Archive for the ‘Gene Therapy Research’ Category

In late August, Amgen agreed to buy Onyx Pharmaceuticals in one of the worst-kept M&A secrets of the year. Amgen paid 50% more than Onyx's pre-rumor trading price, suggesting there may be other biotech companies similarly undervalued. Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: SGEN) , a biotech collaborating with some of the largest drug companies on cancer research, may be on that list.

Biotechnology is one of the most M&A-friendly industriesThe cost to develop and the failure rate of new drugs are high. Because of this, fledgling biotechs often turn to venture capital and partner with major drug companies to finance development

Seattle Genetics currently has just one drug on the market, Adcetris, which was approved in 2011 to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. The drug serves as a showcase for the company's antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs -- complex molecules delivering payloads directly to cancerous cells without the collateral damage associated with traditional chemotherapy.

As a result of Adcetris winning 70% of the market share for its approved indications, major drug companies including Bayer, Roche's Genentech, Takeda's Millennium, AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) , and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) have inked lucrative deals with Seattle Genetics to gain access to its ADC portfolio.

Those deals mean big money for Seattle Genetics, totaling as much as $3.5 billion in future milestone payments plus royalties from any drugs that become commercialized.

Seattle Genetics' big plans for Adcetris Adcetris was the first new Hodgkin's treatment approved in 30 years when it got the nod from the FDA in 2011. The drug has generated nearly $70 million in revenue in the first half of this year, and the company hopes it can build a billion-dollar franchise around the drug by expanding its label.

As part of that goal, Seattle Genetics is in phase 2 trials for Adcetris as a front line treatment for large B-cell lymphoma and is currently in phase 3 trials studying Adcetris as a replacement for Bleomycin in the most common chemotherapy cocktail used in lymphoma patients. The company is also studying Adcetris as a stand-alone first line treatment for Hodgkin's as well. If successful, an expanding patient pool could move Adcetris closer to $1 billion blockbuster status and that could prove intriguing to many of Seattle Genetics' big pharma partners.

Catching the eye of the biggest drugmakersSeattle is currently working with cancer research powerhouse Genentech onnine different programs. Those programs include ADC research targeting ovarian and prostate cancer, from which positive early stage data was presented at ASCO this past summer. If those early successes continue, SeattleGenetics could earn up to $900 million in milestones from Genentech, as well as future royalties.

Seattle Geneticsalso hastwo ADC trials ongoing with AbbVie -- the drug company spun off from Abbott Labs earlier this year. AbbVie expanded its relationship with Seattle Geneticslast fall in order to gain access to its auristatins, paying $25 million in upfront fees, offering milestone payments of up to $220 million per target, and royalties equal to mid-to-high single-digit percentages of commercialized drugs.

Not to be left out, Pfizeris also conducting research using Seattle Genetics' ADCs, inking a deal in 2011 that could be worth as much as $200 million in milestone payments. Pfizer also agreed to a collaboration deal with Seattle Genetics' ADC competitor CytomX Therapeutics worth more than $600 million this past June.

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Is Seattle Genetics an Acquisition Target?

RUTHERFORD, N.J., Sept. 9, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cancer Genetics, Inc. (CGIX), an emerging leader in DNA-based cancer diagnostics that personalizes the diagnosis and prediction of treatment outcomes for difficult to diagnose cancers, today announced executives from the company will participate at the following investor conferences in September:

The company's investor presentation will be made available in the Investor Relations section of the CGI website.

About Cancer Genetics:

Cancer Genetics, Inc. is an emerging leader in DNA-based cancer diagnostics that personalizes the diagnosis and prediction of treatment outcomes for difficult to diagnose cancers. These cancers include hematological, urogenital and HPV-associated cancers. The Company's comprehensive range of oncology-focused tests and laboratory services provide critical genomic information to healthcare professionals, cancer centers, and biopharma companies. Through its CLIA certified and CAP accredited state-of-the-art reference lab, Cancer Genetics services some of the most prestigious medical institutions in the world and has strong research collaborations with major cancer centers such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic and the National Cancer Institute. For further information, please see http://www.cancergenetics.com.

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Cancer Genetics Announces Upcoming Investor Conference Schedule

Public release date: 9-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Gina Bericchia Gina.Bericchia@NationwideChildrens.org 614-355-0495 Nationwide Children's Hospital

Studies of a therapy designed to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suggest that the treatment dramatically slows onset and progression of the deadly disease, one of the most common neuromuscular disorders in the world. The researchers, led by teams from The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Ludwig Institute at the University of California, San Diego, found a survival increase of up to 39 percent in animal models with a one-time treatment, a crucial step toward moving the therapy into human clinical trials.

The therapy reduces expression of a gene called SOD1, which in some cases of familial ALS has a mutation that weakens and kills nerve cells called motor neurons that control muscle movement. While many drug studies involve only one type of animal model, this effort included analysis in two different models treated before and after disease onset. The in-depth study could vault the drug into human clinical trials, said Brian Kaspar, PhD, a principal investigator in the Center for Gene Therapy at Nationwide Children's and a senior author on the research, which was published online Sept. 6 in Molecular Therapy.

