Archive for the ‘Gene Therapy Research’ Category
ADC Data from Seattle Genetics – Analyst Blog
Seattle Genetics Inc. ( SGEN ) recently presented data on its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
Preclinical data on SGN-CD33A showed significant antitumor activity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) models. Seattle Genetics intends to file an investigational new drug (IND) application and start a phase I study in 2013.
Another candidate, SGN-LIV1A, showed encouraging pre-clinical data for breast cancer. Seattle Genetics will file an IND application for SGN-LIV1A as well and start a phase I study in 2013 for breast cancer.
Seattle Genetics' sole marketed ADC product is Adcetris. Adcetris is used for the treatment of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) after failure of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) or after failure of at least two prior multi-agent chemotherapy regimens in patients who are not suitable for ASCT. Adcetris is also approved for the treatment of systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL) after failure of at least one multi-agent chemotherapy regimen.
Adcetris was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Aug 2011, got EU approval in Oct 2012 and marketing authorization in Canada in Feb 2013.
ADCs have been attracting a lot of interest of late with major companies entering into collaborations. Seattle Genetics has collaborations with companies like Roche Holding AG 's ( RHHBY ) Genentech for the development of ADCs.
A few days back, Astellas Pharma, Inc. ( ALPMY ) announced a deal with Ambrx Inc. for the discovery and development of novel ADCs.
Seattle Genetics carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Right now Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. ( CBLI ) looks more attractive with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
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ADC Data from Seattle Genetics - Analyst Blog
Focus Genetics appoints CEO
Hawkes Bay paralympian, Gavin Foulsham has an exciting new challenge ahead of him as the new CEO of the worlds largest red meat genetics company, Focus Genetics.
For the past four years, Mr Foulsham has worked as the general manager of the Farmlands Card, where his focus has been to engage shareholders. During this time the turnover of the business increased by $100 million.
Mr Foulsham spent several years working as general manager of MoleMap, a high growth New Zealand technology company. He successfully ran the New Zealand business before launching the brand in Australia.
The new CEO also has a rural background, having grown up on a farm in the Nelson region.
"I am really excited about the opportunity to play a big role in shaping the future of New Zealands red meat genetics. I grew up on a farm so I have been around animals for a long time. I have connected with a lot of farmers during my time at Farmlands. I love dealing with the guys who work the land. They call a spade a spade and thats what heartland New Zealand is all about," said Mr Foulsham.
Focus Genetics Chairman, Andy Pearce says Mr Foulshams rural background, combined with his experience working in science and technology sets him up well to lead Focus Genetics into the future.
"Gavins technical sales and distribution experience will be highly valued. He is also well connected with farmers so we look forward to working with him."
Mr Foulshams a former Paralympian wheelchair racer, having represented New Zealand at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics and Sydney in 2000 where he finished fifth in the 800m and ninth in the marathon. He is the New Zealand title holder for Para Rowing and has also completed the Boston Marathon and Coast to Coast.
Last year, Mr Foulsham missed out on selection for the London Paralympics. He had aimed to be part of the NZ Double Scull Para Rowing Crew.
"My involvement in sport has taught me a great deal that I use in business. I know how important planning is for success, and Im looking forward to learning more about genetics and helping Focus Genetics implement a plan to drive the next stage of growth"
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Focus Genetics appoints CEO
Cancer Genetics, Inc. Announces Closing of Initial Public Offering of 690,000 Shares of Common Stock
RUTHERFORD, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cancer Genetics, Inc. (CGIX), a diagnostics company focused on developing genomic-based, oncology tests and services, today announced it has closed its initial public offering of 690,000 shares of common stock (including 90,000 shares that were offered and sold by Cancer Genetics pursuant to the exercise in-full of the underwriters over-allotment option) at a price to the public of $10.00 per share. Total gross proceeds from the offering were $6,900,000, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by Cancer Genetics.
Aegis Capital Corp. acted as sole book-running manager for the offering.
Feltl and Company, Inc. acted as co-manager for the offering.
This offering was made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained by contacting Aegis Capital Corp., Prospectus Department, 810 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10019, telephone: 212-813-1010, e-mail: prospectus@aegiscap.com.
