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UMMS researchers commissioned by Alpha-1 Project to develop PiZ antibody

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) have been commissioned by the Alpha-1 Project (TAP) to develop a PiZ antibody. The antibody will be used to track the presence of mutant alpha-1 PiZ protein in human blood serum, an essential tool in testing potential therapies for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Alpha-1).

13 Jan 2014

Study indicates some groups have specific genetic make-up that prevents from fighting off influenza

Research indicated that some Indigenous people such as in Alaska and Australia displayed limited immunity response to the effects of influenza.

13 Jan 2014

Scientists discover genetic signature mechanism in immune system as driving force for childhood leukaemia

Scientists have discovered a genetic signature that implicates a key mechanism in the immune system as a driving force for a type of childhood leukaemia.

13 Jan 2014

Scientists progress towards understanding how some bacterial cells escape being killed by antibiotics

Scientists have made an important advance in understanding how a subset of bacterial cells escape being killed by many antibiotics.

10 Jan 2014

Lifestyle changes and screening tools prove to reduce cancer risk, says doctor

President Nixon funded research to wage a war on cancer, a long battle that we're still fighting today. While the last 40 years haven't brought us a cure, we have made some meaningful progress in developing tools and knowledge to take a bite out of our cancer risk.

10 Jan 2014

Study shows wide-ranging variation in patterns of X chromosome inactivation in female mice

Producing brightly speckled red and green snapshots of many different tissues, Johns Hopkins researchers have color-coded cells in female mice to display which of their two X chromosomes has been made inactive, or “silenced.”

10 Jan 2014

Sequenom signs national agreement to provide coverage for MaterniT21™ PLUS test

Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM), a life sciences company providing innovative testing and genetic analysis solutions, announced today its wholly owned subsidiary, Sequenom Laboratories, has signed a national agreement with a leading benefits provider, to provide coverage for the MaterniT21™ PLUS laboratory-developed test (LDT).

10 Jan 2014

Hormone associated with improved glucose metabolism activates calorie-burning brown fat

Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have discovered that a hormone long associated with weight loss and improved glucose metabolism is linked to activation of calorie-burning brown fat.

10 Jan 2014

Viewpoints: Don't blame insurers for health system problems; Obama's 'management failure;' Texas abortion case heads to court

[The] problem with the Affordable Care Act isn't the insurance industry. In fact, the main benefits of nationalized health care can be achieved in systems with hundreds, even thousands, of for-profit insurers. ...

10 Jan 2014

Life Technologies, Quest Diagnostics sign multi-year license and supply agreement

Life Technologies has completed a multi-year license and supply agreement with Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, that gives Quest rights to develop molecular tests on the Ion Torrent next-generation sequencing platform. Under the agreement, Quest may use the platform and related consumables to independently develop new tests for numerous areas of their business.

From Quest Diagnostics 10 Jan 2014

Researchers examine genetic variants associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes

Contrary to a common belief, researchers have shown that genetic regions associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes were unlikely to have been beneficial to people at stages through human evolution.

10 Jan 2014

Research: SLPI protein produced by body in response to injury plays vital role in patients with ALF

Findings published in the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases journal, Hepatology, indicate that infection, the commonest cause of mortality in patients with acute liver failure, may be decreased by inhibiting the activity of a protein found in saliva called SLPI.

10 Jan 2014

Minority patients and those of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to have advanced thyroid cancer

UCLA researchers have found that minority patients and those of lower socioeconomic status are far more likely to have advanced thyroid cancer when they are diagnosed with the disease than white patients and those in higher economic brackets.

10 Jan 2014

Brown University biochemist targets diabetes

People with type 2 diabetes can make insulin but their bodies use it so poorly that glucose levels run amok. It's been difficult for scientists to understand what's going awry in the way that tiny, fast-moving proteins signal and regulate glucose metabolism. As a result, while drugs can help somewhat, many patients still must monitor their glucose and inject insulin.

10 Jan 2014

Researchers reveal newest weapon to visualize shape and motion of RNA

Qi Zhang sees himself as a warrior. In his lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he wages war on genetic diseases such as cancer and heart disease on a battlefield measured with single atoms.

10 Jan 2014

Discovery opens new therapeutic avenue for chronic skin condition affecting millions

Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology have revealed a critical player in the cellular interactions leading to eczema - a chronic inflammatory skin condition affecting more than 14 million U.S. children and adults.

10 Jan 2014

Antipsychotic medication can actively combat cells of difficult-to-treat form of ALL

In a prime example of finding new uses for older drugs, studies in zebrafish show that a 50-year-old antipsychotic medication called perphenazine can actively combat the cells of a difficult-to-treat form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The drug works by turning on a cancer-suppressing enzyme called PP2A and causing malignant tumor cells to self-destruct.

9 Jan 2014

Biogen Idec, Sangamo BioSciences partner to develop therapeutics for hemoglobinopathies

Biogen Idec and Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced today an exclusive worldwide collaboration and license agreement focused on the development of therapeutics for hemoglobinopathies, inherited conditions that result from the abnormal structure or underproduction of hemoglobin.

9 Jan 2014

Illumina signs multi-year licensing agreement with Quest Diagnostics

Illumina, Inc. today announced it has entered into a multi-year licensing agreement with Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, related to the use of Illumina's next-generation sequencing technology for clinical laboratory testing.

From Illumina, Inc. 9 Jan 2014

High aerobic fitness in late adolescence may reduce heart attack risk later in life

Researchers in Sweden have found an association between a person’s fitness as a teenager and their risk of heart attack in later life. In a study of nearly 750,000 men, they found that the more aerobically fit men were in late adolescence, the less likely they were to have a heart attack 30 or 40 years later.

9 Jan 2014

Genetic News and Research

UMMS researchers commissioned by Alpha-1 Project to develop PiZ antibody

Study indicates some groups have specific genetic make-up that prevents from fighting off influenza

Scientists discover genetic signature mechanism in immune system as driving force for childhood leukaemia

Scientists progress towards understanding how some bacterial cells escape being killed by antibiotics

Lifestyle changes and screening tools prove to reduce cancer risk, says doctor

Study shows wide-ranging variation in patterns of X chromosome inactivation in female mice

Sequenom signs national agreement to provide coverage for MaterniT21™ PLUS test

Hormone associated with improved glucose metabolism activates calorie-burning brown fat

Viewpoints: Don't blame insurers for health system problems; Obama's 'management failure;' Texas abortion case heads to court

Life Technologies, Quest Diagnostics sign multi-year license and supply agreement

Researchers examine genetic variants associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes

Research: SLPI protein produced by body in response to injury plays vital role in patients with ALF

Minority patients and those of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to have advanced thyroid cancer

Brown University biochemist targets diabetes

Researchers reveal newest weapon to visualize shape and motion of RNA

Discovery opens new therapeutic avenue for chronic skin condition affecting millions

Antipsychotic medication can actively combat cells of difficult-to-treat form of ALL

Biogen Idec, Sangamo BioSciences partner to develop therapeutics for hemoglobinopathies

Illumina signs multi-year licensing agreement with Quest Diagnostics

High aerobic fitness in late adolescence may reduce heart attack risk later in life

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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