Archive for the ‘Gene Therapy Research’ Category

Natural Bodybuilder - INSANE Genetics (Preview)
Natural bodybuilder fitness model Stephen - Preview video of his upcoming training videos where he will be showing himself working out in the gym and will ...

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SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - Apr 23, 2013) - Atossa Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS), The Breast Health Company, believes that new recommendations published on April 16 by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF), suggesting that healthy women at high risk for breast cancer take tamoxifen or raloxifene to prevent the disease, are a major step forward. Such drug use can significantly reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, the Task Force report said, so doctors should carefully consider this treatment option for their high-risk patients.

"The USPSTF recommendations are a major step forward but are also incomplete," said Dr. Steven Quay, chairman, CEO and president of Atossa Genetics. "The problem is that the recommendations neglect other steps women can take to better understand their risk of cancer and to spot pre-cancerous changes before tumors actually develop."

Dr. Quay continued, "The identification of high-risk women based largely on family history is woefully inadequate as over 85 percent of women will have no family history. New, personalized diagnostic tools exist that can provide a precise determination of a woman's risk -- and also detect pre-cancerous changes early, for those women without a family history."

For example, Quay points to the ForeCYTE Breast Health Test developed by his own company. The test extracts miniscule samples of fluid from the nipple and examines the duct cells from the breast that are contained in the fluid, much like a Pap Smear looks at cervical cells that undergo changes before becoming cancerous.

The analysis of those duct cells, from which 95 percent of cancers develop, can show that a woman who is deemed to be at high risk because of family history may actually be perfectly healthy, and thus doesn't require preventive drug treatment. Alternatively, the analysis in a woman with no family history may detect pre-cancerous changes -- up to eight years before a tumor is large enough to be spotted on a mammogram. That pinpoints a woman's exact risk of developing cancer and allows any pre-cancer to be treated with drugs such as tamoxifen or even with a new type of treatment administered just to the breasts through the breast ducts.

"Rather than treat women thought to be at high risk for breast cancer because of family history, we believe that a test like ForeCYTE can identify those who really are at high risk or who already show pre-cancerous changes, and thus more precisely identify the women who will truly benefit from preventive treatments," said Quay. "The test can also ease the worries of those who are thought to be at high risk but whose duct cells are actually normal and healthy. And it will free them from taking a medication they don't need, won't benefit from, and that may have serious side effects needlessly if they take it."

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. A small sample of fluid, aspirated from the nipple of each breast with the Company's patented breast pump, can provide vital early detection of cancer or pre-cancerous conditions that may progress to cancer over an approximately eight-year period before cancer can be detected by mammography or other means. The ForeCYTE test is painless, uses no radiation, no invasive biopsy needles and no surgical incisions.

Samples obtained by the ForeCYTE method are tested at Atossa's wholly owned National Reference Laboratory for Breast Health, a CLIA-certified high-complexity molecular diagnostic laboratory located in Seattle.

About Atossa Genetics, Inc.

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Atossa Genetics: New Recommendations for Preventive Drug Treatment for Breast Cancer Are Helpful but Incomplete

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - Apr 23, 2013) - Atossa Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS), The Breast Health Company, announced today that Kyle Guse, CFO and General Counsel, will present the Company's business model, products and services, and investment thesis at the FSX San Francisco Conference at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in San Francisco on Thursday, April 25, 2013, beginning at 2:40 pm Pacific Time.

"The national rollout of our ForeCYTE Breast Health Test continues to advance," Mr. Guse stated. "We are pleased by the growing interest and enthusiastic response we are getting from the medical community and patients. I look forward to providing an update on our marketing efforts and other corporate activities at the FSX conference."

About Atossa Genetics, Inc.

Atossa Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS), The Breast Health Company, based in Seattle, WA, is focused on preventing breast cancer through the commercialization of patented, FDA-designated Class II diagnostic medical devices and patented, laboratory developed tests (LDT) that can detect precursors to breast cancer up to eight years before mammography.

In addition to the ForeCYTE Breast Health Test, Atossa markets the ArgusCYTE Breast Health Test, a blood test for recurrence in breast cancer survivors that provides a "liquid biopsy" for circulating cancer cells and a tailored treatment plan for patients and their caregivers.

For additional information, please visit http://www.atossagenetics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated or estimated future results, including the risks and uncertainties associated with marketing plans, actions by the FDA, regulatory clearances, responses to regulatory matters, Atossa's ability to continue to manufacture and sell its products, the efficacy of Atossa's products and services, the market demand for and acceptance of Atossa's products and services, performance of distributors and other risks detailed from time to time in Atossa's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation its registration statement on Form S-1 filed January 28, 2013, and periodic reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q, each as amended and supplemented from time to time.

