cells.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 18 Oct 2021

Researchers map proteo-genomic connections between different human diseases

Hundreds of connections between different human diseases have been uncovered through their shared origin in our genome by an international research team led by scientists from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, challenging the categorisation of diseases by organ, symptoms, or clinical speciality.

18 Oct 2021

AI-powered tool rapidly identifies genetic causes of rare disorders with high accuracy

An artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology rapidly diagnoses rare disorders in critically ill children with high accuracy, according to a report by scientists from University of Utah Health and Fabric Genomics, collaborators on a study led by Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. The benchmark finding, published in Genomic Medicine, foreshadows the next phase of medicine, where technology helps clinicians quickly determine the root cause of disease so they can give patients the right treatment sooner.

From The University of Utah 18 Oct 2021

Pioneering gene therapy has long-lasting effects on children with deadly immune disorder

Over a decade ago, UCLA physician-scientists began using a pioneering gene therapy they developed to treat children born with a rare and deadly immune system disorder. They now report that the effects of the therapy appear to be long-lasting, with 90% of patients who received the treatment eight to 11 years ago still disease-free.

18 Oct 2021

Study explores dietary supplementation with vitamin D to support cows’ immune function

Known as a crucial component in the body's ability to absorb and retain calcium, essential to processes such as the development and maintenance of healthy bones, vitamin D has also been found to play important roles in immune defense.

18 Oct 2021

Infection with measles virus activates two different immune responses

Researchers from The University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science have found that infection with the measles virus activates not one but two different branches of the innate immune system.

15 Oct 2021

Mutant clones outcompete and eliminate early tumors, mouse study shows

Cells carrying mutations can out compete early tumors in the mouse esophagus, so they never make it into cancers, new research has shown.

15 Oct 2021

Study identifies DNA mutations that impact metabolism and insulin sensitivity in liver disease patients

For the first time, DNA mutations in liver cells have been identified that impact metabolism and insulin sensitivity in patients with liver disease.

15 Oct 2021

Researchers improve understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying stomach’s acid pump

Nagoya University researchers and colleagues have improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms of a key protein that makes the stomach acidic. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, could lead to better drugs for stomach ulcers and shed light on the functions of similar proteins across the human body.

15 Oct 2021

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Cell-free DNA employed to identify measurable residual disease

Study uses artificial evolution to search DNA molecules for light producing deoxyribozymes

Scientists use DNA to create what may be the world's tiniest ruler for measuring proteins

'Mini brains' allow researchers to study a fatal, untreatable neurological disorder

Study pinpoints the mutational hotspots in DNA

Research illustrates the complex mechanism of bacterial innate immunity

Researchers use light instead of DNA to define plant populations

MIT researchers discover new way to awaken the immune system to attack tumors

Study uncovers new gene variants that may cause inherited retinal dystrophies

Junk DNA' plays a crucial role in early embryonic development in all mammals, study shows

Experts discover effective means to design and build DNA nanostructures

Cellular environment impacts structure of the nuclear pore complex

Researchers map proteo-genomic connections between different human diseases

AI-powered tool rapidly identifies genetic causes of rare disorders with high accuracy

Pioneering gene therapy has long-lasting effects on children with deadly immune disorder

Study explores dietary supplementation with vitamin D to support cows’ immune function

Infection with measles virus activates two different immune responses

Mutant clones outcompete and eliminate early tumors, mouse study shows

Study identifies DNA mutations that impact metabolism and insulin sensitivity in liver disease patients

Researchers improve understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying stomach’s acid pump

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