Archive for May, 2012

Health

May 30, 2012

by Suzanne Kurtz, JTA

For nearly a year, Julie Gavrilov has been trying to find a match for her father, Mark.

Diagnosed with a rare and aggressive blood cancer, he needs a stem cell transplant to survive the disease.

A Bukharian Jew born in Uzbekistan, he will have the best chance of survival if he finds a donor from within his own ethnic community.

Since learning of her 58-year-old fathers diagnosis, Gavrilov, an attorney in New York, has organized a donor drive at a Bukharian Jewish community center in the Queens borough of the city, written heartfelt messages for local synagogue newsletters and posted her plea on Facebook.

A compatible donor has yet to be identified, but Gavrilov, 32, is hopeful that the person who can save her fathers life will be found.

It just takes one person, she said.

Finding that person for Jews of non-Ashkenazi descent can be especially difficult.

Continue reading here:
Israeli, U.S. drives aiming to increase number of non-Ashkenazi bone marrow donors

IRVINE, Calif. and AMSTERDAM, May 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Agendia, an innovative molecular cancer diagnostics company and leader in personalized medicine, today announced that the company has raised USD $65 million in a private round of equity financing.

"The support we have received in this round of financing is a strong reflection of our recent growth and confidence in the commercialization of our product pipeline in the future," said David Macdonald, CEO of Agendia. "We will use these funds to expand commercialization of our current breast cancer Symphony suite of tests, as well as for development of our personalized medicine pipeline. We have recently launched our Symphony suite in an FFPE format, and we are preparing to launch our ColoPrint recurrence test for stage II colon cancer prognosis and prediction."

The financing round was led by the Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm), a leading drug development company based in Switzerland, with significant support from all of Agendia's current investors, including; The Van Herk Group, ING Corporate Investments, Breedinvest and Gilde Healthcare. Agendia also brought in other new investors for the financing round, including Korys, the investment structure of the Colruyt family and others.

"Debiopharm has been very impressed by the quality of the work and recent substantial progress made by Agendia to overcome the hurdles it faced in the past. Agendia pioneered and advocated the implementation of personalized cancer management strategies. Its offering (both commercially and scientifically) has advanced molecular cancer diagnosis in its growing role. Becoming successful in this still challenging area will lead to substantial improvements for the selection of cancer therapies and, therefore, also enhance the cost-effectiveness of highly innovative and valuable treatments for subsets of patients. In other words, to us, Agendia will support genuine win-win strategies and facilitate the reduction of the gap between the diagnostic and the drug world," said Thierry Mauvernay, Delegate of the Board of Debiopharm.

"We are absolutely delighted to bring Agendia into our investment portfolio," stated Vincent Vliebergh, CEO of Korys. "The company's molecular diagnostic tests for breast cancer, developed and validated in close collaboration with leading academic centers,enable physicians to determine the most effective treatment for each individual patient, leading to better health outcomes and lower costs. As such, we see Agendia as a catalyst in the shift to more personalized medicine, and we look forward to working with the company to make this vision come true."

About Agendia:

Agendia is a leading molecular diagnostic company that develops and markets genomic-based diagnostic products, which help support physicians with their complex treatment decisions. Agendia's breast cancer Symphony suite was developed using unbiased gene selection, analyzing the complete human genome, ensuring 100% definitive results for cancer patients. Symphony includes MammaPrint, the first and only FDA-cleared IVDMIA breast cancer recurrence assay, as well as BluePrint, a molecular subtyping assay, TargetPrint, an ER/PR/HER2 expression assay, and TheraPrint, an alternative therapy selection assay. Together, these tests help physicians determine a patient's individual risk for metastasis, which patients will benefit from chemo, hormonal, or combination therapy, and which patients do not require these treatments and can instead be treated with other less arduous and less costly methods.

In addition to the Symphony suite of tests, Agendia has a rich pipeline of genomic products in development. The company collaborates with pharmaceutical companies, leading cancer centers and academic groups to develop companion diagnostic tests in the area of oncology and is a critical partner in the ISPY-2 and MINDACT trials.

For more information, please visit http://www.agendia.com.

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Agendia Raises $65 Million in a Private Round of Equity Financing

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

N-of-One, Inc., provider of Diagnostic Strategy Roadmaps and Treatment Strategy Roadmaps for personalized cancer care, announced today that the company has entered into a strategic collaboration with Foundation Medicine, Inc. to support the development of its fully informative molecular cancer profiles that can be used to guide individualized patient treatment strategies.

Foundation Medicine will use its state-of-the-art genomic sequencing and analytic capabilities on patient tumor samples to detect and analyze molecular alterations in hundreds of cancer-related genes to potentially identify biological markers that may be driving the onset, growth, and spread of an individuals cancer. N-of-One will apply its PrecisionWorks knowledge integration platform for personalized medicine to assist in the transformation of cancer-relevant genomic alteration data identified by Foundation Medicine into clinically relevant information by linking each molecular variation with up-to-date information about relevant targeted therapies and clinical trials that may be effective against the individuals tumor. Foundation Medicine provides its reports to oncologists to help them determine appropriate treatment strategies tailored to each patient based on their specific genomic profile.