"We designed these rigorous studies using two different models of the disease with the experimenters blinded to the treatment and in two separate laboratories," said Dr. Kaspar, who collaborated on the study with a team led by Don Cleveland, PhD, at the University of California, San Diego. "We were very pleased with the results, and found that the delivery approach was successful in a larger species, enabling us to initiate a clinical translational plan for this horrible disease."

There currently is no cure for ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are about 5,000 new cases in the U.S. each year, mostly in people age 50 to 60. Although the exact cause of ALS is unknown, more than 170 mutations in the SOD1 gene have been found in many patients with familial ALS, which accounts for about 2 percent of all cases.

SOD1 provides instructions for making an enzyme called superoxide dismutase, which is found throughout the body and breaks down toxic molecules that can be damaging to cells. When mutated, the SOD1 gene yields a faulty version of the enzyme that is especially harmful to motor neurons. One of the mutations, which is found in about half of all familial ALS patients, is particularly devastating, with death usually coming within 18 months of diagnosis. SOD1 has also been implicated in other types of ALS, called sporadic ALS, which means the therapy could prove beneficial for larger numbers of patients suffering with this disease.

Earlier work by Dr. Kaspar and others found that they could halt production of the mutated enzyme by blocking SOD1 expression, which in turn, they suspected, would slow ALS progression. To test this hypothesis, the researchers would not only need to come up with an approach that would block the gene, but also figure out how to specifically target cells implicated in the disease, which include motor neurons and glial cells. What's more, the therapy would preferably be administered noninvasively instead of direct delivery via burr holes drilled into the skull.

Dr. Kaspar's team accomplished the second part of this challenge in 2009, when they discovered that adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) could cross the blood-brain barrier, making it an ideal transport system for delivering genes and RNA interference strategies designed to treat disease.

In this new work, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the researchers blocked human SOD1, using a technology known as short hairpin RNA, or shRNA. These single strands of RNA are designed in the lab to seek out specific sequences found in the human SOD1 gene, latch onto them and block gene expression.

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Therapy slows onset and progression of Lou Gehrig's disease, study finds

Newswise Studies of a therapy designed to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suggest that the treatment dramatically slows onset and progression of the deadly disease, one of the most common neuromuscular disorders in the world. The researchers, led by teams from The Research Institute at Nationwide Childrens Hospital and the Ludwig Institute at the University of California, San Diego, found a survival increase of up to 39 percent in animal models with a one-time treatment, a crucial step toward moving the therapy into human clinical trials.

The therapy reduces expression of a gene called SOD1, which in some cases of familial ALS has a mutation that weakens and kills nerve cells called motor neurons that control muscle movement. While many drug studies involve only one type of animal model, this effort included analysis in two different models treated before and after disease onset. The in-depth study could vault the drug into human clinical trials, said Brian Kaspar, PhD, a principal investigator in the Center for Gene Therapy at Nationwide Childrens and a senior author on the research, which was published online Sept. 6 in Molecular Therapy.

We designed these rigorous studies using two different models of the disease with the experimenters blinded to the treatment and in two separate laboratories, said Dr. Kaspar, who collaborated on the study with a team led by Don Cleveland, PhD, at the University of California, San Diego. We were very pleased with the results, and found that the delivery approach was successful in a larger species, enabling us to initiate a clinical translational plan for this horrible disease.

There currently is no cure for ALS, also called Lou Gehrigs disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are about 5,000 new cases in the U.S. each year, mostly in people age 50 to 60. Although the exact cause of ALS is unknown, more than 170 mutations in the SOD1 gene have been found in many patients with familial ALS, which accounts for about 2 percent of all cases.

SOD1 provides instructions for making an enzyme called superoxide dismutase, which is found throughout the body and breaks down toxic molecules that can be damaging to cells. When mutated, the SOD1 gene yields a faulty version of the enzyme that is especially harmful to motor neurons. One of the mutations, which is found in about half of all familial ALS patients, is particularly devastating, with death usually coming within 18 months of diagnosis. SOD1 has also been implicated in other types of ALS, called sporadic ALS, which means the therapy could prove beneficial for larger numbers of patients suffering with this disease.

Earlier work by Dr. Kaspar and others found that they could halt production of the mutated enzyme by blocking SOD1 expression, which in turn, they suspected, would slow ALS progression. To test this hypothesis, the researchers would not only need to come up with an approach that would block the gene, but also figure out how to specifically target cells implicated in the disease, which include motor neurons and glial cells. Whats more, the therapy would preferably be administered noninvasively instead of direct delivery via burr holes drilled into the skull.

Dr. Kaspars team accomplished the second part of this challenge in 2009, when they discovered that adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) could cross the blood-brain barrier, making it an ideal transport system for delivering genes and RNA interference strategies designed to treat disease.

In this new work, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the researchers blocked human SOD1, using a technology known as short hairpin RNA, or shRNA. These single strands of RNA are designed in the lab to seek out specific sequences found in the human SOD1 gene, latch onto them and block gene expression.

In one of the mouse models used in the study, ALS develops earlier and advances more quickly. In the other, the disease develops later and progresses more slowly. All of the mice received a single injection of AAV9-SOD1-shRNA before or after disease onset.

Results showed that in the rapid-disease-progressing model, mice treated before disease onset saw a 39 percent increase in survival compared to control treated mice. Strikingly, in mice treated at 21 days of age, disease progression was slowed by 66 percent. Perhaps more surprising was the finding that even after symptoms surfaced in these models, treatment still resulted in a 23 percent increase in survival and a 36 percent reduction in disease progression. In the slower-disease-onset model, treatment extended survival by 22 percent and delayed disease progression by 38 percent.

