Pharmacogenomics News and Research

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The terms pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics are often used interchangeably to describe a field of research focused on how genes affect individual responses to medicines. Whether a medicine works well for you—or whether it causes serious side effects—depends, to a certain extent, on your genes.

23andMe project aims at validating highly scalable pharmacogenomics research

23andMe has launched a project funded by the National Institutes of Health which is aimed at validating 23andMe's highly-scalable platform for pharmacogenomics research. The company received $190,000 in stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for "Web-based Phenotyping for Genome-Wide Association Studies of Drug Response" from NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute.

17 Dec 2010

Breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen anxious to have CYP2D6 genetic test

While the medical community continues to debate the benefits of CYP2D6 genetic testing for women on the breast cancer treatment tamoxifen, patients using the medication are anxious to have the tests. According to a new survey of more than 700 women with breast cancer currently taking tamoxifen, almost 80 percent of respondents would choose to have a genetic test that determines CYP2D6 genotype, yet only 14 percent of these women have been tested. CYP2D6 is an enzyme that influences how well the body processes tamoxifen into its more active form.

7 Dec 2010

USC Norris designated Phase I Clinical Trial Center of Excellence

The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (USC Norris) has been designated a Phase I Clinical Trial Center of Excellence by global pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. The collaboration will bring a number of new phase I clinical trials to USC Norris, and will enable the cancer center's clinical and basic scientists to provide guidance in early phase drug development and trial design.

20 Nov 2010

Transgenomic awarded $1,070,453 grant under Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Transgenomic, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded a research and development grant totaling $1,070,453.32 from the U.S. government under HR: 3590 – Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "Act") in immediately available funds. This is among the largest awards for any one company under the Act.

12 Nov 2010

Iris BioTechnologies awarded $245,000 grant under QTDP Program

Iris BioTechnologies Inc., a life sciences company focused on providing patients, doctors, and clinicians with improved methods of identifying effective treatment solutions, and recipient of the Frost and Sullivan 2008 Technology Innovation Award in Pharmacogenomics, is pleased to announce that the company has been awarded $245,000, the maximum amount given for a grant under the US Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) Program.

10 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

International Congress at Spain highlights advances in neuroimmunological disease treatment

The complexity of the immune system and nervous system turn Neuroimmunology into one of the most exciting fields of modern biomedicine. Between October 26th and 30th takes place in Sitges (Barcelona, Spain) the X International Congress of Neuroimmunology of the International Society of Neuroimmunology.

29 Oct 2010

Medical researchers take the next step in personalized medicine

Prescription drugs and their dosages may be standardized, but not every patient reacts to a medicine in the same way. The personal genetic characteristics of individuals and populations can explain why a specific prescription successfully treats one patient and not another, so medical researchers are adopting the new approach called "personalized medicine" and a Tel Aviv University lab is leading the way.

8 Oct 2010

Researchers study gene interactions for personalized drug prescriptions

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will study how the genetics and diet of Yup'ik Eskimos affect the blood-thinning properties of a common drug used by heart and stroke patients.

1 Oct 2010

New genetic screening program to reduce risk associated with Plavix

Beginning this month, all patients undergoing cardiac catheterization at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will be tested for a genetic variation that can affect their response to Plavix, the most commonly prescribed clot-preventing drug for heart patients and one of the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide.

29 Sep 2010

Researchers find genetic variants that cause arthritis in breast cancer patients taking aromatase inhibitors

Mayo Clinic researchers and their international colleagues have discovered genetic variants that lead to severe arthritis for a subset of women when taking aromatase inhibitors to treat their breast cancer. This serious side effect is so painful that many women halt their lifesaving medication. The findings appear today in the online issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology.

28 Sep 2010

Boehringer Ingelheim, Eurofins Medigenomix partner in DNA banking and pharmacogenetics, pharmacogenomics

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, an international research-driven pharma company, and Eurofins Medigenomix GmbH, a competence center for genetic analyses of the Eurofins Scientific Group, concluded a long-term service agreement in the area of DNA banking, as well as a master service agreement for pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomic services. For DNA banking Eurofins Medigenomix is supporting operations of Boehringer Ingelheim's central DNA bank at Biberach an der Riss.

23 Sep 2010

Prometheus, Tarrot announce exclusive agreement for Crohn's Disease treatment

Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, and Tarrot Laboratories, a business unit of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, today announced the execution of an exclusive research collaboration and license agreement. The collaboration will focus on identifying genetic or serologic markers associated with clinical responses to anti-TNF therapies such as Cimzia, Humira and Remicade utilized in the treatment of Crohn's Disease, and the subsequent development of diagnostic tests.

17 Sep 2010

Biomedical informatics is essential part of medical education

In an article published in the Sept. 15 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, (JAMA), author Edward H. Shortliffe, MD, PhD, points out that although information underlies all clinical work, and despite the growing role that information management and access play in healthcare delivery and clinical support, there is a dearth of informatics competency being developed in America's future corps of physicians.

15 Sep 2010

microRNA 451 enhances treatment response in stomach cancer patients: Research

"The high presence of microRNA 451 enhances the response to treatment with chemo-radiotherapy and increases the survival of patients with stomach cancer", explained Dr. Jesús García-Foncillas, chief researcher of the Pharmacogenomics Laboratory at the Applied Medical Research Centre (CIMA) and Director of Oncology at the University Hospital of Navarra. This was one of the results presented at the IV Congress of the Spanish Society for Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomic, recently held at CIMA.

15 Sep 2010

Transgenomic expands EU distribution of SURVEYOR Scan K-RAS CE IVD mutation detection kit

Transgenomic, Inc. today announced that it completed the requirements for CE IVD labeling and has significantly expanded distribution of its SURVEYOR® Scan K-RAS mutation detection kit throughout most of the European Union. The SURVEYOR Scan K-RAS CE IVD kit is a member of Transgenomic's family of mutation detection kits, which features proprietary SURVEYOR endonuclease technology.

14 Sep 2010

Genomas awarded method patent for PhyzioGenomics Technology

Genomas®, a biomedical company advancing DNA-Guided Medicine, has been awarded US Patent 7,747,392, entitled Physiogenomic Method for Predicting Clinical Outcomes of Treatment in Patients by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

13 Sep 2010

NIH awards $6.5M for pharmacogenomics study of key mood-stabilizing drug for bipolar disorder

An international team, led by University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers, has been awarded a $6.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the pharmacogenomics of a key mood-stabilizing drug used to treat bipolar disorder.

9 Sep 2010

Ohio State University receives five-year grant to improve drug therapy using gene profiles

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences has awarded a $9.1 million, five-year grant to The Ohio State University for a study titled "Expression Genetics in Drug Therapy." The goal of the research is to enhance drug response rates and reduce the number of adverse drug reactions among patients taking medication.

9 Sep 2010

NIH announces $161.3 million for expansion of Pharmacogenomics Research Network

The National Institutes of Health plans to spend $161.3 million over the next five years to expand the Pharmacogenomics Research Network (PGRN), a nationwide collaborative of scientists focused on understanding how genes affect a person's response to medicines.

8 Sep 2010