Archive for the ‘Gene Therapy Research’ Category

Southern California Dermatologist Dr. Tess Mauricio: Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy w/Patient Marie
America #39;s Favorite Dermatologist, Dr. Tess Mauricio, talks Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy with her patient Marie, who is over 50 and now running Marathons! D...

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Researchers from the Jacobs Schools of Engineering at UC San Diego have uncovered a genetic basis of chronic mountain sickness (CMS), also known as Monges disease. Caused by low-oxygen conditions at high altitudes CMS is characterized by headache, fatigue, sleepiness and depression. Severe cases can lead to life-threatening stroke or heart attack.

More than 140 million people permanently reside in high-altitude regions around the world. These geographically distinct populations have for the most part adapted to cope with low levels of oxygen in the blood (hypoxia). But there are many humans living at high elevations in the Andes mountain region of South America who are maladapted and suffer from CMS.

Computer scientists compared genetic variation between mountain-dwelling Peruvians with CMS and adapted subjects without CMS, using whole genome sequencing. Complex algorithms looked for evidence of natural selection and identified two genes with significantly increased expression in individuals susceptible to CMS.

The study validates a long-suspected genetic basis of adaptation to high altitudes. It also provides potential targets both for CMS treatment at high altitude as well as certain cardiovascular and brain diseases related to low oxygen levels in individuals living at any altitude.

Findings appear in the journalGenetics. News release at http://bit.ly/136jc1o

The special-effect appearance of cloth in movies and video games often looks unrealistic. Its a long-standing technical problem now solved by UC San Diego computer scientists, who have developed a new computer model to simulate with unsurpassed accuracy the way cloth and light interact.

The model simulates how each thread in a piece of cloth scatters light by treating the fabrics weaving pattern as a mesh of interwoven microcylinders which scatters light the same way as hair but oriented at 90 degrees from each other. In addition to its application by the entertainment industry, the model can also act as a framework to visualize what new fabrics would look like by simulating any combination of weaving pattern and thread types.

The findings were presented at SIGGRAPH 2013, one of worlds premiere technology conferences. News release at http://bit.ly/15wxghh

Do cities have their own visual signature? They do, according to new-media researchers who analyzed millions of photographs posted on social networks.

The Phototrails project analyzed and compared 2.3 million photos, from 13 major cities around the world, uploaded during a three-month period to the Instagram photo-sharing social network. The team assessed information recorded by Instagram every time a photo is shared date and time, geographic location, and filter applied to the photo as well as visual attributes of the photos such as mean, median, standard deviation, brightness, hue and color saturation; the number of edges; contrast; and texture measurements.

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Genetic adaptation for high altitudes identified

Let #39;s Play The Sims 3 Male Sim Perfect Genetics Challenge Episode 7

By: Lewis O #39;Brien

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Let's Play The Sims 3 Male Sim Perfect Genetics Challenge Episode 7 - Video

Yr hyn sydd gan Eneteg i #39;r Gynnig / What Genetics Offer - Farming Connect (English sub-titles)
This video was filmed at a Farming Connect event which took place on the 19th June 2013. You can access a report on this event on the Farming Connect website: http://farmingconnect.menterabusnes.c...

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Yr hyn sydd gan Eneteg i'r Gynnig / What Genetics Offer - Farming Connect (English sub-titles) - Video

Genetics: Mendel #39;s law, Basics
Kindly observe this video after observing "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB6ZQo9ry_I" This video is a part of Videos available on http://www.m2k-education.com. To ...

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Genetics: Mendel's law, Basics - Video

Laser Genetics ND3 SZ (SubZero)
ND•3 Subzero - All weather long distance laser designator The Ultimate Night Vision Solution Brilliant source of illumination for use in cold weather, marine...

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Laser Genetics ND3 SZ (SubZero) - Video

Penny Daugherty on Discussing Genetics and Genomics with Patients
Penny Daugherty, RN, MS, OCN, Southeastern Gynecologic Oncology, explains how nurses in her practice discuss genetics and genomics with patients.

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Genetics, genomics and evolution of flowering time control in legumes -- research by Dr Jim Weller
Changing climate is creating a need for new crops, better able to withstand certain conditions. One aspect of this is flowering time. Even within one species...

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Genetics, genomics and evolution of flowering time control in legumes -- research by Dr Jim Weller - Video

Genetics PS Unit 03 - 04

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Genetics PS Unit 03 - 04 - Video

Peter Dearden

The ''Genetics Week'' celebrations will be held from September 23 to September 29.

Genetics Otago publicity and events manager Sophia McKay said the centre involved about 40 researchers when it was established in 2008.

Now, more than 240 researchers - about 80% of them from the university's Dunedin campus - were participating.

Genetics Otago had become the biggest centre for ''advanced, multidisciplinary genetics research'' in Australia and New Zealand, she said.

The centre's director, biochemist Peter Dearden, is based in the Otago biochemistry department, but the centre is a largely ''virtual'' collaborative grouping.

