Gene Therapy News and Research

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Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease. In the future, this technique may allow doctors to treat a disorder by inserting a gene into a patient’s cells instead of using drugs or surgery.

QIAGEN's therascreen EGFR Mutation Detection Kit receives Japanese regulatory approval

QIAGEN today announced the regulatory approval of its therascreen EGFR Mutation Detection Kit RGQ in Japan. EGFR, the epidermal growth factor receptor, has been shown to play an important role in certain cancers and is the target of many new anticancer drugs.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 10 Jan 2012

QIAGEN introduces QIAensemble Decapper to facilitate handling of liquid samples

QIAGEN N.V. announced today the launch of the QIAensemble Decapper automation system that will facilitate the handling of liquid-based cytology and various other types of liquid samples that are processed by clinical laboratories around the world.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 6 Jan 2012

RGS9-2 gene plays a role in regulating body weight

Abraham Kovoor was studying a brain protein, called RGS9 2, that he had previously related to the involuntary, random and repetitive body movements that are side effects of drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

5 Jan 2012

FDA grants orphan designation for AMT's hemophilia gene therapy program

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to its gene therapy program for the treatment of hemophilia B.

4 Jan 2012

AMT raises € 2.5 million through private placement

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced today that the Company has raised € 2.5 million in new equity by means of a private placement to three of its existing shareholders: Forbion Capital Partners, Gilde Healthcare Partners and Advent Venture Partners.

30 Dec 2011

Gene therapy may promote growth of hair cells in inner ear

Normal hearing depends on the presence of healthy hair cells in the inner ear. Gene therapy has the potential to slow the loss of hair cells and promote the growth of hair cells that have already been damaged.

20 Dec 2011

Short spiral-shaped proteins can efficiently deliver DNA segments to cells

Clinical gene therapy may be one step closer, thanks to a new twist on an old class of molecules. A group of University of Illinois researchers, led by professors Jianjun Cheng and Fei Wang, have demonstrated that short spiral-shaped proteins can efficiently deliver DNA segments to cells. The team published its work in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

16 Dec 2011

KCC Director recognized for distinguished contributions to cancer care

Richard Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, Director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson (KCC), has been named a 2011 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

16 Dec 2011

Researchers convert astrocytes directly into dopamine-producing neurons

In efforts to find new treatments for Parkinson's Disease (PD), researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have directly reprogrammed astrocytes, the most plentiful cell type in the central nervous system, into dopamine-producing neurons.

14 Dec 2011

U.S. DoD awards $11M to study two different ways to treat PTSD in war veterans

A team of researchers who have pioneered novel treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been awarded an $11 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to investigate the differences between virtual reality and traditional prolonged exposure therapy.

14 Dec 2011

Gene therapy for bleeding disorder Hemophilia B

In a landmark study, researchers used gene therapy to successfully treat six patients with severe hemophilia, a blood-clotting disorder. Despite the early nature of the study, it is promising. A single infusion using the new treatment worked in some patients for more than a year, boosting their clotting ability significantly.

12 Dec 2011

Research examines novel treatment techniques for hemophilia B, VTE

Bleeding and clotting disorders affect a large number of patients annually and, while accurate diagnosis is important, timely and effective treatment for these disorders is key, as they have the potential to quickly become life-threatening. Research examining novel treatment techniques for bleeding and clotting disorders will be presented today at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

12 Dec 2011

New research on diagnosis and treatment of leukemia to be presented at 53rd ASH meeting

Despite major research advances over the last several decades that have helped deliver improved therapeutic options for leukemia, the condition remains deadly. Specialists are in need of new options to help diagnose the condition earlier and new therapies that will extend patients' lives. New research addressing important updates on the diagnosis and treatment of leukemia will be presented today at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

12 Dec 2011

Gene therapy can reduce painful bleeding episodes in patients with hemophilia B

Symptoms improved significantly in adults with the bleeding disorder hemophilia B following a single treatment with gene therapy developed by researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis and demonstrated to be safe in a clinical trial conducted at the University College London (UCL) in the U.K.

12 Dec 2011

New gene editing technique can heal sickle cell patients with their own cells

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed a way to use patients' own cells to potentially cure sickle cell disease and many other disorders caused by mutations in a gene that helps produce blood hemoglobin.

8 Dec 2011

Research: lncRNA affects apoptosis and plays a role in RBC development

A long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) regulates programmed cell death during one of the final stages of red blood cell differentiation, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. This is the first time a lncRNA has been found to play a role in red blood cell development and the first time a lncRNA has been shown to affect programmed cell death.

8 Dec 2011

ASH recognizes abstract presenters at 53rd annual meeting in San Diego

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) recognizes the following abstract presenters at the 53rd ASH annual meeting in San Diego, CA, with the highest scoring abstracts in the categories of undergraduate student, medical student, graduate student, resident physician, and postdoctoral fellow.

2 Dec 2011

New method reveals complete set of aberrant signaling pathways that give rise to cancers

One major obstacle in the fight against cancer is that anticancer drugs often affect normal cells in addition to tumor cells, resulting in significant side effects. Yet research into development of less harmful treatments geared toward the targeting of specific cancer-causing mechanisms is hampered by lack of knowledge of the molecular pathways that drive cancers in individual patients.

2 Dec 2011

Enrollment complete in Ceregene's CERE-120 Phase 2b trial for Parkinson's

Ceregene, Inc. reported today that it has completed enrollment in its Phase 2b trial of CERE-120, a gene therapy product expressing the neurturin (NRTN) gene for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

1 Dec 2011

Study reveals no clear advantage of one implant type over another

More than 270,000 Americans get hip replacement surgeries every year -- a number that is projected to double in the next decade as the population ages. With various options for implants, including metal-on-polyethylene, metal-on-metal and ceramic-on-ceramic, there have been questions about which kind works best.

1 Dec 2011