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Childhood cancer research computing cluster to support precision medicine clinical trial

The childhood cancer research computing cluster created and donated by Dell for the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is ready to support the world's first precision medicine clinical trial for pediatric cancer.

19 May 2012

Rare DNA variations may be responsible for differences in susceptibility to common disorders

One-letter switches in the DNA code occur much more frequently in human genomes than anticipated, but are often only found in one or a few individuals. The abundance of rare variations across the human genome is consistent with the population explosion of the past few thousand years, medical geneticists and evolutionary biologists report in the May 17 advanced online edition of Science.

19 May 2012

Screening lung cancer tumor samples for genetic mutations can help tailor personalized treatment

Screening lung cancer tumor samples for cancer-causing, or "driver," genetic mutations can help physicians tailor patients' treatments to target those specific mutations. While scientists have identified cancer-causing mutations for the majority of lung adenocarcinomas — the most common type of non-small cell lung cancer — and have developed drugs that can successfully address them, scientists have not yet identified targeted therapies for another type of non-small cell lung cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma.

19 May 2012

Study focuses on role of the brain and mind in chronic and complex pain disorders

Training the brain to reduce pain could be a promising approach for treating phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome, according to an internationally known neuroscience researcher speaking today at the American Pain Society's Annual Scientific Meeting.

19 May 2012

Promising updates in quest for early detection and treatments for lung cancer

LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's largest lung cancer-focused nonprofit, is pleased to note promising updates in researchers' quest for early detection and treatments for lung cancer during May, Lung Cancer Hope Month.

18 May 2012

Scientists map how XIAP protein activates vital component of immune defence system

Defects in the gene that encodes the XIAP protein result in a serious immune malfunction. Scientists used biochemical analyses to map the protein's ability to activate vital components of the immune system. Their results have recently been published in Molecular Cell, a journal of international scientific repute.

18 May 2012

Breast cancer vaccine that elicits powerful immune response also improves recurrence rates

A breast cancer vaccine already shown to elicit a powerful immune response in women with varying levels of HER2 expression has the ability to improve recurrence rates and is well tolerated in an adjuvant setting, according to new research from a clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

18 May 2012

The truth about chocolate: does it really contain flavonoids?

There have been many news stories over the years about chocolate and whether it is good or bad for you. The stories often comment on a chemical constituent of chocolate: flavonoids. But what are flavonoids? Does chocolate even contain them? And why should we care if it does?

18 May 2012

Regular eating times, extended daily fasting may prevent diabetes, obesity

It turns out that when we eat may be as important as what we eat. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that regular eating times and extending the daily fasting period may override the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet and prevent obesity, diabetes and liver disease in mice.

18 May 2012

Effectiveness of 'quorum sensing' directly depends on density of bacterial populations

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have opened the way for more accurate research into new ways to fight dangerous bacterial infections by proving a long-held theory about how bacteria communicate with each other.

18 May 2012

ScreenCell, Affymetrix partner to distribute CTC platform

Affymetrix, Inc. and ScreenCell, a privately-held company, today announced the signing of a worldwide distribution agreement for ScreenCell's isolation devices and dilution buffers, designed for the collection of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood.

18 May 2012

Strong link between the amygdala and a baseline level of distrust

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on my parahippocampal gyrus. Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have found that suspicion resides in two distinct regions of the brain: the amygdala, which plays a central role in processing fear and emotional memories, and the parahippocampal gyrus, which is associated with declarative memory and the recognition of scenes.

18 May 2012

Dabrafenib drug shrinks tumors in patients with melanoma brain metastases

An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report in the May 18 issue of The Lancet.

18 May 2012

Researchers identify novel base modification in RNA

Over the past decade, research in the field of epigenetics has revealed that chemically modified bases are abundant components of the human genome and has forced us to abandon the notion we've had since high school genetics that DNA consists of only four bases.

18 May 2012

NEC, SomaLogic release professional software tool

SomaLogic, Inc., and NEC Corporation today announced the release of SomaSuite, a professional software tool developed by NEC that provides simple, reliable and direct access to the highly multiplexed proteomic data generated by SomaLogic's SOMAscan proteomics assay technology.

18 May 2012

Zebrafish can modify their behaviour in response to varying situations

Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have shown that zebrafish could be used to study the underlying causes of psychiatric disorders.

18 May 2012

RAL proteins linked with aggressive cancer characteristics in human tumors

We have known for years that when the proteins RalA and RalB are present, cells in dishes copy toward aggressive forms of cancer. However, until this week, no study had explored the effects of RAL proteins in human cancers - an essential step on the path to developing drugs to target these proteins.

18 May 2012

Researchers sequence genomes of 21 breast cancers

In two back-to-back reports published online on 17 May in Cell, researchers have sequenced the genomes of 21 breast cancers and analysed the mutations that emerged during the tumours' development. The individual results are described below.

18 May 2012

USPTO issues patent to Vandalia’s process for large-scale DNA production technology

Vandalia Research, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted U.S. Patent No. 8,163,489, covering Vandalia's process for large-scale DNA production using polymerase chain reaction.

18 May 2012

Researchers identify 57 SNPs associated with autism

By focusing on the identification of common genetic variants, researchers have identified 57 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that predict-with a high degree of certainty--the risk that siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will also develop the condition. The findings were presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research.

18 May 2012

Medical Science News

Childhood cancer research computing cluster to support precision medicine clinical trial

Rare DNA variations may be responsible for differences in susceptibility to common disorders

Screening lung cancer tumor samples for genetic mutations can help tailor personalized treatment

Study focuses on role of the brain and mind in chronic and complex pain disorders

Promising updates in quest for early detection and treatments for lung cancer

Scientists map how XIAP protein activates vital component of immune defence system

Breast cancer vaccine that elicits powerful immune response also improves recurrence rates

The truth about chocolate: does it really contain flavonoids?

Regular eating times, extended daily fasting may prevent diabetes, obesity

Effectiveness of 'quorum sensing' directly depends on density of bacterial populations

ScreenCell, Affymetrix partner to distribute CTC platform

Strong link between the amygdala and a baseline level of distrust

Dabrafenib drug shrinks tumors in patients with melanoma brain metastases

Researchers identify novel base modification in RNA

NEC, SomaLogic release professional software tool

Zebrafish can modify their behaviour in response to varying situations

RAL proteins linked with aggressive cancer characteristics in human tumors

Researchers sequence genomes of 21 breast cancers

USPTO issues patent to Vandalia’s process for large-scale DNA production technology

Researchers identify 57 SNPs associated with autism

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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