DNA Damage News and Research

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Scientists identify new protein that may improve future chemotherapy treatment

Chemotherapy not only attacks cancer cells but also targets all cells in the human body. This is the reason why patients receiving this treatment generally experience adverse side effects, like hair loss, physical weakness, and nausea.

18 Dec 2020

Researchers test effects of weedkiller on wildlife

Prolonged exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of the weedkiller Roundup causes significant harm to keystone species according to new research at the University of Birmingham.

16 Dec 2020

Repair proteins can help healthy cells to avoid damage during cancer therapy

A key way radiation therapy and chemotherapy work is by making highly lethal double-strand breaks in the DNA of cancer cells.

10 Dec 2020

Research clarifies regulatory impacts of ubiquitin-proteasome system on DNA damage repair

An international research team has clarified the regulatory mechanism of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (*1) in recognizing and repairing DNA that has been damaged by ultraviolet (UV) light.

9 Dec 2020

Specialist microscope allows scientists to make one-molecule measurements

Researchers have designed and constructed a single-molecule specialist microscope, and shared the build instructions to help make this system available.

9 Nov 2020

Study examines how extremophilic microbes can tolerate drastic space conditions

Since the dawn of space exploration, humankind has been fascinated by survival of terrestrial life in outer space. Outer space is a hostile environment for any form of life, but some extraordinarily resistant microorganisms can survive.

5 Nov 2020

DNA structural changes play key role in the recovery phase after DNA damage

A research team from Cologne has discovered that a change in the DNA structure - more precisely in the chromatin - plays a decisive role in the recovery phase after DNA damage. The key is a double occupation by two methyl groups on the DNA packaging protein histone H3 (H3K4me2).

15 Oct 2020

A new protein discovered that repairs DNA

Researchers have identified a new protein that makes it possible to repair DNA. The protein in question is called cryptochrome.

15 Oct 2020

Novel mechanism restores cell function after DNA damage

Scientists have found that a modification in the DNA structure— specifically in the chromatin—plays a key role in the recovery stage following DNA damage.

15 Oct 2020

Risk for melanoma could be estimated by DNA mutation count

Risk for melanoma, the most deadly skin cancer, can be estimated long before detection of any suspicious moles, according to a UC San Francisco scientist who led a new study to detect DNA mutations in individual skin cells.

8 Oct 2020

Cancer mutations occur in distinct patterns based on 3D structure of the genome

A new study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has discovered that mutations found in cancers do not accumulate randomly, but are found in distinct patterns that vary based on the three-dimensional organization of the genome in the cell as well as the underlying factors causing the mutations.

6 Oct 2020

Epigenetic alterations drive late-onset Alzheimer's disease

New findings suggest that late-onset Alzheimer's Disease is driven by epigenetic changes -- how and when certain genes are turned on and off -- in the brain. Results were published today in Nature Genetics.

29 Sep 2020

New precision drug targeting cancer's ability to repair DNA shows promise

A new precision drug which stops cancer from repairing its DNA has shown promise in an early-stage clinical trial - highlighting the potential of a new class of drugs known as ATR inhibitors.

29 Sep 2020

Researchers identify a driver of drug resistance in some cancers

Patients with BRCA1/2 mutations are at higher risk for breast, ovarian and prostate cancers that can be aggressive when they develop - and, in many cases, resistant to lifesaving drugs.

24 Sep 2020

Irisin hormone could have therapeutic effect on COVID-19 patients

A study conducted by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) suggests that irisin, a hormone secreted from muscles in response to exercise, could have a therapeutic effect on COVID-19 patients.

23 Sep 2020

DNA damage may occur far away from the point of incidence of radiation, research shows

Ultraviolet light endangers the integrity of human genetic information and may cause skin cancer. For the first time, researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have demonstrated that DNA damage may also occur far away from the point of incidence of the radiation.

15 Sep 2020