Genetic News and Research

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Regeneration of central nervous system axons can be achieved: Study

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that regeneration of central nervous system axons can be achieved in rats even when treatment delayed is more than a year after the original spinal cord injury.

29 Oct 2009

Berkeley HeartLab enters into collaborative agreement

Berkeley HeartLab (BHL), a subsidiary of Celera Corporation, announced today that it has entered into collaborative agreements with Geisinger Medical Center and Proven Diagnostics, a clinical laboratory service recently launched by Geisinger Health System.

29 Oct 2009

Lifestyle and genetic factors are considered to play a major role in "Asian paradox"

Although Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been classified as a class I (or definite) carcinogen by World Health Organization (WHO), the controversy as to why only a minority of infected patients develop gastric cancer still remains. Moreover, in Asian countries such as Indonesia, Japan, China, and Thailand, where the H. pylori infection rates are similar, there is a significant difference regarding the outcome of gastric cancer. That fact has been termed the "Asian paradox".

29 Oct 2009

Scientists identify genetic mutations that may put individuals at increased risk of fungal infections

Two genetic mutations that may put individuals at increased risk of fungal infections have been identified by scientists from UCL and Radboud University, increasing understanding about the genetic basis of these infections and potentially aiding the development of new treatments.

29 Oct 2009

U.S. Department of Defense funds Rush University Medical Center for gastrointestinal microorganism research

The human body contains billions of microorganisms, and microbial cells found in the human gut are estimated to outnumber human cells by ten-to-one in healthy adults. However, little is known about the ways in which these minute life forms influence health and disease.

28 Oct 2009

NIH awards DiscoveryBioMed grant to develop therapies for cystic fibrosis

DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. (DBM) today announced that it has been awarded a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The $308,000 grant will be used to advance certain small molecule drug discovery programs designed to correct the genetic mutation most common to cystic fibrosis (CF).

28 Oct 2009

NCI awards UAMS Myeloma Institute $19.5M grant

The internationally known multiple myeloma program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will receive $19.5 million over five years to continue work that has already developed new treatments for this cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell present in the bone marrow.

28 Oct 2009

PureWellness announces enhancements to the PureWellness platform

PureWellness, Inc., a leading provider of online wellness solutions, announced the release of fourteen product additions and enhancements to the PureWellness platform.

28 Oct 2009

New CCS guidelines and position papers for physicians and nurse practitioners

Several new guidelines and position papers offering the most up to date information to ensure that clinicians practice evidence-based medicine were released at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009 this week.

28 Oct 2009

Scientists test rapamycin's effectiveness at rescuing impaired nerve cells

Johns Hopkins scientists report having used a commercially available drug to successfully "rescue" animal brain cells that they had intentionally damaged by manipulating a newly discovered gene that links susceptibility genes for schizophrenia and autism.

28 Oct 2009

Fastest supercomputer used to create an evolutionary genetic HIV family tree

Supporting Los Alamos National Laboratory's role in the international Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) consortium, researchers are using the Roadrunner supercomputer to analyze vast quantities of genetic sequences from HIV infected people in the hope of zeroing in on possible vaccine target areas.

28 Oct 2009

IPIT uses Affymetrix’s DMET Plus biomarker panel to expand the PGENI

Affymetrix, Inc. announced today that the Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy (IPIT) at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill is using the company’s DMET™ Plus biomarker panel to expand the Pharmacogenetics for Every Nation Initiative (PGENI).

28 Oct 2009

New biotechnology research center launched by SHRO

The Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO), a nonprofit research facility located at Temple University, will dedicate a new state-of-the-art biotechnology research center on Tuesday, October 27th, at 2 p.m. SHRO is one of the top three international laboratories, based on number of publications as ranked by the Cell Cycle Registry,

28 Oct 2009

NPC, PMC to explore comparative effectiveness research for effective health care treatments

As Congress continues its efforts to reform the health care system, the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) and the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) will host a conference tomorrow to explore a key topic in the debate: using comparative effectiveness research (CER) to determine which health care treatments are most effective while improving the quality of patient care through personalized medicine.

28 Oct 2009

Susceptibility to schizophrenia and autism may have common genetic fingerprints, says researchers

28 Oct 2009

Ohio State University researchers first to observe real-time behavior of the Dpo4 enzyme

Scientists here have identified how the motions of an enzyme are related to correctly copying genetic instructions, setting the stage for studies that can uncover what happens when DNA copying mistakes are made.

28 Oct 2009

Culture-based treatment may be effective for reducing depression

A genetic tendency to depression is much less likely to be realized in a culture centered on collectivistic rather than individualistic values, according to a new Northwestern University study.

28 Oct 2009

The Endocrine Society urges NIH to increase funding for stem cell research

Stem cell research holds great promise for the treatment of millions of Americans with debilitating and possibly fatal diseases. Current legislation and guidelines, however, continue to limit researchers' endeavors in unlocking the potential breakthroughs that stem cell research can provide. To address this concern, today The Endocrine Society issued a Position Statement (http://www.endo-society.org/advocacy/policy) calling for an increase in NIH funding for stem cell research as well as expanding the scope of funding to include promising yet neglected areas of stem cell research.

28 Oct 2009

NCI funds pilot study to measure human proteins

An expert in cancer proteomics at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has received $4.8 million in federal stimulus funding from the National Cancer Institute to co-lead a pilot study to assess the feasibility and scalability of a project that aims to measure all of the proteins in the human body.

28 Oct 2009

Crushing virtual cigarettes reduces nicotine dependence

Smokers who crushed computer-simulated cigarettes as part of a psychosocial treatment program in a virtual reality environment had significantly reduced nicotine dependence and higher rates of tobacco abstinence than smokers participating in the same program who grasped a computer-simulated ball, according to a study described in the current issue of CyberPsychology and Behavior, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

28 Oct 2009