Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Seattle Genetics reports revenues of $46.5M for first-quarter 2010

Seattle Genetics, Inc. today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010. The company also highlighted recent product development activities and planned milestones.

28 Apr 2010

Myriad Genetics OnDose collection kit eliminates need for frozen sample handling

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced a significant improvement in the sample collection kit for OnDoseTM, its 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) dose optimization product. Patient sample handling can now be conducted at room temperature, eliminating the need for frozen sample handling. Myriad said that it believes the simplified process should increase physician acceptance and utilization of OnDose.

28 Apr 2010

FIESTY acronym to improve cognitive function, reduce chances of developing dementia

As researchers learn more about how we age, they're finding that genetics are only half of the story when it comes to developing Alzheimer's disease.

28 Apr 2010

Cell phone program to promote more physical activity

About two thirds of the American population is overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk for health problems such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. The obesity epidemic in America is the result of poor eating habits, genetics, and a lack of exercise. It's therefore difficult for public health officials to get people to make a conscious effort to control their weight.

27 Apr 2010

Scientists now closer to produce drugs to fix disease-causing mutations, spare healthy genes

Inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis can be caused by genetic "nonsense mutations" that disrupt the way human cells make proteins. David Bedwell, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Microbiology, says scientists are now closer to producing drugs that will fix this disruption and drastically improve treatment of genetic disease.

27 Apr 2010

Fluidigm releases protocol for Access Array System for sequencing amplicon libraries

Fluidigm Corporation today announced the release of a protocol for the Access Array™ System that enables sequencing of amplicon libraries using GS FLX Titanium Series reagents on the 454 GS FLX sequencing system. The Access Array integrated fluidic circuit (IFC) automatically generates emPCR-ready libraries by simultaneously combining 48 samples and 48 primer sets to produce 48 uniquely-barcoded samples per chip for approximately $7 (U.S.) per sample.

27 Apr 2010

ERCC1 Analysis guides patient treatment decisions

Moffitt Cancer Center announces steadily growing interest in the ERCC1 Analysis, the first test developed for selecting chemotherapy for Non Small Lung Cancer patients. Each year, more than 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer.

26 Apr 2010

New reprogramming strategies needed for production of iPSCs: Study

Scientists may be one step closer to being able to generate any type of cells and tissues from a patient's own cells. In a study that will appear in the journal Nature and is receiving early online release, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine (MGH-CRM) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), describe finding that an important cluster of genes is inactivated in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that do not have the full development potential of embryonic stem cells.

26 Apr 2010

DeCODE scientists discover common SNPs that increase number of CPD and risk of lung cancer

Cigarette smoking is a major cause of illness and death worldwide. But it is a complex behavior, and how much people smoke, how hard they find it to quit, and the impact of long-term smoking on health varies greatly among individuals. A substantial portion of this variability is genetic. Two years ago, deCODE discovered the first common, single-letter variation in the sequence of the human genome, on chromosome 15q25, associated with nicotine addiction and risk of lung cancer.

26 Apr 2010

University of Utah researchers knock out genes in nematode worms

Knocking genes out of action allows researchers to learn what genes do by seeing what goes wrong without them. University of Utah biologists pioneered the field. Mario Capecchi won a Nobel Prize for developing knockout mice. Kent Golic found a way to cripple fruit fly genes. Now, biologist Erik Jorgensen and colleagues have devised a procedure for knocking out genes in nematode worms.

26 Apr 2010

Three genetic regions associated with cigarette smoking

A team of scientists has used data from genome-wide association studies to identify genetic variants associated with key smoking behaviors that have a significant impact on health.

26 Apr 2010

Genes that predispose to smoking behavior and lung cancer identified: More reason to quit say researchers

According to new research there are certain genes in a smoker that make it difficult for them to cut down or quit the bad habit. This report from three studies published in the journal Nature Genetics mentions at least three different genetic mutations on chromosome 15 or changes that can increase the number of cigarettes smoked per day by an individual.

