Gene Sequencing News and Research

RSS

Functional tests are necessary to understand human disease despite genetic sequencing

Despite what you might have heard, genetic sequencing alone is not enough to understand human disease. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have shown that functional tests are absolutely necessary to understand the biological relevance of the results of sequencing studies as they relate to disease, using a suite of diseases known as the ciliopathies which can cause patients to have many different traits.

24 Jan 2011

Researchers contribute important expertise to new landmark study of medulloblastoma

Pediatric cancer researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia contributed important expertise to a new landmark study of medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor typically found in children. The large multicenter study defines the genetic landscape of this cancer, and holds intriguing clues to gene changes on signaling pathways that may become fruitful targets for future therapies.

17 Dec 2010

Pediatric cancer researchers study medulloblastoma for new treatment

Pediatric cancer researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia contributed important expertise to a new landmark study of medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor typically found in children.

17 Dec 2010

VCP gene causes some instances of familial ALS: Researchers

Using a new gene sequencing method, a team of researchers led by scientists from Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health has discovered a gene that appears to cause some instances of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The finding could lead to novel ways to treat the more common form of this fatal neurodegenerative disease, which kills the vast majority of the nearly 6,000 Americans diagnosed with ALS every year.

10 Dec 2010

OtoSCOPE method offers single-run genetic testing for hearing loss

Pinpointing the exact genetic cause of inherited deafness has always involved sequencing one gene at a time, a process that can take up to a year and cost roughly $1,000 per gene. It would cost around $75,000 to test all known deafness causing genes using this approach. Now University of Iowa researchers working with colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine have developed a test that can screen all of the genes known to cause deafness in a single run, in one to three months and for about $2,000.

16 Nov 2010

Safeguard Scientifics third quarter aggregate revenue of partner companies increases 73% to $109.6 million

Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., a holding company that provides growth capital for entrepreneurial and innovative life sciences and technology companies, today announced that aggregate revenue of its partner companies for the three months ended September 30, 2010 was $109.6 million, up 73% from $63.4 million for the same partner companies in the same period of 2009.

3 Nov 2010

Maternal serotonin deficiency linked to development of ADHD in children

Children whose mothers are genetically predisposed to have impaired production of serotonin appear more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in life, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Oct 2010

IntegenX selects Zeta's 3D to analyze dimensional properties of micro-channel biochips

Zeta Instruments, Inc. a leading provider of cost-effective, precision measurement solutions for micron-scale surface analysis, announced that its Zeta-20™ optical metrology system has been selected for the analysis and development of advanced microfluidics/biotechnology laboratory products. IntegenX, an innovative supplier of automation systems for DNA and RNA-based micro-sample preparation used in forensics and gene sequencing, has chosen Zeta's 3D surface measurement solution to analyze the dimensional properties of its micro-channel biochips.

3 Aug 2010

Virus related to hepatitis C discovered in Asian bats

Viral hepatitis affects more than 500 million people worldwide and is a cause of liver failure and liver cancer. While vaccines are available for hepatitis A and B, this is not the case for hepatitis C, which affects as much as two percent of the population in the U.S. Scientists today are reporting discovery of a virus related to hepatitis C in Asian bats, which may provide insights into the origins of the hepatitis C virus and into the mechanisms by which infectious diseases move from other species to humans.

2 Jul 2010

SAIC-Frederick, Fluidigm collaborate to decode entire genome of Epstein-Barr virus

SAIC-Frederick, Inc. and Fluidigm Corporation are collaborating to decode the entire genome of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) using technology that can speed up research on the genetic basis of cancer and other diseases.

1 Jul 2010

Australian scientists sequence genome of pancreatic cancer

The International Cancer Genome Consortium which includes researchers from 22 countries is mapping the genomes of different types of cancers. A genome is essentially a blueprint of a human’s DNA. The genetic data of each individual is different and so is the genetic data of the cancer in the individual. The Australian scientists are sequencing the genomes of people suffering from pancreatic cancer.

15 Apr 2010

Researchers challenge prevailing assumptions in interpreting genome-wide studies

In the decade since the Human Genome Project produced the first map of DNA sequences in the human genome, scientists throughout the world have combed through genome data to identify genes and gene variants that cause human disease.

28 Jan 2010

Scientists map origin of MRSA, technology could help understanding of other diseases

"Scientists have found a way to track minutely-differing strains of the 'superbug' MRSA [methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus] as they spread between people and across the globe, a finding that could aid efforts to control the deadly bacteria," Reuters/ABC News reports (Kelland, 1/21).

23 Jan 2010

Jamming bacterial communication may improve chronic wound care

Listening in on bacterial conversations could be the solution for improving chronic wound care, says a team of researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Their findings have been published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.

5 Jan 2010

LadaTech files patent infringement lawsuit against Illumina

LadaTech announced today that it has served its complaint upon Illumina, Inc. in its lawsuit for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. LadaTech is jointly owned by GlaxoSmithKline and IP Finance Holdings.

From Illumina, Inc. 22 Dec 2009

New project analyzes genetic sequence and variations of every gene expressed by 1,000 tumors

No two tumors are alike, but analyzing the genetics of cancers from different parts of the body may reveal surprising details useful for treatment and prevention.

22 Dec 2009

UCSD findings may help scientists to design better drugs to kill pathogenic strains

Over the last 20 years, the sequencing of the human genome, along with related organisms, has represented one of the largest scientific endeavors in the history of mankind. The information collected from genome sequencing will provide the raw data for the field of bioinformatics, where computer science and biology meet.

10 Nov 2009

Scientists present new perspective on antigenic drift of flu viruses

Influenza viruses evade infection-fighting antibodies by constantly changing the shape of their major surface protein. This shape-shifting, called antigenic drift, is why influenza vaccines-which are designed to elicit antibodies matched to each year's circulating virus strains-must be reformulated annually.

30 Oct 2009

Scientists expand their fleet of genomic next-generation sequencing technology to study about cancer

Scientists from the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center (HGSC) are expanding their fleet of advanced genomic next-generation sequencing technology from Applied Biosystems, part of Life Technologies Corporation to accelerate their studies of the genetic underpinnings of cancer and other complex human diseases.

6 Oct 2009

Illumina delivers its first individual genome sequence to Dr. Hermann Hauser

Illumina, Inc. today announced that it has delivered Hermann Hauser’s genome sequence. Dr. Hauser, Partner, Amadeus Capital Partners Ltd, is the first consumer to purchase Illumina’s individual genome sequencing service working with his physician, Michael Nova, MD, of Pathway Genomics.

From Illumina, Inc. 31 Aug 2009