Instead of providing a big ''bricks and mortar'' headquarters, it connects collaboratively with researchers in a host of disciplines and subject areas, ranging from law and ethics to the environment and agriculture.

Ms McKay said the centre aimed to boost public awareness of the ground-breaking research being conducted in New Zealand and to support those people who were ''dedicated to this extraordinary discipline''.

Oxford University researcher Julian Savulescu, who is director of the Institute for Science and Ethics, and Jessica Wapner, a New York scientific journalist and author, are among the key speakers at Genetics Week events.

Ms Wapner and Ian Morrison, head of the Otago University pathology department, will discuss developments in leukaemia treatment at an event being held at the Toitu Otago Settlers Museum at 6pm on September 24.

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Genetics Otago puts its research on show

Vincent Mauro - Codon optimization new safety concerns for gene therapy and genetic vaccines
Codon-optimization describes gene engineering approaches that use synonymous codon changes to increase protein production. It is used extensively for express...

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Vincent Mauro - Codon optimization new safety concerns for gene therapy and genetic vaccines - Video

VERO BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Mount Sinai Innovation Partners(MSIP), part of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has granted an exclusive license to Plexcera Therapeutics, LLC to commercially develop recombinant human acid ceramidase (rhAC) to treat diseases caused by genetic or disease-induced deficiencies in the enzyme rhAC.

Mount Sinai is promoting the scientific discoveries of its faculty by facilitating the establishment and supporting incubator companies to accelerate the discovery of treatments for devastating diseases, including those that often affect relatively small populations.

Plexcera was founded by Edward H. Schuchman, MPh, PhD, Genetic Disease Foundation - Francis Crick Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine, and Ivan Galanin, a pharma industry veteran and advisor to MSIP, in collaboration with QOL Medical, LLC, a specialty pharma company focused on rare pediatric diseases.

Two devastating childhood diseases are caused by recessive inherited mutations in the gene encoding rhAC: Farber disease, characterized by severe joint pain, inflammation, and arthritis, and a form of spinal muscular atrophy with epilepsy (SMA-PME), found in adolescents and characterized by progressive muscle weakness. There is no therapy for either condition. In addition, in cystic fibrosis, excess ceramide accumulates in the lungs. Treatment with inhaled rhAC may address lung cell death, inflammation, and susceptibility to infection seen in these patients.

The name Plexcera comes from the concept that rhAC is an enzyme with multiple uses. Farber disease is our first target, said Dr. Schuchman. We hope to launch a clinical trial of rhAC within the next 18 months."

The licensed technology is based on more than 20 years of research conducted by Dr. Schuchman, who will serve as Plexceras Chief Scientific Officer, and Erich Gulbins, PhD, from the Center for Medical Biotech at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, who will serve on Plexceras Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Schuchman has extensive research and development experience with these disorders and enzyme replacement therapy specifically. Dr. Gulbins has identified a central role for excess ceramide accumulation in cystic fibrosis, as well as other pulmonary diseases.

Mount Sinai has a strong track record of developing breakthrough products for rare diseases. Dr. Schuchman has worked with key scientific, clinical, and industry thought leaders for many years and can call on their expertise and commitment, said Mr. Galanin, CEO of Plexcera. The collaboration with QOL Medical gives us access to key infrastructure components such as clinical, regulatory, and manufacturing expertise.

As part of the license, Mount Sinai received equity in the new company, as well as royalties. This is the second major license agreement negotiated this year by MSIP in the field of orphan diseases, both originating from research conducted by the Department of Genetic and Genomic Sciences.

About Mount Sinai Innovation Partners

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Mount Sinai Grants Exclusive License to Plexcera Therapeutics to Develop Treatments for Farber Disease and Cystic ...

Clinical Data Presented on Lead Drug Candidates from HyperAcute[TM] Platform Demonstrate Chemosensitization Potential in Pancreatic Cancer and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Ames, IA, September 12, 2013 (Accesswire) - NewLink Genetics Corporation (NLNK), an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company specializing in immunotherapy, today announced that a clinical presentation on its proprietary HyperAcute immunotherapy platform has been selected for the upcoming 2013 European Cancer Congress (ESMO). The meeting will be held September 27 to October 1, 2013 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Four of the NewLink HyperAcute product candidates that have advanced into clinical trials will be featured in a poster presentation. Data presented will include the potential sensitizing effect of HyperAcute immunotherapy to salvage chemotherapy including algenpantucel-L in pancreatic cancer and tergenpumatucel-L in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Additionally, immunological data to HyperAcute immunotherapy are outlined, including the universal development of auto antibodies with HyperAcute melanoma treatment. NewLinks HyperAcute immunotherapies are designed to stimulate the human immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.

The greater than expected responses to salvage chemotherapy subsequent to treatment with NewLinks proprietary HyperAcute immunotherapies are particularly interesting and are being explored more robustly in ongoing clinical trials, commented Charles Link, Jr., MD, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NewLink. We plan to evaluate the impact of tergenpumatucel-L treatment followed by subsequent standard of care chemotherapy in our ongoing Phase 2B/3 non-small-cell-lung cancer trial.

