Naturopaths have long been obsessed with a gene called MTHFR. Now vaccine skeptics are testing for it too. David Reif, now a biologist at NC State, realized his old paper had taken on a dangerous second life when he saw it cited—not in the scientific literature, but in a court case. The paper was titled...
Tag: <span>DNA</span>
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New blood test uses DNA ‘packaging’ patterns to detect multiple cancer types
JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have developed a simple new blood test that can detect the presence of seven different types of cancer by spotting unique patterns in the fragmentation of DNA shed from cancer cells and circulating in the bloodstream. In a proof-of-concept study, the test, called DELFI (DNA evaluation of fragments for early interception), accurately detected the presence of cancer DNA in 57% to more than 99% of blood samples from 208 patients with...
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Cause of cancer is ‘written’ in our DNA as unique ‘fingerprints’
By Sally Robertson, B.Sc. Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. Scientists have discovered that the cause of cancer is “written” within the DNA of tumors, a finding that could help doctors to pinpoint the triggers underlying the development of individual tumors. Previously, the roots of many cancer have been unclear, with doctors unable to attribute the disease to...
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Novel DNA repair mechanism maintains human genome
This news or article is intended for readers with certain scientific or professional knowledge in the field. University of Tokyo researchers and their collaborators have demonstrated that a special structure that forms when DNA is damaged helps to restore it. Human cells have a mechanism for recognizing this structure, consisting of DNA and RNA, which promotes accurate...
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Gene behind long-recognized mitochondrial disease has highly varied effects
CHOP researchers find more than 30 variations in the MT-ATP6 gene with broadly variable clinical symptoms and biochemical features CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA Philadelphia, March 12, 2019–For more than two decades, mutations in a gene located in the DNA of mitochondria have been classified as a mitochondrial disease and linked to a particular set of symptoms. However,...
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DNA Gets a New — and Bigger — Genetic Alphabet
DNA is spelled out with four letters, or bases. Researchers have now built a system with eight. It may hold clues to the potential for life elsewhere in the universe and could also expand our capacity to store digital data on Earth In 1985, the chemist Steven A. Benner sat down with some colleagues and...
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What is RNA?
DNA vs. RNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a complex molecule that is primarily found within the nucleus of cells. DNA is present within all living organisms and contains the genetic instructions required for the development and maintenance of life. The structure of DNA versus RNA. ShadeDesign | Shutterstock The nucleic acid of DNA is deoxyribose,...
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First-in-class DNA-encoded monoclonal antibody therapy rapidly advances into the clinic
The Wistar Institute, along with partners Penn Medicine and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announce that the FDA has approved the initiation of a first-in-human clinical trial investigating the safety and tolerability of a novel synthetic DNA-encoded monoclonal antibody (DMAb) therapeutic technology for the prevention of Zika virus infection. DMAb therapeutic technology is unlike all known conventional...
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Bio-Inspired Material Interacts with Surrounding Tissue to Promote Healing
A research team from Imperial College London, led by Dr Ben Almquist, has developed a new molecule based on so-called traction force-activated payloads (TrAPs) which allow materials to talk to the body‘s natural repair systems and thereby activate healing processes. “Creatures from sea sponges to humans use cell movement to activate healing. Our approach mimics...
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CRISPR joins battle of the bulge, fights obesity without edits to genome
A weighty new study shows that CRISPR therapies can cut fat without cutting DNA. In a paper published Dec. 13, 2018, in the journal Science, UC San Francisco researchers describe how a modified version of CRISPR was used to ramp up the activity of certain genes and prevent severe obesity in mice with genetic mutations that...