This collaboration represents another important step toward transforming next-generation sequencing into a decision-making tool that empowers oncologists to act rapidly and decisively in providing precision treatment strategies for their patients, said Jennifer Levin Carter, MD, Founder and President of N-of-One. We are delighted to work with Foundation Medicine to convert comprehensive cancer-associated molecular data from its market-leading test into customized reports that will help physicians optimize treatment strategies and improve patient outcomes.

N-of-One is a leader in the curation of molecular information, said Kevin Krenitsky, MD, COO of Foundation Medicine. N-of-One has developed a knowledge integration platform that will help us translate genomic alteration data into information that can be provided to clinicians to help them understand and act upon the genomic data we provide. We are excited to collaborate with N-of-One to provide our fully informative genomic profile to benefit patients.

About N-of-One

N-of-One is dedicated to helping oncologists identify optimal personalized diagnostic and treatment strategies for each individual patienteach n of one. Powered by our proprietary PrecisionWorks knowledge integration platform, the N-of-One team develops roadmaps that drive highly informed clinical decision-making by linking data about the molecular variations in each patients cancer cells with leading-edge knowledge, diagnostics, treatments, and technologies relevant to the tumor type. PrecisionWorks also powers solutions that address the unique logistical and procedural challenges of delivering personalized cancer care by streamlining coordination among health care providers, diagnostic companies, payers, drug and technology innovators, and patients. N-of-One works with physicians and therefore does not providemedical advice nor promote any product orservice. For more information, please visit http://www.n-of-one.com.

About Foundation Medicine

Foundation Medicine is a molecular information company dedicated to a transformation in cancer care in which treatment is informed by a deep understanding of the genomic changes that contribute to each patients unique cancer. The company has developed a fully informative genomic profile to identify a patients individual molecular alterations and match them with relevant targeted therapies and clinical trials. Foundation Medicines molecular information platform aims to improve day-to-day care for patients by serving the needs of clinicians, academic researchers and drug developers to help advance the science of molecular medicine in cancer. For more information, please visit the companys website http://www.foundationmedicine.com.

Originally posted here:
N-of-One Announces Agreement with Foundation Medicine to Provide the First Patient-Specific Genomic Diagnostic ...

KIAH

12:01 p.m. CDT, May 30, 2012

How do you mend a broken heart? Thanks to scientists in Israel, we might soon have an answer.

Dr. Lior Gepstein and his team at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology managed to take skin cells from ailing heart patients and by adding three genes and valproic acid (used to treat epilepsy), they turned the cells into beating heart tissue.

And it was not just any old heart cells, but, according to Gepstein, "heart cells that are healthy, that are young and resemble heart cells at the day that the patient was born."

The researchers put the new beating heart tissue into rat hearts and saw it was not rejected, but seemed to establish connections with the rodents' tissue.

Stem cell experts praised the research as promising but urged people not to expect to be stopping by the clinic for a fresh heart any time soon. Gepstein's researchers say clinical trials should begin within the next 10 years.

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Skin cells turned into beating heart cells

30-05-2012 10:25

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Heart-Attack-Patient-Receives-Adult-Stem-Cell-Therapy- - Video

30-05-2012 16:02 Ovation Cell Therapy Tips for Thicker, Stronger, Longer Hair.

The rest is here:
How to Use the Advanced Cell Therapy System - Video

29-05-2012 10:11 (click for more info ) ---------------------------------------------------------- D Rock All my Channels Blogtv Music by Andrew: ------------------------------------------------------------ Artist: Chronic Maze Song: Injunction *If you use this song in any of your videos, you MUST put the following in the description: "Song: Chronic Maze - Injunction Cronic Maze's channel: " _______________________________________________________ Subscribe to Chronic Maze's channel: Chronic Maze's Soundcloud: Like Chronic Maze's Facebo0k page: Download Chronic Maze - Injunction for free: _______________________________________________________ Beginning by OkieMerrod83 Ending song by End Logo By ImpurfektFaith Theme Song Add me on Google + Follow me on Twitter Like me on Facebook Visit my Shirt Shops All music and graphics used Royalty free and licensed under Creative Commons "Attribution 3.0" "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise ...

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Mean Gene Okerlund Interviews Bearded Wrestler - Video

30-05-2012 09:04 2012 Presbyterian Historical Society Research Fellow Gene Zubovich is a doctoral candidate in History at the University of California, Berkeley. Here, he describes his investigation of Protestant social consciousness in the 1940s through archival research at PHS. Mr. Zubovich used manuscript collections of the Federal Council of Churches, and the National Council of Churches to research his topic.

Continue reading here:
Protestant Social Consciousness: 2012 Presbyterian Historical Society Research Fellowship - Video

Newswise The same gene variations that make it difficult to stop smoking also increase the likelihood that heavy smokers will respond to nicotine-replacement therapy and drugs that thwart cravings, a new study shows.

The research, led by investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, will appear online May 30 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The study suggests it may one day be possible to predict which patients are most likely to benefit from drug treatments for nicotine addiction.

