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Pacific Biosciences introduces partner program for SMRT DNA sequencing system

Pacific Biosciences, a private company developing a disruptive technology platform for real-time detection of biological events at single molecule resolution, today announced the launch of a partner program designed to work with best-in-class organizations providing complementary solutions to its Single Molecule Real Time (SMRT™) DNA sequencing system. The program will help customers rapidly and easily adopt its third-generation DNA sequencing solution into their discovery programs.

17 Feb 2010

BAC adds affinity resin for AAT purification to GE Healthcare’s range of custom designed media

BAC BV, the leading provider of antibody-based affinity purification technology, has extended its collaboration with GE Healthcare with the addition of a new bioprocess affinity chromatography ligand to GE Healthcare’s range of custom designed media. The latest addition to the range is an affinity resin for the purification of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) from blood plasma, recombinant cell culture or transgenic sources. The new resin has been developed as part of GE Healthcare’s Custom Designed Media (CDM) programme and provides a new solution for AAT purification in the biopharmaceutical industry.

17 Feb 2010

Researchers use new strategy to develop cancer vaccines

Researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado School of Medicine have used a new strategy to develop cancer vaccines that are remarkably effective in mice. In the February 16 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Kimberly Jordan, PhD, Jill Slansky, PhD, and John Kappler, PhD, report that 100 percent of the mice vaccinated with a peptide they developed remained alive and tumor-free for at least 60 days after inoculation with colon cancer cells.

17 Feb 2010

CalciMedica granted U.S. composition patent concerning key component of CRAC channel

CalciMedica today announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued to CalciMedica US Patent No. 7,645,588, a composition patent involving STIM1, a key component of the calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channel. The patent, entitled "Composition comprising a cell comprising a STIM1 protein and an agent that modulates intracellular calcium and methods of use," has a priority date of March 4, 2003 and was issued on January 12, 2010.

17 Feb 2010

Study confirms link between mammographic breast density and breast cancer

A University of Melbourne study has revealed that certain breast cancer genetic variants increase mammographic density, confirming the link between mammographic breast density and breast cancer.

17 Feb 2010

Researchers have traced protein that stops cells from becoming cancerous

In the dominoes that make up human cells, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have traced another step of the process that stops cells from becoming cancerous.

17 Feb 2010

Oxytocin hormone improves social behavior in autistic patients

Autism is a disease characterized by difficulties in communicating effectively with other people and developing social relationships. The team led by Angela Sirigu at the Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive (CNRS) has shown that the inhalation of oxytocin, a hormone known to promote mother-infant bonds and social relationships, significantly improved the abilities of autistic patients to interact with other individuals.

17 Feb 2010

TKS4 protein plays significant role in Frank-Ter Haar syndrome

An international team of investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham, formerly Burnham Institute for Medical Research), Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences and other organizations have discovered that TKS4, a protein implicated in cancer metastasis, also plays a significant role in Frank-Ter Haar syndrome (FTHS), a rare fatal disorder.

17 Feb 2010

Rhubarb may have anti-cancer properties, but more research needed

Rhubarb contains natural chemicals called polyphenols that have been shown to kill cancer cells in the lab, or prevent their growth. Baking appears to greatly increase the levels of these chemicals, UK scientists have found, but Cancer Research UK cautioned against reading too much into these results.

17 Feb 2010

Researchers adopt new technique to inhibit cancer growth

One of the difficulties of fighting cancer is that drugs often hit other non-cancerous cells, causing patients to get sick. But what if researchers could sneak cancer-fighting particles into just the cancer cells?

17 Feb 2010

New fluorescent probes improve tumor detection in mice

Building on his Nobel Prize-winning work creating fluorescent proteins that light up the inner workings of cells, a team of researchers led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Roger Tsien, PhD, professor of pharmacology, chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center has developed biological probes that can stick to and light up tumors in mice.

17 Feb 2010

New DNA: Dynamic NextGen Analytics platform now available from IntegriChain

IntegriChain, Inc., a commercial insight provider supporting the pharmaceutical industry, announces the launch of its new DNA: Dynamic NextGen Analytics™ (DNA) platform.

17 Feb 2010

Sequenom CMM launches SensiGene Fetal Sex Determination test

Sequenom, Inc. today announced the launch of the SensiGene™ Fetal(XY) (Fetal Sex Determination) test by Sequenom's CAP accredited and CLIA-certified laboratory, Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM). This is the company's second laboratory developed test powered by its SEQureDx™ technology.

17 Feb 2010

Infants born to bilingual mothers exhibit different language preferences

It may not be obvious, but hearing two languages regularly during pregnancy puts infants on the road to bilingualism by birth. According to new findings in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, infants born to bilingual mothers (who spoke both languages regularly during pregnancy) exhibit different language preferences than infants born to mothers speaking only one language.

17 Feb 2010

Diagenode launches SX-8G IP-Star system for epigenetics

Diagenode, an innovative leader providing products and technologies for epigenetics, genomics and diagnostics, and the only provider of complete epigenetics solutions, announced today the launch of its innovative platform for automated epigenetics assays, the SX-8G IP-Star™ system ("IP-Star™).

16 Feb 2010

Chemists adopt new approach to optimise enzyme for practical applications

Engineers are unlikely to tinker with the cooling system if they want to increase the size of an engine. Yet chemists at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research have adopted an approach similar to this in their efforts to optimise an enzyme for practical applications. They

16 Feb 2010

Researchers use model organism to test new therapies for retinal degeneration

Research by Johns Hopkins sensory biologists studying fruit flies, has revealed a critical step in fly vision. Humans with problems in this same step suffer retinal dystrophies, which manifest as visual defects ranging from mild visual impairments to complete blindness.

16 Feb 2010

Adding rosemary extracts in ground beef can reduce cancer-causing agents

The addition of rosemary extract to ground beef actually reduces cancer-causing agents that can form upon cooking, according to a recent study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists.

16 Feb 2010

Studies show association between high levels of vitamin D and decreased risk of heart disease

Middle aged and elderly people with high levels of vitamin D could reduce their chances of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43%, according to researchers at the University of Warwick.

16 Feb 2010

TB's mechanism to evade body's immune system identified

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have identified a mechanism used by the tuberculosis bacterium to evade the body's immune system and have identified a compound that blocks the bacterium's ability to survive in the host, which could lead to new drugs to treat tuberculosis.

16 Feb 2010