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Therapy Slows Onset and Progression of Lou Gehrig's Disease

Stem Cell Therapy - Cosmetic Surgery PH Beaufaces
Stem Cell Therapy at Beaufaces Cosmetic Surgery Center Manila, Philippines For more info visit http://www.cosmeticsurgeryph.com/ Or email us at info@cosmetic...

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Stem Cell Therapy For Pets
Stemcellvet.co.uk offer adipose derived Stem Cell Therapy for pets in the UK. We treat cats and dogs predominantly for arthritis but there is also the potent...

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There is no doubt that parents of persons with autism will exhaust all possible means to look for ways to improve the lives of their children. Some will even look for the ''cure'' at all costs literally, especially if they can afford it.

The buzz word for possible autism cure these last few years is stem cell therapy, a medical intervention that involves extracting the body's repair cells and injecting them back to the body to replace old cells. The controversies about this therapy as autism ''cure'' include its high cost.

Angels Talk recently asked parent members of Autism Society Philippines the following question: If money was not an issue, will you consider stem cell therapy for your child with autism? Some were willing to take the chance while others were either cautious of trying ''cures'' that still need to be validated, or consider their children's autism as a gift. Here are some of their sentiments.

''Yes, I would. Whatever will help my nine-year old Sean, I will take the chance. I accept Sean and his condition but not everyone is accepting of autism. If stem cell therapy will give Sean a chance to enjoy life like an average kid, then I will pursue this.'' - JASMINE NADJA PINUGU, a parent who represents the views of 22 other respondents

''No. I would not subject my child to a treatment that has questionable therapeutic claims and safety issues. What we read in the news now are anecdotal reports from celebrity parents that include endorsement of a certain clinic or doctor. Our son Jorel, is doing well trying to adapt in the ''normal'' world. We would rather spend the money for his job or independent living training later on.'' - MENCHIE ALEGRE

''Not at this time but I am open to the possibility. I attended Dr. Samuel Bernal's talk on this topic at Medical City early this year and even this expert is not making claims that stem cell can ''cure'' autism. They are still doing further studies. I have also not heard about the results on the six children who've undergone the test for it. The procedure is quite scary and there will surely be side effects. Until such time that the procedure becomes less invasive, I will not agree to have this procedure done to my child. I appreciate though the efforts of all the people trying to find solution to improve the lives of our children. I pray that God may guide them well.'' - OLIVE MEDINA

''NO! I love him for what he is and he was born unique. Autism is not an illness; all special children need love, support and understanding from family, friends and especially our society. Special children are God's gift to society, to help us be humble, happy and content of what we have.'' - BERNADETTE TABARES

''No, I have two autistic sons and I have learned to respect their condition as God allowed it. I asked God for wisdom in rearing them and I enjoy their company. They showered me with so much attention and love. After 20 years of searching for solution for my two boys to act normal and be able to conform to the norms of society, I have witnessed that each one of us also have abnormalities. Being with them at all given time is the best treatment. Integrating them in all house activities boost their self-esteem.''- LOURY JACOB

''Autism is not the problem. Only ACCCEPTANCE can CURE AUTISM.'' - WHENG DOLLENTE

''What is the point of compelling your child to be someone he is not?'' - GERARD ATIENZA

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Will you consider stem cell therapy for your child with autism?

UK scientists have found a gene in mice that, if faulty, may increase the risk of ovarian cancer. Mice lacking the gene were twice as likely to develop ovarian tumours, as well as showing signs of infertility, according to a new study.

If the gene has a similar role in humans, it could lead to new screening tests, say scientists at the London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK. The research is published in the journal Nature.

The study looked at a gene known as Helq, which is involved in repairing damaged DNA.Mice lacking the gene were twice as likely to develop ovarian tumours compared with those with a normal copy.

Ovarian cancer can be hard to diagnose early and treat successfully so the more we know about the causes of the disease, the better equipped we will be to detect and treat it

Dr Simon Boulton, senior author from Cancer Research UKs London Research Institute, said: Our findings show that if there are problems with the Helq gene in mice it increases the chance of them developing ovarian and other tumours.

This is an exciting finding because this might also be true for women with errors in Helq, and the next step will be to see if this is the case.

If it plays a similar role in humans, this may open up the possibility that, in the future, women could be screened for errors in the Helq gene that might increase their risk of ovarian cancer.

Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UKs senior science information manager, said the study pulled together clues from a series of experiments building a picture of cell faults that could lead to ovarian cancer in women. Ovarian cancer can be hard to diagnose early and treat successfully so the more we know about the causes of the disease, the better equipped we will be to detect and treat it.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women in the UK.

About 7,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and about 4,300 die from the disease.

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New gene clue to ovarian cancer found in mice

Knowing whether you have the "obesity gene" doesn't seem to be a deterrent against weight loss, according to a new study.

Plus, researchers said, the knowledge could actually help to reduce self-blame for obesity.

