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Scientists identify way to find proverbial needle in cancer antigen haystack

Scientists have found a way to find the proverbial needle in the cancer antigen haystack, according to a report published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

24 Sep 2014

Epidurals and reduced postpartum depression: an interview with Dr. Zakowski

The “maternity blues”, which resolve within 10 days of giving birth, occurs in up to 80% of new moms. A major depressive episode, by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria, is defined as having at least a 2-week period of persistent depressed mood ...

23 Sep 2014

Scientists identify gene mutation that causes aplastic anemia

An international team of scientists has identified a gene mutation that causes aplastic anemia, a serious blood disorder in which the bone marrow fails to produce normal amounts of blood cells.

23 Sep 2014

Circulating tumour cell clinical research collaboration announced between EKF Diagnostics and Massachusetts General Hospital

EKF, announces that it has entered into a two year research collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital.

From EKF Diagnostics 23 Sep 2014

Absence of thyroid hormone during development can cause congenital deafness

Fatigue, weight gain, chills, hair loss, anxiety, excessive perspiration - these symptoms are a few of the signs that the thyroid gland, which regulates the body's heart rate and plays a crucial role in its metabolism, has gone haywire.

23 Sep 2014

MIT engineers find new strategy to combat superbugs

In recent years, new strains of bacteria have emerged that resist even the most powerful antibiotics. Each year, these superbugs, including drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis and staphylococcus, infect more than 2 million people nationwide, and kill at least 23,000. Despite the urgent need for new treatments, scientists have discovered very few new classes of antibiotics in the past decade.

22 Sep 2014

Novel technique uses genetic tool and light to map neural networks

For years, neuroscientists have been trying to develop tools that would allow them to clearly view the brain's circuitry in action-from the first moment a neuron fires to the resulting behavior in a whole organism.

22 Sep 2014

Genetic testing for breast cancer doubled due to 'Angelina Jolie effect'

In May 2013 Angelina Jolie, who was then Hollywood's highest-paid actress, underwent a double mastectomy after testing positive for a BRCA1 gene mutation that significantly increases the risk of developing breast cancer. A recent study, published by Breast Cancer Research has found that, public knowledge of her decision doubled NHS referrals for genetic testing for breast cancer risk.

19 Sep 2014

Scientists find 23 new genetic variants that increase risk for prostate cancer

In an analysis of genetic information among more than 87,000 men, a global team of scientists says it has found 23 new genetic variants - common differences in the genetic code -- that increase a man's risk for prostate cancer. The so-called "meta-analysis," believed to be the largest of its kind, has revealed once hidden mutations among men in a broad array of ethnic groups comprising men of European, African, Japanese and Latino ancestry.

18 Sep 2014

Rosuvastatin promotes bone growth in mice with achondroplasia symptoms

Skeletal dysplasia is a group of rare diseases that afflict skeletal growth through abnormalities in bone and cartilage. Its onset hits at the fetal stage and is caused by genetic mutations.

18 Sep 2014

Sanofi, MyoKardia partner to develop targeted therapeutics for cardiomyopathies

Sanofi and MyoKardia, Inc., a privately-held company leading the development of precision therapies for genetic heart disease, announced today a worldwide collaboration to discover and develop first-of-its-kind targeted therapeutics for heritable heart diseases known as cardiomyopathies, the most common forms of heart muscle disease.

18 Sep 2014

Researchers discover new molecular mechanism that plays crucial role in age-dependent diabetes

Ageing of insulin-secreting cells is coupled to a progressive decline in signal transduction and insulin release, according to a recent study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

18 Sep 2014

Ramucirumab effective second-line option for NSCLC

The monoclonal antibody ramucirumab, when added to second-line docetaxel, significantly improves the overall survival of patients with stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer, show the findings of the REVEL trial.

17 Sep 2014

Survival benefits with erlotinib plus bevacizumab in EGFR-Mutated NSCLC

Combining erlotinib with bevacizumab could prolong progression-free survival in patients being treated for epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer, phase II trial results suggest.

17 Sep 2014

OGT to highlight NGS and FISH methods for tumour screening at BSGM 2014

Oxford Gene Technology, The Molecular Genetics Company, is inviting attendees of the British Society for Genetic Medicine annual conference to its seminar entitled ‘Approaches to tumour screening and therapy stratification: case studies in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer’ on Monday 22nd September, 13.10-13.50, room 2N.

From Oxford Gene Technology 17 Sep 2014

Novel genetic discovery identifies new avenues for prostate cancer treatment

A genetic discovery out of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is leading to a highly accurate test for aggressive prostate cancer and identifies new avenues for treatment.

17 Sep 2014

Neuroscientists discover key gene linked to origins of speech

Neuroscientists have found that a gene mutation that arose more than half a million years ago may be key to humans' unique ability to produce and understand speech.

16 Sep 2014

Parion Sciences receives $3 million CFFT award to support development of new CF treatment

Parion Sciences today announced it has received a $3 million award from Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics to support the development of P-1037, Parion's new investigational treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF).

16 Sep 2014

Collaborative study takes important step toward finding targeted treatments for bladder cancer

The story of cancer care seems so simple: find the mutated gene that causes cancer and turn it off or fix it. But rarely does a single gene cause cancer. More often, many genes are altered together to drive the disease. So the challenge becomes sorting out which altered genes are the most to blame in which cancers.

16 Sep 2014

AstraZeneca is developing new PARP inhibitor for treatment of ovarian cancer

The ovarian cancer market is highly active with several promising candidates having reached the late stages of development. Three PARP inhibitors, Lynparza (AstraZeneca), niraparib (Tesaro) and rucaparib (Clovis Oncology), which induce cell death in mutated [BRCA-deficient] cancer cells, have been identified by Datamonitor Healthcare as front runners.

11 Sep 2014