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Researchers identify genetic mutation responsible for acromegaly disease

An international research team, spearheaded by scientists from the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, has identified the genetic mutation responsible for a disease known as "gigantism" or acromegaly.

7 Jan 2011

Researchers discover specific genetic abnormalities in hESC, iPSC lines

A multinational team of researchers led by stem cell scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Scripps Research Institute has documented specific genetic abnormalities that occur in human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell lines.

7 Jan 2011

GT Life Sciences and BGI complete CHO-K1 genome sequencing

GT Life Sciences, a privately held biotechnology company that utilizes a proven metabolic modeling and experimental platform to drive the discovery and design of new products and processes for the life sciences field, and BGI, the largest genomics organization in the world, announced that they have successfully completed for the first time the sequencing of the Chinese hamster ovary genome.

6 Jan 2011

Choosing between EGFR therapeutic options in metastatic colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and women in the USA, with a new diagnosis made every 3.5 minutes and an associated death every 9 minutes.

6 Jan 2011

Urine tests could detect Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Australian researchers have found a novel and easy way to detect a common and debilitating anxiety disorder called the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD. Scientists at the Centenary Institute in Sydney discovered a gene responsible for a rare kidney disorder is also behind OCD. This may make detecting OCD easier through a simple urine test. This test could also identify babies with risk of early-onset OCD. OCD affects up to 3 per cent of all Australians and in its worst cases can be completely debilitating, causing people to have to stay at home. OCD sufferers feel intense anxiety and are compelled to practice rituals - such as hand washing or arranging objects.

6 Jan 2011

Signal Genetics, Caris Life Sciences announce new agreement to commercialize MyPRS tool

Signal Genetics, the parent company of Myeloma Health LLC, a privately held predictive genetic testing company focused on oncology, and Caris Life Sciences, Inc., a leading biosciences company focused on enabling precise and personalized healthcare through the highest quality anatomic pathology, molecular profiling and blood-based diagnostic services, today announced a new agreement under which Caris Life Sciences will offer Signal Genetics' new gene expression profile test for Multiple Myeloma to community-based hematologists/medical oncologists nationwide.

6 Jan 2011

JAX, Tufts University unveil new mammalian genetics track for PhD students

The Jackson Laboratory, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts, and Tufts University School of Medicine have unveiled a new mammalian genetics track for PhD students. The joint track offers students in-depth research and training at both JAX and Tufts.

6 Jan 2011

Transposagen, CDI enter license agreement for iPS cell line production

Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, a leader in genetic modification technology, announced today that it has entered into a non-exclusive license agreement with Cellular Dynamics International, the world's largest producer of human induced pluripotent stem cell lines and tissue cells for drug discovery and safety.

6 Jan 2011

Mayo Clinic researchers estimate lifetime risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in men and women

Mayo Clinic researchers have determined the lifetime risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis and six other autoimmune rheumatic diseases for both men and women. The findings appear online in Arthritis and Rheumatism.

6 Jan 2011

Bacteria adopt defence strategy to promote antibiotic resistance

Genetic resistance to antibiotics is not the only trick bacteria use to resist eradication- they also have a second defence strategy known as persistence that can kick in.

6 Jan 2011

Breakthrough in MRI allows brain scans more than seven times faster

An international team of physicists and neuroscientists has reported a breakthrough in magnetic resonance imaging that allows brain scans more than seven times faster than currently possible.

6 Jan 2011

Researchers say women with multiple sclerosis have more HLA genes than men

Women who have multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to have a gene associated with multiple sclerosis than men with the disease and it is this gene region where environment interacts with the genetics, according to a study published in the January 5, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Jan 2011

Odyssey Thera granted U.S. Patent for high-throughput screening of proteins

Odyssey Thera, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted U.S. Patent No. 7,855,167. The invention describes technologies and high-throughput methods for identifying bimolecular interactions in vivo based on protein-fragment complementation assays.

6 Jan 2011

Investigators receive two Alpha-1 Foundation grants for research on lung disorder

The Alpha-1 Foundation announced today that it has awarded two research grants to investigators whose research will contribute to our understanding of the causes and mechanisms that give rise to lung disease.

6 Jan 2011

Administration of therapeutic hypothermia for TBI should depend on clinical condition of individual patients

Lowering the body temperature of patients soon after they have suffered a severe brain injury may reduce neurologic complications and improve outcomes. The safety of therapeutic hypothermia for traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been demonstrated in national studies. According to a Roundtable Discussion of renowned experts in the field, when and how it is administered should depend on the clinical condition of individual patients.

5 Jan 2011

Unique vaccine produces long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice

Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Cornell University have produced a long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a unique vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

5 Jan 2011

Alkeus and Columbia University enter license agreement for potential therapies for dry-AMD, Stargardt disease

Alkeus Pharmaceuticals and Columbia University announced today that they have entered into a license agreement for a set of potential therapies for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration (dry-AMD), Stargardt disease, and other degenerative diseases of the eye. Left untreated, these conditions often lead to impaired vision and even blindness.

5 Jan 2011

Safe vaccine protects mice against effects of cocaine

Researchers have produced a lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a safe vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

5 Jan 2011

Study on aberrant cellular localization in the brain

Normally, cortical nerve cells or neurons reside in the brain's gray matter with only a few scattered neurons in the white matter, but some people with schizophrenia have a higher number of neurons in the white matter. Neuronal migration errors may arise in schizophrenia as a consequence of both genetic and environmental factors.

5 Jan 2011

Fruit fly faeces provides answers to pregnant women's bloating and constipation

Clues about how the human gut helps regulate our appetite have come from a most unusual source - fruit fly faeces. Scientists at the University of Cambridge are using the fruit fly to help understand aspects of human metabolism, including why pregnant women suffer from bloating and constipation, and even the link between a low calorie diet and longevity.

5 Jan 2011