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AMP looks forward to working with FDA to determine optimal approach to regulating NGS tests

The Association for Molecular Pathology, the premier global, non-profit organization serving molecular diagnostic professionals, today announced that it looks forward to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine the best adaptive approach to regulating Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) tests.

11 Jul 2016

Germline genetic testing necessary for men with metastatic prostate cancer

Men with metastatic prostate cancer should be considered for germline genetic testing of DNA repair genes, regardless of age or family history, according to a team of researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, University of Washington School of Medicine, University of Michigan, and the Institute of Cancer Research Royal Marsden Hospital.

8 Jul 2016

Inherited mutations in DNA repair genes may predispose to metastatic prostate cancer

Inherited mutations in genes that function to repair DNA may contribute to metastatic prostate cancer more than previously recognized, according to a study out today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Jul 2016

MBC Project engages patients directly to accelerate cancer research

A crowd-sourcing strategy aimed at accelerating research into metastatic breast cancer has connected advocacy groups, social media, and a dedicated web site to register more than 2,000 patients from all 50 states in its first seven months, say researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

6 Jun 2016

Counsyl expands into oncology market to increase cancer risk screening

Counsyl, a DNA testing and genetic counseling service, today announced its expansion into the oncology market, with a focus on advancing cancer risk screening and helping cancer prevention efforts.

31 May 2016

Key gene changes reveal four previously unknown conditions within schizophrenia

Changes in key genes clearly define four previously unknown conditions within the umbrella diagnosis of schizophrenia, according to a study led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center published online April 28 in EBioMedicine, a Lancet journal. Cases associated with changes in each of the four genes were different from each other in terms of symptoms, intelligence level and other disease features.

29 Apr 2016

Genetic markers may influence how breast cancer patients respond to treatment

Two previously unrecognized genetic markers may predict whether breast cancer patients would benefit from chemotherapy followed by tamoxifen, according to preclinical research from Roswell Park Cancer Institute, in collaboration with the cooperative research group SWOG and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The results of this research will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2016, to be held April 16-20 in New Orleans.

20 Apr 2016

Myriad myRisk Hereditary Cancer test identifies 70% more deleterious mutations than BRCA1/2 testing alone

Myriad Genetics, Inc., a leader in molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine, working in collaboration with researchers from the Harvard Medical School, today announced that the Journal of Clinical Oncology has published a paper showing the frequency of germline mutations in 25 cancer susceptibility genes among patients with breast cancer.

31 Mar 2016

Engineered HIV vaccine protein may prevent HIV infection

Some people infected with HIV naturally produce antibodies that effectively neutralize many strains of the rapidly mutating virus, and scientists are working to develop a vaccine capable of inducing such "broadly neutralizing" antibodies that can prevent HIV infection.

28 Mar 2016

Medical community has unique role to play in determining future use of mitochondrial replacement techniques

There is a unique role for the United States medical community to play in determining the future application of, and ethically acceptable approach to, mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs), according to a commentary published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

26 Feb 2016

Scientists resolve tumor heterogeneity using innovative DEPArray technology

Using the innovative DEPArray technology, scientists at Silicon Biosystems, a Bologna (Italy) and San Diego (CA, USA) based biotech company, were able to solve one of the biggest limitation in the study of cancer genetic: tumor samples heterogeneity.

22 Feb 2016

Genetic profiling ‘feasible’ for paediatric cancer patients

Research published in JAMA Oncology demonstrates that tumour and germline molecular profiling is feasible in paediatric cancer patients and can have actionable findings.

2 Feb 2016

Genetic mutations could help explain cause of cancer in pediatric patients

Combined whole exome tumor and blood sequencing in pediatric cancer patients revealed mutations that could help explain the cause of cancer or have the potential to impact clinical cancer care in 40 percent of patients in a study led by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Cancer Center.

29 Jan 2016

PGD model could provide policy guideposts for human genome editing

Human genome editing for both research and therapy is progressing, raising ethical questions among scientists around the world.

22 Jan 2016

St. Jude scientists develop interactive tool to advance understanding of mutations that fuel pediatric cancer

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have developed a web application and data set that gives researchers worldwide a powerful interactive tool to advance understanding of the mutations that lead to and fuel pediatric cancer. The freely available tool, called ProteinPaint, is described in today's issue of the scientific journal Nature Genetics.

30 Dec 2015

Researchers reveal inherited genetic errors across 12 cancer types

Researchers long have known that some portion of the risk of developing cancer is hereditary and that inherited genetic errors are very important in some tumors but much less so in others.

22 Dec 2015

ICGC article lays foundation for the coming era of cancer genomic research

An eye-opening article from the International Cancer Genome Consortium was published today in the prestigious journal Nature Communications. It lays a foundation for the coming era of research in cancer genomics.

13 Dec 2015

Study: Certain characteristics can lead to therapy-related leukemia in breast cancer survivors

A new analysis indicates that certain characteristics may increase a breast cancer survivor’s risk of developing leukemia after undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings are a first step toward finding ways to prevent this serious and potentially life-threatening treatment-related complication.

8 Dec 2015

Role of genetic predisposition in pediatric cancer patients

The most detailed analysis yet of the role germline mutations in genes associated with cancer predisposition play in the development of childhood cancer suggests that comprehensive genomic screening may be warranted on all pediatric cancer patients, not just those with a family history of cancer.

19 Nov 2015

TSRI researchers have new weapons to combat HIV

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have new weapons in the fight against HIV. Their new study, published November 17, 2015 as the cover article of the journal Immunity, describes four prototype antibodies that target a specific weak spot on the virus. Guided by these antibodies, the researchers then mimicked the molecular structure of a protein on HIV when designing their own potential HIV vaccine candidate.

18 Nov 2015