Smokers whose genetic makeup puts them at the greatest risk for heavy smoking, nicotine addiction and problems kicking the habit also appear to be the same people who respond most robustly to pharmacologic therapy for smoking cessation, says senior investigator Laura Jean Bierut, MD, professor of psychiatry. Our research suggests that a persons genetic makeup can help us better predict who is most likely to respond to drug therapy so we can make sure those individuals are treated with medication in addition to counseling or other interventions.

For the new study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 5,000 smokers who participated in community-based studies and more than 1,000 smokers in a clinical treatment study. The scientists focused on the relationship between their ability to quit smoking successfully and genetic variations that have been associated with risk for heavy smoking and nicotine dependence.

People with the high-risk genetic markers smoked an average of two years longer than those without these high-risk genes, and they were less likely to quit smoking without medication, says first author Li-Shiun Chen, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University. The same gene variants can predict a persons response to smoking-cessation medication, and those with the high-risk genes are more likely to respond to the medication.

In the clinical treatment trial, individuals with the high-risk variants were three times more likely to respond to drug therapy, such as nicotine gum, nicotine patches, the antidepressant buproprion and other drugs used to help people quit.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States and a major public health problem worldwide. Cigarette smoking contributes to the deaths of an estimated 443,000 Americans each year. Although lung cancer is the leading cause of smoking-related cancer death among both men and women, tobacco also contributes to other lung problems, many other cancers and heart attacks.

Bierut and Chen say that the gene variations they studied are not the only ones involved in whether a person smokes, becomes addicted to nicotine or has difficulty quitting. But they contend that because the same genes can predict both heavy smoking and enhanced response to drug treatment, the genetic variants are important to the addiction puzzle.

Its almost like we have a corner piece here, Bierut says. Its a key piece of the puzzle, and now we can build on it. Clearly these genes arent the entire story other genes play a role, and environmental factors also are important. But weve identified a group thats responding to pharmacologic treatment and a group thats not responding, and thats a key step in improving, and eventually tailoring, treatments to help people quit smoking.

Go here to see the original:
Genes Predict if Medication Can Help You Quit Smoking

When news broke a vial of Ronald Reagans blood was being auctioned, the price quickly jumped to $30,000 as websites and blogs explored a tantalizing possibility: Did this mean the late president could be cloned?

Before mad scientists got the chance to perform a Dolly-the-Sheep experiment with the 40th president, the seller succumbed to criticism and decided to donate the blood to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. But this should only encourage the cloning speculation because the Gippers DNA is now in the hands of those who would most like to reproduce him: Republicans.

Party officials have been making the pilgrimage to the Reagan Library this year to express their wish to re-create the great man. I believe boldness and clarity of the kind that Ronald Reagan displayed in 1980 offer us the greatest opportunity to create a winning coalition in 2012, vice presidential aspirant Paul Ryan said at the library last week.

Also making the trip were VP hopefuls Marco Rubio and Chris Christie. Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in what this country and its citizens can accomplish, the latter declared. The America I speak of is the America Ronald Reagan challenged us to be.

The man they hope to join on the ticket, Mitt Romney, once boasted he was not trying to return to Reagan-Bush. Now he says the partys standard-bearer should be in the same mold as Ronald Reagan.

But before they go filling that mold by mapping the Reagan genome, Republicans may wish to consider some genetic flaws that party scientists should repair in the cloning process. To make the Reagan clone more compatible with todays Republican Party, a bit of genetic engineering may be in order:

AFL-1: Reagans AFL-1 gene, on the labor chromosome, has a mutation that made him susceptible to workers rights. He said of unions: There are few finer examples of participatory democracy. He said the right to join a union is one of the most elemental human rights. And he said collective bargaining played a major role in Americas economic miracle.

EPA-4: Reagans EPA-4 gene, on the regulatory chromosome, has a protein that can summon anti-industry sympathies. He signed a law establishing efficiency standards for electric appliances and an update to the Safe Drinking Water Act punishing states that didnt meet clean-water standards.

SSA-2 and MDCR-1: These related genes, on the long arm of the retirement chromosome, are problematic. Reagan expanded Social Security in 1983 and imposed taxes on wealthy recipients. He also signed what was at the time the largest expansion of Medicare in its history.

DEBT-1, DEBT-2, DEBT-3: A trio of abnormalities on the fiscal chromosome caused Reagan to increase taxes several times after his initial tax cut, to embrace much higher taxes on investments than current rates and to sign 18 increases in the federal debt limit.

Continued here:
Milbank: Before GOP clones Reagan genetic flaws must be fixed

Public release date: 30-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: NIDA Press Team media@nida.nih.gov 301-443-6245 NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse

Genetics can help determine whether a person is likely to quit smoking on his or her own or need medication to improve the chances of success, according to research published in today's American Journal of Psychiatry. Researchers say the study moves health care providers a step closer to one day providing more individualized treatment plans to help patients quit smoking.

The study was supported by multiple components of the National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Cancer Institute, and the Clinical and Translational Science Awards program, administered by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

"This study builds on our knowledge of genetic vulnerability to nicotine dependence, and will help us tailor smoking cessation strategies accordingly," said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D. "It also highlights the potential value of genetic screening in helping to identify individuals early on and reduce their risk for tobacco addiction and its related negative health consequences."

