Polymerase News and Research

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Study shows only 23% of seasonal and pandemic flu caused symptoms

Around 1 in 5 of the population were infected in both recent outbreaks of seasonal flu and the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, but just 23% of these infections caused symptoms, and only 17% of people were ill enough to consult their doctor.

17 Mar 2014

Experimental drugs offer hope for people with hepatitis C

Patrizia Cazzaniga had heard the horror stories about early treatments for hepatitis C - multiple daily pills and weekly shots for up to a year, side effects that could be debilitating, and a cure rate of only about 40 percent.

11 Mar 2014

Plasma microRNA test boosts lung cancer screening

The ability to screen for lung cancer is improved by the development of a plasma 24-microRNA signature classifier, research suggests.

28 Feb 2014

Researchers develop novel technique for detecting ALK rearrangements in non-small cell lung cancers

Researchers have developed a novel technique for detecting ALK rearrangements in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) that is more sensitive and easier to perform than currently available techniques.

25 Feb 2014

Certain fragments of DNA shed by tumors can be used to non-invasively screen for early-stage cancers

Certain fragments of DNA shed by tumors into the bloodstream can potentially be used to non-invasively screen for early-stage cancers, monitor responses to treatment and help explain why some cancers are resistant to therapies, according to results of an international study led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators.

20 Feb 2014

Bioline enters Epigenetics field with launch of new EPIK product range

Bioline, The PCR Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Meridian Bioscience, Inc., announces that it has entered the rapidly growing Epigenetics field, with the launch of the first kits in the new EPIK™ product range; EPIK™ Fast Quantification Kit and EPIK™ Amplification Kit.

18 Feb 2014

Gilead submits NDA to FDA for fixed-dose combination of ledipasvir and sofosbuvir for hepatitis C infection

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced that the company has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a once-daily fixed-dose combination of the NS5A inhibitor ledipasvir (LDV) 90 mg and the nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir (SOF) 400 mg for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection in adults.

11 Feb 2014

Rice, UTMB develop diagnostic test for cryptosporidiosis

Bioengineers at Rice University and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston have developed a simple, highly sensitive and efficient test for the diarrheal disease cryptosporidiosis that could have great impact on global health.

7 Feb 2014

Splicing findings offer lung cancer clues

Researchers from Spain have identified several new splicing events regulated by the oncogenic splicing factor SRSF1 in lung cancer, suggesting that their dysregulation is involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.

4 Feb 2014

Researchers identify components of C. diff bacteria that can be used to develop better treatment

Rhode Island Hospital researchers have identified components in Clostridium difficile (C. diff) that may lead to new diagnostic tools, and ultimately more timely and effective treatment for this often fatal infection. C. diff is a spore-forming bacterium that causes severe diarrhea and is responsible for 14,000 deaths annually in the U.S. The study is published online in advance of print in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

31 Jan 2014

New Chromatrap Enzymatic Shearing Kit announced by Porvair Sciences

Porvair Sciences has announced a new Chromatrap Enzymatic Shearing Kit that contains all the necessary reagents and buffers for up to 10 chromatin preparations.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 27 Jan 2014

Researchers identify molecular mechanism by which cocaine alters brain's reward circuits, causes addiction

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a new molecular mechanism by which cocaine alters the brain's reward circuits and causes addiction.

21 Jan 2014

Gilead Sciences gets marketing authorization from European Commission for Sovaldi 400 mg tablets

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) 400 mg tablets, a once-daily oral nucleotide analogue polymerase inhibitor for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection in adults, in combination with other antiviral agents (ribavirin and pegylated interferon alpha (peg-IFN)).

18 Jan 2014

BMH-21 chemical compound has ability to shut down a common cancer process

Johns Hopkins scientists say a previously known but little studied chemical compound targets and shuts down a common cancer process. In studies of laboratory-grown human tumor cell lines, the drug disrupted tumor cell division and prevented growth of advanced cancer cells.

15 Jan 2014

Vaccines for whooping cough contain 3 to 5 protective antigens

Vaccines for whooping cough contain three to five protective antigens, the presence of which are critical to the vaccine's effectiveness. But one of the antigens, pertactin, which had been present in almost all isolates of Bordetella pertussis in the US as late as 2010, is now absent from more than half of them, according to a paper published ahead of print in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology.

13 Dec 2013

New assay allows rapid and sensitive detection of Chlamydia trachomatis

Researchers have developed a new assay for rapid and sensitive detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in humans.

12 Dec 2013

Studies confirm superiority of Tasigna to Glivec at achieving molecular response in Ph+ CML patients

Findings from three large, randomized Phase III studies demonstrate the superiority of Tasigna (nilotinib) compared to Glivec (imatinib) at achieving deeper molecular responses across various Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) patient populations, including newly diagnosed patients, patients with residual disease who switched to Tasigna after long-term treatment with Glivec, and patients who failed to respond to frontline Glivec (as defined by 2013 European LeukemiaNet [ELN] guidelines).

9 Dec 2013

Johns Hopkins researchers discover some cases of scleroderma likely to be initiated by cancer

The Scleroderma Research Foundation today reported that researchers at The Johns Hopkins University have discovered that some cases of scleroderma are likely to have been initiated by cancer.

6 Dec 2013

New method uses lab-on-a-chip device and cell phone to determine concentration of molecules

In developing nations, rural areas, and even one's own home, limited access to expensive equipment and trained medical professionals can impede the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

21 Nov 2013

Researchers discover new human enzyme that facilitates DNA repair during DNA copying process

Every day, the human body produces new cells to regenerate tissues and repair those that have suffered injury. Each time this happens, the cells make copies of their DNA that they will pass on to the resulting daughter cells. This process of copying the DNA, also called replication, is very delicate, given that it can generate severe alterations in the DNA that are associated with malignant transformation or ageing.