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Researchers present new program to evaluate clinical relevance of genetic variants

Millions of genetic variants have been discovered over the last 25 years, but interpreting the clinical impact of the differences in a person's genome remains a major bottleneck in genomic medicine. In a paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine on May 27, a consortium including investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Partners HealthCare present ClinGen, a program to evaluate the clinical relevance of genetic variants for use in precision medicine and research.

27 May 2015

Clinical genomic sequencing could impact treatment decisions in advanced prostate cancer patients

An international collaboration of researchers are advancing precision medicine to men with advanced prostate cancer.

22 May 2015

TGen and Baylor partnership set to increase treatment options for cancer patients

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Baylor Research Institute (BRI) at Dallas today announce an agreement that will focus on accelerating early detection and treatments for patients with a broad range of cancers.

22 May 2015

DF/BWCC introduces new website to provide information about precision cancer medicine

Precision cancer medicine - diagnosis and treatment based on the genetic abnormalities of a specific tumor - is playing an ever-larger role in cancer care. The field got a boost earlier this year when President Barack Obama proposed a $215 million federal Precision Medicine Initiative with cancer as one of its priorities.

21 May 2015

Celgene to use Cypher's Coral technology to find novel genomic biomarkers

Cypher Genomics, Inc., a leading genome informatics company, today announced a collaboration with Celgene Corporation to apply Cypher's Coral technology to discover novel genomic biomarkers that associate with patient response to innovative medicines.

20 May 2015

New affordable advanced NGS cancer test launched by EKF subsidiary

This new NGS panel molecular test is an important step towards readily accessible and affordable personalized medicine in cancer...

From EKF Diagnostics 15 May 2015

Results from four major studies on cancer treatments to be presented at ASCO Annual Meeting

The American Society of Clinical Oncology today announced results from four major studies to be presented at ASCO's 51st Annual Meeting, May 29-June 2, in Chicago. Findings showed that use of a widely available vitamin pill reduces the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers; that early chemotherapy extends the lives of men with advanced prostate cancers; and that new therapies can improve outcomes for children with a rare form of kidney cancer and adults with relapsed multiple myeloma.

15 May 2015

CCFA announces $17.5 million grant to establish Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis research platform

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America announces a three-year, $17.5 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to establish an integrated knowledge platform designed to centralize and aggregate patient information - with linked biosamples - across multiple research efforts.

15 May 2015

Researchers develop new tool to identify common genetic anomalies in cancer

Researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and Thermo Fisher Scientific have developed and tested a new tool that searches for the most common genetic anomalies seen in cancer. The assay demonstrates the ability to make gene sequencing easier over a large volume of samples.

13 May 2015

Novel insights into the genetics of autism

A study of 2,377 children with autism, their parents and siblings has revealed novel insights into the genetics of the condition.

12 May 2015

Discovery paves way for developing treatments for people addicted to cocaine, amphetamines

In a major advance in the field of neuropsychiatry, researchers in the Vollum Institute at Oregon Health & Science University have illuminated how cocaine and amphetamines disrupt the normal functioning of the dopamine transporter in the brain.

12 May 2015

Overview of Blueprint Medicines' kinase drug discovery strategy published in JCI

Blueprint Medicines today announced that the Journal of Clinical Investigation published an overview of the Company's kinase drug discovery and development strategy. The publication underscores Blueprint Medicines' focus on identifying novel genomically defined disease drivers and the use of novel chemistry from its proprietary compound library to craft highly selective kinase inhibitors for new and difficult-to-drug kinase targets.

11 May 2015

Noninvasive nuclear medicine test can help determine effectiveness of aromatase inhibitor treatment

A new, noninvasive nuclear medicine test can be used to determine whether aromatase inhibitor treatment will be effective for specific cancer patients, according to a recent study reported in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

8 May 2015

NIH-sponsored Phase 1 clinical trial evaluates novel investigational West Nile virus vaccine

A novel investigational West Nile virus vaccine discovered and developed by scientists at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University is being evaluated in an NIH-sponsored Phase 1, first-in-human, clinical trial at Duke University. Although several early-stage West Nile virus vaccine clinical trials have been completed to date, no human vaccine has been approved for commercial use.

7 May 2015

Novel Ga-68-PSMA-ligand PET/CT effective for early detection of prostate cancer recurrence

A recent study reported in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine compared use of the novel Ga-68-PSMA-ligand PET/CT with other imaging methods and found that it had substantially higher detection rates of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in patients with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

5 May 2015

Scientists test effectiveness of new method for treating COPD

Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München have succeeded in testing the effectiveness of new approaches for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on ex vivo 3D human lung tissue cultures (3D-LTCs). The results have now been published in the European Respiratory Journal.

30 Apr 2015

UTHealth scientists use new methods to explore naturally occurring 'knockout humans'

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston are helping to make precision medicine a reality by sequencing entire exomes of people to assess chronic disease risk and drug efficacy. The results of a study on this topic were published in Nature Genetics on Monday.

30 Apr 2015

Luminex provides clinical trial update on ARIES HSV 1&2 Assay

Luminex Corporation today announced that testing at the clinical trial sites for the ARIES HSV 1&2 Assay is now complete. The next steps, including site to site reproducibility testing, followed by data analysis and assembly of the data package for submission to the FDA, are now underway.

From Luminex 28 Apr 2015

Dan Theodorescu awarded Barringer Medal for distinguished contributions to urology

Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of the NCI-designated University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor of Urology and Pharmacology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine was awarded the Barringer Medal this past Saturday from the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons for his distinguished contributions to urology.

25 Apr 2015

New study shows 'alarming rise' in costs of MS drugs over last 20 years

A new study shows an "alarming rise" over the last 20 years in the costs of drugs used to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis or reduce the frequency of attacks, according to a study led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and Oregon State University.