Scientists are using DNA to build nano-scaled devices – DNA origami – that could be used to improve our understanding of basic biological mechanisms as well as to design novel strategies to prevent or treat disease. DNA is well known as the carrier of the genetic information in living organisms. The DNA double helix is flexible. … Continue reading
Ana María Rodríguez, Ph.D. In one of the largest studies on the genes involved in human behavior, a group of more than 190 researchers has analyzed genomic data from nearly 300,000 people and found genetic variants associated with our feelings of well-being, depression and neuroticism. The multi-institutional team, including a researcher from Baylor College of … Continue reading
By Ana María Rodríguez, Ph.D. Steroid receptor coactivator-3, which is well-known for its role in cancer formation and proliferation, is usually considered ‘undruggable’ because this nuclear protein is large and unstructured. Attempts to block SRC-3 in cancer cells have resulted in the cells quickly adapting to this tactic by ramping up the production of the blocked … Continue reading
By Ana María Rodríguez, Ph.D. Patients with autoimmune disease have a higher risk of developing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Although studies have shown that human atherosclerotic plaques typically have antibodies against self-antigens, the role those complexes or immune cells play in the development of atherosclerotic lesions is still under investigation. To study how autoimmunity may lead … Continue reading
By Dipali Pathak When Dr. Atul Chopra began studying a rare genetic condition called neonatal progeroid syndrome (NPS) he did not suspect that his discoveries could potentially affect the lives of millions of people living with a different condition, type 2 diabetes. The findings appear in the journal Cell. NPS keeps the body from accumulating fat, … Continue reading
From the Labs 