Researchers focused on specific variations in a cluster of nicotinic receptor genes, CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4, which prior studies have shown contribute to nicotine dependence and heavy smoking. Using data obtained from a previous study supported by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, researchers showed that individuals carrying the high-risk form of this gene cluster reported a 2-year delay in the median quit age compared to those with the low-risk genes. This delay was attributable to a pattern of heavier smoking among those with the high risk gene cluster. The researchers then conducted a clinical trial, which confirmed that persons with the high-risk genes were more likely to fail in their quit attempts compared to those with the low-risk genes when treated with placebo. However, medications approved for nicotine cessation (such as nicotine replacement therapies or bupropion) increased the likelihood of abstinence in the high risk groups. Those with the highest risk had a three-fold increase in their odds of being abstinent at the end of active treatment compared to placebo, indicating that these medications may be particularly beneficial for this population.

"We found that the effects of smoking cessation medications depend on a person's genes," said first author Li-Shiun Chen, M.D., of the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. "If smokers have the risk genes, they don't quit easily on their own and will benefit greatly from the medications. If smokers don't have the risk genes, they are likely to quit successfully without the help of medications such as nicotine replacement or bupropion."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke results in more than 440,000 preventable deaths each year -- about 1 in 5 U.S. deaths overall. Another 8.6 million live with a serious illness caused by smoking. Despite these well-documented health costs, over 46 million U.S. adults continue to smoke cigarettes.

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The study can be found at: http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=1169679. For information on tobacco addiction, go to: http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/tobacco-addiction-nicotine. For more information on tools and resources to help quit smoking, go to: http://www.smokefree.gov/.

More here:
Odds of quitting smoking affected by genetics

Public release date: 30-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Phyllis Edelman pedelman@genetics-gsa.org Genetics Society of America

BETHESDA, MD May 30, 2012 The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce the selection of six graduate students and seven postdoctoral researchers as recipients of the DeLill Nasser Awards for Professional Development in Genetics. Each of these early-career geneticists receives a $1,000 travel award to attend a national or international meeting or to enroll in a laboratory course of their choice that will enhance their career.

These awards are named in honor of DeLill Nasser (1929-2000), a long-time GSA member who was instrumental in promoting genetics research, championing the genome sequencing of Arabidopsis and research in Drosophila during her 22 years with the National Science Foundation. She was particularly supportive of young scientists, those at the beginning of their careers, and those trying to open new areas of genetic inquiry.

GSA Executive Director Adam Fagen, PhD, said "we are honored to support the future of genetics through these awards, especially in recognizing an individual who played such an important role in guiding the discipline and ensuring its continued vitality. There are no more important investments we can make than in the graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who will be leaders in genetics in the decades to come."

The six graduate student recipients and the meetings they will attend are:

The seven postdoctoral researchers and the meetings they will attend are:

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The DeLill Nasser Awards have two rounds of applications per year: one for courses and conferences occurring between January 1 and June 30, and another for courses and conferences occurring between July 1 and December 31. Up to 25 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers receive these awards annually to assist them in acquiring career enrichment. For more information about these awards, visit the GSA website at http://www.genetics-gsa.org/pages/delill.shtml.

ABOUT GSA: Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is the professional membership organization for scientific researchers, educators, bioengineers, bioinformaticians and others interested in the field of genetics. Its nearly 5,000 members work to advance knowledge in the basic mechanisms of inheritance, from the molecular to the population level. The GSA is dedicated to promoting research in genetics and to facilitating communication among geneticists worldwide through its conferences, including the biennial conference on Model Organisms to Human Biology, an interdisciplinary meeting on current and cutting edge topics in genetics research, as well as annual and biennial meetings that focus on the genetics of particular organisms, including C. elegans, Drosophila, fungi, mice, yeast, and zebrafish. GSA publishes GENETICS, a leading journal in the field and an online, open-access journal, G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics. For more information about GSA, please visit http://www.genetics-gsa.org. Also follow GSA on Facebook at facebook.com/GeneticsGSA and on Twitter @GeneticsGSA.

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The Genetics Society of America announces DeLill Nasser Travel Award recipients

Newswise BETHESDA, MD May 30, 2012 The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce the selection of six graduate students and seven postdoctoral researchers as recipients of the DeLill Nasser Awards for Professional Development in Genetics. Each of these early-career geneticists receives a $1,000 travel award to attend a national or international meeting or to enroll in a laboratory course of their choice that will enhance their career.

These awards are named in honor of DeLill Nasser (1929-2000), a long-time GSA member who was instrumental in promoting genetics research, championing the genome sequencing of Arabidopsis and research in Drosophila during her 22 years with the National Science Foundation. She was particularly supportive of young scientists, those at the beginning of their careers, and those trying to open new areas of genetic inquiry.

GSA Executive Director Adam Fagen, PhD, said we are honored to support the future of genetics through these awards, especially in recognizing an individual who played such an important role in guiding the discipline and ensuring its continued vitality. There are no more important investments we can make than in the graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who will be leaders in genetics in the decades to come.

