Archive for March, 2015

Contact Information

Available for logged-in reporters only

Newswise (MEMPHIS, Tenn. March 6, 2015) The St. Jude Childrens Research HospitalWashington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project reports that a highly aggressive form of leukemia in infants has surprisingly few mutations beyond the chromosomal rearrangement that affects the MLL gene. The findings suggest that targeting the alteration is likely the key to improved survival. The research appeared online ahead of print this week in the scientific journal Nature Genetics.

The study is the most comprehensive analysis yet of this rare but aggressive subtype of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that occurs during the first year of life and is sometimes diagnosed at birth. The leukemia cells of up to 80 percent of infants with ALL have a chromosomal rearrangement that fuses the MLL gene to a gene on a different chromosome. The resulting MLL fusion gene encodes an abnormal protein. The fusion protein plays a key role in transforming normal blood cells into leukemia cells.

Researchers used whole genome sequencing and other techniques to identify the genetic alterations in 65 infants with ALL, including 47 with the MLL rearrangement. Scientists were surprised to find that despite being an aggressive leukemia, the MLL rearranged subtype had among the lowest mutation rates reported for any cancer.

These results show that to improve survival for patients with this aggressive leukemia we need to develop drugs that target the abnormal proteins produced by the MLL fusion gene or that interact with the abnormal MLL fusion protein to shut down the cellular machinery that drives their tumors, said senior and co-corresponding author James R. Downing, M.D., St. Jude president and chief executive officer. That will not be easy, but this study found no obvious cooperating mutations to target.

St. Jude researchers are working to identify compounds and develop combination therapies to improve cure rates for infants with the MLL rearrangement. Nationally, 85 percent of pediatric ALL patients now enjoy long-term, cancer free survival compared to 28 to 36 percent of infants with the high-risk subtype.

We frequently associate a cancers aggressiveness with its mutation rate, but this work indicates that the two dont always go hand-in-hand, said co-author Richard K. Wilson, Ph.D., director of The Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Still, our findings provide a new direction for developing more effective treatments for these very young patients.

The other corresponding authors are Tanja Gruber, M.D., Ph.D., assistant member in the St. Jude Department of Oncology, and Anna Andersson, Ph.D., formerly of St. Jude and now of Lund University, Sweden. Andersson and Jing Ma, Ph.D., of the St. Jude Department of Pathology, are co-first authors.

Almost half of infants with MLL rearranged ALL had activating mutations in a biochemical pathway called the tyrosine kinase-phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)-RAS pathway. Surprisingly, the mutations were often present in only some of the leukemic cells. Researchers analyzed leukemia cells in infants whose cancer returned after treatment and found that at the time of relapse the cells lacked the pathway mutations. The fact that the mutations were often lost at relapse suggests that patients are unlikely to benefit from therapeutically targeting these mutations at diagnosis, Downing said.

Read the original here:
Chromosomal Rearrangement Is the Key to Progress Against Aggressive Infant Leukemia

Genetic Engineering: Cloning
Please enjoy my super cool biology project. That rat (and the goat I briefly mentioned) isn #39;t a clone, but it #39;s glowing. Anything that glows is chill with me...

By: Cocowood Stables

See original here:
Genetic Engineering: Cloning - Video

THURSDAY, March 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Websites that offer personalized genetic cancer tests tend to overstate their supposed benefits and downplay their limitations, a new study says.

And many sites offer tests that have not been proven to be useful in guiding cancer treatment, according to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute team that analyzed 55 such websites.

"We wanted to see if consumers are getting a balanced picture of benefits and limitations of these services," said study first author Dr. Stacy Gray in an institute news release. She is a medical oncologist and investigator at the Dana-Farber Center for Outcomes and Policy Research in Boston.

"We found a lot of variation. Some of the information is good, but all of it needs to be looked at critically by consumers and health care providers," she said.

In general, "the benefits of these personalized cancer products are reported much more frequently than are the limitations," Gray said.

The researchers also found that 88 percent of the websites offered one or more "nonstandard" tests that lacked evidence of having value in routine cancer care.

