Precision Medicine News and Research

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Discovery of genetic markers to help fight diabetes

Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) scientists have identified five genetic biomarkers that could help lead to improved treatments, with fewer side-effects, for patients with diabetes.

17 Jun 2009

New research shows that a “breast cancer gene” causes osmidrosis and makes earwax wet and sticky

If having malodorous armpits (called osmidrosis) and goopy earwax isn't bad enough, a discovery by Japanese scientists may add a more serious problem for women facing these cosmetic calamities.

1 Jun 2009

Future cancer care, can we afford it?

When a cancer patient and his or her doctor discuss the value of a treatment option, the conversation usually centers on a consideration of the treatment's medical benefits versus its possible side effects for the patient. Increasingly, however, as the already high costs of cancer care continue to rise, a full view of the patient's welfare must also take into account the economic impact of the treatment on the patient and his or her family.

26 May 2009

Baylor Research Institute receives multi-million dollar grant to develop flu vaccine

Scientists at Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR) in Dallas, part of Baylor Research Institute (BRI) and the Baylor Health Care System, announced today that they received a renewal of a multi-million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to design new vaccines to prevent influenza - including swine flu (H1N1).

13 May 2009

Supporters, opponents of comparative effectiveness research 'gearing up' to clash over planned efforts, New York Times reports

The Obama administration is poised to enter the "same medical minefield" that 15 years ago resulted in unsuccessful federal efforts to develop guidelines for physicians in identifying cost-efficient and effective treatments for common medical conditions, the New York Times reports.

7 May 2009

Anti-clotting action of clopidogrel (Plavix) reduced by common heartburn drugs

The anti-clotting action of the medication clopidogrel (Plavix) can be compromised by common drugs for the treatment of heartburn and ulcers resulting in a roughly 50% increase in the combined risk of hospitalization for heart attack, stroke and other serious cardiovascular illnesses, according to a new study presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions.

6 May 2009

Children's characteristics may determine response to inhaled corticosteroid therapy for asthma

In a study published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and five other sites nationwide found that children who showed the most improvement in days without wheezing using an inhaled corticosteroid drug were caucasian boys who had allergies and had a hospitalization or emergency department visit for asthma symptoms in the year prior to the trial.

5 May 2009

Molecular profiling helps cancer patients survive

Cancer patients can survive longer under treatments based on their individual genetic profiles, according to a nationwide study released jointly today by Phoenix-area healthcare organizations.

20 Apr 2009

Newly discovered epidermal growth factor receptor active in human pancreatic cancers

Finally some promising news about pancreatic cancer, one of the most fatal cancers, due to the difficulties of early detection and the lack of effective therapies: Johns Hopkins University pathologist Akhilesh Pandey has identified an epidermal growth factor receptor aberrantly active in approximately a third of the 250 human pancreatic cancers studied.

20 Apr 2009

A bright future for biological sensors

In the future, explained Peter Ghazal, Chair of Edinburgh University's Department of Molecular Genetics and Biomedicine, biological sensors, the product of the integration of biology and electronics will be used to detect infections and prescribe personalized treatments.

15 Apr 2009

Cancer vaccines receive orphan drug designation for advanced head and neck cancer

Two experimental vaccines from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) recently received a federal orphan drug designation for advanced head and neck cancer, according to a company official.

9 Apr 2009

Genetic variation found to increase risk of schizophrenia

Rutgers geneticist Linda Brzustowicz and her colleagues have identified a specific DNA change that is likely to increase risk for developing schizophrenia in some people.

8 Apr 2009

Rewrite of the recipe for life - new type of DNA

In a dramatic rewrite of the recipe for life, scientists from Florida today described the design of a new type of DNA with 12 chemical letters instead of the usual four.

23 Mar 2009

Certain gene variations protect against cervical cancer

Women with certain gene variations appear to be protected against cervical cancer, according to a study led by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and reported in Clinical Cancer Research.

12 Mar 2009

UB and AHRM, Inc. help Buffalo join the electronic medical revolution

The Obama administration's push to move health care from handwritten charts and prescriptions into the electronic age is getting a boost in Western New York with new funding to establish a Medication Management Research Network in the University at Buffalo's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

3 Mar 2009

Investing in personalized medicine will benefit Canada

Canada has the opportunity to be an international leader in personalized medicine and needs to invest in this area for the health of Canadians and to reap the benefits of job creation, writes Dr. Thomas Hudson in a commentary http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.1090199 released online today in CMAJ ( Canadian Medical Association Journal ).

20 Feb 2009

Optimizing dosage of blood-thinning drug warfarin

In a large-scale study and an upcoming clinical trial, scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health address one of the trickiest issues in prescribing medicine - how to quickly optimize each patient's dosage of the common blood-thinning drug warfarin.

20 Feb 2009

Remote Intelligent Drug Delivery System (RIDDS) may soon be a reality

Electronic implants that dispense medicines automatically or via a wireless medical network are on the horizon. Australian and US researchers warn of the security risks in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology .

8 Feb 2009

New test predicts how breast cancer patients respond to chemotherapy

Researchers at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and the Swiss National Center of Competence in Research in Molecular Oncology in Lausanne have developed a new test to predict how breast cancer patients respond to chemotherapy, which could help change how treatment is delivered in the future.

3 Feb 2009

Genetics may predict risk for relapse among alcohol-dependent patients

In Poland, alcohol dependence (AD) affects about four percent of the population, causing about 10,000 deaths per year.