The six graduate student recipients and the meetings they will attend are:

Guangbo Chen (Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO), Experimental Approaches to Evolution and Ecology using Yeast Meeting, October 17-21, 2012, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany.

Kathleen J. Dumas (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), Keystone Meeting on Aging and Disease of Aging, October 22-27, 2012, in Tokyo, Japan.

Michael Eastwood (University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada), GSA Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting, July 31-August 5, 2012, Princeton, NJ.

Erik Lehnert (Stanford University, CA), International Coral Reef Symposium, July 9-15, 2012, Cairns, Australia.

Xin Li (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN), 10th International Conference on Zebrafish Development and Genetics, June 20-24, 2012, Madison, WI.

Daniel P. Rice (Harvard University, Boston, MA), First Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology, July 6-10, 2012, Ottawa, Canada.

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Genetics Society of America Announces Travel Award Winners

AMES, Iowa, May 30, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NewLink Genetics (Nasdaq:NLNK - News) announced today that Dr. Charles Link, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the Jefferies 2012 Global Healthcare Conference in New York on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, at 4:30 p.m. (EDT). Dr. Link's presentation will include an update from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2012 Annual Meeting taking place June 1-5, 2012 including data from the Company's HyperAcute products and IDO Pathway Inhibitor Therapies.

A live webcast of the presentation call can be accessed by visiting the investors section of the NewLink website at http://investors.linkp.com/. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the company's website.

About NewLink Genetics Corporation

NewLink Genetics Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel immunotherapeutic products to improve cancer treatment options for patients and physicians. NewLink's portfolio includes biologic and small-molecule immunotherapy product candidates intended to treat a wide range of oncology indications. NewLink's product candidates are designed with an objective to harness multiple components of the innate immune system to combat cancer, either as a monotherapy or in combination with current treatment regimens, without incremental toxicity. NewLink's lead product candidate, HyperAcute Pancreas cancer immunotherapy (algenpantucel-L), is being studied in a Phase 3 clinical trial in surgically-resected pancreatic cancer patients (patient information is available at http://www.pancreaticcancer-clinicaltrials.com). This clinical trial is being performed under a Special Protocol Assessment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. NewLink and its collaborators have completed patient enrollment for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating its HyperAcute Lung cancer immunotherapy product candidate (turgenpumatucel-L) for non-small cell lung cancer and a Phase 2 clinical trial for its HyperAcute Melanoma cancer immunotherapy product candidate. NewLink also is developing NLG8189 (d-1-methyltryptophan, or D-1MT), a small-molecule, orally bioavailable product candidate from NewLink's proprietary indoleamine-(2, 3)-dioxygenase, or IDO, pathway inhibitor technology. Through NewLink's collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, NewLink is studying NLG8189 in various chemotherapy and immunotherapy combinations in two Phase 1B/2 safety and efficacy clinical trials. For more information please visit http://www.linkp.com.

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NewLink Genetics to Present at the Jefferies 2012 Global Healthcare Conference

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Response Genetics, Inc. (RGDX), a company focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer, announced today four presentations to be held during the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL from June 1 to June 5, 2012. Study results are based on the companys proprietary technology and approach.

Data to be presented at ASCO 2012 will highlight the clinical utility of Response Genetics tests in the fight against cancer, said Stephanie H. Astrow, Ph.D., MBA, vice president for R&D. Through rapid and accurate assessment of genetic biomarkers, were helping doctors personalize cancer care by providing them valuable insights into potential cancer recurrence and tumor response to drugs such as pemetrexed and crizotinib.

All studies presented used technology developed by Response Genetics to isolate nucleic acids from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) archived tissue for quantitative RT-PCR analysis of gene expression and other genetic analyses. Following is a summary of presentations:

Poster Discussion Sections

Monday June 4, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., E450a

Abstract No. 4563: Generation of a prognostic cancer stem-like gene expression signature in men undergoing radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer. Fairey, AS, Yang, D, et al.

Genes typically expressed by cancer stem-like cells were analyzed to determine their potential as predictive biomarkers of prostate cancer recurrence after radical resection. In this study, twelve candidate genes were evaluated in 241 tumor samples, with results identifying a novel three-gene expression signature (Axin2, NANOG, CTNNB1) with potential predictive benefit.

General Poster Sections

Saturday June 2, 1:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., S Hall A2

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Response Genetics Announces Presentation of Lung Cancer Study Results at 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology ...

KIAH

12:01 p.m. CDT, May 30, 2012

How do you mend a broken heart? Thanks to scientists in Israel, we might soon have an answer.

Dr. Lior Gepstein and his team at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology managed to take skin cells from ailing heart patients and by adding three genes and valproic acid (used to treat epilepsy), they turned the cells into beating heart tissue.

And it was not just any old heart cells, but, according to Gepstein, "heart cells that are healthy, that are young and resemble heart cells at the day that the patient was born."

The researchers put the new beating heart tissue into rat hearts and saw it was not rejected, but seemed to establish connections with the rodents' tissue.