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Atossa Genetics to Present at FSX San Francisco Investor Conference

Apr. 23, 2013 Researchers at Micro Orthopaedics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, led by Dr. Ai-xi Yu, have suggested that articular cartilage defects can be repaired by a novel thermo-sensitive injectable hydrogel engineered with gene modified bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs). The chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol composite hydrogel containing hTGF-1 gene modified BMSCs was injected into rabbits with defective articular cartilage. Sixteen weeks later the defected cartilage regenerated and was proven to be hyaline cartilage.

This work can be found in the January 2013 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine.

"No reliable approach is currently available for complete restoration of damaged articular cartilage," said Dr. Bai-wen Qi, "in this study, CS/PVA gel was combined with rabbit bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) transfected with hTGF-1 and used to repair rabbit articular cartilage defects and the repair effect was evaluated."

Tissue engineering combined with gene therapy technology has the potential to manage the repair of defective articular cartilage. In this study, through minimally invasive injection methods the authors were able to repair rabbit articular cartilage defects with CS/PVA gel and gene modified BMSCs. Dr. Qi said "CS/PVA gel can be applied to the repair of articular cartilage defects as an injectable material in tissue engineering, and the regenerated cartilage can secrete cartilage matrix and perform the functions of hyaline cartilage. Use of this gel for cartilage repair has advantages such as the minor surgical procedure required, tight bonding with the damaged tissue and lack of rejection."

Dr. Steven R. Goodman, Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine said "The study by Qi and colleagues is very exciting as it combines tissue engineering and gene therapy approaches to successfully repair defective articular cartilage. The approach should be adaptable in the future to human tissue repair."

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Repairing articular cartilage defects with an injectable gel engineered with gene modified BMSCs

ALEXANDRIA, VA--(Marketwired - Apr 23, 2013) - In a major advance in the use of gene therapy for treating type 1 diabetes, researchers have shown that this approach can provide beneficial therapeutic effects in dogs for up to four years, without causing hypoglycemia, according to a study published in the May issue of the journal Diabetes.

Researchers from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, led by Dr. Fatima Bosch, had previously shown positive effects using gene therapy to regulate glycemic control in mice. This study was the first to show long-term beneficial effects in large animals (beagle dogs), a major step toward ultimately testing the procedure in humans.

"Moving from mice to large animals is a big step," said Bosch, who is the Director of the Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy. "If something works well in large animals, we have reason to believe, based on the previous experience in the field of gene transfer, that it is likely that we will see a similar outcomes in humans. For example, gene therapy that worked well in large animals to treat hemophilia is now seeing positive results in clinical trials with humans. We hope that in a few years, we'll be able to test this therapy for type 1 diabetes in humans as well."

Bosch and her team injected five lab dogs with two genes -- insulin and glucokinase -- using an adenoassociated virus (AAV) vector. The vector, or vehicle for DNA transmission, comes from a virus that is non-pathogenic and is able to "infect" cells in the animal's skeletal muscle with the two genes. Because skeletal muscle cells do not divide, the genes remain there long-term. This means the animal only needs to be injected once and the genes can continue to do their work, acting as "glucose sensors", continuously releasing low levels of insulin and expressing glucokinase, which helps regulate glucose uptake in response to rising and falling circulating glucose levels, for years.

In this study, the treated dogs maintained normal blood glucose levels for more than four years after injection, without showing signs of hypoglycemia, a risk associated with other treatments that seek to achieve tight blood glucose control. This is also the first time a single therapeutic intervention has been used to achieve long-term maintenance of normoglycemia after development of diabetes, the authors said.

Treating the dogs with just one gene did not achieve the same results, the researchers said, noting that both were needed to keep blood glucose levels in the normal range. The next step is to test the procedure on "companion animals," different breeds of dogs that have type 1diabetes and live with families, rather than in the lab. In this study, researchers will test their ability to better adjust the insulin doses in different size and breeds of dogs living in "real life" situations. Once they are able to determine how to adjust the therapy in this context, the investigators will be ready to test the treatment on humans, Bosch said.

"Overall the report by Bosch and colleagues is a substantial advance in the attempts to develop clinical gene therapy for type 1 DM," writes Timothy O'Brien, Director of the Regenerative Medicine Institute, at the National University of Ireland, Galway, in a commentary accompanying the study in Diabetes. He notes that "substantial challenges" remain in pursuing this type of treatment, but that "they are worthy of pursuit given the ultimate prize if the approach is successful."

Bosch notes that gene therapy does not represent a "cure" for type 1diabetes because it does not regenerate beta cells, but rather could lead to an effective long-term treatment. Maintaining blood glucose levels in the normal range is critical for managing diabetes and for preventing serious complications associated with the disease, such as nerve damage, heart and kidney disease.

This study also holds promise for treating dogs with diabetes, Bosch said. As it has in humans, diabetes has been increasing in recent years in dogs, she noted.

To reach lead researcher Fatima Bosch, Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy, Barcelona, Spain: email Fatima.bosch@uab.es or phone: 34 93 581 4182.

