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DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

Invalidation of gene patents: ACMG celebrates US District Court ruling

The American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG), one of the original plaintiffs in the anti-gene-patenting lawsuit filed in 2009, celebrated the US District Court ruling yesterday that genes are "unpatentable."

2 Apr 2010

Biotech reports record financial results for 2010 first quarter

Biotech racked up impressive gains for both the month of March and the first quarter of 2010. The Burrill Biotech Select Index posted a 3.7 percent jump in value in March and an 8 percent overall gain for Q1 '10.

2 Apr 2010

Genes improperly granted patents

Some time mid last year six breast cancer patients sued reputed Myriad Genetics, a company that holds patent of two vital genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 that play a role in increasing the risk of breast and ovarian cancers. The fees that the company charges for these genetic tests is a whopping $3,000 which these women claim they cannot afford and the most important of all these women cannot get a second opinion regarding the tests since no one else does them.

1 Apr 2010

Neogen announces acquisition of GeneSeek

Neogen Corporation announced today that it had purchased all the outstanding shares of GeneSeek, Inc., of Lincoln, Neb. GeneSeek is considered the leading commercial agricultural genetics laboratory in the United States.

1 Apr 2010

Scientists use non-viral, synthetic nanoparticle carrier to restores vision

Take a look at this: Scientists from Buffalo, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City made a huge step toward making the blind see, and they did it by using a form of gene therapy that does not involve the use of modified viruses.

1 Apr 2010

Insight into how mutations in LRRK2 gene may cause familial Parkinson's disease

Using new one-of-a-kind "mouse models" that promise to have a significant impact on future Parkinson's disease research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers are among the first to discover how mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause inherited (or "familial") Parkinson's disease, the most common form of the disease. The study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, is the first in vivo evidence that LRRK2 regulates dopamine transmission and controls motor performance, and that the mutation of LRRK2 eliminates the normal function of LRRK2, leading to Parkinson's disease.

1 Apr 2010

Bile secretions in small intestine send signals to disease-causing gut bacteria

Bile secretions in the small intestine send signals to disease-causing gut bacteria allowing them to change their behavior to maximize their chances of surviving, Montana State University research associate Steve Hamner told the Society for General Microbiology during its spring meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1 Apr 2010

People in 60s and 70s more likely to be diagnosed with skin cancer

People in their 60s and 70s are now over five times more likely to be diagnosed with malignant melanoma - the deadliest type of skin cancer - than their parents would have been 30 years ago, reveal new Cancer Research UK statistics1 to launch the 2010 SunSmart campaign today (Thursday).

1 Apr 2010

GeneLink's net sales for fourth-quarter of 2009 increased by 9.7%

GeneLink, Inc., a leading consumer genomics biotech company, today reported financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009.

1 Apr 2010

Court rules against gene patents

The New York Times: A judicial ruling that "threw out parts of two gene patents and called into question thousands more" has biotechnology executives hastening "to reassure their investors that the ruling would not necessarily undermine their businesses, at least in the short run. But the executives themselves were struggling on Tuesday to figure out what the long-term impact would be."

1 Apr 2010

Genta commences Phase 2b trial of tesetaxel in patients with advanced gastric cancer

Genta Incorporated today announced that the Company has initiated a confirmatory Phase 2b trial of tesetaxel in patients with advanced gastric cancer. Tesetaxel is the Company's newest clinical-stage small molecule. As a late Phase 2 oncology product, tesetaxel is the leading oral taxane currently in clinical development.

31 Mar 2010

Feinstein Institute scientists seek sisters for lupus study

The SisSLE (Sisters of Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) research study is looking for sisters: one with a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease and one (or more) who does not have lupus.

31 Mar 2010

BioNanomatrix awarded patent covering nanochannel arrays for high-throughput macromolecular analysis

BioNanomatrix, Inc., a developer of breakthrough single-molecule genomic analysis technology, today announced the issuance of U.S. patent 7,670,770 for nanochannel arrays that enable high-throughput macromolecular analysis. Also disclosed are methods of preparing nanochannel array chips, methods of analyzing macromolecules such as entire strands of genomic DNA, and systems for implementing these methods.

31 Mar 2010

BIO pleased with Court's dismissal of claims over patenting gene-based inventions

“As explained in the ruling yesterday, the District Court's determination is only a preliminary step in the legal process that does not affect how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) evaluates patent applications relating to DNA-based inventions.”

31 Mar 2010

Fairbanks Institute and BioServe to co-market next generation biorepository, INbank

The Fairbanks Institute for Healthy Communities, the Indianapolis not-for-profit organization working to improve community health, and BioServe, a global provider of biomaterial and genetic research services, today announced that they will co-market INbank™, a next generation biorepository that was recently launched by The Fairbanks Institute.

31 Mar 2010

Judge throws out human gene patents linked to cancers

The New York Times: A federal judge Monday threw out two patents on human genes that are linked to breast and ovarian cancer. "The decision, if upheld, could throw into doubt the patents covering thousands of human genes and reshape the law of intellectual property."

31 Mar 2010

CLC bio signs partnership agreement with Ion Torrent

CLC bio, the world's leading bioinformatics solution provider, today announced a partnership with Ion Torrent, a new sequencing company started by Dr. Jonathan Rothberg, the founder of 454 Life Sciences. The partnership will ensure that data can directly flow off of the Ion Personal Genome Machine sequencer and into CLC bio's solutions, like CLC Genomics Workbench or CLC Genomics Server.

30 Mar 2010

FDA allows GeoVax Labs to commence phase 1 clinical trial for HIV/AIDS therapeutic vaccine

GeoVax Labs, Inc., a biotechnology company that creates, develops, and tests innovative HIV/AIDS vaccines, is now allowed by the FDA to begin a phase 1 clinical trial for GeoVax's therapeutic vaccine, which is intended as a treatment for individuals infected with HIV. The company will begin a non-blinded study in HIV infected individuals who started drug treatment during their first year of infection.

30 Mar 2010

Mood altering effects of Phenytoin

Phenytoin is a well known antiepileptic agent widely used throughout the world. Recent clinical studies in patients with bipolar disorder have suggested that, as for other anticonvulsant drugs commonly used in the treatment of bipolar patients including valproate and carbamazepine, phenytoin may have mood-stabilizing effects in addition to its well-known anticonvulsant properties.

30 Mar 2010

Court rules certain claims covering isolated DNA sequences in patents covering BRACAnalysis as invalid

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced that Judge Robert W. Sweet of the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that certain claims covering isolated DNA sequences in seven of the 23 patents covering BRACAnalysis® are invalid. Myriad will appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and will continue to vigorously defend this litigation.

30 Mar 2010