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Semi-quantitative pregnancy tests: an interview with Dr. Paul Blumenthal, Stanford University School of Medicine

Regular pregnancy tests work a little bit like a simple light switch that you have on your wall. It’s either on or off. When it’s on, that means the test is positive; if it’s off, obviously, it’s negative.

12 Jul 2013

PrenaTest can be now performed for high risk pregnancies after ninth week

PrenaTest, Europe's first non-invasive molecular genetic blood test to determine fetal trisomies 13, 18 and 21 in the mother's blood can now be performed for high risk pregnancies after the ninth week (W 9 + D 0).

11 Jul 2013

Atomo Diagnostics, BBI Solutions sign agreement for global rollout out of AtomoRapid test

Medical technology developer Atomo Diagnostics and market leading diagnostic company BBI Solutions have entered into an agreement to commercialise Atomo’s award winning, integrated rapid blood test platform, AtomoRapid.

9 Jul 2013

Duke researchers solve some mysteries related to the use of aspirin

Aspirin has been widely used for more than 50 years as a common, inexpensive blood thinner for patients with heart disease and stroke, but doctors have little understanding of how it works and why some people benefit and others don't.

4 Jul 2013

3-gene signature test will improve care of kidney transplant patients

A breakthrough non-invasive test can detect whether transplanted kidneys are in the process of being rejected, as well as identify patients at risk for rejection weeks to months before they show symptoms, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

4 Jul 2013

Thermo Fisher Scientific and Newman-Lakka Institute collaborate to develop new diagnostic approaches for personalized cancer treatment

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, and the Newman-Lakka Institute for Personalized Cancer Care at Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, announced an intended collaboration for research and development of new methods to detect and track circulating biomarkers in blood.

25 Jun 2013

Banyan Biomarkers completes $6 million series A funding for further biomarker research

Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. today announced that it has completed a $6 million series A funding from private investors for further biomarker research and continued development of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnostic test. Currently, the company is enrolling subjects in a 2,000 patient pivotal clinical trial funded by a $26.3 million contract with the United States Department of Defense.

20 Jun 2013

New blood test finds cancer-related microRNA in blood before tumor development

A new blood test developed in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Lab at Baylor Research Institute is showing very promising results for finding cancer-related microRNA in the blood before a tumor develops in the colon.

19 Jun 2013

Combination of two proteins released after head injury might be best way to diagnose MTBI

Scientists are scrambling to gather data for the FDA to support the need for a blood test to diagnose brain injury in the United States. The University of Rochester Medical Center just added significant evidence by reporting in the Journal of Neurotrauma that it might be clinically useful to measure two brain biomarkers instead of one.

19 Jun 2013

Vitamin D deficiency can increase asthma and allergy risk in obese children and teenagers

One reason why obese children and teenagers are more likely to have hard-to-control asthma and allergies may be vitamin D deficiency, a new study finds. Results of the study will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

18 Jun 2013

HPV antibodies may help identify individuals at increased risk of HPV-related oropharynx cancer

Researchers have found that antibodies against the human papillomavirus (HPV) may help identify individuals who are at greatly increased risk of HPV-related cancer of the oropharynx, which is a portion of the throat that contains the tonsils.

18 Jun 2013

University of Oxford researchers receive grant to study genes that contribute to ankylosing spondylitis

A team at the University of Oxford has received a grant of £160,000 from Arthritis Research UK to study the function of the genes which contribute to people developing a painful inflammatory back condition called ankylosing spondylitis.

13 Jun 2013

SUNY Downstate to receive grant to advance blood test to predict breast cancer progression

SUNY Downstate Medical Center will receive up to $50,000 from the statewide SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund to advance a blood test to determine breast cancer prognosis.

10 Jun 2013

Study: Non-invasive blood test could reshape standards in prenatal testing

New research has found that routine screening using a non-invasive test that analyzes fetal DNA in a pregnant woman's blood can accurately detect Down's syndrome and other genetic fetal abnormalities in the first trimester. Published early online in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the results suggest that the test is superior to currently available screening strategies and could reshape standards in prenatal testing.

10 Jun 2013

Study: Individuals with ASDs show decrease metabolism of amino acid L-tryptophan

Researchers at the JC Self Research Institute of the Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC), along with collaborators from Biolog, Inc. in California, have reported an important discovery in the understanding of autism which was published this week in Molecular Autism.

7 Jun 2013

Genetic testing of chronic neutrophilic leukemia reveals presence of new mutation in patients

A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine describes genetic testing of a rare blood cancer called atypical chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) that revealed a new mutation present in most patients with the disease.

7 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Calif., Oregon exchanges curb premiums with limited networks; Why the U.S. pays so much for health care

A closer examination of these health plans (to be offered on the California and Oregon exchanges) reveals a less rosy picture. Although the premiums are lower than some anticipated, this has been achieved by designing the plans around much more limited provider networks and including greater cost-sharing than the typical commercial health-insurance plan. The premiums for the policies that will be offered on the states' exchanges are much higher than analogous plans being sold today (Daniel P. Kessler, 6/3).

5 Jun 2013

Diaxonhit, XDx agree to market and perform AlloMap Molecular Expression Testing in Europe

Diaxonhit, the leading French provider of specialty diagnostic solutions, and XDx, Inc., a U.S. molecular diagnostics company focused on non-invasive tests for transplantation and autoimmune disease, announced today that they have entered into a memorandum of agreement for the exclusive license to market and perform AlloMap Molecular Expression Testing (AlloMap) in Europe.

4 Jun 2013

Human tumors with MET amplification respond to MET inhibitor drugs

A subset of colorectal cancers responds to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) therapies, but develops resistance within months. Among cancers that develop resistance to anti-EGFR therapy, some showed overexpression of a gene called MET, according to a study published in the June issue of Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

3 Jun 2013

Study shows utility of cfDNA blood tests for breast cancer patients

Researchers from Chronix Biomedical and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today announced that results from a pilot study demonstrating the utility of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) blood tests as a companion diagnostic for breast cancer patients are to be reported in a poster presentation titled "Modulation of breast cancer cell-free DNA with surgical resection" (Abstract #11060) at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting (ASCO 2013) being held from May 31 through June 4, 2013 in Chicago. The blood test detects cfDNA that is released into the blood stream by damaged and dying cancer cells.

1 Jun 2013