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Gene Therapy Used in Dogs to Treat Type 1 Diabetes

Its an argument frequently made by businesses: intellectual property protection is essential to spur the sort of innovation that results in new drugs and technologies. Last Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a high-profile case that hinges on the question of whether genes can be patented, with biotechnology companies asserting that the loss of patent protection could endanger the business model that incentivizes the costly process of developing and testing new products.

A study of two sets of genes sequenced during the Human Genome Project a decade ago suggests that intellectual property rights protecting gene sequences reduced scientific research and product development by 20 to 30 percent.

Scientists studying intellectual property and its effect on innovation would ideally like to do a real experiment, setting up two very different legal frameworks for patent protection and watching what sort of research and product development results. But since such experiments arent feasible, the study, published in the Journal of Political Economy by economist Heidi L. Williams at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, took advantage of an unusual twist in recent history.

The effort to sequence the blueprint of a human being famously turned into a race between a large, publicly-funded team and the private company Celera, led by biologist Craig Venter. Celera used a form of intellectual property protection that allowed academic researchers to use its data, but restricted redistribution of data. That arrangement led to million-dollar sales of Celeras data to companies and more modest fees collected from nonprofit research institutions, Williams research found. Licensing agreements were also required if products were developed.

Williams studied about 1,600 genes that were sequenced first by Celera and compared those with genes that were sequenced first by the public project, and made openly and freely available. A rough, back-of-the-envelope analysis shows stark differences in subsequent use of the two sets of genes: Celeras genes were examined in an average of 1.2 scientific papers by 2009, compared with 2.1 papers for genes from the public project over the same time period. Three percent of the Celera genes were used in diagnostic tests by 2009, compared with 5.4 percent of the publicly available genes.

Then, Williams delved more deeply into the data, to avoid the biases that could emerge if the public sequencing effort simply happened to generate data on more interesting or biomedically important genes. As a result of how the public data were generated, some of Celeras genes went into the public domain in 2002, and others went into the public domain in 2003.

The paper found that even a year delay in having Celeras information put into the public domain had long-term effects on how the data were used. About 1,000 genes went public in 2002, and 600 went public in 2003. Over time, one would expect the gap in the research and commercialization of the genes to narrow, since both sets of genes would be publicly available. However, Williams found that did not happen.

One additional year of Celeras intellectual property translates to a persistent and permanent difference in whether we figure out whether it is linked to disease, Williams said.

The reasons for what appears to be a chilling effect on research and commercialization arent clear, but Williams said that scientists gave her a number of reasons for their hesitancy to use the data. Some researchers indicated that some may have been put off by the idea that they would need to negotiate licensing agreements later on, if the research happened to lead to a possible commercial application. Others may have just been worried about misinterpreting the terms of the contract. For example, one scientist mentioned in the paper was concerned that restrictions on the data implied that she could not share Celeras data with her graduate students, Williams wrote.

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Do patents hurt or hinder research?

NEW YORK, April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

MediPoint: Predictive Breast Cancer Gene Testing - Current and Future Players http://www.reportlinker.com/p01163181/MediPoint-Predictive-Breast-Cancer-Gene-Testing---Current-and-Future-Players.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Pathology

MediPoint: Predictive Breast Cancer Gene Testing - Current and Future Players

Summary

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in both the developed and developing world. The incidence of breast cancer is increasing due to the increased life span and increasing adoption of Western lifestyle risk factors. Improved surveillance in developing countries has allowed the identification of more women with breast cancer in these regions. Early diagnosis of breast cancer is essential for a good prognosis, making diagnosis a cornerstone of breast cancer control. Predictive gene testing can identify women who are at heightened risk of developing breast cancer due to hereditary gene factors. This report focuses on the predictive breast cancer gene testing markets in the US and Europe, and future markets in China, India and Brazil, identifying and competitively assessing current marketed and pipeline products and emerging technologies.

This report identifies the unmet needs in the market, provides an understanding of physician perception of predictive breast cancer gene testing, and future trends. Through GlobalData's analysis, it is evident that the predictive breast cancer gene testing market is dominated by a single player, but this may change in the near future thanks to expiry of key patents and the emergence of new DNA sequencing technologies. To successfully market new gene tests, companies need to offer gene tests that address the current unmet needs of current predictive breast cancer gene tests and show better efficacy and cost effectiveness to the gene tests currently in the market. This report will identify the opportunities for this technology.

Scope

- Investigation of current and future market competition for predictive breast cancer gene testing. - Competitor assessment. - Coverage of key market players and company profiles including business description, financial overview and SWOT analysis. - Strategic assessment of the device sector through market impact analysis, future market scenario and company analysis. - Direct quotes from Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) as well as oncologists, geneticists and genetic counselors already using these gene tests.

