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Two genetic mutations can interact to reduce risk for heart attack

Researchers have determined that two mutations on a single gene can interact in a way that lowers the carrier's risk for a heart attack.

4 Feb 2015

Scientists find eight different types of schizophrenia

Scientists from the universities of Granada (Spain) and Washington in St Louis (US) have found that there is not a single type of schizophrenia, but that it consists of a group made up of eight genetically different types of diseases, each of which presents its own set of symptoms.

4 Feb 2015

Clusters of gene-blocking microRNAs can limit spread of cancer

Cancers that have spread throughout the body, a process known as metastasis, are difficult, often impossible, to control. They are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths.

4 Feb 2015

Whole exome sequencing helps Mayo Clinic neurologist solve a medical mystery

Precision medicine is getting a jump-start from a new national initiative announced in President Obama's State of the Union message. One Georgia family has already experienced its benefits: genomic testing called whole exome sequencing helped Mayo Clinic neurologist Zbigniew Wszolek, M.D., solve a medical mystery that had left a boy with painful, jerking spasms that at times prevented him from walking or talking.

4 Feb 2015

New initiative aims at reducing adverse effects of medications in individuals with mental illnesses

Geneticists at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health will provide their scientific expertise to a new initiative aimed at preventing and reducing the adverse effects of medications in people with mental illnesses.

4 Feb 2015

Bern researchers develop active substance for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a congenital disease which causes muscle degeneration and eventual death in teenagers. Recently, researchers from Bern developed an active substance, which they together with an international team tested successfully.

3 Feb 2015

Reversing effects of early stage age-related macular degeneration may be possible

A new technique reported in the February 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal suggests that during early stages, it might be possible to reverse age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness that is currently irreversible. The treatment involving a nanosecond laser may also have further implications for other eye diseases such as diabetic macular oedema, diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.

3 Feb 2015

Researchers reveal new pathway for inhibiting growth of tumor cells tied to BRCA mutations

Inhibiting the action of a particular enzyme dramatically slows the growth of tumor cells tied to BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations which, in turn, are closely tied to breast and ovarian cancers, according to researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

3 Feb 2015

International researchers discover gene that causes familial scoliosis

The discovery of the first gene causing familial scoliosis was announced by an international France-Canada research team today. "Mystery surrounds the cause of scoliosis, which is a three dimensional deformation of the vertebral column. Many researchers have been attempting to uncover the origins of this disease, particularly from a genetic point of view," explained leading co-author Dr Florina Moldovan of the University of Montreal and the CHU Sainte Justine research hospital.

3 Feb 2015

Professional medical societies must update guidelines for Googling patients, say Penn researchers

With the Internet and social media becoming woven into the modern medical practice, Penn State College of Medicine researchers contend that professional medical societies must update or amend their Internet guidelines to address when it is ethical to "Google" a patient.

3 Feb 2015

Large clinical trial to assess safety, efficacy of two experimental Ebola vaccines opens in Liberia

A large clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of two experimental vaccines to prevent Ebola virus infection is now open to volunteers in Liberia. The trial is being led by a recently formed Liberia-U.S. clinical research partnership and is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

3 Feb 2015

NQMBC recognizes Cancer Treatment Centers of America for providing quality breast cancer care

Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center has been recognized by the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers Program as being among the top centers in the country for providing quality breast cancer care.

3 Feb 2015

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia invited to Obama's announcement of Precision Medicine Initiative

At the invitation of the White House, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) sent two special guests to President Barack Obama's announcement today of the Precision Medicine Initiative: Dr. Steven M. Altschuler, CHOP's chief executive officer, and 9-year-old patient Emily Whitehead, now cancer-free thanks to a personalized treatment called T cell therapy, developed at CHOP.

2 Feb 2015

Scientists identify gene mutations that provide better insight into hepatitis-liver cancer link

Using whole genomic sequencing, scientists from RIKEN in Japan have for the first time demonstrated the profound effect that chronic hepatitis infection and inflammation can have on the genetic mutations found in tumors of the liver, potentially paving the way to a better understanding of the mechanisms through which these chronic infections can lead to cancer.

2 Feb 2015

Geneticists discover that present-day human life colonized Eurasia 70,000 years ago

While it is widely accepted that the origins of modern humans date back some 200,000 years to Africa, there has been furious debate as to which model of early Homo sapiens migration most plausibly led to the population of the planet -- and the eventual extinction of Neanderthals.

2 Feb 2015

Study examines why hydroxyurea yields mixed results in children with sickle cell disease

Electronic medication monitoring caps may help physicians put together the puzzle of why children taking a medicine that promises to curb sickle cell disease are showing mixed, confusing results.

2 Feb 2015

ABIVAX doses first HIV positive patient in ABX464 Phase IIa clinical trial

ABIVAX, a leading clinical stage biotech company developing and commercialising anti-viral compounds and human vaccines, today announced that enrolment has been initiated and the first HIV positive patient dosed in a Phase IIa clinical trial of ABX464.

2 Feb 2015

Researchers gain new insight on immune cells that harbor latent HIV virus

Drugs for HIV have become adept at suppressing infection, but they still can't eliminate it. That's because the medication in these pills doesn't touch the virus' hidden reserves, which lie dormant within infected white blood cells. Unlock the secrets of this pool of latent virus, scientists believe, and it may become possible to cure - not just control - HIV.

2 Feb 2015

Study identifies genetic basis of drug toxicity in leukemia patients of East Asian ancestry

January 26, 2015) About 10 percent of young leukemia patients of East Asian ancestry inherit a gene variation that is associated with reduced tolerance of a drug that is indispensable for curing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer.

2 Feb 2015

Researchers reveal why many African-American women are diagnosed with deadly forms of breast cancer

Researchers have uncovered new information that may begin to explain why many African-American women are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive, often deadly forms of breast cancer, which strengthens the evidence that increased dietary folate intake may prove to be an effective strategy for reducing risk for the disease in African-American women.

31 Jan 2015

Genetic News and Research

Two genetic mutations can interact to reduce risk for heart attack

Scientists find eight different types of schizophrenia

Clusters of gene-blocking microRNAs can limit spread of cancer

Whole exome sequencing helps Mayo Clinic neurologist solve a medical mystery

New initiative aims at reducing adverse effects of medications in individuals with mental illnesses

Bern researchers develop active substance for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Reversing effects of early stage age-related macular degeneration may be possible

Researchers reveal new pathway for inhibiting growth of tumor cells tied to BRCA mutations

International researchers discover gene that causes familial scoliosis

Professional medical societies must update guidelines for Googling patients, say Penn researchers

Large clinical trial to assess safety, efficacy of two experimental Ebola vaccines opens in Liberia

NQMBC recognizes Cancer Treatment Centers of America for providing quality breast cancer care

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia invited to Obama's announcement of Precision Medicine Initiative

Scientists identify gene mutations that provide better insight into hepatitis-liver cancer link

Geneticists discover that present-day human life colonized Eurasia 70,000 years ago

Study examines why hydroxyurea yields mixed results in children with sickle cell disease

ABIVAX doses first HIV positive patient in ABX464 Phase IIa clinical trial

Researchers gain new insight on immune cells that harbor latent HIV virus

Study identifies genetic basis of drug toxicity in leukemia patients of East Asian ancestry

Researchers reveal why many African-American women are diagnosed with deadly forms of breast cancer

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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