DNA Damage News and Research

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Study shows DNA damage causes cells to reprogram themselves into stem cells

Researchers have discovered that when DNA in the moss Physcomitrella patens is damaged, it causes cells to reprogram on their own to change into stem cells.

19 Aug 2020

Scientists identify complex enzyme that protects cells from constant DNA damage

A team of researchers have revealed the mechanism and 3D structure of a complex enzyme that guards cells against persistent DNA damage.

19 Aug 2020

Fewer but larger doses of radiotherapy are safe for patients with early breast cancer

A lower total dose of radiotherapy delivered in fewer but larger doses is as safe in the long term as breast cancer radiotherapy courses giving multiple small doses, according to the final results of a 10-year study.

15 Jul 2020

Bacteria-induced cell fusion provokes the immune system and causes host cell destruction

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a bacterium in the soil that causes melioidosis, a tropical disease with high morbidity and mortality.

9 Jul 2020

DNA repair tool is tailored to deal with specific type of complex break, study shows

Our cells are constantly dividing, and as they do, the DNA molecule - our genetic code - sometimes gets broken. DNA has twin strands, and a break in both is considered especially dangerous.

7 Jul 2020

MRI Scan Used For Heart Disease Could Also Pick Out Aggressive Cancers

An MRI scan used for heart disease could help assess whether children's cancers are especially aggressive and spot early signs that treatments are working.

29 Jun 2020

Lesion segregation can drive complex patterns of mutations in tumor genomes

Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center, Cambridge, and Edinburgh have been analyzing the evolution of tumors after chemical damage.

26 Jun 2020

Study shows how chemicals cause complex cell mutations

Fresh insights into why some harmful substances are so efficient at causing cancer could aid the quest for better treatments.

25 Jun 2020

Novel precision medicine targets cancer's DNA defenses

A new precision medicine targeting cancer's ability to repair its DNA has shown promising results in the first clinical trial of the drug class.

23 Jun 2020

Study sheds light on DNA sculpting properties of enigmatic protein

Sometimes, when something is broken, the first step to fixing it is to break it even more. In a recent example, scientists seeking to understand the mechanism of a DNA-repairing enzyme have discovered that the molecule performs its functions by first marking and then further breaking damaged DNA.

22 Jun 2020

New system of gene editing allows for targeted, super-fast DNA repair

In a series of experiments using human cancer cell lines, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have successfully used light as a trigger to make precise cuts in genomic material rapidly, using a molecular scalpel known as CRISPR, and observe how specialized cell proteins repair the exact spot where the gene was cut.

18 Jun 2020

Dysfunctional placenta can contribute to Cornelia de Lange syndrome

Researchers have demonstrated that a dysfunctional placenta can play a formerly unknown role during the earliest phases of development in Cornelia de Lange.

17 Jun 2020

TU Dresden study uncovers enzyme essential for intestinal epithelial differentiation

The intestinal epithelium is the inner layer of the intestinal wall, which separates host tissue from the intestinal microbiota.

9 Jun 2020

DNA damage and repair jointly shape mutational signatures

A collaborative project between the Center for Genome Integrity, within the Institute for Basic Science, and the Dundee School of Life Sciences, the EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute, and the Wellcome Sanger Institute have screened almost 163,000 DNA mutations in 2,700 C. elegans roundworms to shed light on DNA damage.

9 Jun 2020