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Common genetic variation in HLA region associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease: Research

A team of researchers has discovered new evidence that Parkinson's disease may have an infectious or autoimmune origin. "Common genetic variation in the HLA region is associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease" appears online in Nature Genetics.

16 Aug 2010

Legal scholar calls for FDA to regulate all health-related genetic tests

An opinion piece by a legal scholar from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics in this week's issue of Nature calls for the Food and Drug Administration to regulate all health-related genetic tests — whether available directly to consumers or through a health care provider — using an approach that imposes requirements proportionate to a test's level of risk.

13 Aug 2010

Researchers identify second type of complete sporadic disease

A new sporadic prion protein disease has been discovered. Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy, as it has been named, is the second type of complete sporadic disease to be identified since Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was reported in the 1920s. The landmark finding from the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center at Case Western Reserve University is published in the August issue of Annals of Neurology.

13 Aug 2010

Management of therapy-resistant schizophrenia

The psychotic symptoms of up to 30% of schizophrenic patients do not respond adequately to treatment with antipsychotic drugs, other than clozapine. These refractory patients are generally among the most disabled of all people with schizophrenia and require special assessment and treatment.

13 Aug 2010

DNA repair genes in melanoma tumours repair associated with poor response to chemotherapy: Research

A Link between the level of active DNA repair genes in melanoma tumours and the effectiveness of chemotherapy for skin cancer patients has been established for the first time by a team of scientists.The study, part-funded by Cancer Research UK and published in Clinical Cancer Research today (Friday), found that higher levels of DNA repair genes in melanoma tumours were associated with a poorer response to chemotherapy.

13 Aug 2010

Mount Sinai receives grant from NIH to continue research on food allergy

Mount Sinai School of Medicine today announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has renewed its funding of the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR), providing an additional $29.9 million toward genetic research and the prevention and treatment of food allergy. Mount Sinai is the primary research site for CoFAR, leading seven other institutions around the country.

13 Aug 2010

Interleukin Genetics second-quarter net loss from continuing operations decreases to $1.9 million

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. today announced financial and operational results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

13 Aug 2010

U-M dentistry agrees to use Interleukin's PST test for gum disease clinical study

University of Michigan School of Dentistry has signed an agreement with Interleukin Genetics Inc. to conduct what may be the largest clinical study to date using genetic testing to assess the risk for gum disease.

13 Aug 2010

Exposure to immune proteins during pregnancy increases risk for schizophrenia in offspring

Infections like the flu are common occurrences during pregnancy, and research has shown that children born to mothers who suffered from flu, viruses and other infections during pregnancy have about a 1.5 to 7 times increased risk for schizophrenia. A new study out of Temple University examines what's behind that link.

13 Aug 2010

Study finds Olaparib can reduce tumor size in ovarian cancer women

Understanding the underlying genetic weakness of certain types of cancer may lead to targeted therapy and provide the key to effective treatment, a new study suggests. An international consortium of researchers has shown that an investigational drug, Olaparib, can reduce the size of tumors in women with advanced hereditary ovarian cancer with BRCA gene mutations.

13 Aug 2010

Chronic pain affects higher proportion of women than men: Research

Women experience chronic pain longer, more intensely and more often than men, according to a psychologist who works with both men and women dealing with diseases and conditions that leave them suffering.

13 Aug 2010

Merlin protein controls adult cell activity to cause liver cancer

A protein known to be involved in a rare hereditary cancer syndrome may have a role in the regulation of liver stem cells and the development of liver cancer. In the August 15 issue of Genes & Development, a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team describes finding that the protein called merlin, encoded by the NF2 (neurofibromatosis type 2) gene, controls the activity of adult stem cells that give rise to the two major types of liver cells.

13 Aug 2010

Research finds genetic roots of alcoholism in humans

A novel mutation found in a mouse gene might provide new insights into the genetic roots of alcoholism in humans, according to a study led by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center and the University of California, San Francisco. The study is published August 12th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

13 Aug 2010

Interleukin Genetics, University of Michigan to conduct landmark clinical study on periodontal disease

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. announced today that the Company has signed an agreement with the University of Michigan to conduct a landmark clinical study on risk factors predictive of periodontal disease progression to tooth loss using a new version of Interleukin Genetics' PST genetic test.

12 Aug 2010

Increased brain activity predicts anxious temperament in young primates

A new study focused on anxiety and brain activity pinpoints the brain regions that are relevant to developing childhood anxiety. The findings, published in the Aug. 12 edition of the journal Nature, may lead to new strategies for early detection and treatment of at-risk children.

12 Aug 2010

Researchers find transposons determine differences in physical traits, disease risks

Building on a tool that they developed in yeast four years ago, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine scanned the human genome and discovered what they believe is the reason people have such a variety of physical traits and disease risks.

12 Aug 2010

Swift Biosciences completes $3 million Series A financing

Swift Biosciences Inc., a Michigan-based life sciences company, today announced the recent completion of a $3 million Series A financing led by the venture firm DFJ Mercury. DFJ Mercury was joined in the Series A by several Michigan-based individual investors who also helped launch the Company with seed funding in January 2010. Daniel Watkins of DFJ Mercury will join the company's Board of Directors.

12 Aug 2010

Dr. Hastings receives grant for Spinal Muscular Atrophy research

Michelle Hastings, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, in the Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, has been awarded a five-year $1.68 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support her research aimed at investigating treatments for the fatal children's disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

11 Aug 2010

First complete sample-to-result, point-of-care DNA testing system for personalized medicine

Spartan Bioscience Inc., a privately held molecular diagnostics company that develops, manufactures, and markets DNA testing systems for on-demand applications, today announced the availability of the Spartan RX, the first complete sample-to-result, point-of-care DNA testing system for personalized medicine. The non-invasive and easy-to-use system provides automated results in one hour, enabling physicians to tailor treatments based on a patient's genotype faster than ever before.

11 Aug 2010

AssureRx Health achieves CAP accreditation for laboratory pharmacogenetic testing services

AssureRx Health, Inc. today announced that it has received accreditation from the College of American Pathologists for the delivery of high-quality, reliable laboratory pharmacogenetic testing services that meet or exceed regulatory laboratory standards and ensure commitment to patient care.

11 Aug 2010

Genetic News and Research

Common genetic variation in HLA region associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease: Research

Legal scholar calls for FDA to regulate all health-related genetic tests

Researchers identify second type of complete sporadic disease

Management of therapy-resistant schizophrenia

DNA repair genes in melanoma tumours repair associated with poor response to chemotherapy: Research

Mount Sinai receives grant from NIH to continue research on food allergy

Interleukin Genetics second-quarter net loss from continuing operations decreases to $1.9 million

U-M dentistry agrees to use Interleukin's PST test for gum disease clinical study

Exposure to immune proteins during pregnancy increases risk for schizophrenia in offspring

Study finds Olaparib can reduce tumor size in ovarian cancer women

Chronic pain affects higher proportion of women than men: Research

Merlin protein controls adult cell activity to cause liver cancer

Research finds genetic roots of alcoholism in humans

Interleukin Genetics, University of Michigan to conduct landmark clinical study on periodontal disease

Increased brain activity predicts anxious temperament in young primates

Researchers find transposons determine differences in physical traits, disease risks

Swift Biosciences completes $3 million Series A financing

Dr. Hastings receives grant for Spinal Muscular Atrophy research

First complete sample-to-result, point-of-care DNA testing system for personalized medicine

AssureRx Health achieves CAP accreditation for laboratory pharmacogenetic testing services

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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