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Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate.

Altogen Labs introduces pyrosequencing services for hospitals, research institutions

Altogen Labs, a biology contract research organization and provider of pre-clinical research services, announced its launch of a pyrosequencing service today.

20 Jul 2011

Researchers identify potential therapeutic target for ER-negative breast cancer

Using a new in vivo screening system, Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a protein in the serine biosynthesis pathway that is essential in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer—a notoriously difficult disease to treat associated with low five-year survival rates.

19 Jul 2011

Mayo Clinic licenses M. tuberculosis complex speciation test from QIAGEN

Mayo Clinic has licensed patent rights from QIAGEN to enable Mayo Medical Laboratories to offer an M. tuberculosis complex speciation test. The test expands Mayo Medical Laboratories' current offering for tuberculosis testing, which already includes M. tuberculosis complex culture, molecular identification and drug susceptibility testing.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 19 Jul 2011

Scientists define structure of astrovirus that causes juvenile diarrhea

Rice University scientists have defined the structure -- down to the atomic level -- of a virus that causes juvenile diarrhea. The research may help direct efforts to develop medications that block the virus before it becomes infectious.

19 Jul 2011

ISENTRESS demonstrates comparable efficacy to efavirenz in treatment-naïve adult HIV-1 patients

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced final results from a Phase II clinical study, extending out to 240 weeks, of its integrase inhibitor ISENTRESS® (raltegravir) Tablets in combination therapy in previously untreated (treatment-naïve) adult HIV-1-infected patients.

18 Jul 2011

New DNA sequencer will provide deeper insight into gene regulation

The Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB) of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin, Germany, will be the first academic research institution in Continental Europe to acquire a novel DNA sequencer enabling the sequencing of single DNA molecules in real time.

16 Jul 2011

Arabidopsis thaliana helps scientists to solve puzzles in human health

A tiny plant called Arabidopsis thaliana just helped scientists unearth new clues about the daily cycles of many organisms, including humans. This is the latest in a long line of research, much of it supported by the National Institutes of Health, that uses plants to solve puzzles in human health.

14 Jul 2011

Illumina announces availability of new TruSeq Custom Enrichment kits

Illumina, Inc. today announced availability of its new TruSeq Custom Enrichment kits which enable researchers to economically design and target genomic regions of interest ranging from 700 kilobases (Kb) to 15 megabases (Mb) of cumulative DNA.

From Illumina, Inc. 13 Jul 2011

Specific miRNAs play a key role in melanoma metastasis

Researchers at the NYU Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center at NYU Langone Medical Center, identified for the first time the key role specific microRNAs play in melanoma metastasis to simultaneously cause cancer cells to invade and immunosuppress the human body's ability to fight abnormal cells.

12 Jul 2011

Alnylam seeks CTA clearance to initiate ALN-PCS Phase I clinical trial for severe hypercholesterolemia

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has filed a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to initiate a Phase I clinical trial with ALN-PCS, an RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of severe hypercholesterolemia.

11 Jul 2011

Illumina, Sequenom sign three-year supply agreement

Sequenom, Inc., a life sciences company providing innovative genetic analysis solutions, today announced it has signed a three-year supply agreement with Illumina, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of life sciences tools for the large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function.

From Illumina, Inc. 11 Jul 2011

Scientists convert brain cells into cardiomyocytes

For the past decade, researchers have tried to reprogram the identity of all kinds of cell types. Heart cells are one of the most sought-after cells in regenerative medicine because researchers anticipate that they may help to repair injured hearts by replacing lost tissue.

11 Jul 2011

QIAGEN to acquire Cellestis

QIAGEN N.V. today announced that it has amended its original proposal to acquire Cellestis Limited, a publicly traded Australian biotechnology company.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 11 Jul 2011

Common cell pathway could lead to new treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer

A discovery by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers about a how a common cell pathway that helps regulate cell survival and production is turned on could lead to new treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

8 Jul 2011

Merck decides not to advance IMO-2055 development for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Idera Pharmaceuticals today provides an update on the clinical development of IMO-2055 (EMD 1201081), a TLR9 agonist for cancer treatment being developed by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, under its collaboration with Idera.

8 Jul 2011

Extensive genomic, transcriptional diversity identified through massively parallel DNA and RNA sequencing

In a paper published in the online edition of Nature Genetics on July 3, 2011, sequencing specialists at Axeq Technologies, and scientists from Macrogen Inc., Genomic Medicine Institute at Seoul National University, Psoma Therapeutics Inc., Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School reported the discovery of a wide range of novel genetic variants based on the deep sequencing of 18 genomes and 17 transcriptomes of unrelated Korean individuals.

8 Jul 2011

Infectious adenoviruses and noroviruses in bathing water could pose a risk to health

European researchers have found viruses in nearly 40% of more than 1,400 bathing water samples gathered from coastal and inland areas in nine countries, including Spain. The concentrations found are low, but the scientists are calling for these microorganisms to be monitored in recreational waters, above all at times when their populations skyrocket, as is the case after heavy rains.

8 Jul 2011