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NYSCF and ISMMS scientists successfully generate stem cell model of familial Alzheimer's disease

Scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute in collaboration with scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai successfully generated a stem cell model of familial Alzheimer's disease.

8 Jan 2014

Slower decline for patients with PARKIN-associated PD

Cognitive and motor decline may be slower in patients with early-onset Parkinson’s disease if they have PARKIN mutations, suggests an analysis of the Consortium on Risk for Early-Onset PD study.

8 Jan 2014

Study raises hopes for new drugs to treat brain disorders associated with neurotransmitter imbalance

Although drugs have been developed that inhibit the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain - a condition which causes many brain disorders and nervous system diseases - the exact understanding of the mechanism by which these drugs work has not yet been fully understood.

8 Jan 2014

NeoGenomics launches new test for detection of mutations in CALR gene

NeoGenomics, Inc., a leading provider of cancer-focused genetic testing services, announced today that it has validated and launched a new test for the detection of mutations in the calreticulin (CALR) gene. The CALR gene is a novel biomarker that was reported to be specific for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) for the first time at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology last month.

8 Jan 2014

Study reveals epigenetic changes also play a role in breast cancer risk

Breast cancer runs in families; however, genetic predisposition (such as being BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers) explains only a portion of this observation.

8 Jan 2014

Insight Genetics receives $1.5M SBIR contract to research on resistance mutations in NSCLC patients

Insight Genetics, Inc. today announced it has received a new $1.5 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from the National Cancer Institute.

8 Jan 2014

Research reveals two new genetic causes of neonatal diabetes

Research by the University of Exeter Medical School has revealed two new genetic causes of neonatal diabetes.

8 Jan 2014

Added benefit of dabrafenib not proven

Dabrafenib has been approved in Germany since August 2013 for the treatment of advanced melanoma. In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care examined whether this new drug offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy.

7 Jan 2014

Blueprint Medicines closes $25 million Series B financing

Blueprint Medicines today announced the completion of a $25 million Series B financing. The oncology-focused investor, Nextech Invest Ltd., led the round, which also included founding investors Third Rock Ventures and Fidelity Biosciences as well as public investors Biotech Value Fund, L.P., Casdin Capital, LLC and other undisclosed investors.

7 Jan 2014

Horizon, AstraZeneca partner to explore oncology-relevant genotypes to identify novel drug targets

Horizon Discovery and AstraZeneca have entered into a research, collaboration and license agreement to explore a range of oncology-relevant genotypes with the aim of identifying and validating a number of novel drug targets. This deal is the second collaboration between AstraZeneca and Horizon, and follows the announcement in April 2013 of an oncology discovery program to explore Horizon's first-in-class kinase target program, HD-001.

7 Jan 2014

Study suggests new target for drugs to treat head and neck tumors

The increased activation of a key oncogene in head and neck cancers could be the result of mutation and dysfunction of regulatory proteins that are supposed to keep the gene, which has the potential to cause cancer, in check, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

7 Jan 2014

Mutations in small proteins that help convey electrical signals may influence nerve health

Mutations in small proteins that help convey electrical signals throughout the body may have a surprisingly large effect on health, according to results of a new Johns Hopkins study study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December using spider, scorpion and sea anemone venom.

7 Jan 2014

Special publication details breakthrough research on causes of vascular disease

The world's leading voices in the fight against Pulmonary Hypertension have compiled a special publication detailing the breakthrough research into the causes of this debilitating vascular disease.

6 Jan 2014

Study uncovers how enzymes could be used to identify predisposition to ROS-related diseases

A UT Arlington chemist doing National Science Foundation-funded research on enzymes that regulate human biology has uncovered characteristics that could be used to identify predisposition to conditions such as heart disease, diabetic ulcers and some types of cancer.

6 Jan 2014

Hopkins scientists design new mouse that mimics common form of leukemia

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators have genetically engineered a new mouse that mimics a common form of leukemia in humans. Studying the model could lead to new understanding of the disease, they say.

6 Jan 2014

Dysfunction in MADD gene in mice causes fasting hyperglycemia

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have found that dysfunction in a single gene in mice causes fasting hyperglycemia, one of the major symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Their findings were reported online in the journal Diabetes.

5 Jan 2014

University of Utah discovers cellular mechanism that stops metastasis of breast cancer

Researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah discovered a cellular mechanism that drives the spread of breast cancer to other parts of the body (metastasis), as well as a therapy which blocks that mechanism. The research results were published online in the journal Cell Reports on January 2.

3 Jan 2014

Researchers identify two novel BRAF fusions in melanomas

Stand Up To Cancer, the charitable initiative supporting ground-breaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated timeframe, announces that Jeffrey A. Sosman, M.D., a Stand Up To Cancer Melanoma Dream Team investigator, William Pao, M.D., Ph.D., a 2009 Stand Up To Cancer Innovative Research Grant recipient and colleagues identified two novel BRAF fusions in melanomas previously considered to be negative for molecular targets, and that melanomas with these fusions were found to be potentially sensitive to anticancer drugs called MEK inhibitors, according to a study recently published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

2 Jan 2014

Researchers reveal mechanism behind persistent bacteria

The mechanism by which some bacteria are able to survive antibacterial treatment has been revealed for the first time by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers. Their work could pave the way for new ways to control such bacteria.

31 Dec 2013