Reasons to buy

- Gain a high level view of the trends shaping and driving the predictive breast cancer gene testing market. - Assess competitiveness of products in market by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of current competition. - Drive revenues, formulate effective sales and marketing strategies and gain in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape - Take a comprehensive look at the market's device pipeline and identify promising, paradigm-shifting products. - Create an effective counter-strategy to gain a competitive advantage against those currently in the market

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MediPoint: Predictive Breast Cancer Gene Testing - Current and Future Players

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "MediPoint: Predictive Breast Cancer Gene Testing - APAC Analysis and Market Forecasts" report to their offering.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in both the developed and developing world. The incidence of breast cancer is increasing due to the increased life span and increasing adoption of Western lifestyle risk factors. Predictive breast cancer gene tests can be used to identify women who are at increased risk of developing hereditary breast cancer. The Predictive Breast Cancer Gene Testing market has seen exponential growth in the US, dominated by Myriad Genetics. Gene testing in Europe is mostly carried out by the state funded health sector, but increasingly private companies are offering breast cancer gene tests to physicians. Myriad Genetics' position in the market is dependent on it being the leading provider of the most common breast cancer mutations. By the end of our forecast period, the competitive landscape will experience significant change due to the erosion of Myriad Genetics' position, as a result of the expiry of key patents, and the emergence of alternative molecular technologies.

This report focuses on the predictive breast cancer gene testing markets in Japan and future markets in China and India, and identifies unmet needs in the market, physician attitudes towards current gene testing, and the future of gene testing in the face of rapid technological advancement.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Tables & Figures

2 Introduction

3 Disease Overview

3.1 Breast Cancer

3.2 Anatomy and Physiology

Link:
Research and Markets: MediPoint: Predictive Breast Cancer Gene Testing - APAC Analysis and Market Forecasts Report ...

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Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee; public hearing; room 214; Cross Building

L.D. 718, "An Act To Protect Maine Food Consumers' Right To Know about Genetically Engineered Food and Seed Stock": requires disclosure of genetic engineering at the point of retail sale of food and seed stock and provides that food or seed stock except in those without knowledge of the genetic engineering, animals fed genetically engineered food, a minimum content produced by genetic engineering, restaurants, alcoholic beverages or medical food.

Education and Cultural Affairs Committee; public hearings; Augusta Civic Center

L.D. 1160, "An Act To Reduce Obesity among Schoolchildren": requires students from kindergarten to grade five participate in at 30 minutes of physical activity and prohibits using food as a reward or punishment.

L.D. 1241, "An Act To Protect School Athletes from Head Injuries": requires all students participating in field hockey, lacrosse, snowboarding or skiing as part of an activity of an elementary or secondary school, to wear protective headgear and requires the commissioner of Education to study the injuries that occur and determine measures to avoid injuries and report to the Legislature.

L.D. 1321, "An Act To Promote Healthy School Lighting": requires all public schools to install and maintain lighting that has a color rendering index of 90 or higher.

L.D. 1353, " An Act To Further Reduce Student Hunger": requires a school administrative unit with a public school in which at least 50 percent of students qualified for a free or reduced-price lunch during the preceding school year to operate a federal summer food service program in the area served by that public school during the following summer vacation if that public school operates a summer educational or recreational program and requires that school administrative units that don't operate a summer educational or recreational program collaborate with a service institution to operate summer food service program.

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State House calendar, April 23, 2013

Public release date: 22-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, April 22, 2013In a team-based care approach, a diverse group of clinicians shares responsibility for a panel of patients and consults with each other regularly. This model of delivering primary care can improve patient care, practice workflows, and patient and physician satisfaction, according to a study published in Population Health Management, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Population Health Management website at http://www.liebertpub.com/pop.

Debora Goetz Goldberg, PhD, MHA, MBA and colleagues from George Washington University (Washington, DC), Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA), and Carilion Family Medicine (Vinton, VA), conducted case studies of small primary care practices to assess three team-based care models.

In the article "Team-Based Care: A Critical Element of Primary Care Practice Transformation," the authors discuss the need to transform the delivery and financing of primary care. New models of care delivery models emphasize patient-centered care, which can be achieved with a team-based approach.

"Putting quality and safety improvement at the forefront of physicians' practice, learning to deliver more sensitive and responsive patient-centered care, learning to promote wellness proactively, and learning teamwork skills in patient-care settings are all competencies that have become expected of physicians," says Editor-in-Chief David B. Nash, MD, MBA, Dean and Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor, Jefferson School of Population Health, Philadelphia, PA.

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About the Journal

Population Health Management is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online that reflects the expanding scope of health care management and quality. The Journal delivers a comprehensive, integrated approach to the field of population health and provides information designed to improve the systems and policies that affect health care quality, access, and outcomes. Comprised of peer-reviewed original research papers, clinical research, and case studies, the content encompasses a broad range of chronic diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic pain, diabetes, depression, and obesity) in addition to focusing on various aspects of prevention and wellness. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Population Health Management website at http://www.liebertpub.com/pop. Population Health Management is the Official Journal of the Care Continuum Alliance.

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Can team-based care improve primary care delivery and patient outcomes?