Stem cell experts praised the research as promising but urged people not to expect to be stopping by the clinic for a fresh heart any time soon. Gepstein's researchers say clinical trials should begin within the next 10 years.

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Skin cells turned into beating heart cells

MASON, Ohio, May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --AssureRx Health, Inc. today announced the closing of a $12.5 million Series C financing. The personalized medicine company, which provides clinically-relevant information to help physicians select the right drug for individual neuropsychiatric patients, will use the funds to increase commercial activities for its two flagship pharmacogenomic products, GeneSightRx Psychotropic and GeneSightRx ADHD, as well as next generation product development activities.

The financing was led by Four Rivers Group and existing investors Claremont Creek Ventures and Sequoia Capital. The financing also included participation of existing investors Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, CincyTech, Allos Ventures, as well as new investors jVen Capital and Alafi Capital. New investors Four Rivers, jVen Capital, and Alafi Capital bring to AssureRx Health further expertise and partnering connections to help AssureRx Health continue building its leadership position in psychiatric pharmacogenomics.

"Our goal is to build the leading clinical informatics company providing pharmacogenomic and other treatment decision support products to help physicians individualize the treatment of patients with neuropsychiatric and other disorders," said James S. Burns, president and CEO of AssureRx Health. "Proceeds from the Series C financing will be used to expand sales coverage, sponsor multiple clinical studies, and develop new products to help accelerate our leadership position in psychiatric personalized medicine."

Warren Hogarth, partner at Sequoia Capital, said, "AssureRx products have the potential to change the way physicians select the appropriate medications for each of their patients. AssureRx is at the cutting edge of providing treatment decision support products for a very large global psychiatric market. We believe that AssureRx Health is building a world class company."

John Steuart, managing director of Claremont Creek Ventures said, "AssureRx has enormous potential to lead the transformation of neuropsychiatric care toward personalized patient treatment. GeneSightRx Psychotropic, GeneSightRx ADHD and future pharmacogenomic products hold the promise for faster, better patient outcomes and less costly care. We believe that AssureRx products have the potential for significant adoption by the psychiatric community, leading ultimately to incorporating pharmacogenomics into routine psychiatric practice guidelines."

From a simple cheek swab, the GeneSightRx technology measures and analyzes clinically important genetic variants that determine how a patient's unique genetic make-up affects his or her ability to tolerate or effectively respond to psychotropic medications. Patient-specific genetic information obtained through GeneSightRx can assist physicians in the process of selecting appropriate antidepressant and antipsychotic medications for individual patients.

About Claremont Creek Ventures Claremont Creek Ventures (CCV) is a seed and early stage venture firm. CCV invests in digital healthcare, energy technology, payments/commerce, and online businesses. Utilizing the firm's proprietary life-cycle venturing program, Claremont Creek Ventures also partners with entrepreneurs and institutions, including UC Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore Labs, Stanford University and UC Davis. Claremont Creek has more than $300 million in capital under management in two funds. CCV's digital healthcare investments in addition to AssureRx Health include Genalyte, GeneWeave, GigaGen, Fluxion Biosciences, Natera, Tibion and Zipline Medical. For more information, visit http://www.claremontcreek.com.

About Sequoia Capital Sequoia Capital provides venture capital funding to founders of startups who want to turn business ideas into enduring companies. As the "Entrepreneurs Behind the Entrepreneurs", Sequoia Capital's Partners have worked with innovators such as Steve Jobs of Apple Computer, Larry Ellison of Oracle, Bob Swanson of Linear Technology, Sandy Lerner and Len Bozack of Cisco Systems, Dan Warmenhoven of NetApp, Jerry Yang and David Filo of Yahoo!, Jen-Hsun Huang of NVIDIA, Michael Marks of Flextronics, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen of YouTube, Dominic Orr and Keerti Melkote of Aruba Networks, Tony Hsieh of Zappos, Omar Hamoui of Admob, Steve Streit of Green Dot and Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn. To learn more about Sequoia Capital visitwww.sequoiacap.com/us.

About AssureRx Health AssureRx Health, Inc. is a personalized medicine company specializing in pharmacogenomics and is dedicated to helping physicians determine the right drug for individual patients suffering from neuropsychiatric and other disorders. The GeneSightRx analysis is based on pharmacogenomics, the study of the genetic factors that influence an individual's response to drug treatments, FDA approved manufacturers' drug labels, scientific and clinical peer-reviewed publications, and proven pharmacology. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Mayo Clinic are equity holders and technology collaborators. To learn more about pharmacogenomics and GeneSightRx, please click here.

Contacts: James S. Burns President & CEO AssureRx Health, Inc. (513) 234-0510 e-mail: jburns@assurerxhealth.com

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AssureRx Health Raises $12.5 Million Series C Financing

Personalized medicine testmaker AssureRx Health has raised a $12.5 million series C round of investment that itll use to help commercialize its tests that help doctors pick the right drugs based on a patients genes.

The latest funding for the Cincinnati-area company is further evidence of how lucrative a field investors believe personalized medicine can be. Todays series C investment follows an $8 million line of credit earlier this year and an $11 million series B round of funding last year.