Poster Presentations: Monday, September 30, 2013, 2:00-4:30 PM, Chemo-sensitization and immunological reactions to hyperacute immunotherapy, a novel approach to cancer treatment, John C. Morris MD, Poster Session: Gastrointestinal Malignancies Non-colorectal Lung Cancer, Location: Hall H, Amsterdam RAI Congress Centre.

About HyperAcute Immunotherapy

NewLinks HyperAcute immunotherapy platform creates novel biologic products that are designed to stimulate the human immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. HyperAcute product candidates are composed of human cancer cells that are tumor specific, but not patient specific. These cells have been modified to express alpha-gal, a carbohydrate for which humans have pre-existing immunity. These alpha-gal-modified cells stimulate a rapid and powerful human immune response that trains the bodys natural defenses to seek out and destroy cancer cells. The objective of HyperAcute immunotherapies is to elicit an antitumor response by educating the immune system to attack a patients own cancer cells. HyperAcute immunotherapies do not require any tissue from individual patients and use intact whole cells rather than cell fragments or purified proteins. We believe these unique properties of HyperAcute products result in the stimulation of a robust immune response.

NewLink's lead product candidate, algenpantucel-L (HyperAcute pancreas), is being studied in a Phase 3 trial (IMPRESS: Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Resectable cancer Survival Study) under a Special Protocol Assessment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This trial involves up to 722 patients with surgically resected pancreatic cancer. Algenpantucel-L is also being tested in a second Phase 3 study (PILLAR: "Pancreatic Immunotherapy with algenpantucel-L for Locally Advanced non-Resectable"), involving patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

NewLink has several HyperAcute product candidates focused on other tumor types in various stages of development, including tergenpumatucel-L, which is in an adaptive design, randomized Phase 2B/3 clinical trial currently accruing up to 240 patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

About NewLink Genetics Corporation NewLink is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel immunotherapeutic products to improve treatment options for patients with cancer. 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 to harness multiple components of the immune system to combat cancer without significant incremental toxicity, either as a monotherapy or in combination with other treatment regimens. For more information please visit http://www.linkp.com. Patient information is available at http://www.pancreaticcancer-clinicaltrials.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements of NewLink that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "target," "potential," "will," "could," "should," "seek," or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements about: the prospects of algenpantucel-L, tergenpumatucel-L, indoximid and our other HyperAcute and/or IDO pathway product candidates and related trials; and any other statements other than statements of historical fact. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements that NewLink makes due to a number of important factors, including those risks discussed in "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in NewLink's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2012, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2013, Form S-3 Registration Statement filed December 28, 2012 and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this press release represent NewLink's views as of the date of this press release. NewLink anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. However, while it may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing NewLink's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

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NewLink Genetics to Present Data on Cancer Immunotherapy Programs at the 2013 European Cancer Congress

THURSDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they've identified a gene mutation that's associated with a higher risk of lung cancer in women who do not smoke, but a better chance of survival in female and male lung cancer patients.

The mutation, which occurs in a gene that protects cells from oxidative stress, is found four times more often in women than in men, according to the study published Sept. 11 in the journal PLoS One.

The researchers analyzed the DNA of lung cancer patients in Japan and found that nonsmoking women with two copies of the -617A mutation in the NFR2 gene had a much higher incidence of lung cancer than nonsmoking men.

The investigators also found that both female and male lung cancer patients with this mutation had better survival rates than other patients.

This is the first study to provide clinical evidence that this mutation is associated with lung cancer patient survival, said researcher Dr. Toshihisa Ishikawa and colleagues at the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies in Japan.

The study strongly suggests that the presence of this mutation "is a good prognostic biomarker for the assessment of the overall survival chances of patients with adenocarcinoma, as well as a practical tool for personalized cancer therapy," Ishikawa said in a RIKEN news release.

Although the study found an association between the gene mutation and lung cancer survival, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in many industrialized countries, according to background information in the news release. Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer, but 10 percent to 15 percent of cases occur in nonsmokers.

-- Robert Preidt

Copyright 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Gene Mutation May Help Predict Lung Cancer Survival in Nonsmokers

Heidi Williamss dad helped with her high school science-fair projects by driving her two hours from their North Dakota town to get books on World War II German cryptography. After studying up, she would present new ways to crack the cipher.

These days, Williams is trying to help scientists as they unlock the secrets of a different code: the human genome. The 32-year-old Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist is examining health-care innovation with a $430,000 National Science Foundation CAREER grant, an award given to exceptionally promising junior faculty who excel as educators and researchers.

Williams 2010 Ph.D. dissertation was the first empirical study to show that one companys rights to gene data had hindered scientific development, said Harvard University economist Lawrence Katz. It was cited in multiple briefs during a Supreme Court case that ended in June, when justices ruled to restrict companies ability to patent human gene sequences.

