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FDA grants approval for first drug to treat inherited breast cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved use of Lynparza (olaparib tablets) to include the treatment of patients with certain types of breast cancer that have spread (metastasized) and whose tumors have a specific inherited (germline) genetic mutation, making it the first drug in its class (PARP inhibitor) approved to treat breast cancer, and it is the first time any drug has been approved to treat certain patients with metastatic breast cancer who have a "BRCA" gene mutation.

15 Jan 2018

Researchers develop remote-controlled mechanogenetics system to target and kill cancer cells

A team of researchers has developed an ultrasound-based system that can non-invasively and remotely control genetic processes in live immune T cells so that they recognize and kill cancer cells.

15 Jan 2018

Research sheds new light on genetic, environmental factors that promote prostate cancer metastasis

Prostate tumors tend to be what scientists call "indolent" - so slow-growing and self-contained that many affected men die with prostate cancer, not of it. But for the percentage of men whose prostate tumors metastasize, the disease is invariably fatal.

15 Jan 2018

Surfers more likely to get antibiotic resistant E. coli in their guts

A new study has found that surfers and body boarders are more likely to get antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) in their guts compared to non-surfers. The study from the researchers at the University of Exeter was published in the January 2018 issue of the journal Environment International.

15 Jan 2018

Scientists discover new enzyme that could help in the battle against obesity

Scientists have discovered a new enzyme in adipose tissue that helps regulate inflammation. The discovery could help in the battle against obesity.

15 Jan 2018

Circadian clock proteins set the pace of plant growth

Scientists at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) in Spain have identified the members of a protein family linked with the internal clocks of plants that act sequentially to restrict plant growth until just before daylight, according to a new study published in the journal Current Biology.

15 Jan 2018

Variations in bacterial strains can trigger varying immune responses, study states

A new study published in PLOS Pathogens revealed the role of genetic variations between different strains of the same bacterial species in inducing variations in immune system responses. Former studies have shown that susceptibility to infection with the same species of disease causing bacteria may vary among people.

15 Jan 2018

Caltech researchers develop new method to see neural connections in living flies

The human brain is composed of billions of neurons wired together in intricate webs and communicating through electrical pulses and chemical signals.

12 Jan 2018

U.S. FDA approves first drug for patients with germline BRCA-mutated metastatic breast cancer

AstraZeneca and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved LYNPARZA (olaparib) for use in patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer who have been previously treated with chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant or metastatic setting.

12 Jan 2018

Prostate cancer’s gene-determined ‘immune landscape’ dictates tumor progression

The field of immunotherapy - the harnessing of patients' own immune systems to fend off cancer - is revolutionizing cancer treatment today. However, clinical trials often show marked improvements in only small subsets of patients, suggesting that as-yet unidentified variations among tumors result in distinct paths of disease progression and response to therapy.

12 Jan 2018

Genetic analysis can enhance outcomes of depression treatment

The failure of drugs such as SSRIs, used to treat depression, can be a result of genetic variations in patients.

12 Jan 2018

Study finds overall pattern of commonality between Huntington's and Parkinson's

A new study strongly suggests that the brains of people who have died of Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) show a similar response to a lifetime of neurodegeneration, despite being two very distinct diseases.

12 Jan 2018

Worsening of anxiety symptoms may be early indicator of Alzheimer's disease

A new study suggests an association between elevated amyloid beta levels and the worsening of anxiety symptoms. The findings support the hypothesis that neuropsychiatric symptoms could represent the early manifestation of Alzheimer's disease in older adults.

12 Jan 2018

Study suggests shared genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and mood disorders

Mood disorders, including depression, are the most common comorbid conditions in individuals with epilepsy, but the cause remains unclear, according to a latest study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Rutgers University.

12 Jan 2018

Novel polygenic hazard score captures age variations of aggressive prostate cancer

An international team, led by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, has developed and validated a genetic tool for predicting age of onset of aggressive prostate cancer, a disease that kills more than 26,000 American men annually.

12 Jan 2018

RAS dimers essential for causing cancer, study shows

Mutated RAS genes are some of the most common genetic drivers of cancer, especially in aggressive cancers like pancreatic and lung cancer, but no medicines that target RAS are available despite decades of effort.

12 Jan 2018

Research provides insights into mechanisms governing healthy longevity

Keio University Global Research Institute, Tokyo publishes the January 2018 issue of KGRI Research Frontiers that includes researcher video profiles of Keio University researchers and research highlights from high impact publications including 'Regenerative medicine needs collaboration in and out of science in order to face current and future challenges; ‘Does eating fish protect you from depression?’; ‘Insights into the molecular mechanisms leading to kidney dysfunction in diabetic patients’; and ‘Ageing to 100 and beyond: Insights from demographic, phenotypic and genetic studies.

12 Jan 2018