(Vienna, June 11, 2018) DNA Repair is essential for a healthy organism. In every day of our lives, tens of thousands of damages occur in the genetic material of our cells. Hence, it is not surprising that a broad variety of repair mechanisms developed in the course of evolution that enables cells to quickly react...
Tag: <span>DNA</span>
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Key cancer-fighting gene’s secret weapons revealed
The findings revealed that a special group of genes that function within the body’s normal DNA repair process were vital to the effectiveness of p53. This new information could help doctors to better identify patients with an increased risk of developing certain cancers. It could also help to develop safer, more effective treatments for patients....
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Lab Chat: A new protein atlas holds clues about disease
Scientists have created a genetic atlas of proteins found in the blood that could be used to dig into disease biology and scour for information about drugs. Here’s what Adam Butterworth of the University of Cambridge told me about the work, which was supported by Merck and published in Nature. How did you create this atlas?...
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Condensin Folds DNA Through Loop Extrusion
By observing the activity of a protein complex in real time, researchers have uncovered new evidence for a long-standing theory. EDITOR’S CHOICE IN CELL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY The paper M. Ganji et al., “Real-time imaging of DNA loop extrusion by condensin,” Science, doi:10.1126/science.aar7831, 2018. How does a human cell neatly pack more than 2 meters’ worth...
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Nucleic Acids Research
Researchers from China and the US introduce an online tool for taking a look at transcription factor-DNA binding intensities in different cell types, along with the variants that affect them. The approach — known as “deep learning-based functional impact of non-coding variants evaluator,” or DeFine — uses deep learning models to tease out transcription factor binding intensities...
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Home Genetic Tests May Be Riddled With Errors, And Companies Aren’t Keeping Track
Before you sign up for a home DNA test, learn more from this couple’s story. COURTESY OF JULIE KENNERLY-SHAH AND SUMMIT SHAH. Julie Kennerly-Shah and Summit Shah. Julie Kennerly-Shah and Summit Shah were dating back in 2016 when they decided to buy kits from 23andMe, the popular consumer DNA health and ancestry company. Like many...
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New method identifies type 2 diabetics at risk of early death
Type 2 diabetes has consequences for the entire body. A new method uses a urine sample, and not a blood test, to identify the consequences of disease. When you hear the phrase ‘adult-onset diabetes’, your first thought might be of excessive blood sugar levels and obesity. Picturing an adult carrying extra weight around his or...
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Programming DNA to deliver cancer drugs
New technology could lead to the development of new cancer therapies DNA has an important job–it tells your cells which proteins to make. Now, a research team at the University of Delaware has developed technology to program strands of DNA into switches that turn proteins on and off. UD’s Wilfred Chen Group describes their results...
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Scientists replay movie encoded in DNA
“Molecular Recorder” would reveal secrets of brain development. For the first time, a primitive movie has been encoded in — and then played back from — DNA in living cells. Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health say it is a major step toward a “molecular recorder” that may someday make it possible to...
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Laser Activated Gold Pyramids Could Deliver Drugs, DNA into Cells without Harm
The ability to deliver cargo like drugs or DNA into cells is essential for biological research and disease therapy but cell membranes are very good at defending their territory. Researchers have developed various methods to trick or force open the cell membrane but these methods are limited in the type of cargo they can deliver...