The study was published March 5 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Some sites marketed tests of a tumor's genetic characteristics, while others analyzed a patient's personal genome, or gene profile, looking for altered genes that might raise a healthy person's risk of developing cancer.

Claims and other information on websites are not regulated by agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the Federal Trade Commission, the researchers noted. Recently, the FDA said it intends to start regulating genetic testing more broadly.

Even if genetic testing websites become regulated, cancer specialists "will need to guide patients as they navigate decisions about personalized cancer medicine," the study authors wrote.

Read more:
Be Wary of Websites Selling Genetic Cancer Tests: Study

Ball Python Genetics 101 - Episode 2 - Punnett Squares
The second video in this multi-video series is FINALLY here! In this video we take a look at how to set up a Punnett square and what happens when we plug som...

By: BrazosReptiles

View original post here:
Ball Python Genetics 101 - Episode 2 - Punnett Squares - Video

Long Natural Hair Growth :Back to Basics Genetics Hair Length
Long Natural Hair Growth : Back to Basics Genetics and Hair Length - Does Genetics determine hair length?? and if so, how can we attain hair length??. In thi...

By: Long Natural Hair 17

Read more:
Long Natural Hair Growth :Back to Basics Genetics & Hair Length - Video

The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge Ep.69 Irony
Come join me on my latest journey into the complex world of sims 3 genetics, as I try to get perfect foals and perfect children. Will I succeed in getting perfect genetics in both? Can I keep...

By: GamerGirlsNetwork

See original here:
The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge Ep.69 Irony - Video

Setting up a clinical trial protocol - Virtual Clinical Trials: Spinal Cord Injury
In this movie clip, students help the Biomedical Engineer set up a protocol for testing FES therapy with spinal cord injury patients.

By: cttl1

View post:
Setting up a clinical trial protocol - Virtual Clinical Trials: Spinal Cord Injury - Video

Imagine Me Project Sue Murray with people with spinal cord injury
Imagine Me Project Sue Murray working on a creative photographic project with people living with spinal cord injury.

By: Sue Murray

The rest is here:
Imagine Me Project Sue Murray with people with spinal cord injury - Video

Speech on C-643 National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day
Kirsty expresses support for private member #39;s bill C-643, An Act to establish National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day.

By: Kirsty Duncan

The rest is here:
Speech on C-643 National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day - Video

SA Spinal Cord Injury

By: ZindaDavis

Read the original:
SA Spinal Cord Injury - Video

P-SPAN #411: "Treating Blindness with Stem Cells"
On February 5, 2015, the Science/Biotechnology Department at Berkeley City College kicked off their Spring 2015 Seminar Series, sponsored by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine....

By: Peralta Colleges

Read this article:
P-SPAN #411: "Treating Blindness with Stem Cells" - Video

WSCS 2014: REGENERATIVE MEDICINE FOR AGING: MAKING REJUVENATION COMPREHENSIVE NOT COSMETIC
Presenter - Aubrey de Grey, PhD, SENS Foundation.

By: worldstemcell

Continue reading here:
WSCS 2014: REGENERATIVE MEDICINE FOR AGING: MAKING REJUVENATION COMPREHENSIVE NOT COSMETIC - Video

The ALS Therapy Development Institute is conducting a tissue sample collection study as part of the first ever integrated precision medicine effort to end ALS. The precision medicine program at ALS TDI encompasses much of what would commonly be called a "translational research program" used at academic and pharmaceutical companies alike to accelerate drug discovery and development. However, our program has been designed to include several additional steps and patient-integrated measures which we believe may positively impact speed and the quality of the data produced.

We are asking people living with ALS to participate in this study by donating tissue samples and sharing your medical history. Your information will be used to characterize the disease in a way that has never been done before. Using an integrated precision medicine approach and cutting-edge technology - and YOUR help - ALS TDI will screen thousands of potential drugs for you and others like you.

As part of this study, you will be asked to donate:

As part of this study, ALS TDI will:

The sample collection site is located at MGH Dermatology Department in Boston, MA. As you know, time is the most important advantage in the battle against ALS. A local collection facility allows for the tightest control over sample transfer and quality.

