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Kalorama report predicts double-digit growth in SNP market

A setback in the scientific basis for SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) analysis may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for makers of genotyping equipment, reagents and software, according to Kalorama Information.

23 Jan 2010

Long-term health effects of e-cigarettes: More research needed

The need for more research into the long-term health effects of electronic cigarettes has been highlighted by scientists in the British Medical Journal.

22 Jan 2010

Ontario must stay the course in the fight against lung cancer

Currently an estimated 7,800 Ontarians are diagnosed with lung cancer and approximately 6,000 die of the disease each year. Smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke continue to be the main risk factors for developing lung cancer - and that is why we must continue to encourage Ontarians to be smoke-free.

21 Jan 2010

New effort to produce standardized DNA parts for reducing development time of synthetic biology in labs

With seed money from the National Science Foundation (NSF), bioengineers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University are ramping up efforts to characterize the thousands of control elements critical to the engineering of microbes so that eventually, researchers can mix and match these "DNA parts" in synthetic organisms to produce new drugs, fuels or chemicals.

21 Jan 2010

Study links thyroid disease with human exposure to PFOA

A study by the University of Exeter and the Peninsula Medical School for the first time links thyroid disease with human exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFOA is a persistent organic chemical used in industrial and consumer goods including nonstick cookware and stain- and water-resistant coatings for carpets and fabrics.

21 Jan 2010

Covidien announces results for first-quarter of fiscal 2010

Covidien plc today reported results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 (October – December 2009). First-quarter net sales of $2.7 billion were up 7% from the $2.6 billion reported a year ago, with favorable foreign exchange of $121 million increasing the quarterly sales growth rate by approximately 5 percentage points.

20 Jan 2010

Novel approach could speed up discovery for new psychiatric drugs

Researchers from the University of British Columbia and Harvard University have co-developed a system that captures on video and barcodes the behavioral responses of zebrafish to chemical compounds on a large scale. The approach could dramatically speed up the discovery of new psychiatric drugs.

20 Jan 2010

HSF1A stimulates more protein chaperones and reduces protein misfolding

Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have found some compounds that improve a cell's ability to properly "fold" proteins and could lead to promising drugs for degenerative nerve diseases, including Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

20 Jan 2010

Prenatal exposure to PBDEs associated with neurodevelopmental effects in young children

Prenatal exposure to ambient levels of flame retardant compounds called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is associated with adverse neurodevelopmental effects in young children, according to researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

20 Jan 2010

LABEC Pharma meets European regulatory guidelines to sell Interleukin Genetics' Heart Health genetic test

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. and LABEC Pharma, S.L. announced today that LABEC Pharma has met European regulatory guidelines to sell Interleukin Genetics' Heart Health genetic test. The test, which helps to identify individuals at elevated risk for early heart attack, will be marketed to physicians in Spain and Portugal by LABEC Pharma under the product name Cardio Health™.

20 Jan 2010

Thermo Fisher Scientific signs definitive agreement to acquire Ahura Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ahura Scientific, a leader in field-deployed analytical instruments for human health and public safety, for $145 million in cash plus the potential for an earn-out payment based on the achievement of certain 2010 financial targets.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 19 Jan 2010

HolGenTech PGA for Genome Based Economy to be presented at the Personalized Medicine World Conference

HolGenTech, a leader in Genome Computing Architecture, will demonstrate the world's first Personal Genome Assistant (PGA) for the Genome Based Economy at the inaugural event of the Personalized Medicine World Conference at the Mountain View Computer History Museum, January 19-20. Designed to automate best choices for consumers as they shop for food, nutrients, cosmetics and more, the HolGenTech PGA leverages data from genomic tests, health database services, and user preferences to equip consumers with a practical tool to optimize health and maximize prevention.

19 Jan 2010

Study examines how opioid overdose differs by prescribed dose for chronic pain conditions

More and more Americans with chronic pain not caused by cancer are taking medically prescribed opioids like Oxycontin (oxycodone) and Vicodin (hydrocodone). The January 19 Annals of Internal Medicine features the first study to explore the risk of overdose in patients prescribed opioids for chronic noncancer pain in general health care.

19 Jan 2010

Randomised trial shows fish oil is associated with improved clinical outcomes in septic patients

A randomised controlled trial of fish oil given intravenously to patients in intensive care has found that it improves gas exchange, reduces inflammatory chemicals and results in a shorter length of hospital stay. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care investigated the effects of including fish oil in the normal nutrient solution for patients with sepsis, finding a significant series of benefits.

19 Jan 2010

Smoking diabetics more likely to have a heart attack

The Canadian Diabetes Association encourages all Canadians living with diabetes who smoke to take action to quit smoking in the next seven days, during National Non-Smoking Week.

19 Jan 2010

Race against time to produce artificial blood substitute

The Twilight book trilogy has 'vegetarian' vampires living on animal blood and in the TV series True Blood, Japanese scientists have developed a synthetic blood substitute. However, in the most recent blockbuster movie Daybreakers, vampires suffer a horrific fate when attempting to drink their blood substitute.

18 Jan 2010

Major tobacco company dampens impact of EU public health legislation

A major tobacco company played a key role in dampening the impact of EU public health legislation, academics at the Universities of Bath and Edinburgh have claimed.

18 Jan 2010

U.S. DOD awards LUHS $1.6M to continue burn research

Loyola University Health Systems (LUHS) has received a $1.6 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to research burn injuries, the care of burn wounds and infections and how burns affect the immune system.

18 Jan 2010

New study indicates a decline in biomedical research; Autism Speaks urges government to increase research funding

As the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports on the actual decline in U.S. biomedical research funding, Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, again called on the federal government to immediately step up its efforts - and dramatically increase research funding - to address the growing national autism public health crisis.

18 Jan 2010

Intertek expands its REACH services portfolio

Intertek (www.intertek.com), the leading provider of quality and safety services to a wide range of industries, has expanded its REACH services portfolio by providing services to meet the additional requirement to disclose the presence of 15 new REACH Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC).

13 Jan 2010