Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Biocare, HJF sign license agreement to distribute antibody against prostate cancer

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. has signed a licensing agreement with Biocare Medical, a biotechnology company based in Concord, Calif., for the exclusive worldwide sales and distribution rights for the immunohistochemistry of an antibody designed to detect tumor prevalence in prostate cancer patients.

18 Feb 2011

USPTO issues two patents to VIRxSYS SMaRT RNA platform technology

VIRxSYS Corporation, a privately-held biotechnology company with proprietary RNA payload and lentiviral vector delivery platform technologies, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the Company two patents for its SMaRT RNA platform technology, capable of reprogramming or repairing genes to create, increase or change protein expression.

18 Feb 2011

Researchers discover new 'driver gene' in oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have pinpointed a key cancer-causing gene that, when overactive, triggers a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer to develop.

18 Feb 2011

Scientists establish biomarker strategy to diagnose variety of cancer types

A team of biologists, clinical oncologists, pathologists and information scientists has established a strategy for identifying biomarkers. If a particular pattern of these biomarkers can be detected in the blood, this indicates a cancerous disease. An interdisciplinary research breakthrough that opens many doors.

18 Feb 2011

Cyclacel's CYC065 CDK inhibitor demonstrates potential against breast cancer resistant to trastuzumab

Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced the publication of preclinical data in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), demonstrating that cyclin E plays a major role in making Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer resistant to trastuzumab (Herceptin®), a widely used medicine for breast cancer patients who test positive for HER2.

18 Feb 2011

DiaGenic fourth quarter operating revenue increases to NOK 1,078 thousand

DiaGenic has significantly altered its business strategy during 2010 to leverage more effectively its commercial potential, and strengths in Intellectual Property (IP). The Company has made significant progress in its business activities towards big pharma since implementation of the new strategy. DiaGenic is well positioned as a multimodal partner with large pharma and imaging companies.

18 Feb 2011

Avenir team discovers how Neisseria meningitidis disseminates into bloodstream

Although, in the majority of cases, the localized presence of Neisseria meningitidis in the throat has no consequence, it can sometimes lead to meningitis or septicaemia. The seriousness of these two infections is driving researchers from around the world to improve their understanding of the mode of operation of this bacterium, which, once it leaves its favourite location becomes extremely dangerous.

18 Feb 2011

FDA grants miRagen's MGN-4893 orphan drug designation for treatment of polycythemia vera

miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients' lives by developing innovative microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and muscle disease, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to the company's compound MGN-4893 for the treatment of polycythemia vera, a myeloproliferative disease characterized by an overabundance of blood cells and platelets in the body.

18 Feb 2011

Benitec strengthens patent position in RNAi

Benitec Limited (ASX: BLT), (PINK:BNIKF), a world leader in expressed gene silencing for human therapeutics, is pleased to announce that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has today indicated that it is issuing the Re-examination Certificate, the formal final step in the USPTO’s confirmation of patentability of claims in the key ‘099 Graham Patent [US Patent No. 6,573,099] "Genetic Constructs for Delaying or Repressing the Expression of a Target Gene", the wide-ranging platform technology patent covering the use of expressed RNA interference (RNAi) in human therapeutic applications.

17 Feb 2011

Two researchers receive Brupbacher Prize for Cancer Research 2011

Today, the Charles Rodolphe Brupbacher Prize for Cancer Research 2011 goes to two researchers who have contributed to better understanding of the genetics underlying the growth of tumors.

17 Feb 2011

Researchers find blue-green algae may be responsible for producing estrogen-like compound in water

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, researchers have found that blue-green algae may be responsible for producing an estrogen-like compound in the environment which could disrupt the normal activity of reproductive hormones and adversely affect fish, plants and human health.

17 Feb 2011

Unrecognized substances released by algae blooms may act as endocrine disruptors

Scientists are reporting for the first time that previously unrecognized substances released by algae blooms have the potential to act as endocrine disruptors, which can interfere with the normal activity of reproductive hormones. The effect is not caused by microcystin toxins, long recognized as potentially harmful to humans and aquatic animals, but as yet unidentified substances.