A registration statement relating to these securities was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 4, 2013. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Cancer Genetics:
Cancer Genetics, Inc. is an early-stage diagnostics company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary genomic tests and services to improve and personalize the diagnosis, prognosis and response to treatment (theranosis) of cancer. The proprietary tests being developed by Cancer Genetics target cancers that are difficult to prognose and predict treatment outcomes using currently available mainstream techniques. These cancers include hematological, urogenital and HPV-associated cancers. Cancer Genetics recently has begun to provide its proprietary tests and services along with a comprehensive range of non-proprietary oncology-focused tests and laboratory services that it has provided historically to oncologists and pathologists at hospitals, cancer centers and physician offices. Cancer Genetics is currently offering its tests and laboratory services in its 17,936 square foot laboratory located in Rutherford, New Jersey, which has been accredited under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 to perform high complexity testing.
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Cancer Genetics, Inc. Announces Closing of Initial Public Offering of 690,000 Shares of Common Stock
ADC Data from Seattle Genetics
Seattle Genetics Inc. (SGEN) recently presented data on its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (:AACR).
Preclinical data on SGN-CD33A showed significant antitumor activity in acute myeloid leukemia (:AML) models. Seattle Genetics intends to file an investigational new drug (IND) application and start a phase I study in 2013.
Another candidate, SGN-LIV1A, showed encouraging pre-clinical data for breast cancer. Seattle Genetics will file an IND application for SGN-LIV1A as well and start a phase I study in 2013 for breast cancer.
Seattle Genetics sole marketed ADC product is Adcetris. Adcetris is used for the treatment of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) after failure of autologous stem cell transplant (:ASCT) or after failure of at least two prior multi-agent chemotherapy regimens in patients who are not suitable for ASCT. Adcetris is also approved for the treatment of systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL) after failure of at least one multi-agent chemotherapy regimen.
Adcetris was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (:FDA) in Aug 2011, got EU approval in Oct 2012 and marketing authorization in Canada in Feb 2013.
ADCs have been attracting a lot of interest of late with major companies entering into collaborations. Seattle Genetics has collaborations with companies like Roche Holding AG's (RHHBY) Genentech for the development of ADCs.
A few days back, Astellas Pharma, Inc. (ALPMY) announced a deal with Ambrx Inc. for the discovery and development of novel ADCs.
Seattle Genetics carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Right now Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. (CBLI) looks more attractive with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Read the Full Research Report on SGEN
Read the Full Research Report on RHHBY
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ADC Data from Seattle Genetics
Sickle Cell Anemia: Mikaili and Khari’s Story – Video
Sickle Cell Anemia: Mikaili and Khari #39;s Story
SICKLE CELL DISEASE AFFECTS MORE THAN 70-THOUSAND PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY. FOR THE ROBERTSON BROTHERS OF HOWARD COUNTY, IT #39;S SOMETHING THEY LIVE WITH.. THANKS...
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Sickle Cell Anemia: Mikaili and Khari's Story - Video
Gene Therapy with Jennifer Lawrence
Gene Therapy with Jennifer Lawrence Harvey Specter
New Project.
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Gene Therapy with Jennifer Lawrence
Treatment for blindness in dogs might help people, too
Mary Elizabeth Dallas Michigan State University Posted: Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 11:41 AM
-Spanish ID: 675280 -->
A team at Michigan State University (MSU) believes insights into an inherited condition that affects humans and dogs in similar ways could help reverse vision loss in both species.
In 2010, research led by MSU veterinary ophthalmologist Dr. Andras Komaromy showed that vision in dogs suffering from achromatopsia, an inherited form of total color blindness, could be restored by replacing the gene associated with the condition. This treatment, however, was not effective for dogs older than 1 year of age.
Building on his earlier research, Komaromy theorized that certain photoreceptor cells in the eyes called "cones" -- which process light and color -- were simply too worn out in older dogs.
"Gene therapy only works if the nonfunctional cell that is primarily affected by the disease is not too degenerated," he said in a university news release. "That's how we came up with the idea for this new study. How about if we selectively destroy the light-sensitive part of the cones and let it grow back before performing gene therapy? Then you'd have a younger, less degenerated cell that may be more responsive to therapy."
The latest study involved dogs between 1 and 3 years old with achromatopsia. Before replacing the mutant gene, the researchers treated some of the dogs with a protein called CNTF that is used by the central nervous system to keep cells healthy. The dogs were given a dose high enough to partially destroy photoreceptors and enable new growth.
"We were just amazed at what we found," Komaromy said. "All seven dogs that got the combination treatment responded, regardless of age."
Although achromatopsia is a rare condition in humans, the study's authors pointed out that other disorders involving the photoreceptors affect humans and dogs in similar ways. They suggested that this combination treatment model also holds promise for people with these conditions, although it should be noted that success in animal research often does not translate to success in humans.
"Based on our results, we are proposing a new concept of retinal therapy," Komaromy said. "One treatment option alone might not be enough to reverse vision loss, but a combination therapy can maximize success."