"Regardless of gene status or weight, all the volunteers recognized that both genes and behavior are important for weight control," study researcher Susanne Meisel, of the Health Behaviour Research Centre at the University College London, said in a statement. "The results indicate that people are unlikely to believe that genes are destiny and stop engaging with weight control once they know their FTO [obesity gene] status. Although they knew that FTO's effect is only small, they found it motivating and informative. We are now doing a larger study to confirm whether more people react in the same way."

While a gene test for FTO -- which has two variants, one that is linked with high risk of weight gain and one that is with low risk -- is not yet commercially available, researchers are able to conduct it. The Journal of Genetic Counseling study noted that "about 37 percent of the Caucasian population carries one higher-risk (A) allele of the commonest obesity associated FTO variant (rs9939609), and 16 percent carry two (AA); conferring a 20 percent higher lifetime risk of becoming obese than those who carry none."

For the study, researchers tested 18 study participants to see whether they had the weight gain-linked FTO gene variant, and then interviewed them to see how they felt about their status.

They found that study participants who experienced weight struggles considered it helpful to know their gene status. They also said that they didn't think knowing their status made them feel like they were helpless in losing weight, and in fact made them feel less emotionally stressed about their weight.

People with normal weight who had the gene variant "described the result as a 'little warning bell' that would help them to be more conscious of their weight and monitor weight gain in the future," researchers wrote in the study. "Participants struggling with weight control described reassurance and relief of stigma, guilt or self-blame as benefits of receiving the test result. No one expressed a fatalistic attitude, nor was there evidence for a false sense of immunity to weight gain."

What do you think? How would knowing whether you had the "obesity gene" make you feel about your own weight loss journey?

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Knowing Obesity Gene Status Doesn't Make People Feel Helpless In Losing Weight, Study Suggests

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The endless debate over genetic engineering

Medical Genetics at Dartmouth-Hitchcock
The Beauregard family discuss the experience of learning your child has a rare genetics disorder. John B. Moeschler, MD, director, Clinical Genetics Program,...

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UPSC : Biology Genetics basics 1
This video is explaining sexual reproduction in angiosperms, Meiosis and mitosis at glance. This lecture is a part of set of lectures available on " http://www.m2k-...

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UPSC : Biology Genetics basics 1 - Video

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Invitae, Inc., a genetic information company, today announced the results of a study conducted in collaboration with Stanford University assessing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer risk using a multi-gene next-generation sequencing panel. The results showed that analysis of BRCA1/2 mutations produced results concordant with prior clinical testing and also identified additional pathogenic variants in genes other than BRCA1/2. The study was presented by Allison Kurian, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine (Oncology) and Health, Research and Prevention and the associate director of the Breast Cancer Genetics Clinic at Stanford, during the Poster Discussion Session A at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Breast Symposium, September 7, 2013 in San Francisco, CA.

In this study, authored by James Ford, M.D., associate professor of Medicine (Oncology), Pediatrics (Medical Genetics), and of Genetics and director of the Stanford Cancer Genetics Clinic (Abstract #07, Evaluation of a cancer gene sequencing panel in a hereditary risk assessment clinic), germline DNA samples were sequenced from 198 women: 174 participants had breast cancer and 57 carried known BRCA1/2 mutations. Analytic results for BRCA1/2 sequencing were concordant with prior clinical testing. Twenty-one variants designated as potentially pathogenic were observed in genes other than BRCA1/2, including ATM, BLM, CDH1, CDKN2A, MUTYH, MLH1, NBN, PRSS1 and SLX4. Fourteen participants carried variants that warranted consideration of a change in care; they were notified and invited for confirmatory testing and counseling. One patient, a 45-year-old woman, was found to carry a pathogenic MLH1 mutation and underwent a colonoscopy, which resulted in a tubular adenoma being identified and removed. The multi-gene next-generation sequencing panel identified the cancer risk five years before the patients first recommended routine colonoscopy. Another patient had a risk-reducing surgery to remove an ovary and fallopian tube (salpingo-oophorectomy) after the detection of a BRCA1 deletion. The study found that disclosure of genetic testing results to patients was feasible and well tolerated.

These findings show that by using a multi-gene panel, physicians are able to identify important additional mutations beyond BRCA1 and BRCA2 that lead to changes in patients treatment and surveillance regimens. Invitae believes that for genetic testing to be beneficial it must provide clinically relevant and actionable data. The variants detected in this study resulted in a cancer preventing treatment for at least one patient, validating this multi-gene approach to genetic testing.

The results of this research study will be useful in the development of future product releases for hereditary cancer, said Randy Scott, from Invitae. The model for genetic testing is rapidly changing as next generation DNA sequencing allows us to provide vastly more genetic information at lower cost than ever before. This is the first of multiple studies we are conducting to establish the value of expanded genetic testing.

Invitae is currently engaged in an early access commercial program for its most recent product with over 50 institutions worldwide. The company does not currently provide BRCA testing to patients in the U.S. but plans to add BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing in future product releases.

About Invitae

Specializing in genetic diagnostics for hereditary disorders, Invitaes mission is to make multi-use genetic testing more accessible and affordable than ever before.

The company is pursuing a strategy over the next several years to aggregate all the world's medical genetic tests (>3,000 known Mendelian conditions) into a single assay at a lower cost than most single gene tests today.

This capability is increasingly enabled by the rapid advancements in DNA sequencing technology and will be advanced by Invitaes investment in building a database of clinically-relevant genetic information. Invitae hopes to lead the way from an era of genetic scarcity to genetic abundance to significantly improve healthcare worldwide.

