Tag: DNA-research
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Digital PCR found effective and reproducible in a research study
21 independent labs quantified a rare single nucleotide variant using digital PCR (dPCR) with high reproducibility between labs, demonstrating the method’s potential for routine clinical testing, according to a study published in Analytical Chemistry. The research study is the first to examine the reproducibility of digital PCR between such a large number of laboratories at…
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Novel and unique DNA vaccine to fight effectively against cancer antigen
Scientists at The Wistar Institute and Inovio pharmaceuticals, Inc. have devised a unique deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccine approach through molecular design to boost the immune responses induced against one of the most important cancer antigen targets. Research results were published in the journal Molecular Therapy. Cancer immunotherapy approaches, designed to harness the body’s natural immune…
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New approach to treating dementia using antisense oligonucleotides
In a study of mice and monkeys, NIH funded researchers showed that they could prevent and reverse some of the brain injury caused by the toxic form of a protein called tau. Scientists used a designer compound to prevent and reverse brain damage caused by tau in mice.Credit: Miller lab, Washington University, St. Louis, MO The results,…
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Role of retroviruses in evolution of human brain
Over millions of years, retroviruses have been incorporated into our human DNA, where they today make up almost 10 percent of the total genome. A research group at Lund University in Sweden has now discovered a mechanism through which these retroviruses may have an impact on gene expression. This means that they may have played…
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Effects of telomeres length on stem cells
Ever since researchers connected the shortening of telomeres the protective structures on the ends of chromosomes to aging and disease, the race has been on to understand the factors that govern telomere length. Now, Scientists at the Salk Institute have found that a balance of elongation and trimming in stem cells results in telomeres that…
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Dutch universities collaborate on big data in health to understand disease process
Patients with the same illness often receive the same treatment, even if the cause of the illness is different for each person. This represents a new step towards ultimately being able to offer every patient more personalized treatment. Six Dutch universities are combining forces to chart the different disease processes for a range of common…
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Pandemic strain blamed for re-emergence of Syphilis
Syphilis has plagued humankind for over 500 years. After the first reported outbreaks struck Europe in 1495, the disease spread rapidly to other continents and swelled to a global pandemic. When treatment with the antibiotic penicillin became available in the mid-twentieth century, infection rates started to decrease dramatically. Strikingly, however, infection with the bacteria Treponema…