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Sixty years ago this month, researchers James Watson and Francis Crick described the double helix shape of DNA. This breakthrough allowed geneticists to study how an organisms physical characteristics are encoded in the DNA molecule, and how living creatures pass down traits to their offspring.

Ten years ago this month, researchers completed sequencing the human genome, putting the roughly 3 billion letters that make up a molecule of human DNA in order. The Human Genome Project took more than a decade and cost about US $3 billion. With this comprehensive map, researchers can more easily study how our genes determine our medical fates.

On April 25, researchers celebrate DNA Day to mark the accomplishments of the past, and to marvel at the progress made since those historic milestones. Today, fast and cheap machines enable scientists to sequence the genomes of thousands of people in research projects devoted to complex diseases like cancer and heart disease. Soon, such whole-genome scans may be a routine part of medicine. IEEE Spectrum explores the new field of personalized genetic medicine with a package of articles, radio pieces, and blog posts. Happy DNA Day!

Storified by IEEE Spectrum Thu, Apr 11 2013 12:32:05

Should You Have Your DNA Sequenced? | Here & NowMar 6, 2013 ... The discoverers of the structure of DNA. ... at left, and Francis Crick, with their model of part of a DNA molecule in ...

Slice & Dice DNA: how to sequence your #PersonalGenome for #DNAMonth @IEEESpectrum http://pic.twitter.com/bW2qwGA1EiCelia Gorman

All About The Human Genome Project (HGP)All About The Human Genome Project (HGP) The Human Genome Project (HGP) was one of the great feats of exploration in history - an inward ...

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the SequelLAST week, scientists sequenced the genome of cells taken without consent from a woman named Henrietta Lacks. She was a black tobacco far...

HGP10: Genomic Data Privacy and Risk (Introduction) - Eric GreenGenomeTV

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Special Report: The Genetic Revolution

Sophia genetics raised 2.8 million francs
Sophia Genetics, an EPFL Science Park start-up, specializes in the interpretation of the genome data and their secure storage. The company recently raised 2....

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Sophia genetics raised 2.8 million francs - Video

N563: Genetics and Genomics for Health Care and Society
Assistant Professor Jennifer Dungan discusses a two-credit elective interdisciplinary course at Duke designed for health professions students and currently p...

By: DukeSchoolOfNursing

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N563: Genetics and Genomics for Health Care and Society - Video

Public release date: 21-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Bernstein jbernstein@aspet.org 301-646-3259 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

BOSTON Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston have developed a gene therapy approach that may one day stop Parkinson's disease (PD) in it tracks, preventing disease progression and reversing its symptoms. The novelty of the approach lies in the nasal route of administration and nanoparticles containing a gene capable of rescuing dying neurons in the brain. Parkinson's is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by the death of dopamine neurons in a key motor area of the brain, the substantia nigra (SN). Loss of these neurons leads to the characteristic tremor and slowed movements of PD, which get increasingly worse with time. Currently, more than 1% of the population over age 60 has PD and approximately 60,000 Americans are newly diagnosed every year. The available drugs on the market for PD mimic or replace the lost dopamine but do not get to the heart of the problem, which is the progressive loss of the dopamine neurons.

The focus of Dr. Barbara Waszczak's lab at Northeastern University in Boston is to find a way to harvest the potential of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) as a treatment for PD. GDNF is a protein known to nourish dopamine neurons by activating survival and growth-promoting pathways inside the cells. Not surprisingly, GDNF is able to protect dopamine neurons from injury and restore the function of damaged and dying neurons in many animal models of PD. However, the action of GDNF is limited by its inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), thus requiring direct surgical injection into the brain. To circumvent this problem, Waszczak's lab is investigating intranasal delivery as a way to bypass the BBB. Their previous work showed that intranasal delivery of GDNF protects dopamine neurons from damage by the neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a standard rat model of PD.

Taking this work a step further, Brendan Harmon, working in Waszczak's lab, has adapted the intranasal approach so that cells in the brain can continuously produce GDNF. His work utilized nanoparticles, developed by Copernicus Therapeutics, Inc., which are able to transfect brain cells with an expression plasmid carrying the gene for GDNF (pGDNF). When given intranasally to rats, these pGDNF nanoparticles increase GDNF production throughout the brain for long periods, avoiding the need for frequent re-dosing. Now, in new research presented on April 20 at 12:30 pm during Experimental Biology 2013 in Boston, MA, Harmon reports that intranasal administration of Copernicus' pGDNF nanoparticles results in GDNF expression sufficient to protect SN dopamine neurons in the 6-OHDA model of PD.

Waszczak and Harmon believe that intranasal delivery of Copernicus' nanoparticles may provide an effective and non-invasive means of GDNF gene therapy for PD, and an avenue for transporting other gene therapy vectors to the brain. This work, which was funded in part by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and Northeastern University, has the potential to greatly expand treatment options for PD and many other central nervous system disorders.