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Treatment for blindness in dogs might help people, too
Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. – Video
Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India.
Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. After Stem Cell Therapy 1. Power and movements in the finger...
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Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. - Video
Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Polymyositis by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. – Video
Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Polymyositis by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India.
Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Polymyositis by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. After Stem Cell Therapy 1) Patient had a fall on 31st December 2012 due to whi...
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Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Polymyositis by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. - Video
Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Inclusive Body Myopathy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. Part 2 – Video
Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Inclusive Body Myopathy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. Part 2
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Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Inclusive Body Myopathy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. Part 2 - Video
Gene Doubles Risk of Late-Onset Alzheimer’s in Blacks
Black people with a certain genetic variant may face a doubled risk of late-developing Alzheimers disease, a study found.
The gene, dubbed ABCA7, is not as important for white patients, according to the study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The DNAs involvement in processing cholesterol and lipids, though, is consistent with a higher prevalence in blacks of heart disease and strokes, the researchers wrote.
The study included almost 6,000 black people ages 60 or older who were mostly volunteers from 18 Alzheimers disease centers funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The scope of the trial makes it unique because blacks are only 10 percent of the elderly population, said Richard Mayeux, the study author.
This is a big part of the population thats really understudied, said Mayeux, who is chairman of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Most of the gene discoveries have been in white populations, and if the goal is to identify potential treatments, then to not look at an African American population is a big mistake.
More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimers, which is the most-common type of dementia, according to the Alzheimers Association. Global dementia cases are expected to double within 20 years to as many as 65.7 million people, the Geneva-based World Health Organization has said.
The research, funded by the National Institute on Aging, found that ABCA7 boosted the risk of Alzheimers about 1.8-fold in blacks compared with about 1.1-fold in those of European descent. About a third of those studied had been diagnosed with Alzheimers and two-thirds were cognitively normal, according to the study.
Late-onset Alzheimers is more common among blacks than in whites living in the same community. This finding may help explain why, Mayeux said in a telephone interview.
We found a gene that was just under the radar screen in most studies of whites, he said. Its a major player in this group.
To contact the reporter on this story: Elizabeth Lopatto in San Francisco at elopatto@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net
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Gene Doubles Risk of Late-Onset Alzheimer’s in Blacks
Do you have the lazy gene? Some rats do
Ojo Images / Getty Images stock
Research rats showed a propensity toward genetic laziness. Can humans develop it too?
By LiveScience
New research might help explain why some people have trouble getting off the couch. Experiments on rats suggest there could be a genetic predisposition to laziness.
A group of scientists put rats in cages with running wheels a subtle suggestion for them to start exercising and recorded how much time each spent running during a six-day period. They then bred the top 26 runners with each other and paired up the 26 laziest rats. This selective breeding process was repeated through 10 generations, and researchers found that rats in the more active line were 10 times more likely to run than rats in the couch potato line.
To try to explain why, the researchers compared the two groups' levels of mitochondria, or cells' energy-making structures, in muscle cells (which can be boosted by exercise), physical characteristics and genetic profile.
"While we found minor differences in the body composition and levels of mitochondria in muscle cells of the rats, the most important thing we identified were the genetic differences between the two lines of rats," study researcher Michael Roberts, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement. "Out of more than 17,000 different genes in one part of the brain, we identified 36 genes that may play a role in predisposition to physical activity motivation."
Past research identified two genes in mice that, when turned off, turned the active rodents into couch potatoes.
In that study, detailed in 2011 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, scientists turned off genes that enable the muscles to make energy from sugars. "Mice love to run," said researcher Gregory Steinberg of McMaster University at the time. "While the normal mice could run for miles, those without the genes in their muscle could only run the same distance as down the hall and back. It was remarkable." [Don't Sit Tight: 6 Ways to Make a Deadly Activity Healthier]
Roberts and his colleagues are now trying to zero in on which genes might play a role in the motivation to exercise. And if the research proves to be relevant to human biology, it could help identify causes for obesity, a growing problem, especially among children, in the United States, Roberts' colleague Frank Booth said.
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Do you have the lazy gene? Some rats do
Gene Linked to Nearly 2x Alzheimer's Risk in African-Americans
ABCA7, a minor gene variant in whites, is major player in African-Americans
Newswise NEW YORK African-Americans with a variant of the ABCA7 gene have almost double the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimers disease compared with African-Americans who lack the variant. The largest genome-wide search for Alzheimers genes in the African-American community, the study was undertaken by the Alzheimers Disease Genetics Consortium and led by neurologists from Columbia University Medical Center. It will be published in the April 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study was primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Our findings strongly suggest that ABCA7 is a definitive genetic risk factor for Alzheimers disease among African-Americans, said study senior author, Richard Mayeux, MD, MS, professor and chair of Neurology at CUMC. Until now, data on the genetics of Alzheimers in this patient population have been extremely limited.
