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Researchers explain how HSV dismantles host's defense systems

A viral infection is like an uninvited, tenacious houseguest in the cell, using a range of tricks to prevent its eviction. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified one of the key proteins allowing herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA to fly under the radar of their hosts' involuntary hospitality.

21 Jan 2010

New class of HCV inhibitors discovered by Eiger BioPharmaceuticals

Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company developing antiviral therapies, announced today the publication of research from the labs of Stanford scientist and Eiger Founder, Dr. Jeffrey Glenn, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues entitled, "Identification of a Novel Class of HCV Inhibitors". Published in the January 20th edition of Science and Translational Medicine, the research validates a domain, termed 4BAH2, within the non-structural protein (NS4B) of the HCV genome, as essential for HCV replication and describes the development of a high-throughput screen leading to the identification of small molecule inhibitors of 4BAH2.

21 Jan 2010

GSK to offer scientists access to compounds, lab space to fight malaria

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)'s Chief Executive Officer Andrew Witty on Tuesday unveiled the company's plans to allow "free access to its library of 13,500 potential malaria treatments and devote the profits from its experimental [RTS,S] vaccine to battling tropical illnesses that beset poor countries," Bloomberg reports (Randall, 1/20).

21 Jan 2010

Ambry Genetics introduces new StemArray product and services utilizing aCGH technology

Ambry Genetics today introduces their new StemArray™ product and services utilizing aCGH technology to cover the entire genome. The Ambry StemArray™ offers a higher resolution approach to standard karyotyping for stem cells at comparable costs.

20 Jan 2010

QuantRx Biomedical's developments in genetics-based technology

QuantRx® Biomedical Corporation, a broad-based diagnostic company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative diagnostic products, today provided an update from Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Walter Witoshkin on its involvement in genetics-based personalized medicine and disease prevention.

20 Jan 2010

TCGA study reveals four distinct molecular subtypes of GBM

The most common form of malignant brain cancer in adults, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is not a single disease but appears to be four distinct molecular subtypes, according to a study by the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network. The researchers of this study also found that response to aggressive chemotherapy and radiation differed by subtype.

20 Jan 2010

Repeated exposure to tobacco smoke makes lung cancer much worse

Repeated exposure to tobacco smoke makes lung cancer much worse, and one reason is that it steps up inflammation in the lung. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that mice with early lung cancer lesions that were repeatedly exposed to tobacco smoke developed larger tumors - and developed tumors more quickly - than unexposed animals.

19 Jan 2010

Scarab Genomics launches White Glove IS Detection Kit

Scarab Genomics has now launched the White Glove IS Detection Kit to test for the presence of transposable Insertion Sequence (IS) elements in a DNA of interest. Numerous IS elements are naturally present in the genomes of E. coli strains commonly used for protein and plasmid production, but are not present in the Scarab Genomics Clean Genome® strains.

19 Jan 2010

Genetic map of Artemisia will accelerate breeding to address increased demand for malaria treatments

Plant scientists at the University of York have published the first genetic map of the medicinal herb Artemisia annua. The map is being used to accelerate plant breeding of Artemisia and rapidly develop the species into a high-yielding crop. This development is urgently needed to help meet escalating demand for effective malaria treatments.

19 Jan 2010

Study provides new insights into genetics and evolution

Researchers from the University of Geneva and the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics led an analysis of the sequenced genomes of parasitic wasps. Generally unknown to the public, the parasitic wasps kill pest insects. They are like 'smart bombs' that seek out and kill only specific kinds of insects.

19 Jan 2010

EMBL-EBI hosts drug discovery database

ChEMBLdb, a vast online database of information on the properties and activities of drugs and drug-like small molecules and their targets, launches today with information on over half a million compounds. The data lie at the heart of translating information from the human genome into successful new drugs in the clinic.

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

Boehringer Ingelheim, Priaxon announce collaboration in development of mdm2/p53 inhibitors for cancer

Boehringer Ingelheim and Priaxon entered into a worldwide collaboration to research and develop mdm2/p53 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. Priaxon is providing its innovative and proprietary small molecule drug discovery expertise which is particularly suited to investigate inhibition of protein-protein interactions. p53 is a human tumor suppressor protein.

18 Jan 2010

Research may pave for further studies on various human skin disorders

The leopard cannot change its spots, nor can the tiger change its stripes, but a new research report published in the January 2009 issue of the journal GENETICS tells us something about how cats end up with their spots and stripes

18 Jan 2010

Unveiling of soybean genome could help boost crop yields in future

"Scientists on Wednesday unveiled the genome of the soybean, saying it was an achievement that should deepen understanding of one of the world's most important crops, help to boost yields and defend the plant against pests," Agence France-Presse reports. The study, published in the journal Nature, details the findings of the "[e]ighteen organisations, most of them American, [who] teamed up in a 15-year endeavour that yielded a draft of 85 percent of the soybean's 1.1 billion base pairs, the 'rungs' in the double-helix ladder of DNA," the news service writes

18 Jan 2010

New genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease identified

An international team of doctors and human geneticists has identified a new genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease. The institutions involved in the study were the Institute of Human Genetics of Helmholtz Zentrum München and Technische Universität München, the Neurological Clinic of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU) and the Mitochondrial Research Group of Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

18 Jan 2010

Molecules capable of reversing brain abnormalities in PD identified

Scientists identified several molecules capable of reversing the brain abnormalities of Parkinson's disease (PD), while also uncovering new clues for its origin in a study just published in the journal Disease Models and Mechanisms. PD is characterised by abnormal deposits of a brain protein called alpha-synuclein throughout the damaged brain regions, but exactly what they do there is not clear. The fact that their numbers and spreading are associated disease progression has made them, however, a major point of interest in PD research.

18 Jan 2010

MAGIC investigators identify new genetic variants that influence insulin and glucose regulation

An international research consortium has found 13 new genetic variants that influence blood glucose regulation, insulin resistance, and the function of insulin-secreting beta cells in populations of European descent. Five of the newly discovered variants increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes.

18 Jan 2010

Researchers identify new gene variants associated With glucose, insulin levels

A major international study with leadership from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers has identified 10 new gene variants associated with blood sugar or insulin levels. Two of these novel variants and three that earlier studies associated with glucose levels were also found to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Along with a related study from members of the same research consortium, associating additional genetic variants with the metabolic response to a sugary meal, the report will appear in Nature Genetics and has been released online.

18 Jan 2010

Joubert Syndrome - an inherited neurological disease found among Ashkenazi Jews

Two scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) are part of an international team that has discovered a genetic mutation that causes Joubert Syndrome. JBTS, as it is commonly called, is a devastating inherited neurological disease that is very rare in the general population but found relatively more often among Ashkenazi Jews.

18 Jan 2010