The funding will go towards expanding sales coverage, sponsoring multiple clinical studies, and developing new products, the company said.

Its first test, GeneSightRx Psychotropic, takes the same approach for psychiatric drugs.

The latest round was led by Four Rivers Group and existing investors Claremont Creek Ventures and Sequoia Capital, and featured a host of other participants, including Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center and Mayo Clinic.

Our goal is to build the leading clinical informatics company providing pharmacogenomic and other treatment decision support products to help physicians individualize the treatment of patients with neuropsychiatric and other disorders, CEO Jim Burns said in a statement.

In the past, AssureRx has said that future products could include tests that help doctors choose medications for patients who have neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers or Parkinsons, as well as disorders such as post-traumatic stress.

A company spokesman didnt immediately return a call.

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Personalized medicine testmaker AssureRx raises $12.5M series C round

Public release date: 30-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dian Land dj.land@hosp.wisc.edu 608-261-1034 University of Wisconsin-Madison

MADISON Breast-cancer researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that two related receptors in a robust signaling pathway must work together as a team to maintain normal activity in mammary stem cells.

Mammary stem cells produce various kinds of breast cell types. They may also drive the development and growth of malignant breast tumors.

Published recently in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the research also suggests that a new signaling pathway may be involved, a development that eventually could take cancer-drug manufacturers in a new direction.

"We wanted to know if we could use this knowledge to inform us about what might be the transition that occurs to start tumor growth and maintain it," says senior author Dr. Caroline Alexander, professor of oncology at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research at the School of Medicine and Public Health.

The paper describes new information about the Wnt signaling pathway. Wnt signaling underlies numerous activities in normal development, but when the system is unregulated, cancer often occurs.

"Wnt signaling is very important for both stem cells and tumor growth. We need to know the details of the signaling process so that we can use the positive aspects of Wnt signaling for regenerative medicine, and eliminate the negative cancer-causing aspects," says Alexander, a member of the UW Carbone Cancer Center (CCC).

Regenerative biologists typically add Wnt proteins together with other agents to guide the differentiation of lung, bone and heart stem cells, she notes.

The UW researchers zeroed in on two related Wnt receptors on the cell surface--LRP5 and LRP6. The receptors normally respond to Wnt ligands that approach cells to initiate a signaling cascade inside.

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Breast stem-cell research: Receptor teamwork is required and a new pathway may be involved

30-05-2012 07:23 write to:

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Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson's Patient.flv - Video

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A stem cell treatment investigated for Huntingtons disease holds out hope that scientists will someday be able to reverse damage caused by the degenerative brain disorder.

The technique, which uses reprogrammed skin cells from a Huntingtons patient, successfully restored motor functions in rats, said Dr. Patrik Brundin, a Van Andel Institute researcher who was involved in the study.

Its an interesting step, one weve been hoping for, he said. Its exciting.

The technique also will be tested in treatments for Parkinsons disease, said Brundin, who came to VAI from Sweden in October to lead the institutes Parkinsons research.

Scientists from Sweden, South Korea and the U.S. collaborated on the study, which was published online Monday in the journal Stem Cells.

Brundin said researchers took stem cells derived from the skin of a patient with Huntingtons disease and converted them to brain cells or nerve cells in culture dishes in the lab. The cells were transplanted into the brains of rats that had an experimental form of Huntingtons, and the rats motor functions improved.

The unique features of the (stem cell approach) means that the transplanted cells will be genetically identical to the patient, Jihwan Song, an associate professor at CHA University in Seoul and co-author of the study, said in a statement released by VAI. Therefore, no medications that dampen the immune system to prevent graft rejection will be needed.

Brundin estimated the research might lead to treatments for humans in five to 10 years, although he acknowledged a timeframe is difficult to predict. Researchers are eager to find a new treatment for Huntingtons because there is nothing really powerful to offer currently, he said.

Huntingtons is a genetic disorder affecting one in every 10,000 Americans that slowly diminishes a persons ability to walk, talk and reason. A child of a parent who has Huntingtons has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the gene that causes it.

Medications can relieve some symptoms in some cases, but there are no treatments available that can slow the disease, according to the Huntingtons Disease Society of America.

Continued here:
First treatment for Huntington's disease shows promise in rats, Van Andel Institute scientist says

A male birth control pill might not be so far-fetched, now that Scottish scientists have uncovered a key gene essential for sperm development.

The gene - called Katnal1 - is critical for sperm production because it enables sperm to mature in the testes. Thus, if scientists can somehow regulate this gene with a pill, sperm production will be stalled.

"If we can find a way to target this gene in the testes, we could potentially develop a non-hormonal contraceptive," study author Dr. Lee Smith, a reader in genetic endocrinology at the Medical Research Council Center for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said in a news release.

Non-hormonal is important, the researchers say, because some conventional male contraceptives that rely on disrupting production of the male hormone testosterone can cause side effects such as mood swings, acne and irritability. The new treatment would also provide an alternative to popular male birth control methods like condoms and vasectomy.