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Invitae Announces Results of Hereditary Breast Cancer Study in Collaboration with Stanford University

Proving Out Genetics

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Genetics recombination by Genetics KU

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People considering stem-cell treatment have been advised to think again, with six groups of medical specialists issuing a strong warning yesterday that unlicensed stem-cell treatments on offer could kill a patient.

The medical societies that issued the statement include the Royal College of Physicians, the Dermatological Society, Heart Association of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King, the Thai Society of Haematology, the Nephrology Society and the Neurology Society.

The statement said the Medical Council of Thailand had only approved the use of stem-cell treatment on blood diseases - namely leukaemia, malignant lymphoma, aplastic anaemia, multiple myeloma and thalassemia.

Clinical research on the use of stem-cell treatment is ongoing, but there is no scientific evidence that stem-cell therapy can effectively increasing a person's longevity, or delay organ degeneration or improve a patient's quality of life, Prof Kriang Tungsanga, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said.

The move by the medical societies was prompted by widespread ads about stem-cell-based "miracle pills" that claim to ease the symptoms of chronic symptoms such as diabetes and heart disease.

The unlicensed use of stem-cell therapy to treat heart disease, diabetes or for aesthetic purposes has become popular among celebrities and rich people who can afford the treatment, which can cost anything from Bt100,000 to Bt1 million.

Some patients even fly to private clinics in Germany to receive stem-cell injections extracted from unborn sheep that they believe will improve their health and make them look younger.

However, Kriang reiterated that stem-cell therapy is not recommended or included in the standard clinical practice guidelines of any disease other than some blood conditions.

Wrong usage 'can hurt'

Moreover, inappropriate use of stem-cell therapy may be harmful to patients as they could develop an allergy, clotting in blood vessels, contamination of the blood stream, foreign protein materials, chemicals microbial organisms and other non-pure types of cells and cancer transforming cells.

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Stem-cell therapy 'can be lethal'

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/pz44tp/epigenetic) has announced the addition of the "Epigenetic Therapy in Oncology Drug Pipeline Update 2013" report to their offering.

Improper gene activation or silencing by loss of epigenetic control can lead to aberrant gene expression that can drive the development of diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity, diabetes, or neurological disorders. Recent research has identified the set of enzymes and chromatin-binding proteins responsible for regulating chromatin structure. These enzymes and binding proteins form the cell's toolkit for epigenetic regulation by opening and closing chromatin or modifying chromatin structure to help control when and where genes are expressed. Inhibiting these targets with emerging drugs promises to be a powerful avenue to develop important treatments serving unmet medical needs.

There are today 60 companies plus partners developing 70 epigenetic therapy drugs in 253 developmental projects in cancer. In addition, there is 1 suspended drug and the accumulated number of ceased drugs over the last years amount to another 23 drugs.

Epigenetic Therapy In Oncology Drug Pipeline Update lists all drugs and gives you a progress analysis on each one of them. Identified drugs are linked to 36 different targets. All included targets have been cross-referenced for the presence of mutations associated with human cancer. To date 34 out of the 35 studied drug targets so far have been recorded with somatic mutations. The software application lets you narrow in on these mutations and links out to the mutational analysis for each of the drug targets for detailed information.

All drugs targets are further categorized on in the software application by 14 classifications of molecular function and with pathway referrals to BioCarta, KEGG, NCI-Nature and NetPath.

Reasons To Buy

- Show investors/board/management that you are right on top of drug development progress in your therapeutic area.

- Find competitors, collaborations partners, M&A candidates etc.

- Jump start competitive drug intelligence operations

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Research and Markets: Epigenetic Therapy in Oncology Drug Pipeline Update 2013

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/qsrrvq/bioinformatics) has announced the addition of the "Global Bioinformatics Market Report 2013-2017" report to their offering.

Based on the use of bioinformatics, the various sectors covered in this report are medicine, agriculture, environment, animal, forensic, academics, and others (homeland security and defense, law-enforcement groups, bio-weapon creation, antibiotic resistance, and evolutionary biotechnology). The medical sector accounted for a lions share of the bioinformatics market in 2012. The medical sector has been further classified as molecular medicine, gene therapy, drug discovery and development, clinical diagnostics, and reproductive biotechnology.

The bioinformatics market, by products and services, has been classified as knowledge management tools, platforms, and services. These segments are integral components of application areas such genomics, proteomics, and other life-science research, and are used for the acquisition, development, management, analysis, and integration of huge amounts of data generated during biological research. Knowledge management tools dominated the bioinformatics market in 2012, followed by platforms and services. Knowledge management tools are majorly used by researchers to handle large volumes of heterogeneous information and to integrate them with existing knowledge repositories.

Segments in the bioinformatics application market are genomics, proteomics, chemoinformatics, molecular phylogenetics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, and others (glycomics, cytomics, physiomics and interactomics). Genomics contributes the highest to the bioinformatics market; it is poised to grow at a high CAGR from 2012 to 2017. The application of bioinformatics in genomics is driven by growing pharmacogenomics applications for the discovery of new drugs and characterization of older drugs, development of new bioinformatics tools to handle large sets of data generated through genomics research, and decreasing cost of DNA sequencing. Metabolomics is the fastest-growing application area due to developments in analytical instruments that enable profiling of metabolites with high throughput and accuracy.