No one directly knew these things, said Katz, who advised Williams on the research while she was getting her doctorate in economics at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is affecting how people think about intellectual property. It fed into a rapidly changing area of policy.

Williams is driven by a desire to seek out and try to discover solutions to barriers stalling health-care breakthroughs, she said in an interview from Stanford University in California, where she is on academic leave for a year to research and network with scholars. A working paper she and colleagues circulated in August found that 20-year patent terms encouraged companies to focus on advanced-stage cancers, because clinical trials are shorter and drugs can be brought to market more quickly. Preventative or early-stage treatments require longer clinical trials, leaving less time for exclusive production.

Now, her focus is on determining how patent rules alter gene-related innovation.

Ever since the sequencing of the human genome, there has been a sense that the science hasnt panned out quite as quickly as people had hoped, Williams said. How economics drives innovation has long interested her, she said, and the lack of empirical data on gene-related development made the topic a natural fit.

It could be that the economic incentives havent been aligned appropriately, and thats been holding back the science, she said.

As of 2009, portions of the human genome sequenced by closely held Celera Corp. had produced 20 percent to 30 percent fewer research papers and medical discoveries than genes first mapped by the Human Genome Project, Williams showed in her Ph.D. project. Celeras genes were covered by short-term intellectual-property protections lasting as long as two years, while the projects were open-access.

Groups, including scholars with the Information Society Project atYale Law School, cited the study as the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether human genes can be patented. The case challenged seven patents owned by or licensed to Salt Lake City, Utah-based biotechnology company Myriad Genetics Inc. (MYGN) on genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer. It ended in a ruling that human genes cant be patented, though synthetically produced genetic material can have legal protections.

Excerpt from:
MIT’s Williams Decodes Economics of Gene Sequencing

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - Sep 12, 2013) - The ForeCYTE Breast Health Test, the flagship product of Atossa Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS), The Breast Health Company, was featured in a video segment and article on FoxNews.com posted on September 11.

The segment and article profiled Marci Dulgerian, a resident of Little Neck, NY who lost both her mother and grandmother to breast cancer, and who wants more information about her breast health. During the segment, Ms. Dulgerian's OB/GYN, Dr. Jonathan Herman of Elite Women's Healthcare in New Hyde Park, NY, recommends that Ms. Dulgerian undergo the ForeCYTE test.

"Why would someone choose to become another victim to breast cancer when this test can give them all the information they need to save their life?" asks Ms. Dulgerian during the segment.

"It's a helper for your mammography," remarks Dr. Herman during the segment. "It's a helper for your breast exam, and it's a helper for your breast ultrasound -- and a helper for a history."

"Breast cancer has a peak age group of about 45 to 60, so really the younger women -- the 20-, 30- and maybe 40-year-old -- is the ideal population for this," says Steven C. Quay, M.D., Ph.D., FCAP, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atossa Genetics, during the segment. "Most mammograms begin at 40 or sometimes as early as 35, but definitely in an older age group."

To view the FoxNews.com segment and read the story, please visit the following link: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/11/new-test-can-help-detect-breast-cancer-decade-before-it-develops/

About the ForeCYTE Breast Health Test

The ForeCYTE Breast Health Test, intended for the 110 million women in the U.S. ages 18 to 73, is a painless, quick and non-invasive procedure that can be done in a physician's office.The test can provide vital early detection of cancer or pre-cancerous conditions that may progress to cancer over an approximately eight year period and before cancer can be detected by mammography or other means and without the risks of radiation, especially in women younger than age 50. No invasive biopsy needles or open surgical incisions are used in the Atossa test.

Just as the Pap smear has reduced cervical cancer rates by over 70 percent, becoming the most successful screening test in medicine, the goal of Atossa Genetics is to reduce the stubbornly high rate of breast cancer through the early detection of the precursor changes that can lead to breast cancer and the treatment of those early changes.For more information, please visit getforecyte.com.

About Atossa Genetics, Inc.

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Atossa Genetics Featured on FoxNews.com

Questions 183 Re-Post See Description For Video Details
Questions Answers 183 Re-Post Welcome Message 01:29 -- Question From Gary. - Father diagnosed with Parkinson #39;s - 78 Years old - Issued anti viral and Dopam...

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Sep. 11, 2013 An HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate developed by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University appears to have the ability to completely clear an AIDS-causing virus from the body. The promising vaccine candidate is being developed at OHSU's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. It is being tested through the use of a non-human primate form of HIV, called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, which causes AIDS in monkeys. Following further development, it is hoped an HIV-form of the vaccine candidate can soon be tested in humans.

These research results were published online today by the journal Nature. The results will also appear in a future print version of the publication.

"To date, HIV infection has only been cured in a very small number of highly-publicized but unusual clinical cases in which HIV-infected individuals were treated with anti-viral medicines very early after the onset of infection or received a stem cell transplant to combat cancer," said Louis Picker, M.D., associate director of the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. "This latest research suggests that certain immune responses elicited by a new vaccine may also have the ability to completely remove HIV from the body."