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To request an interview with Dr. Waszczak, please contact Jim Bernstein at the contact information listed above.

About Experimental Biology 2013

Experimental Biology's mission is to share the newest scientific concepts and research findings shaping future and current clinical advances and to give scientists and clinicians an unparalleled opportunity to hear from colleagues working on similar biomedical problems using different disciplines. With six sponsoring societies and another 20 U.S. and international guest societies, the annual meeting brings together scientists from throughout the United States and the world, representing dozens of scientific areas, from laboratory to translational to clinical research. The meeting also offers a wide spectrum of professional development sessions.

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A noninvasive avenue for Parkinson's disease gene therapy

Washington, April 22 (ANI): A gene therapy approach developed by researchers at Northeastern University in Boston may one day stop Parkinson's disease (PD) in it tracks, preventing disease progression and reversing its symptoms.

The novelty of the approach lies in the nasal route of administration and nanoparticles containing a gene capable of rescuing dying neurons in the brain.

Parkinson's is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by the death of dopamine neurons in a key motor area of the brain, the substantia nigra (SN). Loss of these neurons leads to the characteristic tremor and slowed movements of PD, which get increasingly worse with time.

Currently, more than 1 percent of the population over age 60 has PD. The available drugs on the market for PD mimic or replace the lost dopamine but do not get to the heart of the problem, which is the progressive loss of the dopamine neurons.

The focus of Dr. Barbara Waszczak's lab at Northeastern University in Boston is to find a way to harvest the potential of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) as a treatment for PD. GDNF is a protein known to nourish dopamine neurons by activating survival and growth-promoting pathways inside the cells.

Not surprisingly, GDNF is able to protect dopamine neurons from injury and restore the function of damaged and dying neurons in many animal models of PD. However, the action of GDNF is limited by its inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), thus requiring direct surgical injection into the brain.

To circumvent this problem, Waszczak's lab is investigating intranasal delivery as a way to bypass the BBB. Their previous work showed that intranasal delivery of GDNF protects dopamine neurons from damage by the neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a standard rat model of PD.

Taking this work a step further, Brendan Harmon, working in Waszczak's lab, has adapted the intranasal approach so that cells in the brain can continuously produce GDNF.

His work utilized nanoparticles, developed by Copernicus Therapeutics, Inc., which are able to transfect brain cells with an expression plasmid carrying the gene for GDNF (pGDNF). When given intranasally to rats, these pGDNF nanoparticles increase GDNF production throughout the brain for long periods, avoiding the need for frequent re-dosing.

Now, in new research presented during Experimental Biology 2013 in Boston, MA, Harmon reported that intranasal administration of Copernicus' pGDNF nanoparticles results in GDNF expression sufficient to protect SN dopamine neurons in the 6-OHDA model of PD.

Continued here:
New gene therapy approach may stop Parkinson's in it tracks

AMSTERDAM, April 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Elekta (NSE:EKTAB.ST) and Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) announced today that The Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (NKI-AVL, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) has signed an agreement to join a research group to advance the development of ground-breaking image-guided treatment technology for cancer care. The technology merges radiation therapy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology in a single system. NKI-AVL is the third member of the research consortium, which will comprise leading radiation oncology centers and clinicians, and already includes the University Medical Center Utrecht and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Uniting state-of-the-art MRI with a cutting edge radiation therapy system thus creating an MRI-guided radiation therapy system will provide physicians with exceptional images of a patient's soft tissues and tumor during radiation therapy. This breakthrough innovation also aims to permit clinicians to adapt treatment delivery in real time for the most precise cancer treatments possible.

"MRI has steadily revolutionized healthcare since its introduction nearly three decades ago, giving clinicians unparalleled views of soft tissues and pathology. Merging this diagnostic capability with the capacity to also treat disease in the same frame of reference could dramatically improve cancer management," says Tomas Puusepp, Elekta President and CEO. "The other consortium members at Elekta, Philips, University Medical Center Utrecht and MD Anderson are delighted that NKI-AVL an internationally renowned medical center has joined us in this important effort."

Prof. Marcel Verheij, Head of the Radiotherapy Division at NKI-AVL, said: "MRI-guided radiotherapy allows optimal imaging and will therefore improve the accuracy of our treatment delivery. Building on our experience with Cone Beam CT-guidance we are highly motivated to collaborate within the research consortium and contribute to the implementation of MRI-guided adaptive radiotherapy."

"This research exemplifies the essential role that imaging plays in the development of more targeted treatments for cancer," said Gene Saragnese CEO Imaging Systems at Philips Healthcare. "The Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital has played a crucial role in the software development for CT-guided radiation therapy a decade ago, and this expertise complements the skills that we already possess in this research consortium."

Prior to the establishment of the research consortium, Elekta, Philips and the University Medical Center Utrecht built and tested a prototype system that integrates a linear accelerator and a 1.5 Tesla MRI system. The success of these efforts enabled the project to move to the next phase of development and testing by the growing select group of consortium partners.