North America accounted for the largest market share of the bioinformatics market, followed by Europe, in 2012. This is attributed by an increasing demand for bioinformatics in genomics and proteomics research, technological advancements, growing use of bioinformatics tools in the drug discovery process, and presence of a large number of market players. However, other regions such as Asian and Latin American countries represent emerging markets, owing to a rise in research outsourcing by pharmaceutical giants, increasing number of Contract Research Organizations (CROs), rise in public and private sector investment, and growing industry -academia partnerships.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Executive Summary

3 Market Overview

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Research and Markets: Global Bioinformatics Market Report 2013-2017

The Biased Views of Hank Green and SciShow
Earlier this year Hank Green released a video called The Science of Genetically Modified Food #39;. The video was not a fair representation of the scientific com...

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SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - Sep 6, 2013) - Atossa Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS), The Breast Health Company, will display its ForeCYTE Breast Health Test at the 7th annual Breast Cancer Symposiumfrom September 7 through September 9, 2013 in San Francisco. Atossa's exhibit will be located in Booth 33 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis -- Golden Gate Hall.

The ForeCYTE Breast Health Test, developed and marketed by Atossa's subsidiary, The National Reference Laboratory for Breast Health, detects reversible precancerous conditions in the breast up to eight years before they become cancer. The test uses Atossa's hand-held, FDA Class II medical device that is quick, painless, and non-invasive and can be administered during an OB/GYN office visit. Unlike mammograms, which are commonly recommended for women starting at age 40 to 50, the ForeCYTE Breast Health Test is more age agnostic, uses no radiation and does not require invasive biopsy needles or surgical incisions. To view a video about the ForeCYTE Test, click here: https://vimeo.com/62365818.

"Our ForeCYTE Breast Health Test provides vital early detection of precancerous abnormalities that can lead to breast cancer over an approximately 8-year time frame," said Chris Destro, Vice President of Atossa. "By identifying women with precancerous abnormalities and empowering them with useful information, we can help women and their doctors to take important steps to reverse the condition through lifestyle changes and/or therapeutic intervention and thereby potentially prevent breast cancer and save lives. We look forward to presenting ForeCYTE's value at the Breast Cancer Symposium in San Francisco."

Atossa's ForeCYTE Breast Health Test is available through physicians nationwide.

About the San Francisco Breast Cancer Symposium

Now in its 7th year, the Breast Cancer Symposium brings together medical and radiation oncologists as well as surgeons to focus on understanding and incorporating the latest research from each subspecialty, in order to strengthen collaborative treatment approaches and to enhance patient care.

About Atossa Genetics, Inc.

Atossa, based in Seattle, WA, is focused on preventing breast cancer through the commercialization of patented, FDA-designated Class II diagnostic medical devices and, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, the NRLBH, patented, laboratory developed tests that can detect precursors to breast cancer up to eight years before mammography.

The NRLBH is a CLIA-certified high-complexity molecular diagnostic laboratory located in Seattle, Washington.

For additional information on Atossa, please visit http://www.atossagenetics.com. For additional information on the ForeCYTE test and the NRLBH, please visit http://www.nrlbh.com.

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Atossa Genetics to Exhibit Its ForeCYTE Breast Health Test at the Breast Cancer Symposium 2013

Lewisville, TX (PRWEB) September 05, 2013

Douglas P. Stramel, DVM, CVPP, CVMA owner of Lewisville based Advanced Care Veterinary Services and a certified Pain Practitioner and Veterinary Medical Acupuncturist has been a firm believer in stem cell therapy for over six years and continues to prove its effectiveness in relieving his patients from the chronic suffering that osteoarthritis can create.

A recent patient, Jake, suffered from pain caused by chronic osteoarthritis in both hips. At the young age of seven months he had special surgery on both hips, but unfortunately by seven years old this Catahoula dog was showing severe suffering and lameness. He had problems getting up from a lying position, decreased activity, and was taking a long regimen of anti-inflammatory and pain medications to manage his discomfort. Jakes range of motion in his back legs was very limited and when asked to move he would whimper in pain.

Jakes owners had become increasingly concerned, Jake wants to stay outside, hes less interactive with the family, limps while taking walks, and doesnt want to play ball. Previously these activities were Jakes favorite ways to pass time with his family. The pain had become so serious that Jake even hesitated to obey a sit command, only following with a whine and vocal protest. Jakes owners feared they may have exhausted all therapies for their beloved pet, but were relentless in their search to help him.

They found their answer at Advanced Care Veterinary Services with Dr. Stramel. His recommendation of stem cell therapy seemed to have unrealistic expectations, but was worth a try. In a matter of 48 hours Jake started the process by having a small amount of fat collected from his side that would be shipped overnight to Vet-Stems labs in California. There, Jakes fatty tissue would be processed to create small injectable doses of Jakes own concentrated stem cells to be put directly into the joints that were causing him pain. Two days after Jakes fat sample was collected he received a stem cell injection in each hip and a stem cell dose by IV.

Jake was able to start rehabilitation two weeks after his stem cell therapy where his range of motion increased as well as his willingness to be more active. It seemed stem cells were doing their job of decreasing pain and encouraging healing in Jakes arthritic joints. Jake steadily improved and was able to discontinue rehabilitation at six weeks. He stopped taking daily medications at eight weeks, and was able to minimize his physical health regimen to a supplement that supported his joint cartilage and a fatty acid diet. Jakes owners were very pleased with the progress, and could not believe his ability to play so aggressively that he wore the pads from his paws.

His first stem cell injection wasvery successful.It allowed Jake to run, play ball and swim. In May 2013 we decided that due to his age, we should utilize the stem cells that were in storage. It is amazing how this has improved Jakes functional ability. At age 11, Jake enjoys a full, pain-free life of running, playing ball and especially swimming. I believe the stem cell injections have prolonged his life as well as his functional status, Jerry & Debbie testify to Jakes improved quality of live.

Jake was able to live in comfort for years after his first stem cell therapy, only being treated a second time recently at a ripe age of 11 years old. His owners and Dr. Stramel are confident Jake has a few more good years left in him still.

Jakes response to the stem cells has dramatically improved his life and the life of his owners. He is one of many patients that we have treated and seen good success," reports Dr. Stramel.

About Advanced Care Veterinary Services Advanced Care Veterinary Services is proud to announce the opening of the first Pain Management and Rehabilitation Clinic in Lewisville, Texas. The first of its kind in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, it has a state-of-the-art 4,000 square foot facility equipped with an indoor public canine pool, physical therapy, acupuncture, electrical stimulation, laser therapy, and other rehabilitative exercise activities. This new facility focuses on multi-modal pain management of osteoarthritis, intervertebral disc disease, and cancer. The clinic also offers cutting edge technology in obesity/weight management, geriatric and sport conditioning programs, and regenerative medicine including stem cell therapy for small animals. To find out more visit the website at http://stoppetpain.com/

See the article here:
Advanced Care Veterinary Services Proves Stem Cell Therapy May Be the Best Weapon in Fighting Pet Pain Due to Arthritis

Rockville, Maryland (PRWEB) September 05, 2013

Fisher BioServices Inc., a leading provider of biorepository/biobanking and ultra cold chain logistics services, announced that Dan ODonnell, Associate Director of Cell Therapy Logistics, will speak at three upcoming industry conferences. Mr. ODonnell, who is widely known for his expertise on ultra cold chain distribution and regulatory compliance in transporting biologics and cryogenically frozen cell-based therapeutics, has been invited to present at the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) North America Regional Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (September 811), the Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine USA Congress in Cambridge, Massachusetts (September 30October 1), and the ColdChainIQ 11th Annual GDP & Temperature Management Logistics Global Forum in Chicago, Illinois (September 30October 4).

Mr. ODonnell will share his expertise on the challenges of moving high value biologics at ultra cold temperatures from the manufacturer to the patient bedsidein clinical trials as well as in the commercial marketplace. This will include an overview of how product packaging and clinical trial design can complicate logistics, add expense, and limit the number of clinical sites available for conducting phase II and phase III clinical trials. He will use a case study format to illustrate the technical challenges of meeting FDA requirements while moving products around the world at cryogenic temperatures, and share his experience with both autologous and allogeneic cell-based therapies.

Industry professionals whod like to learn more about the latest end-to-end cell therapy solutions from Fisher BioServices can register for Mr. ODonnells webinar - Ultra Cold Chain & Logistical Challenges in Cell Therapy Clinical and Commercial Development on October 10th, 2013. As Fisher BioServices Associate Director of Cell Therapy Logistics, Mr. ODonnell has worked with numerous clients and assisted them in designing and implementing their ultra cold chain strategies which include packaging, qualified shipping systems, and patient delivery mechanisms that are cost-effective and align with patient safety needs and FDA requirements. He brings extensive experience and insight to the process of commercialization and distribution of biological therapeutics. Mr. ODonnells webinar will include his insights and address some of the topics in his recent eBook, Commercially Successful Cell Therapies: Navigating the Ultra Cold Chain Distribution Minefield. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions. Mr. ODonnells eBook is available at blog.fisherbioservices.com. To learn more or register for the webinar, go to http://connect.fisherbioservices.com/webinar/cell_therapy_webinar_clinical_trials_commercialization

About Fisher BioServices

Fisher BioServices has 28 years of experience in biorepository/biobanking services, cold chain logistics, and related support services for health-related research. The company manages high value biological specimens, cell-based therapeutics, vaccines, tissues, and related data in support of both clinical and public health research; they store and distribute more than 170,000,000 samples in more than 20 facilities worldwide for government, academic, and pharmaceutical clients. Fisher BioServices is part of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With revenues of $13 billion, we have 39,000 employees and serve customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control industries. We create value for our key stakeholders through three premier brands, Thermo Scientific, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services, which offer a unique combination of innovative technologies, convenient purchasing options and a single solution for laboratory operations management. Our products and services help our customers solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. Visit http://www.thermofisher.com.

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Fisher BioServices Intensifies Commitment for Cell Therapy Companies in Clinical Trials and Approaching ...

The first patient has been treated in a groundbreaking medical trial in Ottawa that could lead to a new way to repair damaged tissues following a heart attack.

Researchers announced Thursday that Harriet Garrow of Cornwall, Ont., who suffered a severe heart attack in July, was their first test subject. Her heart had stopped beating before she was resuscitated, causing major damage to her cardiac muscle.

