Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Genetic link to depression: New avenues for therapy

Yale University scientists have found a gene that appears to play a key role in the onset of depression. This could mean new avenues of therapy for the disease. The gene in question is called MKP-1 and was identified after comparing the genetic codes of 21 deceased people who had been diagnosed with depression with those of 18 otherwise healthy individuals. The findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine on 17th of October.

18 Oct 2010

PTC announces ataluren Phase 2b efficacy data at International Congress

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that final analyses of Phase 2b efficacy data suggest the investigational new drug ataluren slowed the loss of walking ability in patients with nonsense mutation dystrophinopathy, a disease continuum comprising Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (nmDBMD). These data were presented at the International Congress of the World Muscle Society in Kumamoto, Japan and will be the basis of interactions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and national regulatory authorities in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2010.

18 Oct 2010

2010 AAO-MEACO meeting focuses on genetic medicine

Genetic medicine is the focus of two presentations at today's Scientific Program of the 2010 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Middle East-Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) Joint Meeting. The AAO-MEACO meeting is in session October 16 through 19 at McCormick Place, Chicago. It is the largest, most comprehensive ophthalmic education conference in the world.

18 Oct 2010

Genentech and Biogen Idec announce positive results from ocrelizumab phase II RRMS study

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, and Biogen Idec today announced 24-week results from a phase II study of ocrelizumab in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the most common form of the disease. Ocrelizumab demonstrated a significant reduction in disease activity as measured by brain lesions and relapse rate.

15 Oct 2010

Bristol-Myers, Otsuka launch My SPRYCEL Support program to assist patients with CML

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. today announced the launch of My SPRYCEL (dasatinib) Support, a useful resource to assist adult patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who are taking SPRYCEL.

15 Oct 2010

New development of genetic tool to speed discovery of novel genes involved in cancer

Researchers have developed a genetic tool in mice to speed the discovery of novel genes involved in cancer. The system - called PiggyBac - has already been used by the team to identify novel candidate cancer-causing genes.

15 Oct 2010

Journal of Clinical Oncology publishes IPI-504 Phase 2 study results

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that results from its Phase 2 study of IPI-504, a novel IV-administered Hsp90 chaperone inhibitor, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

15 Oct 2010

EpiMark Analysis Kit simplifies DNA methylation analysis for epigenetics researchers

New England Biolabs (NEB) has launched a suite of new and validated products designed to simplify DNA methylation analysis for epigenetics researchers. These enzyme-based solutions address some of the challenges of the current methods, including the lack of a reproducible method for the analysis and quantitation of 5-hydroxymethlcytosine (5-hmC) in the epigenome.

15 Oct 2010

Enzo Biochem fiscal 2010 total revenues increase 8% to $97.1 million

Enzo Biochem, Inc. today reported results for the fiscal fourth quarter, consistent with our announcement on September 20, 2010, and for the year ended July 31, 2010.

15 Oct 2010

Study reveals copy number variants exclusive to obese children

A new study by pediatric researchers has added to the evidence that genes have a strong influence on childhood obesity.

15 Oct 2010

FibroGen announces initiation of FG-3019 phase 2 study for reversing liver fibrosis

FibroGen, Inc. today announced initiation of a phase 2 study to compare the efficacy of FG-3019, a human monoclonal antibody against connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), with placebo in reversing liver fibrosis (scarring of the liver) due to chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV).

15 Oct 2010

New, affordable technology for cervical cancer screening

Current cervical cancer screening is time consuming and expensive, but now new breakthrough technology developed by European researchers should allow large-range screening by non-medical personnel with almost immediate results and at a much lower cost.

15 Oct 2010

ARTS protein increases apoptosis mechanism to balance stem cells' regenerative power: Research

Stem cells, the prodigious precursors of all the tissues in our body, can make almost anything, given the right circumstances. Including, unfortunately, cancer. Now research from Rockefeller University shows that having too many stem cells, or stem cells that live for too long, can increase the odds of developing cancer.

15 Oct 2010

Study finds multiple genetic variations can contribute to common childhood obesity

A new study uncovers multiple genetic variations associated with common childhood obesity. The research, published by Cell Press on October 14th in the American Journal of Human Genetics, is likely to guide future studies aimed at characterizing the affected genes and unraveling the complex biology that underlies childhood obesity.

15 Oct 2010

Scientists identify protein in urine can indicate prostate cancer risk

Cancer research UK scientists have shown that a protein in urine could be a powerful indicator of prostate cancer risk, according to a study published in PLoS ONE.

14 Oct 2010

Top citations for scientific paper on Inovio's SynCon DNA vaccines and ID DNA delivery technology

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that a scientific paper demonstrating strong and protective immune responses from candidate SynCon™ DNA vaccines in preclinical studies using Inovio's intradermal (ID) DNA delivery technology was one of the top cited scientific articles in the past three years in the journal Vaccine.

14 Oct 2010

Psychological and social challenges faced by parents of children with undiagnosed learning disorders

Parents of children with undiagnosed learning disorders, developmental deficits, and congenital abnormalities face a host of psychological and social challenges, which are explored in detail in a reflective article in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com).

14 Oct 2010

Scientists identify root cause of chromosomal errors and gene diversity

A team led by a scientist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has discovered a regulatory protein that influences where genetic material gets swapped between maternal and paternal chromosomes during the process of creating eggs and sperm. The findings, which shed light on the roots of chromosomal errors and gene diversity, appear in tomorrow's issue of Nature.

14 Oct 2010

Researchers determine genetic blueprint of 13 strains of Lyme disease causing bacteria

Benjamin Luft, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Stony Brook University Medical Center, and a team of medical researchers have determined the genetic blueprint of 13 strains of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The finding is crucial to advancing research on Lyme disease, the most frequent tick-borne infection in North America and Europe, and may lead to better diagnostics and a vaccine.

14 Oct 2010

Health care workforce faces strains, shifts

Kaiser Health News / NPR "Last year, half of new doctors were hired by hospitals, according to the Medical Group Management Association, a professional organization for physician practices. According to a 2009 report by the American Medical Association, one in six doctors works for a hospital, and the number is quickly growing.

14 Oct 2010

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Genetic link to depression: New avenues for therapy

PTC announces ataluren Phase 2b efficacy data at International Congress

2010 AAO-MEACO meeting focuses on genetic medicine

Genentech and Biogen Idec announce positive results from ocrelizumab phase II RRMS study

Bristol-Myers, Otsuka launch My SPRYCEL Support program to assist patients with CML

New development of genetic tool to speed discovery of novel genes involved in cancer

Journal of Clinical Oncology publishes IPI-504 Phase 2 study results

EpiMark Analysis Kit simplifies DNA methylation analysis for epigenetics researchers

Enzo Biochem fiscal 2010 total revenues increase 8% to $97.1 million

Study reveals copy number variants exclusive to obese children

FibroGen announces initiation of FG-3019 phase 2 study for reversing liver fibrosis

New, affordable technology for cervical cancer screening

ARTS protein increases apoptosis mechanism to balance stem cells' regenerative power: Research

Study finds multiple genetic variations can contribute to common childhood obesity

Scientists identify protein in urine can indicate prostate cancer risk

Top citations for scientific paper on Inovio's SynCon DNA vaccines and ID DNA delivery technology

Psychological and social challenges faced by parents of children with undiagnosed learning disorders

Scientists identify root cause of chromosomal errors and gene diversity

Researchers determine genetic blueprint of 13 strains of Lyme disease causing bacteria

Health care workforce faces strains, shifts

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