Radiation therapy and medical imaging already play an essential role in treatment planning, delivery and after care, and are proven, cost-effective and safe methods for the treatment of individuals with cancer. Radiotherapy is a critical modality for cancer treatment, either as a frontline treatment or used with other modalities, such as chemotherapy. The procedure involves identifying cancerous tissue and irradiating it with high-energy radiation beams in a way that maximizes sparing of healthy tissues near the tumor.

The integrated MRI-guided radiation therapy system is in development and not available for sale.

For further information, please contact:Johan Andersson, Director, Investor Relations, Elekta AB Tel: +46 702 100 451, email: johan.andersson@elekta.comTime zone: CET: Central European Time

Michelle Joiner, Director, Global Public Relations and Brand Management, Elekta Tel: +1 770-670-2447, email: michelle.joiner@elekta.com Time zone: ET: Eastern Time

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Elekta and Philips Research Consortium on MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy Adds The Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni ...

Patenting Person Parts
Since the advent of genetic engineering, a lot of weird questions have cropped up, particularly with regard to what information a company can patent. Individ...

By: scishow

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Patenting Person Parts - Video

Washington, Apr 20 (ANI): Seven new genetic regions associated with pulmonary fibrosis has been identified in a new genome-wide association study of more than 6,000 people.

In the study, researchers at National Jewish Health, the University of Colorado and several other institutions found a number of genes associated with host defense, cell-cell adhesion and DNA repair, which provide clues to possible mechanisms underlying this currently untreatable disease.

"This research gives us several new targets for investigation of pulmonary fibrosis ," David Schwartz, MD, senior author on the paper, Professor of Medicine at National Jewish Health and Chair of Medicine the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said.

"We believe that there are several relatively common genetic risk factors, which combine with repeated lung injury to cause this devastating lung disease," he said.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a potentially deadly scarring of lung tissue.

Although there are a number of known contributors to its development, most cases have no known cause.

Without an approved medical therapy, patients with the most common form, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, survive an average of only two to three years after diagnosis.

"Pulmonary fibrosis has resisted our attempts to find a clearly beneficial treatment," co-author Kevin K. Brown, MD, Vice Chair of Medicine at National Jewish Health said.

"This study gives us new insights into how the disease develops. By better understanding this, we can better focus future therapies," he said.

The findings have been published online in Nature Genetics. (ANI)

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7 new genes behind pulmonary fibrosis identified

Gene Therapy / Dr. Nael El Shal
Interview with Dr. Nael El Shal about Gene Therapy with AL Aan TV.

By: AlGarhoudPvtHospital

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Newswise DALLAS April 22, 2013 Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that alternative splicing a process that allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins appears to be a new potential target for anti-telomerase cancer therapy.

The enzyme telomerase is overexpressed in almost all cancer cells, and previous research efforts have failed to identify good telomerase inhibitors. The study by Dr. Woodring Wright and UT Southwestern colleagues in the April 4 issue of Cell Reports identifies a new approach for inhibiting telomerase, which is an enzyme that drives uncontrolled division and replication of cancer cells.

Alternative splicing allows genetic information to be assembled in different ways and is almost always controlled by DNA sequences that are immediately adjacent to the parts of a gene that code for protein. In the case of the telomerase gene, we found that these controlling regions are located very far from the protein coding regions and that they contain unusual DNA sequences, said Dr. Wright, professor of cell biology and internal medicine. Their unusual DNA structure suggests that humans regulate telomerase in a very different fashion that we may be able to exploit to develop inhibitors of the enzyme.

Most of the splice variants that telomerase makes are inactive, but Dr. Wrights team demonstrated that it was possible to shift the splicing to make even less active telomerase, potentially providing a new approach for cancer therapy.

Telomeres are specialized structures at the ends of each chromosome. As DNA replicates, telomeres shorten each time a cell divides. Telomerase in human cancer cells is 10 to 20 times more active than in normal body cells. The increase provides a selective growth advantage to many types of tumors. If telomerase activity was to be turned off, then telomeres in cancer cells would shorten like they do in normal body cells.

The oft-used analogy is that telomeres are like the plastic ends of shoelaces that protect them from fraying, Dr. Wright said. Once the plastic becomes damaged and falls off, the shoelace can no longer be threaded effectively. The only solution at that point is to throw the shoelace away.

In most tissues, telomerase turns off during development, after which telomeres shorten and limit the number of times a cell can divide, eventually losing their capping function similar to the shoelace tip falling off. This timing also functions as a tumor-protection mechanism, since the limited cellular lifespan prevents pre-malignant cells from accumulating the mutations they need to become cancerous.

Preclinical studies have shown that inhibiting telomerase causes tumor cells to lose immortality, re-initiate telomere shortening, and eventually die. In the event that a tumor has already thoroughly developed, it may be surgically removed, and following conventional chemotherapy, telomerase inhibition could prevent rare surviving cells from having enough divisions to cause a relapse.