17 Feb 2011

Genomic Health to present prostate cancer studies at ASCO Genitourinary Cancer Symposium

Genomic Health, Inc. today announced the presentation of two studies at the American Society of Clinical Oncology® (ASCO®) Genitourinary (GU) Cancer Symposium, including complete results from its prostate cancer gene identification study, which identified 295 genes strongly associated with clinical recurrence following radical prostatectomy with great consistency across multiple tumor samples examined in each patient.

17 Feb 2011

Metallic copper surfaces kill bacteria on contact

Metallic copper surfaces kill microbes on contact, decimating their populations, according to a paper in the February 2011 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. They do so literally in minutes, by causing massive membrane damage after about a minute's exposure, says the study's corresponding author, Gregor Grass of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. This is the first study to demonstrate this mechanism of bacteriocide.

17 Feb 2011

First evidence of neurotrophic factors improving status of degenerating dopamine neurons in Parkinson's brains

Ceregene, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, reported today that its scientists and collaborators have published new experimental findings in support of its Parkinson's disease program which appeared as the lead article in the current issue of Movement Disorders. The publication reports the first evidence that gene transfer can provide targeted expression of a neurotrophic factor, i.e., neurturin or NRTN, intended to restore and preserve dying neurons.

17 Feb 2011

Deactivation of CRTC1 protein increases lifespan

Substantial evidence suggests that lifespan is increased if an organism restricts its daily calorie intake, a spartan regime that some say works by just making life seem longer. A team of scientists from the Salk Institute of Biological Studies has discovered a molecular switch flipped by hunger that could not only make longevity more appetizing but identify drug targets for patients with aging-related diseases such as type II diabetes or cancer.

17 Feb 2011

Loss of 'twenty-four' gene makes it harder to wake up

Northwestern University scientists have discovered a new mechanism in the core gears of the circadian clock. They found the loss of a certain gene, dubbed "twenty-four," messes up the rhythm of the common fruit fly's sleep-wake cycle, making it harder for the flies to awaken.

17 Feb 2011

Molecular explanation to higher tendency for autism among males

George Washington University researcher, Dr. Valerie Hu, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and her team at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, have found that male and female sex hormones regulate expression of an important gene in neuronal cell culture through a mechanism that could explain not only higher levels of testosterone observed in some individuals with autism, but also why males have a higher incidence of autism than females.

17 Feb 2011

New method may eliminate colonoscopies

Nobody enjoys colonoscopies, including mice. University of Missouri researchers are excited about the potential of using genetic biomarkers to predict colon cancer caused by inflammation. A new method developed at the MU Research Animal Diagnostic Laboratory (RADIL) could eventually lead to a method that might eliminate colonoscopies altogether.

17 Feb 2011

Study sheds light on novel functions of certain PCSK enzymes

Recent studies conducted at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al on a group of PCSK enzymes could have a positive impact on health, from cholesterol to osteoporosis.

17 Feb 2011

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Biocare, HJF sign license agreement to distribute antibody against prostate cancer

USPTO issues two patents to VIRxSYS SMaRT RNA platform technology

Researchers discover new 'driver gene' in oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer

Scientists establish biomarker strategy to diagnose variety of cancer types

Cyclacel's CYC065 CDK inhibitor demonstrates potential against breast cancer resistant to trastuzumab

DiaGenic fourth quarter operating revenue increases to NOK 1,078 thousand

Avenir team discovers how Neisseria meningitidis disseminates into bloodstream

FDA grants miRagen's MGN-4893 orphan drug designation for treatment of polycythemia vera

Benitec strengthens patent position in RNAi

Two researchers receive Brupbacher Prize for Cancer Research 2011

Researchers find blue-green algae may be responsible for producing estrogen-like compound in water

Unrecognized substances released by algae blooms may act as endocrine disruptors

Genomic Health to present prostate cancer studies at ASCO Genitourinary Cancer Symposium

Metallic copper surfaces kill bacteria on contact

First evidence of neurotrophic factors improving status of degenerating dopamine neurons in Parkinson's brains

Deactivation of CRTC1 protein increases lifespan

Loss of 'twenty-four' gene makes it harder to wake up

Molecular explanation to higher tendency for autism among males

New method may eliminate colonoscopies

Study sheds light on novel functions of certain PCSK enzymes

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging