Germline News and Research

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Hormetic cognitive stress from exposure to technology may reduce age-related disease

It appears inevitable that technology is increasingly taking over our lives. However, it seems that it can also help us avoid aging and age-related disease, in a way that has not been described before.

19 May 2017

Genetic study outlines path to personalize breast cancer risk assessment and treatment

Although the odds of developing breast cancer are nearly identical for black and white women, black women are 42 percent more likely to die from the disease. This mortality gap – driven by social and environmental, as well as biological factors – continues to persist.

4 May 2017

Myriad and Clovis ink deal on FDA-approved BRACAnalysis CDx test to identify patients with germline BRCA mutations for rucaparib treatment

Myriad Genetics, Inc. and Clovis Oncology, Inc. have announced a companion diagnostic collaboration to support a post-marketing regulatory commitment related to Clovis’ PARP inhibitor, Rubraca. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

3 May 2017

Researchers use CRISPR technology to create new strain of red-eyed mutant wasps

Researchers at UC Riverside's Akbari lab have brought a new strain of red-eyed mutant wasps into the world.

19 Apr 2017

Genomic Analysis Technologies: Past, Present and Future

In this interview, Jay Flatley, Executive Chairman of Illumina, gives an introduction to Illumina and the next generation genomics tools they provide.

From Pittcon 10 Apr 2017

Genetic screening and counseling likely to benefit childhood cancer survivors, study suggests

Twelve percent of childhood cancer survivors carry germline mutations that put them or their children at increased risk of developing cancer, according to a landmark study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

4 Apr 2017

FDA approves new maintenance therapy for recurrent cancers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Zejula (niraparib) for the maintenance treatment (intended to delay cancer growth) of adult patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer, whose tumors have completely or partially shrunk (complete or partial response, respectively) in response to platinum-based chemotherapy.

27 Mar 2017

UT Southwestern scientists discover gene that protects gut from IBD

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene that protects the gut from inflammatory bowel disease.

2 Feb 2017

ACMG issues new Points to Consider statement on potential clinical application of genome editing

The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics is weighing in on the genome editing/CRISPR debate with a new Points to Consider statement, "Genome Editing in Clinical Genetics."

29 Jan 2017

Study identifies conserved role for Ovo protein in controlling germline development in mice and fruit flies

Germline cells are the only cells that develop into eggs or sperm, while somatic cells develop into the body. Progenitors of the germline, known as primordial germ cells (PGCs), differentiate into eggs or sperm after embryonic development.

24 Jan 2017

AMP publishes joint guidelines for interpretation, reporting of sequence variants in cancer

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, non-profit molecular diagnostics professional society, today published guideline recommendations for both clinical laboratory professionals and oncologists that assess the status of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based cancer tests and establish standardized classification, annotation, interpretation, and reporting conventions for somatic sequence variants.

17 Dec 2016

Germline mutations in ATM and BRCA1/2 genes could help predict death risk from aggressive prostate cancer

A study of three genes associated with the development of prostate cancer found that men with inherited mutations in these genes are more likely to develop aggressive forms of the disease and die from prostate cancer at an earlier age than those without the mutations.

17 Dec 2016

Study reveals men diagnosed with prostate cancer more likely to die of other diseases

Starting in 1993 and ending in 2001, ten academic medical centers in the United States screened 76,685 men and 78,216 women for prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancers.

8 Dec 2016

Research findings point to inherited genetic basis of ALL risk in children

A late-breaking abstract being presented today during the 58th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego identifies inherited genetic mutations in the gene IKZF1 that confer a higher likelihood of developing pediatric acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

6 Dec 2016

Experts discuss ways to integrate whole genome analysis into clinical practice at Congenica webinar

Whole genome analysis – where all of a patient’s genes are screened for potential disease causing variants – offers the potential for a rapid, responsive NHS testing service.

6 Dec 2016

Women with higher vitamin D levels have better long-term outcomes after breast cancer diagnosis

Women with higher vitamin D levels in their blood following a breast cancer diagnosis had significantly better long-term outcomes, according to new research from Kaiser Permanente and Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

11 Nov 2016

Network of proteins linked to cancer may play vital role in male fertility

Researchers studying reproductive science identified a network of proteins often linked to cancer as also important to male fertility and the birth of healthy offspring, according to a study in the Oct. 18 online issue of Cell Reports.

19 Oct 2016

PARP inhibitor prolongs progression-free survival in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer

The PARP inhibitor niraparib significantly improves the outcome of platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, according to full data from the ENGOT-OV16/NOVA trial presented for the first time at the ESMO 2016 Congress in Copenhagen and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

8 Oct 2016

Study examines psychological impact of tumor gene testing in subset of NCI-MATCH patients

The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group has received federal approval to add a quality-of-life research study, COMmunication and Education in Tumor Profiling (EAQ152) or 'COMET' to the NCI-MATCH (EAY131) trial, already underway.

19 Aug 2016

Cancer risk screening for hereditary mutations: an interview with Ted Snelgrove

Great question – the answer is actually unknown. Every month, there are publications that report on new cancer-related genes, so it's an area of great knowledge growth at the moment.

26 Jul 2016