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Prometheus launches Crohn's Prognostic test

Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, today announced the commercial launch of its proprietary PROMETHEUS® Crohn's Prognostic test. This novel and unique diagnostic represents a significant advance in the Prometheus Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) franchise of diagnostic and prognostic tests, and complements the market-leading PROMETHEUS® IBD Serology 7.

2 Sep 2010

Burrill conference to provide insights into challenges and opportunities in personalized medicine

"Healthcare is now shifting towards predictive and preventative care utilizing diagnostics that allow physicians to follow the course of a disease, evaluate which therapeutic regimes are most effective, and determine long-term susceptibility and recurrence," said G. Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company. "As diseases are better understood at a molecular level, the promise of personalized medicine is becoming a reality.

31 Aug 2010

Gene linked to Fuchs corneal dystrophy discovered

A 13-member research team led by University of Oregon scientist Dr. Albert O. Edwards has found a gene likely responsible for Fuchs corneal dystrophy, an inheritable genetic disorder and leading cause of corneal transplant operations.

26 Aug 2010

SureGene collaborates with Medco Health Solutions to conduct REST study

SureGene, LLC and the Medco Research Institute, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medco Health Solutions, Inc., today announced that they have entered into a novel investigative research collaboration to evaluate whether variation in genetic biomarkers previously identified by SureGene can help predict drug response for widely prescribed antipsychotic drugs in patients with serious mental illness.

25 Aug 2010

Researchers develop tiny color-changing sensor molecules

A new approach to building an "artificial nose" using fluorescent compounds and DNA could accelerate the use of sniffing sensors into the realm of mass production and widespread use, say Stanford chemists. If their method lives up to its promise, it could one day detect everything from incipiently souring milk to high explosives.

21 Aug 2010

Study finds genetic change in chromosome 4 causes FSHD

The Muscular Dystrophy Association today heralds a landmark muscular dystrophy advance by an international study team of scientists and physicians from the Netherlands, United States, France and Spain. Led by MDA-grantee Silvère van der Maarel, Ph.D., at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, the collaborative study of more than 2,300 people found that two distinct genetic changes on chromosome 4 must be present to cause facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).

21 Aug 2010

U-M dentistry agrees to use Interleukin's PST test for gum disease clinical study

University of Michigan School of Dentistry has signed an agreement with Interleukin Genetics Inc. to conduct what may be the largest clinical study to date using genetic testing to assess the risk for gum disease.

13 Aug 2010

Interleukin Genetics, University of Michigan to conduct landmark clinical study on periodontal disease

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. announced today that the Company has signed an agreement with the University of Michigan to conduct a landmark clinical study on risk factors predictive of periodontal disease progression to tooth loss using a new version of Interleukin Genetics' PST genetic test.

12 Aug 2010

Scientists discover gene linked to eight-fold risk of breast cancer recurrence

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered that a gene called POLQ is linked to an eight-fold risk of breast cancer returning. Developing drugs to block POLQ could increase survival and stop the cancer coming back, according to research published in OncoTarget.

5 Aug 2010

Caliper Life Sciences second-quarter GAAP revenue decreases 10% to $29.0 million

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., today reported results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2010. Second quarter GAAP revenue decreased 10% to $29.0 million from $32.1 million in the same period in 2009 as a result of divestitures in 2010 and 2009. Revenue from on-going business increased 4% on a reported basis and 6% on an organic basis (which assumes constant currency).

3 Aug 2010

Researchers discover manipulation of microRNA-29a shows potential of novel IBS treatment

A possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome has been traced to a small piece of RNA that blocks a substance protecting the colon membrane, leading to hostile conditions that can produce diarrhea, bloating and chronic abdominal pain.New research shows that this RNA segment sends signals that stop the activity of the gene that produces glutamine, an amino acid. Previous research has linked a shortage of glutamine in the gut with the seepage of toxins and bacteria through the intestinal wall, irritating nerves and creating disease symptoms.

3 Aug 2010

Affymetrix to develop, commercialize Axiom Chinese myDesign Genotyping Array

Affymetrix, Inc. today announced that it will develop and commercialize the Axiom Chinese myDesign Genotyping Array, the first product that provides maximum power for genome-wide association studies specifically on Chinese populations.

28 Jul 2010

Iverson Genetic Diagnostics receives CMS approval for Warfarin clinical study

Iverson Genetic Diagnostics today announced the company has received approval from CMS to conduct a WARFARIN Clinical Study. The two-year (2) study will assess the impact of genetic information in calculating doses and the changes in the rate of adverse events when initiating Warfarin drug therapy. These changes will be compared against doses initiated without genetic data. The randomized and blinded, multi-center study will involve more than 7000 participants at over 50 sites nationwide.

27 Jul 2010

New HIV drug on the block

Johnson and Johnson’s experimental HIV drug rilpivirine or TMC278, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), is being developed for use in combination therapy for treating the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. Two clinical trials with the drug has shown that although its effectiveness was same as the existing anti-HIV drugs, its side effects were fewer. On the flip side nearly twice as many patients failed to respond to treatment with the new drug.

22 Jul 2010

Researchers discover genetic explanation for non-diabetic kidney disease in African-Americans

Kidney disease is a growing public health problem, with approximately half a million individuals in the United States requiring dialysis treatments to replace the function of their failed kidneys. The problem is particularly acute among African-Americans, whose rates of kidney disease are four times higher than those of European Americans.

20 Jul 2010

ZyGEM launches new microbial fingerprinting diagnostic technology

ZyGEM Corp. Ltd., has introduced its new microbial fingerprinting diagnostic technology that is expected to dramatically reduce the complexity and time needed to identify unknown infectious agents in mixed population samples. The approach is designed to run on the company's new MicroLab platform and has the potential to accurately identify up to 30 types of microbes simultaneously from a single sample in less than an hour.

14 Jul 2010

Insight into inner functional mechanisms of new bacterial infection target

In any battle, sizing up one's opponent is a critical first step. For researchers fighting a bacterial infection, that means assessing every nook and cranny of the malicious microorganism and identifying which ones to attack.

14 Jul 2010

Susceptibility to Behcet's disease associated with genes involved in body's immune response

Researchers with the National Institutes of Health have found susceptibility to Behcet's disease, a painful, inflammatory condition, to be associated with genes involved in the body's immune response.

14 Jul 2010

Study: Small fragment of RNA appears to protect rats against cocaine addiction

A specific and remarkably small fragment of RNA appears to protect rats against cocaine addiction-and may also protect humans, according to a recent study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study was published today in the journal Nature.

9 Jul 2010

TGen develops G-SQZ technique for genomic data processing

A new computer data compression technique called Genomic SQueeZ, developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute, will allow genetic researchers and others to store, analyze and share massive volumes of data in less space and at lower cost.

7 Jul 2010