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Experimental drug improves survival, growth outcomes in mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome

Drugs capable of activating silenced genes improve survival and growth outcomes in a mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare and incurable childhood disease, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

27 Dec 2016

Agendia data reveals impact of MammaPrint on adjuvant treatment decisions in breast cancer patients

Agendia, Inc., a world leader in personalized medicine and molecular cancer diagnostics, has presented new prospective data demonstrating the strong impact of its 70-Gene Breast Cancer Recurrence assay, MammaPrint, and the corresponding 80-Gene Molecular Subtyping Assay BluePrint, in clinical decision-making for patients with early-stage breast cancer in Germany.

22 Dec 2016

MedUni Vienna scientists show that addictive cravings can be detected after death

A protein known as FosB in the reward centre of the brain alters in chronically ill people suffering from an addictive disorder (e.g. heroin addiction): it is genetically modified, split off and shortened.

21 Dec 2016

Study identifies four previously unknown genetic risk locations for primary sclerosing cholangitis

A study of unprecedented scale has led researchers to identify four previously unknown genetic risk locations for primary sclerosing cholangitis, a liver disease that lacks effective medical therapy.

20 Dec 2016

Study provides new insights into fundamental characteristics of dendritic cells

Dendritic cells represent an important component of the immune system: they recognize and engulf invaders, which subsequently triggers a pathogen-specific immune response.

17 Dec 2016

WPI researchers develop chip to trap and identify metastatic cancer cells in blood

A chip developed by mechanical engineers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute can trap and identify metastatic cancer cells in a small amount of blood drawn from a cancer patient.

16 Dec 2016

New technique uses focused ultrasound to detect cancer biomarkers in the blood

Each year, thousands of Canadian men with prostate cancer undergo biopsies to help their doctors better understand the progression and nature of their disease. It provides vital, sometimes life-saving information, yet cancer researcher John Lewis knows it can be a difficult test to ask of anyone.

15 Dec 2016

New study may shed light on diseases associated with mutations in aminoacyl tRNA synthetases

New research led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute reveals that a human enzyme has changed little from its days as a bacterial enzyme. In fact, the enzyme appears to be unique in its ability to change its shape—and its job in cells—without overhauling its basic architecture.

14 Dec 2016

Phenotypic Personalized Medicine could surmount treatment challenges for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A team of UCLA bioengineers has demonstrated that its technology may go a long way toward overcoming the challenges of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, among the most common types of cancer in children, and has the potential to help doctors personalize drug doses.

14 Dec 2016

Researchers uncover first ‘off-switches’ for better control of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing

CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing is quickly revolutionizing biomedical research, but the new technology is not yet exact. The technique can inadvertently make excessive or unwanted changes in the genome and create off-target mutations, limiting safety and efficacy in therapeutic applications.

9 Dec 2016

Scientists identify biomarkers to predict patient’s response to breast cancer treatment

Why do some breast cancers respond to treatment while others resist it? A study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center may provide insight into this important question.

8 Dec 2016

Scientists use unified analysis approach for diagnosing diseases with multiple genetic causes

Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, Baylor Genetics, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Texas Children's Hospital are combining descriptions of patients' clinical features with their complex genetic information in a unified analysis to obtain more precise diagnoses of complex diseases, particularly those that involve more than one gene causing the condition.

8 Dec 2016

Sophia Genetics introduces privacy-protecting technology for storage and access to patients’ genomic information

Sophia Genetics, global leader in Data-Driven Medicine, unveiled today a new privacy-protecting technology for the storage and access to patients’ genomic information worldwide, paving the way to a new industry standard.

7 Dec 2016

Researchers identify critical paralog groups with indispensable role in cellular signalling pathways

Throughout evolutionary history, there have been genetic elements that have duplicated - giving rise to genes with different functions.

7 Dec 2016

Experts discuss ways to integrate whole genome analysis into clinical practice at Congenica webinar

Whole genome analysis – where all of a patient’s genes are screened for potential disease causing variants – offers the potential for a rapid, responsive NHS testing service.

6 Dec 2016

Protective barrier inside chromosomes helps prevent errors during cell division, study finds

Fresh insights into the structures that contain our genetic material could explain how the body's cells stay healthy.

1 Dec 2016

Nature Methods publishes comparative study of leading Protein-Protein Interaction Networks

Nature Methods published (online) a comparative study of leading Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) Networks.

1 Dec 2016

PCSK9 and HMGCR genetic variations that lower bad cholesterol affect risk of cardiovascular events

In a new study published in the December 1, 2016 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and a collaboration of international researchers, studied variants in the genes encoding HMGCR and PCSK9 that affect cholesterol levels, and found that variants that lowered LDL (or "bad") cholesterol in each gene were associated with nearly identical protective effects on the risk of cardiovascular events per unit reduction in LDL cholesterol.

30 Nov 2016

Scientists create comprehensive computational metabolic models for different gut microbes

Hundreds of different bacterial species live in the human gut, helping us to digest our food. The metabolic processes of these bacteria are not only tremendously important to our health -- they are also tremendously complex.

29 Nov 2016

Clinical study to test sensitivity and effectiveness of smart bandages begins

A clinical trial of a smart bandage which changes colour when it detects infections is beginning using samples from burns patients from four UK hospitals.