Genetic News and Research

RSS

FDA accepts Psyadon Pharmaceuticals' ecopipam IND for treatment of LND

Psyadon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to study ecopipam in patients with Lesch-Nyhan Disease (LND). The first center at which the drug will be evaluated is Emory University under the direction of Dr. Hyder A. Jinnah, MD, PhD. The study is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of different doses of ecopipam in adults (group 1), adolescents (group 2) and children (group 3) with LND.

9 Feb 2010

New nursing education modules now available from March of Dimes

For nurses seeking up-to-date and cost-effective continuing education on the care of mothers and babies, the March of Dimes is now offering three new publications (modules).

9 Feb 2010

Finding provides new insight into economic behavior of human beings

Neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and their colleagues have tied the human aversion to losing money to a specific structure in the brain-the amygdala.

9 Feb 2010

Plant-produced antibodies can help prevent infection

The first head-to-head comparison of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies produced from plants versus the same antibodies produced from mammalian cells has shown that plant-produced antibodies can fight infection equally well.

9 Feb 2010

Gene linked to endometrial cancer identified

Endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive tract, representing 6% of all cancers. There is currently no screening method or biomarker to indicate early presence of disease. "It is a very common malignancy that affects women of all ages" comments paper author Dr. Diego Castrillon. The cancer forms from the cells that grow along the inner lining of the uterus, which is called the endometrium, and usually it is diagnosed following patient reports of abnormal bleeding.

8 Feb 2010

Marijuana ineffective against Alzheimer's disease in animal model

The benefits of marijuana in tempering or reversing the effects of Alzheimer's disease have been challenged in a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

8 Feb 2010

Gene variants associated with human biological ageing identified

Scientists announced today (7 Feb) they have identified for the first time definitive variants associated with biological ageing in humans. The team analyzed more than 500,000 genetic variations across the entire human genome to identify the variants which are located near a gene called TERC.

7 Feb 2010

GIS: Tbx3 gene improves quality of stem cells reprogrammed from differentiated cells

In the 7 Feb. 2010 issue of the journal Nature, scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), report that a genetic molecule, called Tbx3, which is crucial for many aspects of early developmental processes in mammals, significantly improves the quality of stem cells that have been reprogrammed from differentiated cells.

7 Feb 2010

Breakthrough discovery could help in developing a broad spectrum of antiviral drugs

Within a virus's tiny exterior is a store of energy waiting to be unleashed. When the virus encounters a host cell, this pent-up energy is released, propelling the viral DNA into the cell and turning it into a virus factory.

6 Feb 2010

BIO urges HHS to preserve incentives for investment and innovation; improve patient access to genetic tests

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) released today a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius regarding the potentially harmful recommendations of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society (SACGHS) in its Report on Gene Patents and Licensing Practices and Their Impact on Patient Access to Genetic Tests.

6 Feb 2010

"Kin selection hypothesis" may explain homosexuality from an evolutionary point of view

Male homosexuality doesn't make complete sense from an evolutionary point of view. It appears that the trait is heritable, but because homosexual men are much less likely to produce offspring than heterosexual men, shouldn't the genes for this trait have been extinguished long ago? What value could this sexual orientation have, that it has persisted for eons even without any discernible reproductive advantage?

5 Feb 2010

Personalized risk assessment tools can help improve smoking cessation

Giving smokers information about their own individual risk of serious illness helps motivate them to quit smoking, according to a paper published in the current issue of Postgraduate Medical Journal.

5 Feb 2010

Results validating performance of GSN’s proprietary Parental Support technology published

Gene Security Network, Inc (GSN) today announced that Human Reproduction published results validating the exceptional performance of GSN’s proprietary Parental SupportTM technology over existing methods to detect chromosome abnormalities during in vitro-fertilization (IVF).

5 Feb 2010

TGen completes strategic alliance and affiliation agreement with VARI

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) today announced the completion of a strategic alliance and affiliation agreement with the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) that will maximize the research capabilities of both non-profit institutes.

5 Feb 2010

Spinal muscular atrophy screening, not cost effective

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will unveil findings that show that it is not cost effective to screen for spinal muscular atrophy.

5 Feb 2010

Anti-doping community urges researchers and athletes to fight illegal doping

With the 2010 Winter Olympic Games just days away, officials in the anti-doping community are urging researchers and those in the athletic community to re-double their efforts to fight illegal doping.

5 Feb 2010

iPSC technology for identifying agents that reprogram human somatic cells receives Notice of Allowance

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for U.S. Patent Application Number 10/997,146 entitled "Methods for Reprogramming Somatic Cells." Upon issuance, the patent will cover foundational induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology for identifying agents that enable the reprogramming of human somatic cells, including pluripotency genes, small molecules and biologics.

5 Feb 2010

BioMarin Pharmaceutical signs stock purchase agreement to acquire LEAD Therapeutics

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. announced today that it has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire LEAD Therapeutics, Inc. (LEAD), a small private drug discovery and early stage development company with key compound LT-673, an orally available poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor for the treatment of patients with rare, genetically defined cancers.

4 Feb 2010

Mycobacterium avium infection can result in three different kinds of illness in humans

Through work carried out in connection with her PhD, Tone Bjordal Johansen has shown that Mycobacterium avium does not infect pigs via birds, as previously believed. M. avium can be divided into several subspecies, and the research shows that birds are infected by one particular subspecies, whereas pigs and humans are infected by another.

4 Feb 2010

Amantadine binds to and blocks critical M2 proton channel necessary for influenza virus to infect healthy cells

Antiviral drugs block influenza A viruses from reproducing and spreading by attaching to a site within a proton channel necessary for the virus to infect healthy cells, according to a research project led by Iowa State University's Mei Hong and published in the Feb. 4 issue of the journal Nature.

4 Feb 2010

Genetic News and Research

FDA accepts Psyadon Pharmaceuticals' ecopipam IND for treatment of LND

New nursing education modules now available from March of Dimes

Finding provides new insight into economic behavior of human beings

Plant-produced antibodies can help prevent infection

Gene linked to endometrial cancer identified

Marijuana ineffective against Alzheimer's disease in animal model

Gene variants associated with human biological ageing identified

GIS: Tbx3 gene improves quality of stem cells reprogrammed from differentiated cells

Breakthrough discovery could help in developing a broad spectrum of antiviral drugs

BIO urges HHS to preserve incentives for investment and innovation; improve patient access to genetic tests

"Kin selection hypothesis" may explain homosexuality from an evolutionary point of view

Personalized risk assessment tools can help improve smoking cessation

Results validating performance of GSN’s proprietary Parental Support technology published

TGen completes strategic alliance and affiliation agreement with VARI

Spinal muscular atrophy screening, not cost effective

Anti-doping community urges researchers and athletes to fight illegal doping

iPSC technology for identifying agents that reprogram human somatic cells receives Notice of Allowance

BioMarin Pharmaceutical signs stock purchase agreement to acquire LEAD Therapeutics

Mycobacterium avium infection can result in three different kinds of illness in humans

Amantadine binds to and blocks critical M2 proton channel necessary for influenza virus to infect healthy cells

Genetics & Genomics - Second Edition eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News