Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Genetic dermatology tests merge with DermaGenoma

Pioneering genetic tests in key areas of dermatology today merged into one molecular dermatology research and development innovator called DermaGenoma, Inc.

21 Apr 2010

Obesity related FTO gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

If you are an American of European origin and carry the FTO gene which causes obesity, you have a much higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A recent study conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles claimed that 'A commonly carried allele of the obesity-related FTO gene is associated with reduced brain volume in healthy elderly'.

21 Apr 2010

Alexion Pharmaceuticals completes enrollment in Soliris clinical studies for aHUS

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has completed enrolling patients in all four previously announced prospective, open-label clinical studies investigating Soliris® (eculizumab) as a potential treatment for patients with atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS) being conducted in North America and multiple European countries.

21 Apr 2010

Genentech to pay Seattle Genetics $9.5M for renewing licenses under existing ADC collaboration agreement

Seattle Genetics, Inc. today announced that Genentech, Inc., a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, will pay $9.5 million to renew exclusive licenses to specific targets and extend the research term under the parties' existing antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) collaboration agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Genentech has rights to use Seattle Genetics' ADC technology with antibodies against targets selected by Genentech.

20 Apr 2010

Affymetrix introduces new service for obtaining allele-specific copy number data from FFPE samples

Affymetrix, Inc. today announced the launch of the Affymetrix® MIP Copy Number Service, designed for cancer researchers using challenging FFPE samples. With the MIP Copy Number Service, scientists can now obtain high-quality allele-specific copy number data from FFPE samples. The service is available for research use only exclusively through the Affymetrix® Research Services Laboratory (ARSL).

20 Apr 2010

Interim results from QLT's Phase 1b study of QLT091001 for Leber congenital amaurosis

QLT Inc. today announced interim results from the first 3 subjects enrolled in a Phase 1b clinical proof-of-concept study of QLT091001 in the treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), an inherited progressive retinal degenerative disease that leads to retinal dysfunction and significant visual impairment beginning at birth. QLT091001 is an orally administered synthetic retinoid replacement for 11-cis-retinal, which is a key biochemical component of visual function.

20 Apr 2010

Pre-clinical study results of BiTE antibody technology presented at AACR 2010

Micromet, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of next-generation antibodies for the treatment of cancer, today announced that results from studies highlighting pre-clinical advances with its proprietary BiTE antibody technology were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

20 Apr 2010

PTEN expression clinically useful in assessing risk of prostate cancer recurrence: Study

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today said results from a recent study indicate that expression of the PTEN gene may be clinically useful in assessing a man's risk of prostate cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

20 Apr 2010

UAB researchers discover four miRNAs to assess survival rate of colorectal cancer patients

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pathology have discovered a set of four biomarkers that will help predict which patients are more likely to develop aggressive colorectal cancer and which are not. The findings also shed light on the genetics that result in worse colorectal cancer-treatment outcomes for African-Americans, compared with Caucasians, the researchers said.

20 Apr 2010

Positive data from NewLink Genetics Phase1/2 study of HyperAcute-Lung cancer immunotherapy

NewLink Genetics Corporation announced today data from a Phase 1/2 study showing that patients with progressive advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with its HyperAcute®-Lung cancer immunotherapy experienced favorable median survival. The data were presented at the 101st American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting.

20 Apr 2010

Viral Genetics relocates research facilities to Georgetown

Biotech company Viral Genetics, Inc.,, is relocating its research facilities to the life science cluster in Georgetown, Texas. Lead scientist Dr. Karen Newell has joined the faculty of Texas A&M University's College of Medicine and has received a $750,000 grant to research bio-fuels from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund.

20 Apr 2010

LSF gene plays important role in development and progression of HCC: VCU researchers

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified a new tumor-promoting gene that may play a key role in the development of liver cancer. Levels of the gene's expression are significantly higher in more than 90 percent of patients with the disease compared to their healthy counterparts.

20 Apr 2010

EpiCept announces U.K. launch of Ceplene

EpiCept Corporation today announced that the commercial launch of Ceplene® (histamine dihydrochloride) will take place in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2010 in conjunction with the British Society for Haematology 50th Annual Scientific Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ceplene is approved in the European Union for the remission maintenance and prevention of relapse in patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in first remission.

20 Apr 2010

Biomarkers to help predict development of aggressive colorectal cancer discovered

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pathology have discovered a set of four biomarkers that will help predict which patients are more likely to develop aggressive colorectal cancer and which are not. The findings also shed light on the genetics that result in worse colorectal cancer-treatment outcomes for African-Americans, compared with Caucasians, the researchers said.

19 Apr 2010

Teen drinking increases the risk for breast cancer

What are the chances of you developing breast cancer if you have been drinking alcohol regularly as a teenager? Very high indeed as per the findings of a study called “Growing Up Today” conducted on 6,899 women from the time they were 9 to 15 year old till they turned 18 to 27 years old.

18 Apr 2010

NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award for Zhihao Zhuang

Zhihao Zhuang, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware, has won the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award.

17 Apr 2010

Marker found in iPS cells correlates with levels of pluripotency: Researchers

Researchers in China are reporting that they have found a way to determine which somatic cells -- or differentiated body cells -- that have been reprogrammed into a primordial, embryonic-like state are the most viable for therapeutic applications.

17 Apr 2010

Researchers receive honorary Doctor of Medicine degrees

Two genetics researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have been awarded prestigious honorary Doctor of Medicine degrees by European scientific institutions.

17 Apr 2010

70% of COPD patients under-diagnosed due to lack of disease knowledge

"It is high time to demystify COPD in order to better explain the issues and help people who suffer from this disease," says Dr. Jean Bourbeau, Director of the Respiratory, Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit at the Montreal Chest Institute of the MUHC, and lead investigator of CanCOLD along with Dr. Wan Tan of The James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, University of British Columbia.

17 Apr 2010

Endra Life Sciences launches Nexus 128 preclinical photoacoustic CT scanner

Endra Life Sciences today announced the launch of the Nexus 128, a preclinical photoacoustic computed tomography (CT) scanner for small animal imaging. The system is used for simple, fast, non-invasive quantification of tumor vasculature and other physiological parameters for preclinical research.

16 Apr 2010

Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Genetic dermatology tests merge with DermaGenoma

Obesity related FTO gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals completes enrollment in Soliris clinical studies for aHUS

Genentech to pay Seattle Genetics $9.5M for renewing licenses under existing ADC collaboration agreement

Affymetrix introduces new service for obtaining allele-specific copy number data from FFPE samples

Interim results from QLT's Phase 1b study of QLT091001 for Leber congenital amaurosis

Pre-clinical study results of BiTE antibody technology presented at AACR 2010

PTEN expression clinically useful in assessing risk of prostate cancer recurrence: Study

UAB researchers discover four miRNAs to assess survival rate of colorectal cancer patients

Positive data from NewLink Genetics Phase1/2 study of HyperAcute-Lung cancer immunotherapy

Viral Genetics relocates research facilities to Georgetown

LSF gene plays important role in development and progression of HCC: VCU researchers

EpiCept announces U.K. launch of Ceplene

Biomarkers to help predict development of aggressive colorectal cancer discovered

Teen drinking increases the risk for breast cancer

NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award for Zhihao Zhuang

Marker found in iPS cells correlates with levels of pluripotency: Researchers

Researchers receive honorary Doctor of Medicine degrees

70% of COPD patients under-diagnosed due to lack of disease knowledge

Endra Life Sciences launches Nexus 128 preclinical photoacoustic CT scanner

Genetics & Genomics - Second Edition 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