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Women and cancer today

Experts have warned that women who have their breasts removed out of fear of a high hereditary risk of breast cancer may be doing so needlessly. Genetic tests like for the BRCA mutations have predicted a high risk of getting breast cancer in women with many breast cancer sufferers among their first degree relatives. Earlier studies suggest the risk of the mutation to predict the cancer 87% of the time. Now experts want that this is an overestimate.

11 Nov 2010

PPH uses Xenex PX-UV disinfection system to destroy microorganisms causing HAIs

Palomar Pomerado Health (PPH) today announced it is the first health system in California to use the Xenex PX-UV disinfection system in its patient and operating rooms. The Xenex system is the fastest, safest and most cost-effective method for the advanced cleaning of hospital rooms in the world today, scientifically proven to destroy all major classes of microorganisms that cause hospital acquired infections (HAIs), such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C. diff).

11 Nov 2010

German Genetic Diagnostics Act in need of amendment

Many aspects of the German Genetic Diagnostics Act (Gendiagnostikgesetz) are out of touch with the latest technology, almost impossible to implement in clinical practice, or even detrimental to the success of recognised screening tests, such as newborn screening. The Act, which came into force in February 2010, is in desperate need of amendment.

11 Nov 2010

4SC 2010 first nine months revenue decreases from EUR1.4 million to EUR0.8 million

4SC, a drug discovery and development company focused on autoimmune and cancer indications, today announced its financial results in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for the first nine months of 2010, which ended on 30 September 2010.

11 Nov 2010

New discovery can develop diagnostic test to identify gene mutation in AML

Decoding the DNA of a woman who died of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has led researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to a gene that they found to be commonly altered in many patients who died quickly of the disease.

11 Nov 2010

Epimutation in BRCA1 gene may cause early-onset of breast cancer

An Australian research team from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland has identified a new risk factor for developing breast cancer. This has been published online in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

10 Nov 2010

Lung cancer in smokers versus non-smokers shows different genetic mutations

A group of scientists at B.C. Cancer Agency have found that lung cancers in smokers have different genetic mutations and look different than lung cancer in non-smokers. According to senior scientist at the BC Cancer Agency Research Centre Wan Lam, this finding is significant because it means that from now on, research, treatments and diagnostics should be tailored to the distinct genetic variations in the different lung cancers instead of expecting that a one-size fits all approach will work. He said, “At the current time, treatment does not distinguish between these different types. The subtypes are all grouped together. But with this work, we are beginning to tease out the subtypes.” The study was presented Tuesday at a conference in Philadelphia of the American Association of Cancer Research.

10 Nov 2010

China Medical Technologies' EGFR PCR Assay for lung cancer targeted drugs receives Chinese SFDA approval

China Medical Technologies, Inc., a leading China-based advanced in-vitro diagnostic ("IVD") company, today announced that it has received approval for its real-time PCR-based Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Assay (the "EGFR PCR Assay") for the use of lung cancer targeted drugs from the State Food and Drug Administration of China (the "SFDA").

10 Nov 2010

Study finds different DNA alterations in tumor genomes of smokers and never-smokers

Lung tumors in those who smoke and those who never smoked have different DNA alterations in the tumor genomes, according to results of a pilot study presented at the Ninth Annual AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held Nov. 7-10, 2010, in Philadelphia.

10 Nov 2010

Low levels of growth hormone may contribute to growth defects in cystic fibrosis

A new study using a pig model of cystic fibrosis (CF) suggests that low levels of a growth promoting hormone at or before birth may contribute to growth defects in patients with CF.

10 Nov 2010

UC Davis researchers identify new pathway to repair oxidative-damaged DNA

UC Davis researchers have found a new pathway for repairing DNA damaged by oxygen radicals. The results are published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Nov 2010

Innovative method for in-cell gene manipulation

A cross-disciplinary Small Medicine and Advanced Research Translation (SMART) team led by Prof. Dar-Bin Shieh of Institute of Oral Medicine in Medical College at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan, has announced a breakthrough in the precision in-cell gene scission at pre-designed sequence sites using Artificial Targeting Light Activated Nano Scissors (ATLANS) and a custom build photonic device.

9 Nov 2010

Researchers examine impact of gene mutation on Salmonella bacterium growth rate

Most mutations in the genes of the Salmonella bacterium have a surprisingly small negative impact on bacterial fitness. And this is the case regardless whether they lead to changes in the bacterial proteins or not.

9 Nov 2010

Chemotherapy for breast cancer does more harm than good

A fundamental principle of medicine is: "first, do no harm." However, for doctors who treat breast cancer, this is easier said than done. Every year, almost 22,000 Canadian women are diagnosed with breast cancer - their treatment usually involves surgery to remove a tumour and then chemotherapy to reduce the risk of cancer returning.

9 Nov 2010

Study discovers role of Vav1 oncogene in several cancers

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that Vav1 - an oncogene (cancer-causing gene) found in recent years to be one of the factors in tumorous tissue growth -- plays a wider role in several types of cancer than had previously been thought. The discovery has implications for further concentration on targeting this gene in cancer research.

9 Nov 2010

Study confirms defect in sweat gland function as disease biomarker for XLHED

Edimer Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company focused on developing an innovative therapy for the rare genetic disorder, X-linked Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia (XLHED), today announced key findings of a study exploring novel approaches to the assessment of sweat function in males with XLHED. Affected individuals lack a normal sweat response, placing them at life-long risk for clinically-significant hyperthermia.

9 Nov 2010

New COLD-PCR technology to detect EGFR gene mutation

Transgenomic, Inc. today announced completion of a development study of several new assays to detect genetic mutations using the Company's proprietary Co-amplification at Lower Denaturing Temperature PCR (COLD-PCR) technology in the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene.

8 Nov 2010

Research findings on RGL2 protein can lead to new therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer

One of the most frustrating problems faced by doctors who treat pancreatic cancer is the lack of effective therapeutic options. More than 38,000 people in the United States die of the disease each year, and new drugs and treatments are desperately needed.

8 Nov 2010

New findings could help scientists devise optimal therapies for Friedreich's ataxia

Scripps Research Institute scientists have taken a step closer to understanding the cause of Friedreich's ataxia, a debilitating neurological condition that affects tens of thousands of people worldwide, and so far has no cure.

8 Nov 2010

Plexxikon's PLX4032 shows positive data in patients with metastatic melanoma

Plexxikon today announced positive preliminary data from a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial of PLX4032 (RG7204) in metastatic melanoma, showing significant tumor shrinkage in the majority of patients.

8 Nov 2010