The Picker lab's approach involves the use of cytomegalovirus, or CMV, a common virus already carried by a large percentage of the population. In short, the researchers discovered that pairing CMV with SIV had a unique effect. They found that a modified version of CMV engineered to express SIV proteins generates and indefinitely maintains so-called "effector memory" T-cells that are capable of searching out and destroying SIV-infected cells.

T-cells are a key component of the body's immune system, which fights off disease, but T-cells elicited by conventional vaccines of SIV itself are not able to eliminate the virus. The SIV-specific T-cells elicited by the modified CMV were different. About 50 percent of monkeys given highly pathogenic SIV after being vaccinated with this vaccine became infected with SIV but over time eliminated all trace of SIV from the body. In effect, the hunters of the body were provided with a much better targeting system and better weapons to help them find and destroy an elusive enemy.

"Through this method we were able to teach the monkey's body to better 'prepare its defenses' to combat the disease," explained Picker. "Our vaccine mobilized a T-cell response that was able to overtake the SIV invaders in 50 percent of the cases treated. Moreover, in those cases with a positive response, our testing suggests SIV was banished from the host. We are hopeful that pairing our modified CMV vector with HIV will lead to a similar result in humans."

The Picker lab is now investigating the possible reasons why only a subset of the animals treated had a positive response in hopes that the effectiveness of the vaccine candidate can be further boosted.

This research was funded by several grants from the National Institutes of Health, funding from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and a CAVD grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Continue reading here:
AIDS vaccine candidate appears to completely clear virus from the body in monkeys

An HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate developed by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University appears to have the ability to completely clear an AIDS-causing virus from the body. The promising vaccine candidate is being developed at OHSUs Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. It is being tested through the use of a non-human primate form of HIV, called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, which causes AIDS in monkeys. Following further development, it is hoped an HIV-form of the vaccine candidate can soon be tested in humans.

These research results were published online today by the journal Nature. The results will also appear in a future print version of the publication.

To date, HIV infection has only been cured in a very small number of highly-publicized but unusual clinical cases in which HIV-infected individuals were treated with anti-viral medicines very early after the onset of infection or received a stem cell transplant to combat cancer, said Louis Picker, M.D., associate director of the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. This latest research suggests that certain immune responses elicited by a new vaccine may also have the ability to completely remove HIV from the body.

The Picker labs approach involves the use of cytomegalovirus, or CMV, a common virus already carried by a large percentage of the population. In short, the researchers discovered that pairing CMV with SIV had a unique effect. They found that a modified version of CMV engineered to express SIV proteins generates and indefinitely maintains so-called effector memory T-cells that are capable of searching out and destroying SIV-infected cells.

T-cells are a key component of the bodys immune system, which fights off disease, but T-cells elicited by conventional vaccines of SIV itself are not able to eliminate the virus. The SIV-specific T-cells elicited by the modified CMV were different. About 50 percent of monkeys given highly pathogenic SIV after being vaccinated with this vaccine became infected with SIV but over time eliminated all trace of SIV from the body. In effect, the hunters of the body were provided with a much better targeting system and better weapons to help them find and destroy an elusive enemy.

Through this method we were able to teach the monkeys body to better prepare its defenses to combat the disease, explained Picker. Our vaccine mobilized a T-cell response that was able to overtake the SIV invaders in 50 percent of the cases treated. Moreover, in those cases with a positive response, our testing suggests SIV was banished from the host. We are hopeful that pairing our modified CMV vector with HIV will lead to a similar result in humans.

The Picker lab is now investigating the possible reasons why only a subset of the animals treated had a positive response in hopes that the effectiveness of the vaccine candidate can be further boosted.

This research was funded by several grants from the National Institutes of Health, funding from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and a CAVD grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Source: Science Daily.

Read more from the original source:
AIDS vaccine candidate gives hope

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Sept. 10 -- Brown University issued the following news release:

Academic and medical institutions from around Rhode Island today unveiled CoresRI.org, a Web directory of publicly shared core science facilities and services that officials said could accelerate research collaboration for the benefit of the entire state.

CoresRI.org readily serves up detailed information on more than 500 lab instruments and services available in more than 30 core facilities and laboratories at 12 institutions. Site visitors -- scientists, engineers or physicians -- can search by institution, facility, general application or any keyword to find electron microscopes, high-throughput gene sequencers, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, bioinformatics services and many other resources.

The site helps fulfill and expand on the promise of shared core facilities, which are designed to make expensive scientific resources, such as high-end equipment and expert staff, available to a broad scientific community. Otherwise researchers would struggle to acquire those resources just for themselves and then they might not be used to full capacity.

"Research is very technology-driven and so access to instrumentation is really critical," said Edward Hawrot, the Alva O. Way University Professor of Medical Science at Brown and associate dean for the Program in Biology in the University's Division of Biology and Medicine. "Having a searchable database is a big advantage."

