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Rice University scientists win NIH stimulus funds to study influenza A

Rice University scientists have won a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to scrutinize the influenza A virus for clues that could lead to more effective antiviral drugs. Strains of influenza A include this year's pandemic H1N1 variety, some seasonal varieties and the much-feared H5N1 bird flu.

21 Oct 2009

Exact Sciences to use Hologic's Invader chemistry for colorectal cancer screening

Exact Sciences Corp. (Nasdaq: EXAS) today announced that it has obtained a worldwide license from Hologic Inc. for that company’s Invader, Invader plus and real-time Invader detection chemistries for the field of colorectal cancer screening.

From Hologic, Inc. 21 Oct 2009

Focus Diagnostics' 2009 H1N1 influenza virus test granted FDA emergency use authorization

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued a second emergency use authorization (EUA) to Focus Diagnostics, the infectious disease diagnostics business of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, for its 2009 H1N1 influenza virus test. With the EUA, Focus Diagnostics is the only company in the U.S. to offer test kits for detecting the pandemic 2009 H1N1 virus that the FDA has authorized for emergency use by CLIA high-complexity labs, which include certain hospital and regional labs.

19 Oct 2009

UCSC professors receive $1.8M grant under NHGRI's genome sequencing technology development programme

Oxford Nanopore Technologies congratulates our collaborators Professor Mark Akeson and Professor David Deamer of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) on receiving a grant of $1.1 million, and Professor Jene Golovchenko of the University of Harvard on receiving $745,000 following on from a previous grant of $6.5 million.

From Oxford Nanopore Technologies 19 Oct 2009

Marker genes help determine the effectiveness of targeted molecular drug regimen for treating GIST

Analysis of a small number of marker genes may determine in a matter of hours if a patient with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) would respond to a targeted molecular drug regimen. This analysis could allow clinicians to determine if they have chosen the best course of action or need to consider another alternative.

15 Oct 2009

DIATHERIX Laboratories granted EUA for H1N1-09 Influenza Test

DIATHERIX Laboratories, Inc. is pleased to announce it has been granted emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its DIATHERIX H1N1-09 Influenza Test.

14 Oct 2009

Manual microdissection to remove biopsy cavities from breast cancer specimens essential

Genomic Health, Inc. today announced results from a study demonstrating the critical role of manual microdissection to remove all biopsy cavities from breast cancer specimens. Genomic Health's Oncotype DX is the only commercially available breast cancer test that employs manual microdissection following review by a board certified surgical pathologist with breast expertise to predict a patient's benefit from chemotherapy and risk of disease recurrence.

9 Oct 2009

NHGRI support research to accelerate development of innovative sequencing technologies

GE Global Research, the technology development arm for the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), today announced that scientists in their Biosciences Lab have been awarded a second round of funding from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to continue research that could reduce the cost and time of sequencing of an entire human genome to less than $1,000, in under a day.

9 Oct 2009

NIH awards $1.9 million grant to Pacific Biosciences

Pacific Biosciences, a private company developing a disruptive technology platform for real-time detection of biological events at single molecule resolution, today announced that it has received grants totaling more than $1.9 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 Research and Research Infrastructure “Grand Opportunities” grants program.

8 Oct 2009

Quest Diagnostics' DNA testing for gene variants help improve outcomes for stent recipients

DNA testing for gene variants that can increase the risk of major coronary events in certain patients taking the anti-clotting drug Plavix® (clopidogrel bisulfate) is now being performed by Quest Diagnostics for Scripps Health patients electing to undergo coronary stent procedures.

From Quest Diagnostics 8 Oct 2009

Scientists create new technology to improve detection of leukemia cells in bone marrow

Scientists have created a viable technology to improve the detection of leukemia cells in bone marrow.

7 Oct 2009

PSI-879 nominated as second development candidate for treating HCV infection

Pharmasset, Inc. announced today the nomination of PSI-352879 (PSI-879) as a second development candidate from two series of purine analogs for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

7 Oct 2009

Researchers screen decades-old frozen infant stool samples to detect norovirus

A search through decades-old frozen infant stool samples has yielded rich dividends for scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

3 Oct 2009

Scarab Genomics releases new E. Coli strain

ScarabXpress is the latest strain in the multiple-deletion series (MDS) of Scarab Genomics Clean Genome® E. coli. Based on the MDS™42 strain, ScarabXpress T7lac contains a chromosomal copy of the T7 RNA polymerase gene expressed from a unique, tightly controlled lac promoter.

29 Sep 2009

Research study indicates presence of two stable bacterial ecosystems in the gut

Small-bowel transplant patients with an ileostomy -- an opening into their small bowel -- have a very different population of bacteria living in their gut than patients whose ileostomy has been closed, researchers from UC Davis and Georgetown University Medical Center have found. The results are published online Sept. 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

16 Sep 2009

FDA clears Olerup SSP’s Taq-polymerase-free HLA typing kit for sale in the U.S.

Olerup SSP, a wholly owned subsidiary of LinkMed (STO:LMED), has had its Taq-polymerase-free HLA typing kit registered and cleared by the FDA. This means that Olerup SSP’s entire product range for HLA typing, with or without Taq polymerase, can now be marketed and sold to a greater number of healthcare centers in North America.

15 Sep 2009

Study reveals that daily bathroom showers may deliver pathogenic bacteria

While daily bathroom showers provide invigorating relief and a good cleansing for millions of Americans, they also can deliver a face full of potentially pathogenic bacteria, according to a surprising new University of Colorado at Boulder study.

15 Sep 2009

Phase II trial of ANA598 commenced by Anadys Pharmaceuticals

Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANDS) announced today that dosing has begun in a Phase II trial of ANA598 in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The study will evaluate ANA598 over 12 weeks, taken in combination with pegylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin, in treatment naive HCV patients. ANA598 is an investigational, oral, non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor.

9 Sep 2009

BioTrove partners with FDA to investigate the utility of SNAP system

BioTrove announced a collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research to investigate the utility of the company’s Standardized NanoArray PCR (SNAP) gene expression profiling system for the rapid and specific detection of pathogens in the nation’s blood supply.

8 Sep 2009

New H1N1 Influenza detection test used to diagnose Australia's first swine flu victim

When the first cases of H1N1 Influenza (swine flu) were reported in Mexico in April, UQ researchers got to work developing a test to diagnose the virus.

4 Sep 2009