The hope is that a new form of combined gene and stem cell therapy will be able to better repair her heart and those of potentially millions of other heart attack patients.

The therapy involves injecting a patient's own stem cells into their heart to help fix areas that become damaged in a heart attack. Stem cells are a fertile regenerative tissue that can replicate into millions of new, healthy cells.

But the Ottawa study, led by cardiologist Duncan Stewart of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, takes the technique one step further, combining the stem-cell treatment with gene therapy which the researchers say is novel.

"Stem cells are stimulating the repair. That's what they're there to do," Stewart said in an interview. "But what we've learned is that the regenerative activity of the stem cells in these patients with heart disease is very low, compared to younger, healthy patients."

To try to restore some of that regenerative capacity, Stewart and his colleagues will supply the stem cells with extra copies of a gene. The gene makes the cells produce more of an enzyme called endothelial nitric oxide synthase, which helps the damaged heart build up new blood vessels and heal itself.

"That, we think, is the key element," he said. We really think it's the genetically enhanced cells that will provide the advantage."

The study will see 100 severe heart attack patients in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal randomly selected to receive the combined gene-and-stem-cell therapy, stem cell therapy alone, or a placebo.

It follows years of landmark research by prominent German cardiologist Bodo-Eckehard Strauer on using stem cells to treat heart attack patients. Strauer long held that stem cells can help repair diseased hearts, but his findings have come under increasing attack. A paper published earlier this summer in the International Journal of Cardiology picked apart 48 published papers from Strauer's research group, finding evidence of hundreds of arithmetic errors, inconsistencies in the data and other problems.

Excerpt from:
Pioneering heart attack stem cell trial treats 1st patient

Public release date: 4-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kristen Bole kristen.bole@ucsf.edu 415-502-6397 University of California - San Francisco

UC San Francisco will receive $4.5 million over the next five years for a pilot project to assess whether large-scale gene sequencing aimed at detecting disorders and conditions can and should become a routine part of newborn testing.

The study is one of four projects launched today by the National Institutes of Health to identify the accuracy and feasibility of providing genetic sequencing as part of, or instead of, the current newborn screening that relies on biochemical changes in the blood. It also will assess what additional information would be useful to have at birth and the ethics and public interest in having such tests performed.

Genomic sequencing has the potential to diagnose a vast array of disorders and conditions at the very start of life, said Alan E. Guttmacher, MD, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (ICHD), which is jointly funding the studies. But the ability to decipher an individuals genetic code rapidly also brings with it a host of clinical and ethical issues, which is why it is important that this program explores the trio of technical, clinical, and ethical aspects of genomics research in the newborn period.

The pilots are a core element of the emerging field of precision medicine, which aims to harness vast amounts of genetic and health data to create predictive, preventive and precise care for patients on an international scale. Doing so has the potential to transform medicine, but there are many logistical and ethical hurdles to resolve along the way.

The UCSF team, which also includes bioinformatics experts at UC Berkeley and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, will study the potential of sequencing the exome the roughly 2 percent of DNA that represents genes which code for proteins as a method of newborn screening. The research will look at the exomes potential for identifying disorders that California currently includes in the newborn screen, as well as those that are not currently screened for, but for which newborns may benefit if detection can occur early in life.

The UCSF research will examine the issue from three vantage points. The first will be a partnership with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to test blood drops previously collected from 1,400 children statewide who received standard newborn screening, to determine whether exome sequencing would be more accurate and also whether it provides insights that could lead to improved newborn screening, care and treatment.

My hope is that this will give us solid information on the specificity of gene testing, versus standard biochemical testing, for the disorders we are already screening for, said Robert Nussbaum, MD, who leads the UCSF Division of Medical Genetics and holds the Holly Smith Distinguished Professorship in Science and Medicine at UCSF. In addition, some of the disorders we pick up during screening are chemical abnormalities, but we dont know whether they will actually cause problems for the child. Wed like to know whether there is something in the childrens genes that determines whether these abnormalities actually will cause disease.

The second project will offer genetic testing to patients in a UCSF immune system disorders clinic run by Jennifer Puck, MD, a pediatrician in the UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital whose research laboratory pioneered the current newborn test for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID). Parents will be asked to give informed consent for this arm of the project.

Originally posted here:
UCSF receives $4.5M to study value of gene sequencing in newborns

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Ovarian Cancer Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology Article Date: 05 Sep 2013 - 3:00 PDT

Current ratings for: New ovarian cancer gene found in mice

2 (1 votes)

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered a gene that repairs damaged DNA is also linked to ovarian cancer in mice. They say if the gene - known as Helq - is faulty or missing, DNA errors accumulate as cells multiply, and this raises the chance of developing the cancer.

They write about their findings in the September 4th online issue of Nature.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of cancers among women, but it is responsible for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.

The ACS estimates that in 2013, around 22,240 women in the US will discover they have ovarian cancer, and 14,030 will die of the disease.

In the UK, every year around 7,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and about 4,300 die from it, according to figures from Cancer Research UK.

The main reason for the high numbers of deaths relative to new cases is because ovarian cancer is hard to diagnose early and treat successfully.

Dr. Julie Sharp, the senior science information manager at Cancer Research UK says:

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New ovarian cancer gene found in mice