Katnal1 is needed to regulate scaffold-like structures called tubules, the study showed, which forms part of the cells that provide nutrients to developing sperm. When scientists genetically modified mice to not carry this gene, the mice were infertile. The findings are published in the May 24 issue of PLoS Genetics.

Smith said the effects from a drug targeting this gene would be reversible since it stops the sperm at the maturation stage.

"The important thing is that the effects of such a drug would be reversible because Katnal1 only affects sperm cells in the later stages of development, so it would not hinder the early stages of sperm production and the overall ability to produce sperm," he said.

Dr. Allan Pacey, a senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., told BBC News that a non-hormonal contraceptive for men has been the "Holy Grail" of research for years.

"The gene described by the research group in Edinburgh sounds like an exciting new possible target for a new male contraceptive, but it may also shed light on why some men are sub-fertile and why their sperm does not work properly," Pacey said.

This isn't the only ongoing attempt at finding an effective non-hormonal male birth control. HealthPop reported in January that researchers at the University of North Carolina used high-frequency ultrasound to zap sperm counts in rats, suggesting it might be effective in humans.

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Sperm gene discovery may lead to male birth control, scientists say

Xalkori Now Available in Canada

KIRKLAND, QC, May 30, 2012 /CNW/ - Pfizer Canada is pleased to announce that XALKORI (crizotinib) is now available in Canada. Recently approved with conditions by Health Canada, XALKORI is an oral monotherapy for patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).1 XALKORI is Pfizer Canada's first example of personalized medicine for people with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer has been one of the most difficult cancers to treat because symptoms typically do not appear until the disease has already reached an advanced stage.2 Even when symptoms appear, they are often mistaken for other health problems further delaying patients from receiving the care they may need.3

As a percentage of all cancer deaths, lung cancer kills more Canadians (27%) than breast cancer (7%), colorectal cancer (12%) and prostate cancer (5%).4

Approximately 70 Canadians are diagnosed with lung cancer every day and 55 die of lung cancer every day.5

"Little has changed in the way lung cancer has been treated in the past 40 years6," says Dr. Normand Blais, Hemato-Oncologist at CHUM - Hpital Notre-Dame in Montreal. "Previously lung cancer was considered a single disease. With the discovery of molecular biomarkers, such as ALK, we now know there are numerous types of lung cancers. New care options for these types of cancers can give hope to those who are or will be diagnosed with them."

Non-small cell lung cancer occurs when malignant cells form in the tissues of the lung.7 Research shows that 54 per cent of lung cancers have molecular biomarkers that drive tumour growth.8 An estimated three to five per cent of non-small cell lung cancers are ALK-positive, a genetic alteration discovered less than five years ago by Japanese researcher Dr. Hiroyuki Mano and his team.9

In ALK-positive lung cancer, a normally dormant gene called ALK is fused with another gene, predominantly EML4.10 This abnormalgene fusion produces a protein that is believed to be a key driver of tumour development in cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer.

The recent discovery of ALK and other lung cancer biomarkers is the basis of an evolution in the approach to management of the disease. As Dr. Blais explains, "Oncologists, such as myself, now have the added responsibility of assessing other tumour traits with our colleagues and considering the requirement for additional molecular tests that may help select therapies for patients."

In the case of XALKORI, using a validated ALK assay, assessment for ALK-positive advanced or metastatic NSCLC should be performed by laboratories with demonstrated proficiency in the specific technology being utilized.1 If it is ALK-positive and advanced (not amenable to curative therapy) or metastatic then patients can be prescribed XALKORI.

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New Personalized Medicine for Alk-positive Advanced or Metatstic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

29-05-2012 11:51

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Pioneering Outcomes in Personalized Medicine - Video

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/z5lhvb/pharmacogenomics_i) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Pharmacogenomics in Clinical Therapeutics" to their offering.

Pharmacogenomics is the basis of personalized medicine which will be the medicine of the future. Through both reducing the numbers of adverse drug reactions and improving the use of existing drugs in targeted populations, pharmacogenomics represents a real advance on traditional therapeutic drug monitoring.

Pharmacogenomics in Clinical Therapeutics provides an introduction to the principles of pharmacogenomics before addressing the pharmacogenomic aspects of key therapeutic areas such as warfarin therapy, cancer chemotherapy, therapy with immunosuppressants, antiretroviral therapy, and psychoactive drugs. It also includes methods of pharmacogenomic testing and the pharmacogenomic aspects of drug-drug interactions.

From a team of expert contributors, Pharmacogenomics in Clinical Therapeutics is a comprehensive overview of the current state of pharmacogenomics in pharmacotherapy for all clinicians, pharmacologists and clinical laboratory professionals. It is also a guide for practicing clinicians and health care professionals to the basic principles of pharmacogenomics, laboratory tests currently available to aid clinicians, and the future promise of this developing field.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Pharmacogenomics Principles: Introduction to Personalized Medicine

2 Traditional Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Pharmacogenomics: Are They Complementary?

3 Pharmacogenomics Aspect of Warfarin Therapy

4 Pharmacogenetics and Cancer Chemotherapy

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Research and Markets: Pharmacogenomics in Clinical Therapeutics: Comprehensive Overview for All Clinicians ...