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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).

Synthetic biosensor could lead to better understanding of cell biology

A synthetic biosensor that mimics properties found in cell membranes and provides an electronic readout of activity could lead to a better understanding of cell biology, development of new drugs, and the creation of sensory organs on a chip capable of detecting chemicals, similar to how noses and tongues work.

8 Feb 2023

Epigenetic editing to improve crops

One of the most significant crops in the tropics, cassava, provides food for 500 million people in more than 80 countries. The destructive disease known as cassava bacterial blight (CBB) results in crop losses all across the world.

8 Feb 2023

Semi-quantitative system employs eDNA to detect endangered species

Alteration in river systems, overfishing, and the introduction of new, invasive species can all lead to a significant decrease in the number of native fish found in aquatic ecosystems.

8 Feb 2023

Analyzing the evolution of model organisms

A model organism used in laboratories for the past 100 years has evolved so extensively that it may no longer be fit for purpose.

8 Feb 2023

Protein that facilitates cancer-causing viruses dodge the immune system

Numerous cancers have been related to the viruses Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). For the first time, UNC School of Medicine researchers have shown that these viruses elude the innate immune response by using a human protein called barrier-to-autointegration factor 1, or BAF, which enables the viruses to propagate and cause disease.

7 Feb 2023

Gaining insights into human disease biology through CRISPR platforms

In this interview, we speak with Laralynne Przybyla about how she is utilizing CRISPR platforms to understand human disease biology in greater detail.

From Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) 7 Feb 2023

Researchers decipher how common environmental bacterium can digest complex waste

A common environmental bacterium, Comamonas testosteroni, could someday become nature's plastic recycling center.

7 Feb 2023

Study elucidates the structure of centromeric region in chicken cells

The genetic material inside cells is organized into structures called chromosomes. The centromere is essential for the correct division of the chromosomes via interaction with spindle microtubules when cells divide and grow.

7 Feb 2023

Researchers decipher genomic mechanisms involved in complex eye disease

Researchers at Tel Aviv University identified a new genetic risk factor for the complex eye disease AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration), a leading cause for loss of eyesight at an advanced age.

7 Feb 2023

New hexameric structure of the protein triggering antibiotic resistance discovered

All living organisms require DNA replication to ensure the genetic integrity of the following generation. On the other hand, bacteria have the ability to horizontally transfer genetic information to other bacteria.

6 Feb 2023

Researchers use AI to identify genes that are critical to a cancer cell’s survival

Researchers at the University of Sussex are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to analyze different types of cancer cells to understand different gene dependencies, and to identify genes that are critical to a cell's survival.

6 Feb 2023

Experimental optimization of prime editing to achieve high efficiency

Genome editing technologies have enormous potential for treating genetic diseases. Techniques like the extensively used CRISPR/Cas9 gene scissors target the source of the disease directly in the DNA.

3 Feb 2023

Automatic sample pretreatment microsystem operates through speech recognition

People use smart voice assistants to get quick answers or to play their favorite music. This same technology has the potential to make laboratories safer for scientists and technicians who work with potentially infectious samples.

2 Feb 2023

Scientists define four cancer molecular subtypes using PDX models

Metastasis, the process by which cancer cells leave the primary tumor and spread to other tissues to seed new cancerous growth, causes most cancer deaths.

2 Feb 2023

Exploring how plants can adapt to accelerating aridity due to climate change

At a time when climate change is making many areas of the planet hotter and drier, it's sobering to think that deserts are relatively new biomes that have grown considerably over the past 30 million years.

1 Feb 2023

Genomic study helps retrace origin and spread of Shigellosis outbreak in Seattle

A genomic study of a sustained, multidrug-resistant Shigellosis outbreak in Seattle enabled scientists to retrace its origin and spread.

1 Feb 2023

Effective new drugs to reduce the massive number of malaria cases

Malaria is known as a disastrous disease, with 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths reported in 2021 alone.

From The University of New South Wales (UNSW) 31 Jan 2023

Tweezers illustrate how chemotherapy affects DNA

A recent study from Cornell University offers a new perspective on how the chemotherapy agent etoposide delays and kills vital enzymes that support the growth of cancer cells.

31 Jan 2023

Novel, more accurate computational tool for long-read RNA sequencing developed

On the journey from gene to protein, a nascent RNA molecule can be cut and joined, or spliced, in different ways before being translated into a protein.

31 Jan 2023

A high-throughput drug discovery assay for the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1

The January 2023 issue of SLAS Discovery contains a collection of four full-length articles and one technical brief covering cancer research, high-throughput screening (HTS) assay development and other drug discovery exploration.

31 Jan 2023