25 Apr 2010

Moffitt Cancer Center reports increasing interest in ERCC1 Analysis test for selecting chemotherapy for NSCLC

24 Apr 2010

Environmental factors may play bigger role in tumor development: BIDMC study

It is an accepted fact that genetics play a key role in a person's susceptibility to cancer, and that throughout life, mutations can cause damage to tumor suppressor genes further increasing the chances of developing cancerous tumors.

24 Apr 2010

Researchers discover and characterize general mechanism controlling transcription elongation in bacteria

Researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered and characterized a general mechanism that controls transcription elongation in bacteria. The mechanism, described in the April 23 issue of Science, relies on physical cooperation between a moving ribosome and RNA polymerase (RNAP) that allows for a precise adjustment of the transcriptional yield in response to translational needs. The study could lead to the development of new ways to interfere with bacterial gene expression and serve as a new target for antimicrobial therapy.

23 Apr 2010

GIS scientists' zebrafish model may aid drug development for PD

Scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore, a biomedical research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, have recently developed a zebrafish model for Parkinson's disease that can be used for understanding the mechanism underlying its development. The knowledge gained will be helpful for future screening of new drugs to treat Parkinson's disease.

23 Apr 2010

Research into Planarian worm 'Smed-prep' gene may pave way for regeneration of human organs

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered the gene that enables an extraordinary worm to regenerate its own body parts after amputation — including a whole head and brain.

23 Apr 2010

EpiCept invites stockholders to attend Annual Meeting

With this notice, stockholders of EpiCept Corporation are invited to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 3, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time at the Dolce/IBM Palisades Executive Conference Center, 334 Route 9W, Palisades, New York 10964.

23 Apr 2010

Study describes relationship between gene expression and intelligence in WS patients

Although genetics is the most significant known determinant of human intelligence, how specific genes affect intelligence remains largely unknown. A multi-institution team led by a University of Utah USTAR researcher has found that the brain gene STX1A plays a significant role in the level of intelligence displayed by patients with Williams Syndrome.

23 Apr 2010

Genentech submits sBLA for Herceptin plus chemotherapy for advanced HER2-positive stomach cancer

Genentech, Inc., a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, announced today that the company submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Herceptin® (trastuzumab) plus chemotherapy in people with advanced, HER2-positive adenocarcinoma of the stomach, including gastroesophageal junction cancer.

23 Apr 2010

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Seattle Genetics reports revenues of $46.5M for first-quarter 2010

Myriad Genetics OnDose collection kit eliminates need for frozen sample handling

FIESTY acronym to improve cognitive function, reduce chances of developing dementia

Cell phone program to promote more physical activity

Scientists now closer to produce drugs to fix disease-causing mutations, spare healthy genes

Fluidigm releases protocol for Access Array System for sequencing amplicon libraries

ERCC1 Analysis guides patient treatment decisions

New reprogramming strategies needed for production of iPSCs: Study

DeCODE scientists discover common SNPs that increase number of CPD and risk of lung cancer

University of Utah researchers knock out genes in nematode worms

Three genetic regions associated with cigarette smoking

Genes that predispose to smoking behavior and lung cancer identified: More reason to quit say researchers

Moffitt Cancer Center reports increasing interest in ERCC1 Analysis test for selecting chemotherapy for NSCLC

Environmental factors may play bigger role in tumor development: BIDMC study

Researchers discover and characterize general mechanism controlling transcription elongation in bacteria

GIS scientists' zebrafish model may aid drug development for PD

Research into Planarian worm 'Smed-prep' gene may pave way for regeneration of human organs

EpiCept invites stockholders to attend Annual Meeting

Study describes relationship between gene expression and intelligence in WS patients

Genentech submits sBLA for Herceptin plus chemotherapy for advanced HER2-positive stomach cancer

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