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MDC scientists find solution to increase efficiency of precise genetic modifications

CRISPR-Cas9 is a powerful new tool for editing the genome. For researchers around the world, the CRISPR-Cas9 technique is an exciting innovation because it is faster and cheaper than previous methods. Now, using a molecular trick, Dr. Van Trung Chu and Professor Klaus Rajewsky of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch and Dr. Ralf Kühn, MDC and Berlin Institute of Health, have found a solution to considerably increase the efficiency of precise genetic modifications by up to eightfold.

30 Mar 2015

ISSCR statement calls for moratorium nuclear genome editing of human germ line

In a statement released yesterday, the International Society for Stem Cell Research called for a moratorium on attempts at clinical application of nuclear genome editing of the human germ line to enable more extensive scientific analysis of the potential risks of genome editing and broader public discussion of the societal and ethical implications.

23 Mar 2015

Unregulated Internet marketing of cancer-related gene tests poses challenges for consumers, physicians

Websites that market personalized cancer care services often overemphasize their purported benefits and downplay their limitations, and many sites offer genetic tests whose value for guiding cancer treatment has not been shown to be clinically useful, according to a new study from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

6 Mar 2015

CHOPS syndrome sheds light on key biological processes during human development

Analyzing a puzzling multisystem disorder in three children, genetic experts have identified a new syndrome, shedding light on key biological processes during human development. The research also provides important information to help caregivers manage the disorder, and may offer clues to eventually treating it.

3 Mar 2015

EORTC researchers review potential treatment options for patients with locally advanced breast cancer

Treating patients with locally advanced inoperable breast cancer is an extremely difficult task. The overwhelming majority of patients treated for this disease suffer relapse and, despite the best multimodal treatment, do not survive. There is a medical need to examine current and potential treatments, and EORTC researchers have recently published an article in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology concerning this topic.

27 Feb 2015

Study: Mutated ATRX gene may serve as much-needed biomarker for rare neuroendocrine tumors

A somatic mutation in the ATRX gene has recently been shown as a potential molecular marker for aggressive brain tumors, such as gliomas, neuroblastomas and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Now, for the first time, researchers at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center have found that the same mutated gene may serve as a much-needed biomarker for the pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PCC/PGL) that become malignant.

21 Jan 2015

Endogenous retroviruses play critical role in body's immune defense against bacterial, viral pathogens

Retroviruses are best known for causing contagious scourges such as AIDS, or more sporadically, cancer.

23 Dec 2014

Offspring of mice treated with drug had delayed onset, reduced symptoms of Huntington's disease

Famine, drug abuse and even stress can "silence" certain genes, causing health problems in generations to come. Now scientists are wondering—could therapies that change gene expression in parents help their children?

23 Dec 2014

FDA approves Myriad’s BRACAnalysis CDx for use with ovarian cancer drug

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for BRACAnalysis CDx to be used as the only companion diagnostic in conjunction with AstraZeneca’s drug Lynparza™ (olaparib).

22 Dec 2014

Endogenous retroviruses also play critical role in the body's immune defense against pathogens

Retroviruses are best known for causing contagious scourges such as AIDS, or more sporadically, cancer.

19 Dec 2014

Myriad Genetics highlights three new studies at SABCS 2014

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced results from a new study that demonstrated the ability of the myRisk Hereditary Cancer test to detect 105 percent more mutations in cancer causing genes than conventional BRCA testing alone. The Company also presented two key studies in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) that show the myChoice HRD test accurately predicted response to platinum-based therapy in patients with early-stage TNBC and that the BRACAnalysis molecular diagnostic test significantly predicted response to platinum-based drugs in patients with metastatic TNBC.

10 Dec 2014

Myriad Genetics' Tumor BRACAnalysis CDx identifies 44% more candidates for PARP therapy

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced that its Tumor BRACAnalysis CDx- companion diagnostic test significantly improved the detection of cancer-causing BRCA1/2 mutations by 44 percent in women with ovarian cancer. Data from this new study were presented at the 2014 European Society for Medical Oncology annual meeting in Madrid, Spain.

29 Sep 2014

Research findings provide clues for design of future HIV vaccine

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have described how a single family of antibodies that broadly neutralizes different strains of HIV has evolved remarkably diverse structures to attack a vulnerable site on the virus.

26 Sep 2014

Collaborative study takes important step toward finding targeted treatments for bladder cancer

The story of cancer care seems so simple: find the mutated gene that causes cancer and turn it off or fix it. But rarely does a single gene cause cancer. More often, many genes are altered together to drive the disease. So the challenge becomes sorting out which altered genes are the most to blame in which cancers.

16 Sep 2014

BRCA2 mutations herald poor prognosis in screen-detected prostate cancer

Among men with prostate cancer detected on screening, survival among those with a mutation in the BRCA2 gene is much poorer than in those without such a mutation, researchers report.

18 Aug 2014

New guideline recommends genetic testing of tumors for colorectal cancer patients

Of the 143,000 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer annually in the U.S., up to 25 percent have a familial risk of colorectal cancer. A new guideline from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer recommends genetic testing of tumors for all newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients.

5 Aug 2014

CHLA researchers develop novel NextGen sequencing approach for retinoblastoma

Researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles have developed a unique next-generation sequencing test for the gene linked to retinoblastoma. The new approach is both more comprehensive and can be conducted in less time than existing tests - enabling early detection of the cancer's genetic cause, which is critical for optimal treatment outcomes.

3 Jun 2014

Variations in BRCA2 and CHEK2 genes can increase lung cancer risk, study finds

New research confirms a vulnerability to lung cancer can be inherited and implicates the BRCA2 gene as harboring one of the involved genetic mutations.

3 Jun 2014

Scientists uncover early steps of totipotency in sperm precursors

In the body, a skin cell will always be skin, and a heart cell will always be heart. But in the first hours of life, cells in the nascent embryo become totipotent: they have the incredible flexibility to mature into skin, heart, gut, or any type of cell.

20 May 2014

New insight into germline EGFR T790M mutation in familial non-small cell lung cancer

Two studies are providing new insight into germline epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation in familial non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The findings suggest the need for tailored approaches for early detection and treatment, as well as for genetic testing to identify carriers.

24 Mar 2014