Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

First Edition: November 4, 2010

Less than 24 hours after Republicans won control of the House, soon-to-be-speaker John Boehner denounced the new health care law, saying it would "kill jobs in America, ruin the best health care system in the world, and bankrupt our country" -- and renewed his vow to try to repeal it. Kaiser Health News asked people around the country to answer the following question: "If you ended up in an elevator with Rep. Boehner, what single thing would you urge him to do about health care in this country? (Kaiser Health News).

4 Nov 2010

Athersys secures three Therapeutic Discovery Project grants

Athersys, Inc. announced today that it has secured three Therapeutic Discovery Project grants as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. These grants were awarded related to Athersys' development of MultiStem® for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), also known as heart attack, and other forms of cardiovascular disease, as well as for the treatment of multiple diseases causing acute tissue damage and chronic inflammation.

4 Nov 2010

Agilent announces solution for exon analysis based on SurePrint G3 Exon Microarrays

Agilent Technologies Inc. today announced a solution for exon analysis based on SurePrint G3 Exon Microarrays. The solution provides a major expansion of Agilent's portfolio of gene expression reagents, microarrays and bioinformatics systems. This new system, available in mid-November, enables researchers to examine alternately expressed exons according to recently updated content, providing a global picture of RNA expression.

4 Nov 2010

New radiotracer application may advance understanding of estrogen-related diseases

A study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has demonstrated that a molecule "tagged" with a radioactive form of carbon can be used to image aromatase, an enzyme responsible for the production of estrogen, in the human brain. The research, published in the November issue of Synapse, also uncovered that the regions of the brain where aromatase is concentrated may be unique to humans.

4 Nov 2010

Gene fusion prostate cancers susceptible to secondary mutations

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have taken an important step toward a better understanding of prostate cancer by uncovering evidence that it is not one disease, as previously believed, but rather several factors which can be measured and, in the future, destroyed by targeted therapy.

4 Nov 2010

Lentigen awarded $1.23M grant under Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Lentigen Corporation, a biotechnology company specializing in the development and manufacture of lentiviral gene delivery products, announced today that it will receive $1,235,306 in cash grants from the U.S. Government under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

4 Nov 2010

New findings show combinational therapy effective for patients with DLBCL lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a type of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that accounts for approximately 40 percent of lymphomas among adults. If left untreated, it is fatal. The existing treatments have a cure rate that is slightly over 50 percent but destroy healthy cells along with the cancer cells.

4 Nov 2010

Cardium receives $245,000 grant under QTDP program

Cardium Therapeutics today announced that it was awarded a cash grant of approximately $245,000 under the U.S. Government's Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project program to further its Generx clinical development program.

4 Nov 2010

Scientists discover gene variant that rewires brain's circuitry in neurological disorders

Many gene variants have been linked to autism, but how do these subtle changes alter the brain, and ultimately, behavior. Using a blend of brain imaging and genetic detective work, scientists at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior are the first to illustrate how a gene variant tied to autism rewires the brain.

4 Nov 2010

Regulus receives $488,989 grant under QTDP program

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that it has been awarded two grants totaling $488,989 under the Federal government's Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program.

4 Nov 2010

New simple blood test may help diagnose Niemann-Pick type C disease

A fatal genetic disorder that frequently takes years to diagnose may soon be detectable with a simple blood test, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) report this week in Simple blood test may diagnose deadly Niemann-Pick type C disease.

4 Nov 2010

Alnylam third quarter revenue increases from $24.2 million to $27.7 million

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a leading RNAi therapeutics company, today reported its consolidated financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010, and company highlights.

4 Nov 2010

Safeguard Scientifics third quarter aggregate revenue of partner companies increases 73% to $109.6 million

Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., a holding company that provides growth capital for entrepreneurial and innovative life sciences and technology companies, today announced that aggregate revenue of its partner companies for the three months ended September 30, 2010 was $109.6 million, up 73% from $63.4 million for the same partner companies in the same period of 2009.

3 Nov 2010

Illumina launches TruSeq sample preparation, Exome Enrichment kits for sequencing studies

Illumina, Inc. today announced TruSeq sample preparation kits for DNA, RNA, and small RNA applications and the TruSeq Exome Enrichment Kit, for use across the company's portfolio of sequencing platforms.

From Illumina, Inc. 3 Nov 2010

Effort exerted on cognitive task influenced by masked action or inaction cues

People may have a better memory for birthdays that are closer to their own: Volunteers recalling their friends' birthdays tended to remember birthdays that were closer to their own than birthdays that were farther away from their own birthday.

3 Nov 2010

Allen Institute releases new data and tools for exploring genes at work in human brain

The Allen Institute for Brain Science announced today its twentieth public data release, which includes new data and tools for exploring genes at work in the human brain. In addition to expanding and enhancing the Allen Human Brain Atlas, the Allen Institute launched two new human brain resources: the Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas Project and the NIMH Transcriptional Atlas of Human Brain Development.

3 Nov 2010

New global map shows distribution of sickle cell gene

At a global scale, the sickle cell gene is most commonly found in areas with historically high levels of malaria, adding geographical support to the hypothesis that the gene, whilst potentially deadly, avoids disappearing through natural selection by providing protection against malaria.

3 Nov 2010

Study suggests heredity may play a role in determining infant's susceptibility to AOP

A potentially life-threatening challenge characterized by pauses in breathing that can last for more than 20 seconds, apnea of prematurity (AOP) affects more than 50 percent of premature infants and is almost universal in the smallest of preemies. Caused in part by an underdeveloped central nervous system that can't adequately regulate breathing outside of the womb, especially during sleep, AOP is not yet fully understood by scientists and remains a grave concern among neonatologists and parents alike.

3 Nov 2010

New mouse model confirms mutation of beta-synuclein protein promotes neurodegeneration

A team of scientists from Japan and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created a new mouse model that confirms that mutations of a protein called beta-synuclein promote neurodegeneration. The discovery creates a potential new target for developing treatments of diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

3 Nov 2010

Researchers discover FoxO1 protein interacts with macrophages to promote inflammatory response

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a multi-tasking protein called FoxO1 has another important but previously unknown function: It directly interacts with macrophages, promoting an inflammatory response that can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. Contrarily, it also generates a negative feedback loop that can limit damage from excessive inflammation.

3 Nov 2010

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

First Edition: November 4, 2010

Athersys secures three Therapeutic Discovery Project grants

Agilent announces solution for exon analysis based on SurePrint G3 Exon Microarrays

New radiotracer application may advance understanding of estrogen-related diseases

Gene fusion prostate cancers susceptible to secondary mutations

Lentigen awarded $1.23M grant under Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

New findings show combinational therapy effective for patients with DLBCL lymphoma

Cardium receives $245,000 grant under QTDP program

Scientists discover gene variant that rewires brain's circuitry in neurological disorders

Regulus receives $488,989 grant under QTDP program

New simple blood test may help diagnose Niemann-Pick type C disease

Alnylam third quarter revenue increases from $24.2 million to $27.7 million

Safeguard Scientifics third quarter aggregate revenue of partner companies increases 73% to $109.6 million

Illumina launches TruSeq sample preparation, Exome Enrichment kits for sequencing studies

Effort exerted on cognitive task influenced by masked action or inaction cues

Allen Institute releases new data and tools for exploring genes at work in human brain

New global map shows distribution of sickle cell gene

Study suggests heredity may play a role in determining infant's susceptibility to AOP

New mouse model confirms mutation of beta-synuclein protein promotes neurodegeneration

Researchers discover FoxO1 protein interacts with macrophages to promote inflammatory response

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