Dr. Peter Snyder, senior vice president and chief research officer for the Lifespan health system and a professor of neurology in the Alpert Medical School, said CoresRI.org provides an important new tool to promote scientific productivity and cooperation.

"This collective cataloguing of all core facilities, spanning all of the major research institutions across the State of Rhode Island, will allow any of our investigators - no matter where they are located or where their salary is drawn from - equal access to critical resources to support scientific research," Snyder said. "This is an entirely unprecedented first step for all of our partner institutions, and I see this as the start of a new era of inter-institutional support and cooperation to grow our research activities and to bring new grants and contracts to our state."

Scientists, engineers and physicians do not need to work at any of the inaugural partner institutions - Brown University, Lifespan, Care New England, the University of Rhode Island, the Providence V.A. Medical Center, the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence College, Bryant University, Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, Salve Regina University and Roger Williams University - to use the site or arrange access to facilities listed there. A state environmental researcher, for example, could use CoresRI to find the spectrometer needed to test for an unusual chemical in a water sample, or a physician at an independent hospital could seek space in an ultracold freezer for a tissue specimen.

Many benefits

Hawrot said the site's partners anticipate many benefits from the new site beyond the most obvious one of facilitating researchers' access to needed equipment. CoresRI.org can make state researchers more competitive in applying for grants, he said, because they'll be able to show that they have access to relevant instruments even if they aren't at their home institution. The site also can help inspire new research collaborations as researchers discover what each other can do.

Excerpt from:
Partners Share Research Assets at Website

Public release date: 11-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Todd Murphy murphyt@ohsu.edu 503-494-8231 Oregon Health & Science University

PORTLAND, Ore. An HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate developed by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University appears to have the ability to completely clear an AIDS-causing virus from the body. The promising vaccine candidate is being developed at OHSU's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. It is being tested through the use of a non-human primate form of HIV, called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, which causes AIDS in monkeys. Following further development, it is hoped an HIV-form of the vaccine candidate can soon be tested in humans. These research results were published online today by the journal Nature. The results will also appear in a future print version of the publication.

"To date, HIV infection has only been cured in a very small number of highly-publicized but unusual clinical cases in which HIV-infected individuals were treated with anti-viral medicines very early after the onset of infection or received a stem cell transplant to combat cancer," said Louis Picker, M.D., associate director of the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. "This latest research suggests that certain immune responses elicited by a new vaccine may also have the ability to completely remove HIV from the body."

The Picker lab's approach involves the use of cytomegalovirus, or CMV, a common virus already carried by a large percentage of the population. In short, the researchers discovered that pairing CMV with SIV had a unique effect. They found that a modified version of CMV engineered to express SIV proteins generates and indefinitely maintains so-called "effector memory" T-cells that are capable of searching out and destroying SIV-infected cells.

T-cells are a key component of the body's immune system, which fights off disease, but T-cells elicited by conventional vaccines of SIV itself are not able to eliminate the virus. The SIV-specific T-cells elicited by the modified CMV were different. About 50 percent of monkeys given highly pathogenic SIV after being vaccinated with this vaccine became infected with SIV but over time eliminated all trace of SIV from the body. In effect, the hunters of the body were provided with a much better targeting system and better weapons to help them find and destroy an elusive enemy.

"Through this method we were able to teach the monkey's body to better 'prepare its defenses' to combat the disease," explained Picker. "Our vaccine mobilized a T-cell response that was able to overtake the SIV invaders in 50 percent of the cases treated. Moreover, in those cases with a positive response, our testing suggests SIV was banished from the host. We are hopeful that pairing our modified CMV vector with HIV will lead to a similar result in humans."

The Picker lab is now investigating the possible reasons why only a subset of the animals treated had a positive response in hopes that the effectiveness of the vaccine candidate can be further boosted.

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This research was funded by several grants from the National Institutes of Health, funding from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and a CAVD grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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OHSU AIDS vaccine candidate appears to completely clear virus from the body

University of Otago and Auckland scientists have for the first time discovered a human gene variant that can "turn bad" when affected by sugary drinks, raising the risk of developing the common and debilitating arthritic disease gout.

Associate Professor Tony Merriman from the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Otago says: "This study shows that sugary drinks reverse the benefits of a gene variant which would usually protect against gout. The evidence is now even stronger against sugary drinks."

Gout is caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. The acid crystallises in the joints and the painful inflammatory response is gout. It is the most common form of arthritis in New Zealand, with particularly high rates in men; 3.7% in European men, 11.7% in Mori men and 13.5% in Pacific men. The disease has strong links with other 'metabolic' diseases such as diabetes, heart and kidney disease.

The study, which appeared today online in the international journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, shows that when the variant of the gene SLC2A9 behaves correctly, it helps transport uric acid out of the blood stream and facilitates its excretion through the kidney.

"But when people with this gene variant consume sugary drinks, it takes on Jekyll and Hyde characteristics; the apparent function of the gene variant reverses, such that we think uric acid is instead transported back into the blood-stream and the risk of gout is increased.

