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Amorfix, Epitomics collaborate to develop high-affinity monoclonal antibodies against cancer targets

Amorfix Life Sciences and Epitomics, Inc. announced today that they have entered into an agreement to develop high-affinity monoclonal antibodies against a number of targets for cancer. Amorfix has identified several disease specific epitopes (DSEs) on misfolded proteins with their proprietary ProMIS(TM) computational platform discovery technology, which will be used by Epitomics to generate highly specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).

11 May 2010

BSD, ProZyme partner to redefine biotherapeutic glycan analysis workflow

BioSystem Development, LLC (BSD) and ProZyme, Inc. announce a partnership to redefine biotherapeutic glycan analysis workflow. The first product from this collaboration combines ProZyme's proprietary enzymatic N-deglycosylation, labeling and cleanup chemistry with BSD's AssayMAP™ high- throughput micro chromatography platform resulting in a rapid, quantitative N-glycan sample preparation method fully enabled for any scale of automation.

11 May 2010

New study to send microorganisms into space

A team of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will send an army of microorganisms into space this week, to investigate new ways of preventing the formation and spread of biofilms, or clusters of bacteria, that could pose a threat to the health of astronauts.

11 May 2010

Study reveals association between cardiac vagal activity and functional somatic symptoms

A study in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics outlines some novel insights between cardiac vagal activity [heart rate variability in the high-frequency band (HRV-HF)] and symptoms that do not find an organic explanation.

11 May 2010

Rosetta Genomics announces USPTO notice of allowance for Sanger hsa-miR-451

Rosetta Genomics, Ltd., a leading developer and provider of microRNA-based molecular diagnostic tests, announced today the receipt of a new notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") for U.S. patent application 11/418,870, including claims related to Sanger hsa-miR-451. miR-451 is used in the Company's miRview™ mets test, which accurately identifies the primary tumor site in patients with metastatic cancer and Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP).

11 May 2010

Potential new drug therapies for treatment of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) has been present in humans since ancient times. The origins of the disease date back to the first domestication of cattle, and skeletal remains show prehistoric humans (4,000 B.C.) had TB. Although relatively rare in the United States, it is the single leading bacterial cause of death worldwide. Approximately 8 million people are infected each year and 2 million people die from TB.

11 May 2010

RIKEN OSC to purchase CLC bio's high-throughput sequencing analysis solution

Today, RIKEN and CLC bio Japan announced an agreement for the purchase of CLC bio's enterprise platform software by RIKEN Omics Science Center (OSC). CLC bio's high-throughput sequence analysis infrastructure will empower both OSC's scientists and OSC's Genome Network Analysis Service (GeNAS) with a user-friendly and fast workflow to efficiently manage and analyze large quantities of genomics data.

11 May 2010

Pathway Genomics personal genetic testing kits to be sold at Walgreens

Pathway Genomics, a U.S.-based genetic testing company, today announced that Pathway's personal genetic testing kits will be available at Walgreens. Starting in mid-May the Pathway Genomics Insight™ Saliva Collection Kit will be sold at many of Walgreens' nearly 7,500 stores nationwide (with the exception of New York, due to a New York state law). The Insight™ Saliva Collection Kit will retail in the $20 to $30 price range.

11 May 2010

Gene variations may increase risk of developing schizophrenia: Study

By analyzing the genomes of patients with schizophrenia, genetics researchers have discovered numerous copy number variations—deletions or duplications of DNA sequences—that increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Significantly, many of these variations occur in genes that affect signaling among brain cells.

11 May 2010

Increased cholesterol levels can affect microenvironment of bone marrow

Increased cholesterol levels are being increasingly recognised as risk factors for the onset and progression of several cancers. Now researchers in Portugal show that high levels of cholesterol can affect the microenvironment of the bone marrow, so that more cells move from the bone marrow to peripheral, circulating blood.

11 May 2010

SNP biomarker could reduce guesswork associated with prescribing drugs

A tiny gene mutation in human liver cells could one day influence how high or low a dose patients need of about half of the clinically used drugs on the market, new research suggests.

11 May 2010

UCF receives $1.9M NIH grant for exploring new ways of reversing damage caused by MS

A National Institutes of Health grant will help University of Central Florida researchers explore new ways to potentially reverse the damage caused by multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders.

11 May 2010

Study finds familial restless legs syndrome more prominent among French Canadian women

Restless legs syndrome, which causes an irresistible desire to move legs, appears to be a hereditary condition that's more prominent among French Canadian women and may be caused by a combination of genetic influences and environmental effects. According to a large-scale study published in the Archives of Neurology, siblings of people affected by restless legs syndrome are three and a half times more likely to develop the disease.

11 May 2010

Exposure to fine particulate matter can trigger cardiovascular deaths, heart attacks

The scientific evidence linking air pollution to heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death has "substantially strengthened," and people, particularly those at high cardiovascular risk, should limit their exposure, according to an updated American Heart Association scientific statement.

11 May 2010

Pregnant women at risk for pregnancy problems caused by oral bacteria

Even healthy pregnant women can be at risk for pregnancy problems caused by oral bacteria. Researchers from Case Western Reserve University began to understand which bacteria from the 700 species living in the mouth are responsible for the growing health problem of preterm and stillbirths.

11 May 2010

Researchers develop new type of drug to kill non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumor cells

Three researchers who are recipients of a collaborative grant from the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation have developed a new type of drug designed to kill non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumor cells. The breakthrough could lead to potential non-toxic therapies for cancer patients. The Foundation-funded investigators include Ari Melnick, M.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College, Alexander MacKerell, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland and Gilbert Priv-, Ph.D., of the University of Toronto.

11 May 2010

Multicomponent psychological intervention helps reduce alexithymia and cancer pain

An Italian study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics examines the relationship between cancer pain and inability to express feelings and the effects of treatment.

10 May 2010

FDA grants EUA for IQuum's Liat Influenza A/2009 H1N1 Assay

IQuum, Inc. today announced it has been granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Liat™ Influenza A/2009 H1N1 Assay. The assay detects and differentiates 2009 H1N1 influenza viral RNA starting from collected nasopharyngeal swab samples in less than 30 minutes.

10 May 2010

Mice express pain through facial expressions, says study

A new study by researchers from McGill University and the University of British Columbia shows that mice, like humans, express pain through facial expressions.

10 May 2010

UC San Diego researchers discover potential new treatment for familial adenomatous polyposis

A team of University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers has discovered that common intestinal bacteria appear to promote tumor growths in genetically susceptible mice, but that tumorigenesis can be suppressed if the mice are exposed to an inhibiting protein enzyme.

10 May 2010