Dr. Wright said the alternative splicing method also could be useful for regenerative medicine, because telomeres in our stem cells shorten with age and that eventually compromises their function. Under the right circumstances, increasing or decreasing telomerase activity could profoundly affect our treatments for both cancer and aging, he said.

The investigation was supported by the National Cancer Institute.

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Researchers Identify New Potential Target for Cancer Therapy

By Kate Kelland

LONDON (Reuters) - The new strain of bird flu that has killed 17 people in China has been circulating widely "under the radar" and has acquired significant genetic diversity that makes it more of a threat, scientists said on Friday.

Dutch and Chinese researchers who analyzed genetic data from seven samples of the new H7N9 strain say it has already acquired similar levels of genetic diversity as much larger outbreaks of other H7 strains of flu seen previously in birds.

"The diversity we see in these first few samples from China is as great as the diversity we have seen with a large outbreak in the Netherlands several years ago and one in Italy," said Marion Koopmans, head of virology at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, who worked on the study as part of a nine-member team.

"This means it (the H7N9 strain in China) has been spreading quite a bit and it's important to understand where exactly that is going on."

Its genetic diversity shows the virus has an ability to mutate repeatedly and is likely to continue doing so, raising the risk that it may become transmissible among humans.

Koopmans, whose research was published in the online journal Eurosurveillance, said the circulation would probably have taken place in either birds or mammals, but said exactly which animals were involved was not yet clear.

"Simply the fact that this virus is spreading under the radar - because that is what this data confirms - is of concern," she told Reuters in a telephone interview.

The H7N9 virus is so far known to have infected 87 people in China, killing 17 of them. Health officials raised further questions on Friday about the source of the new strain after data indicated that more than half of patients had had no contact with poultry.

MUTATIONS

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Gene data show China bird flu mutated "under the radar"

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "MediPoint: Predictive Breast Cancer Gene Testing - US Analysis and Market Forecasts" report to their offering.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in both the developed and developing world. The incidence of breast cancer is increasing due to the increased life span and increasing adoption of Western lifestyle risk factors. Predictive breast cancer gene tests can be used to identify women who are at increased risk of developing hereditary breast cancer. The Predictive Breast Cancer Gene Testing market has seen exponential growth in the US, dominated by Myriad Genetics. Gene testing in Europe is mostly carried out by the state funded health sector, but increasingly private companies are offering breast cancer gene tests to physicians. Myriad Genetics' position in the market is dependent on it being the leading provider of the most common breast cancer mutations. By the end of our forecast period, the competitive landscape will experience significant change due to the erosion of Myriad Genetics' position, as a result of the expiry of key patents, and the emergence of alternative molecular technologies.

This report focuses on the predictive breast cancer gene testing markets in the US and identifies unmet needs in the market, physician attitudes towards current gene testing, and the future of gene testing in the face of rapid technological advancement.

Reasons to buy

- Understand the trends shaping and driving the US Breast Cancer Gene Testing Market.

- Realize device preferences of physicians who have performed the tests already.

- Access market sizing, forecasts and quantified growth opportunities in the US Breast Cancer Gene Testing Market through 2018.

- Quantify candidate patient populations to better design product pricing & launch plans.

- Drive revenues, formulate effective sales and marketing strategies and gain in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape.

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Research and Markets: MediPoint Report: Predictive Breast Cancer Gene Testing - US Analysis and Market Forecasts 2013 ...

WHY GENETIC ENGINEERING IS AWESOME
Don #39;t like your dog? Turn him into a cat! Well...a cat-like dog. It #39;ll probably still like french fries as much as before, though. You #39;re dog #39;s pretty weird ...

By: DanCakez

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WHY GENETIC ENGINEERING IS AWESOME - Video

BIOLOGY GENETIC ENGINEERING
Biology project on genetic engineering.

By: ErinSingSong

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BIOLOGY GENETIC ENGINEERING - Video

Tributes have been paid to a Birmingham professor credited with saving countless lives after developing the first vaccine against viral hepatitis B.

Prof Sir Kenneth Murray, who has died aged 82, led the quest to tackle the killer virus in the 1970s, using the then-new field of genetic engineering.

He began his career from a humble start he left school at 16 and worked as a laboratory technician for high street chain Boots.

But he was desperate to better himself and enrolled part-time at the University of Birmingham, earning a first class honours degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Microbiology.

He and his wife Noreen later worked on gene cloning and produced a vaccine for hepatitis B in a secure lab because of the risks associated with the work.

Sir Kenneth then established Biogen, a company which commercially developed it for use.

University of BIrmingham

Today, the global market for the hepatitis vaccine exceeds 650 million each year.

Prof Steve Busby, head of School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham, said: Ken was an amazingly generous man, unassuming and modest, who delighted in what science could do for mankind.

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Tributes to Brum professor who saved contless lives with vaccine against viral hepatitis B