"So, not only does sugar raise uric acid in the blood due to processing in the liver, but it also appears to directly interfere with excretion of uric acid from the kidney. This was a quite unpredictable interaction," he says.

US researchers studying gout have so far proven that high-fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drinks increase the risk of gout for people of European ancestry. The second major finding of the new Otago study was that consuming sugar-sweetened soft drinks also increases the risk of gout in New Zealanders, including for Mori and Pacific people, independent of their weight.

"Each daily 300ml serving of sugar-sweetened drink increases the chance of gout by 13%," Associate Professor Merriman says.

The Otago researchers examined blood samples to specifically focus on the SLC2A9 gene in 1634 people of European, Maori and Pacific ancestry recruited between 2007 and 2012. Study participants were recruited mainly from Auckland and Christchurch, through hospitals, community focal points, such as marae, and workplaces. A similar study was also done in Tairawhiti (East Coast) in partnership with Ngati Porou Hauora.

Participants also answered a question about their sugar-sweetened soft drink and fruit juice consumption, and medical information was collected to verify whether or not they had gout. Within the sample, 5% of European, 14.4% of Mori and 16.6% of Pacific Island people were drinking more than 1 litre of sugar-sweetened soft and/or fruit juice drink per day.

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Genetic link found between sugary drinks and gout

SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA and TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sep 11, 2013) - Natera, a leading innovator in prenatal genetic testing, and LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services (LifeLabs), a Canadian company with over 50 years' experience in laboratory testing and management, today announced a distribution partnership for Natera's non-invasive prenatal screening test, Panorama. Panorama was launched in March 2013 for the detection of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome), trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome) and select sex chromosome abnormalities, such as monosomy X (Turner syndrome). The detection of triploidy was added in August 2013.

"There is tremendous demand by patients for non-invasive prenatal testing, and we are pleased to be able to offer these tests at our laboratories in Canada," said Dr. Doug Tkachuk, Chief Medical and Quality Officer at LifeLabs. "We are especially glad to be partnering with Natera to give patients access to Panorama, which we believe offers the best data possible across most indications."

"We continue to gain momentum with our global rollout by partnering with leading organizations, such as LifeLabs, and are glad to now expand into Canada," said Matthew Rabinowitz, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Natera. "We look forward to bringing patients access to the most accurate information possible early in pregnancy, while also expanding the offerings of the test through continued investigation."

Panorama uses a simple blood draw from the mother to examine cell-free DNA found in maternal blood originating from both mother and fetus. The test can be performed as early as nine weeks of gestation without any risk to the fetus. Panorama's technology analyzes 19,488 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a single reaction. SNPs are the most informative portions of an individual's DNA. Panorama utilizes the NATUS [Next-generation Aneuploidy Testing Using SNPs] algorithm, an advanced version of Natera's proprietary informatics.

Across multiple clinical trials, Panorama has been validated globally for trisomy 21, trisomy 18, trisomy 13 and monosomy X with a sensitivity of greater than 99% for trisomy 21, trisomy 18 and trisomy 13, 92% for monosomy X, and a less than 0.1% false positive rate for all syndromes tested. Panorama's clinical validation data was presented at the annual Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine Meeting on Feb. 15, 2013. The most recent independently-led, blinded study was published in May 2013 in Prenatal Diagnosis from author Professor Nicolaides, M.D., and The Fetal Medicine Foundation. This study also demonstrated the ability to detect triploidy. Panorama is currently being evaluated in several other clinical trials for the detection of other genetic disorders, including XXY, XYY, and XXX.

About Natera

Natera is a leading genetic testing company that has developed a proprietary bioinformatics-based technology (NATUS) to deliver accurate and comprehensive high-throughput testing for reproductive indications from tiny quantities of DNA. Natera operates a CLIA-certified laboratory in San Carlos, Calif., providing a host of preconception and prenatal genetic testing services. Test offerings include pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to identify chromosomal anomalies or inherited genetic conditions in embryos generated during an IVF cycle; products-of-conception testing following miscarriage to rapidly and extensively analyze fetal chromosomes in order to understand the cause of the pregnancy loss; non-invasive prenatal testing to determine paternity; carrier screening tests to detect whether parents carry genetic variations that may result in disease in the child; and Panorama, a safe, simple test for pregnant women that identifies the most common chromosomal anomalies in a fetus as early as nine weeks. Natera's PreNATUS clinical trial for non-invasive screening of fetal chromosomal anomalies is funded by the NIH and is being conducted by leaders in maternal-fetal medicine in the United States. For more information, visit http://www.natera.com.

About LifeLabs

LifeLabs provides laboratory testing services, which help physicians and other healthcare professionals diagnose, treat, monitor and prevent disease in patients. LifeLabs employs approximately 4,000 professionally trained staff, who deliver more than 60 million tests annually, serving over 11 million patients and 26,000 healthcare providers. LifeLabs has operated in Canada for over 50 years and is owned by Borealis, a global leader in infrastructure investing, with assets in energy, transportation and infrastructure buildings, including long-term care facilities and hospitals, pipelines and telecommunications. For information, visit http://www.lifelabs.com.

