Genetic News and Research

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First Forerunner DNA - Prokids Scientific Group Meeting in Granada

Experts in genetic identification and criminalistics from Brazil, China, Arab Emirates, Spain, USA, Philippines, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and United Nations (UNODC) will meet in Granada next October 26th and 27th to celebrate the first Forerunner DNA - Prokids Scientific Group Meeting.

19 Oct 2009

Multi-million dollar cooperative agreement for SMA drug development program

Paratek Pharmaceuticals (Boston, MA) and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Elk Grove Village, IL) announced today that a jointly funded drug development program for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) has been awarded a multi-million dollar cooperative agreement from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

19 Oct 2009

Genes to determine which rectal cancer patient can avoid surgical procedure for treatment

A set of 87 genes one day may be used to routinely determine which patients can be successfully treated for advanced rectal cancer without undergoing a surgical procedure, researchers announced at the 2009 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

15 Oct 2009

PIKAMAB obtains U.S. patent rights to develop theragnostic product

PIKAMAB, a stratified medicine biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has secured exclusive rights to two issued U.S. patents from Hospital for Special Surgery, New York. PIKAMAB is developing Lupus TherasightTM, a novel theragnostic product that will eventually help guide the drug development process and patient treatment protocols in the areas of lupus and lupus nephritis.

15 Oct 2009

DNA Link to provide NimbleGen Sequence Capture service in Korea

Roche NimbleGen, a Roche Company, has announced the first Certified Service Provider (CSP), DNA Link, Inc., who will provide service in Korea for NimbleGen Titanium Optimized Sequence Capture coupled with services from 454 Life Sciences, Roche´s center of excellence for sequencing.

15 Oct 2009

National Institutes of Health grants $12 million to WCDRC for obesity research

The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center (WCDRC) recently received six research grants from the National Institutes of Health - totaling more than $12 million in funding - that will support the work of researchers focused on the prevention and treatment of obesity.

15 Oct 2009

Envoy Therapeutics raises $8 million through private placement

Envoy Therapeutics, Inc., a newly formed drug discovery company, today announced the closing of its first financing, an $8 million private placement of the company’s Series A Preferred Stock. Led by 5AM Ventures, other investors participating in the financing included Takeda Research Investment and Roche Venture Fund.

15 Oct 2009

Wellness programs may face regulations to protect genetic information

Some employers using wellness and disease management programs to lower costs may soon face a new regulatory obstacle, the Wall Street Journal reports.

15 Oct 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center awarded $15.7M NIH contract to develop a new virus database

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $15.7 million contract to UT Southwestern Medical Center and Northrop Grumman Corp. to develop an open-access national online database and analysis resource center that will help scientists study and combat viruses such as those that cause hepatitis, encephalitis, smallpox, acute respiratory distress and dengue fever, as well as newly emerging pathogenic viruses.

15 Oct 2009

NIH grants Affymetrix $24.8M for genotyping project

Affymetrix, Inc. today announced that the Kaiser Permanente Research Program on Genes, Environment, and Health (RPGEH) and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) have entered into an agreement with Affymetrix to support genome-wide analyses of DNA samples from 100,000 Kaiser Permanente members.

15 Oct 2009

Marker genes help determine the effectiveness of targeted molecular drug regimen for treating GIST

Analysis of a small number of marker genes may determine in a matter of hours if a patient with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) would respond to a targeted molecular drug regimen. This analysis could allow clinicians to determine if they have chosen the best course of action or need to consider another alternative.

15 Oct 2009

Much remains to be done for autism spectrum disorders, say experts

Scientific understanding and medical treatments for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have advanced significantly over the past several years, but much remains to be done, say experts from the Center for Autism Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who published a scientific review of the field today.

15 Oct 2009

Genetic mutation implicated in breast and ovarian cancers could also have a role in causing heart failure: Study

A genetic mutation implicated in breast and ovarian cancers could also have a role in causing heart failure, according to a new study reported at the 95th annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

15 Oct 2009

AMP congratulates SACGHS on the publication of their DNA patenting report

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) provided comments at the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society (SACGHS) meeting on October 8. AMP opposes the patenting of all naturally occurring genetic material and has signed on as a lead plaintiff in the ACLU case challenging Myriad Genetics' patents on the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes. AMP thanked SACGHS for studying how both patents and restrictive licensing limit patient access and potentially reduce the quality of tests.

15 Oct 2009

Genetic diversity thwarts the usefulness of malaria vaccine

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) have charted the extreme genetic differences that occur over time in the most dangerous malaria parasite in the world. While there is no approved vaccine for malaria, various experimental vaccines are in development.

15 Oct 2009

Institute of Medicine elects two new members from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Michael Kastan, M.D., Ph.D., and Mary Relling, Pharm.D., of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, have been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a prestigious branch of the National Academy of Sciences.

15 Oct 2009

DNA Precision offers services for genetic research and healthcare research

DNA Precision has begun offering services for genetic research and healthcare research. These include gene discovery, Agilent ® microarray processing and bioinformatics. DNA Precision is a division of EcoArray, Inc., a 7-year old environmental genomics firm in Gainesville, FL.

15 Oct 2009

NIH awards grant to conduct genetic drug research on cancer and heart disease

A Virginia Tech chemist has been awarded a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct research that will aid in the development of new heart disease and cancer medicines that have fewer side effects.

15 Oct 2009

Affymetrix unveils Axiom Genotyping Solution

Affymetrix, Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFX) today announced the launch of the Axiom Genotyping Solution, its next-generation array technology designed to match the significant rise in genetic content generated by government and privately funded sequencing projects.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences - Automation and Genomics 15 Oct 2009

Nano Gen Teknolojileri to distribute Fluidigm's BioMark and EP1 genetic analysis systems in Turkey

Fluidigm Corporation, the inventor of integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs), has appointed Nano Gen Teknolojileri Ltd. as its exclusive distributor for the BioMark™ and EP1™ Systems for genetic analysis in Turkey. The BioMark System provides significant advantages for digital and real-time PCR, genotyping, single-cell gene expression, cancer detection and absolute quantification.

15 Oct 2009