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Broad Institute, Novartis develop cancer cell line encyclopedia

Novartis and the Broad Institute have developed a cancer cell line encyclopedia that catalogues the genetic and molecular profiles of almost 1,000 human cancer cell lines used in drug research and development. Results of the collaboration, published in the journal Nature and released in advance online today, may allow scientists around the world to use this information to improve cancer clinical trial design and further cancer research.

29 Mar 2012

New treatment approach halts spread of cancer cells into normal brain tissue

Treating invasive brain tumors with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation has improved clinical outcomes, but few patients survive longer than two years after diagnosis. The effectiveness of the treatment is limited by the tumor's aggressive invasion of healthy brain tissue, which restricts chemotherapy access to the cancer cells and complicates surgical removal of the tumor.

29 Mar 2012

Researchers design new treatment approach for invasive brain tumors

Researchers from Emory and the Georgia Institute of Technology have designed a new treatment approach that appears to halt the spread of cancer cells into normal brain tissue in animal models.

29 Mar 2012

Researchers describe unexpected role of p75NTR in type 2 diabetes

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered a key protein that regulates insulin resistance-the diminished ability of cells to respond to the action of insulin and which sets the stage for the development of the most common form of diabetes. This breakthrough points to a new way to potentially treat or forestall type 2 diabetes, a rapidly growing global health problem.

29 Mar 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Meso Scale Discovery collaborate to advance AD research

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Meso Scale Discovery today announced they have entered an agreement to develop diagnostic assays that will measure cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for use in Alzheimer's disease research.

29 Mar 2012

Gene therapy improves chylomicron metabolism in LPLD patients

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced today data demonstrating that one-time administration of the gene therapy Glybera (alipogene tiparvovec) is able to markedly improve chylomicron (fat particles in the blood) metabolism following consumption of a low fat meal.

29 Mar 2012

Affymetrix' GeneChip technology incorporated into Lineagen's FirstStepDx genetic evaluation service

Affymetrix, Inc. and Lineagen, Inc., an innovative molecular diagnostics company focused on complex, genetically linked disorders, today announced the companies have signed an agreement to incorporate Affymetrix' GeneChip technology into Lineagen's next-generation FirstStepDx, a genetic evaluation service for individuals with developmental delay (DD), intellectual disability (ID), and autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

29 Mar 2012

P. falciparum colonizes America via two separate introduction routes: Study

The malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, originates from Africa, and is found on every continent. Over 200 million people are infected every year from Africa to Asia, as well as in America and the Middle East. How did it spread to the entire planet? It is not entirely clear how it conquered the New World. Scientists from the UMR Migevec and their partners have recently shown in the journal PNAS that the pathogen was introduced by ship during the slave trade.

29 Mar 2012

MabCure retains CUNY CAT to evaluate monoclonal antibodies against ovarian cancer

MabCure Inc., a leading developer of antibody-based technology for the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian, prostate, colorectal and other cancers, has retained the CUNY Center for Advanced Technology (CUNY CAT) to evaluate its monoclonal antibodies against ovarian cancer cells as diagnostic reagents.

29 Mar 2012

Stem Cells reports results of Neuralstem ALS Phase I trial

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that safety results from the first 12 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) to receive its stem cells were reported online in the peer-reviewed publication, Stem Cells, on March 13th.

29 Mar 2012

Researchers profile genetic changes in cancer with drug sensitivity

In the largest study of its kind, researchers have profiled genetic changes in cancer with drug sensitivity in order to develop a personalised approach to cancer treatments. The study is published in Nature on Thursday 29 March 2012.

29 Mar 2012

Scientists explore number of strategies to prevent anesthesia-induced injury in infants

Recent clinical studies have shown that general anesthesia can be harmful to infants, presenting a dilemma for both doctors and parents. But new research at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center may point the way to treatment options that protect very young children against the adverse effects of anesthesia.

29 Mar 2012

Nature journal publishes first volume of Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia

The goal of cancer treatment is to match the right drug to the right target in the right patient. But before such "personalized" drugs can be developed, more knowledge is needed about specific genomic alterations in cancers and their sensitivity to potential therapeutic agents.

29 Mar 2012

Interleukin, U-M School of Dentistry complete enrollment in PST Genetic Test study

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry and Interleukin Genetics, Inc. announced today the completion of patient enrollment for a landmark clinical study using Interleukin's PST Genetic Test to determine if dental patients can be risk-stratified to guide frequency of preventive dental visits and reduce the adverse outcomes of periodontal disease progression, such as tooth loss.

29 Mar 2012

MiR-375 regulates IL-13-induced changes in allergic diseases

Researchers have taken a critical step in understanding how allergic reactions occur after identifying a genetic signature for regulation of a key immune hormone, interleukin (IL-13).

29 Mar 2012

Protein's location in a cell affects impact on disease

If the fight against breast cancer were a criminal investigation, then the proteins survivin, HDAC6, CBP, and CRM1 would be among the shadier figures. In that vein, a study to be published in the March 30 Journal of Biological Chemistry is the police report that reveals a key moment for keeping cancer cells alive: survivin's jailbreak from the nucleus, aided and abetted by the other proteins.

29 Mar 2012

Scientists uncover new layer of information in the genetic code

A hidden and never before recognized layer of information in the genetic code has been uncovered by a team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) thanks to a technique developed at UCSF called ribosome profiling, which enables the measurement of gene activity inside living cells - including the speed with which proteins are made.

29 Mar 2012

Chromosomal abnormality in children with ependymoma linked with poorer chance of survival

A chromosomal abnormality in children with a deadly form of brain cancer is linked with a poorer chance of survival, clinician scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered.

29 Mar 2012

Cracking Your Genetic Code raises bioethics issues

Will genetic testing and personalized medicine change the way you think about your life? Should it? What can you really learn about your future from direct-to-consumer genetic tests-or even from whole genome scanning, which is becoming increasingly affordable? And what about your privacy: how well is your genetic information protected?

28 Mar 2012

Understanding quantum metabolism may help stop cancer growth

The theory of quantum metabolism is the idea that quantum processes, such as entanglement, influence the metabolism of cells. This idea offers scientists a new explanation for the metabolic changes that cause healthy cells to transform into cancerous ones. The metamorphosis gives cancerous cells the ability to outcompete healthy cells for space and nutrients, causing the disease to spread.

28 Mar 2012