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Natera Partners With LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services to Distribute Non-Invasive Prenatal Test Panorama(TM) in ...

Sep. 11, 2013 The largest DNA-sequencing study of anorexia nervosa has linked the eating disorder to variants in a gene coding for an enzyme that regulates cholesterol metabolism. The finding suggests that anorexia could be caused in part by a disruption in the normal processing of cholesterol, which may disrupt mood and eating behavior.

"These findings point in a direction that probably no one would have considered taking before," said Nicholas J. Schork, a professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). Schork was the senior investigator for the multicenter study, which was published recently online ahead of print in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Anorexia affects up to 1 percent of women, and has an estimated mortality rate of 10 or more percent, making it perhaps the deadliest of psychiatric illnesses. Anorexics severely restrict eating and become emaciated, yet see themselves as fat. Individuals with anorexia nervosa tend to be perfectionistic, anxious or depressed, and obsessive, said Walter Kaye, a co-author on the study, professor at the University of California (UC), San Diego School of Medicine and principal investigator of the Price Foundation Genetic Studies of Anorexia Nervosa.

How the disorder develops is still not fully understood. Anorexia predominantly affects girls and young women (the estimated gender ratio is nearly 10:1) and appears to be influenced in part by cultural factors, stress, puberty and social networks. Yet twin studies suggest that genetic factors have the largest influence.

The big mystery has been: what are those genetic factors? Gene-association studies of anorexics have so far produced few replicable findings. Researchers suspect that many genes can contribute to the disorder -- and thus only large studies will have the statistical power to detect those individual genetic influences.

For this project -- the largest-ever sequencing study of anorexia -- Schork worked with an international team of collaborators representing more than two dozen research institutions. The many contributors included first author Ashley Scott-Van Zeeland from The Scripps Translational Science Institute and Scripps Health in La Jolla, California; Kaye and Pei-an Betty Shih from the UC San Diego; Andrew Bergen from SRI International in Menlo Park, California; Wade Berretini from the University of Pennsylvania; and Pierre Magistreti from Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne. The project made use of genetic information from more than 1,200 anorexia patients and nearly 2,000 non-anorexic control subjects.

For an initial "discovery" study in 334 subjects, the researchers catalogued the variants of a large set of genes that had already been linked to feeding behavior or had been flagged in previous anorexia studies. Of more than 150 candidate genes, only a handful showed statistical signs of a linkage with anorexia in this group of subjects.

One of the strongest signs came from the gene EPHX2, which codes for epoxide hydrolase 2 -- an enzyme known to regulate cholesterol metabolism. "When we saw that, we thought that we might be onto something, because nobody else had reported this gene as having a pronounced role in anorexia," said Schork.

The team followed up with several replication studies, each using a different cohort of anorexia patients and controls, as well as different genetic analysis methods. The scientists continued to find evidence that certain variants of EPHX2 occur more frequently in people with anorexia.

To help make sense of these findings, they looked at existing data from a large-scale, long-term heart disease study and determined that a subset of the implicated EPHX2 variants have the effect of altering the normal relationship between weight gain and cholesterol levels.

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New genetic clue to anorexia

A new test -- looking at three genes -- could predict which prostate cancers will turn aggressive, helping avoid invasive treatments for those that will grow more slowly, a study out Wednesday said.

Used alongside existing tests, the analysis will help doctors determine whether treatment is needed or if "active surveillance" would suffice, Columbia University researchers said in the study in "Science Translational Medicine."

"Most of the 200,000 prostate cancers diagnosed each year in the US are slow growing and will remain so, but the three-gene biomarker could take much of the guesswork out of the diagnostic process and ensure that patients are neither overtreated nor undertreated," said study leader Cory Abate-Shen.

"The problem with existing tests is that we cannot identify the small percentage of slow-growing tumors that will eventually become aggressive and spread beyond the prostate," said coauthor Mitchell C. Benson.

The three genes -- FGFR1, PMP22 and CDKN1A -- are particularly affected by cellular senescence, a process known for playing an essential role in tumor suppression and linked to benign prostate legions in mice and humans.

When these three genes are present, the researchers found, the prostate tumors are low risk. Prostate cancers that test negative for these genetic biomarkers are thus deemed potentially aggressive.

The researchers tested the accuracy of their diagnoses against biopsy specimens from 43 patients who were actively monitored over at least ten years.

Each had initially been diagnosed with a low-risk prostate cancer. Fourteen of them later developed advanced prostate cancer. The genetic biomarker test accurately identified each of them.

"The bottom line is that, at least in our preliminary trial, we were able to accurately predict which patients with low-risk prostate cancer would develop advanced prostate cancer and which ones would not," said Abate-Shen.

The researchers plan to evaluate the genetic test in a larger clinical trial.

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Genetic test could identify aggressive prostate cancers