To review the full experimental protocol, click here.

Read this article:
What are iPS cells? - Invest in iPS @ TDI | ALS Therapy ...

Healing Tendon Tears, Ligamentous Tears and Sprains with Stem Cell Therapy
For more information: http://www.rmiclinic.com or 877-899-7836 (toll-free) Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon discusses treating tendon tears, ligament tears and sprains with Stemnexa, a proprietary...

By: Riordan-McKenna Institute

Go here to read the rest:
Healing Tendon Tears, Ligamentous Tears and Sprains with Stem Cell Therapy - Video

What Is AlphaGEMS Amniotic Tissue Product And How Does It Augment Bone Marrow Stem Cell Therapy?
Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, Wade McKenna, DO, explains how AlphaGEMS amniotic tissue product can actually enhance the cellular activity of a patient #39;s own bone marrow stem cells.

By: Riordan-McKenna Institute

Follow this link:
What Is AlphaGEMS Amniotic Tissue Product And How Does It Augment Bone Marrow Stem Cell Therapy? - Video

What Is Stemnexa Stem Cell Therapy For Orthopedics And Is It Safe?
Dr. McKenna explains how AlphaGEMS amniotic tissue product is used to augment the metabolic activity of a patient #39;s own bone marrow stem cells. He talks about how Stemnexa bone marrow harvest.

By: Riordan-McKenna Institute

Continue reading here:
What Is Stemnexa Stem Cell Therapy For Orthopedics And Is It Safe? - Video

Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy
Mention you saw Solstice Health on The Morning Blend and get a FREE consultation for Stem Cell Therapy. Solstice Health is also hosting a FREE Stem Cell Therapy Seminar on Wednesday, March...

By: todaystmj4

Read the original post:
Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy - Video

Stem Cell Therapy in Heart Failure
Prof. G Feitosa for World Heart Failure Congress 2014.

By: World Heart Failure Congress

More here:
Stem Cell Therapy in Heart Failure - Video

Regenerative therapies for bone diseases - Bone Therapeutics - english version
Bone Therapeutics develops innovative cell therapy products for the repair and prevention of bone fractures. It currently runs clinical studies for impaired fracture healing, spinal fusion,...

By: Bone Therapeutics

See the original post:
Regenerative therapies for bone diseases - Bone Therapeutics - english version - Video

Marfan Syndrome: A Genetics Perspective
Mayo Clinic Geneticist, David Deyle, M.D., discusses Marfan syndrome. Topics include an overview of the condition, signs and symptoms, and inheritance patterns.

By: Mayo Clinic

See the original post here:
Marfan Syndrome: A Genetics Perspective - Video

Fitness Motivation/ Bodyupdate - Iron-Genetics - Tolga Gn

By: Iron-Genetics

See original here:
Fitness Motivation/ Bodyupdate - Iron-Genetics - Tolga Gn - Video

Full Unit with Lace Closure: Curl Genetics Kinky Genes Hair
Thanks so much for taking time out of your schedule to spend a few minutes w/ me....enjoy.....muah!! *****READ ME******READ ME*****READ ME******READ ME *****...

By: napRISApy1

Read this article:
Full Unit with Lace Closure: Curl Genetics Kinky Genes Hair - Video

KOSHER TANGIE DNA GENETICS weed grow report Trichome World
A quick review of what you can see in our full grow report (+200 pics) those cannabis plant, medical marijuana seeds from DNA GENETICS. How to grow weed Kosh...

By: Trichome World

More:
KOSHER TANGIE DNA GENETICS weed grow report Trichome World - Video

The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge - Pt6 - NEW house and Makeover
If you like this video please leave a thumbs up, it really helps Open fully for *NEW SCHEDULE* info and social media links Weekly Schedule (Subject t...

By: xSimSugar

Go here to see the original:
The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge - Pt6 - NEW house and Makeover - Video

Genetics and disease
Presentation on some basic ideas in genetics and how these can effect our role in health care.

By: Dr. John Campbell

See more here:
Genetics and disease - Video