The ABCA7 gene is involved in the production of cholesterol and lipids, which suggests that lipid metabolism may be a more important pathway in Alzheimers disease in African-Americans than in whites. Because cholesterol and lipid imbalances (which eventually lead to vascular disease and heart attacks and strokes) are more common in African-Americans, treatments that reduce cholesterol and vascular disease may potentially be an effective way to reduce or delay Alzheimers in this population.
While we need to conduct research to determine whether reducing cholesterol will lower the chance of Alzheimers in African-Americans, maintaining healthy cholesterol levels always has the benefit of lowering ones risk of heart attack and stroke, said Dr. Mayeux.
The study involved nearly 6,000 African-American participants, most of whom are volunteers from 18 NIH-funded Alzheimers Disease Centers. The Centers and other researchers contributed samples to the Alzheimers Disease Genetics Consortium, an NIH-supported research program led by Gerard D. Schellenberg, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania. Approximately 2,000 of the volunteers were diagnosed with probable Alzheimers disease and 4,000 were cognitively normal. The purpose of the study was to look for genetic variants among African-Americans, who are known to have a higher incidence of late-onset Alzheimers than whites living in the same community. Ninety percent of all cases of Alzheimers, which affect an estimated 5 million Americans aged 65 and older, are described as having the late-onset form of the disease.
ABCA7 is the first major gene implicated in late-onset Alzheimers among African Americans, and it has an effect on disease risk comparable to that of APOE-e4which has been known for two decades to be a major genetic risk factor in whites, said Christiane Reitz, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology, who conducted the studys genetic analyses as first author on the paper. Both genes raise the risk of Alzheimers in this population twofold. The extent of the role of APOE-e4 in African-Americans had been uncertain because of inconsistent results from previous, smaller studies.
Based on these results, we now know that both APOE-e4 and ABCA7 are major genetic risk factors for African-Americans, whereas for whites, only one of the twoAPOE-e4confers a similar degree of risk, said Dr. Mayeux, who is also co-director of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimers Disease and the Aging Brain and the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center at CUMC. He is the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry and Epidemiology.
Several other genes that had recently been linked to Alzheimers in white populations were also confirmed in the current study to play a role in African-Americans. Because they cross ethnic groups, the likelihood increases that these genes are very important in the development of Alzheimers, said Dr. Reitz, who is a member of both the Sergievsky Center and the Taub Institute. And that gives us clues in our search for the cellular pathways associated with the disease.
These findings suggest that the genetic underpinnings of Alzheimers disease may vary among different populationsand so should not be treated homogeneously, said Dr. Reitz.
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Gene Linked to Nearly 2x Alzheimer's Risk in African-Americans
New gene linked with double Alzheimer's risk for blacks
African-Americans with a certain gene variant have nearly double the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease than those without it, a new study out Tuesday found.
But the gene doesn't seem to be affiliated with higher incidence of Alzheimer's among white populations, the scientists said in the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"These findings suggest that the genetic underpinnings of Alzheimer's disease may vary among different populations -- and so should not be treated homogeneously," said first author Christiane Reitz of Columbia University Medical Center.
African-Americans have much higher rates of late-onset Alzheimer's -- by far the most common form of the disease -- than whites. But "until now, data on the genetics of Alzheimer's in this patient population have been extremely limited," said senior author Richard Mayeux, also of Columbia.
The new study analyzed genetic data from nearly 6,000 African-American participants, the largest genome-wide search for Alzheimer's genes among the population group.
The study helped scientists confirm that the ABCA7 gene variant is linked to a higher incidence of late-onset Alzheimer's among African Americans. The gene is involved in the production of cholesterol and lipids.
Imbalances in these two molecules can lead to vascular disease and strokes -- and, thanks to this new research, may be related to the development of dementia.
This suggests that treatments that fight high cholesterol and vascular disease may also prove effective at warding off Alzheimer's disease among African-Americans.
The research also confirmed that a second gene variant, long known to be a risk factor for Alzheimer's among whites, is also affiliated with higher risk among African-Americans.
"Both genes raise the risk of Alzheimer's in this population twofold," said Reitz, who noted that previous results from smaller studies had been inconsistent.
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New gene linked with double Alzheimer's risk for blacks
Prostate Cancer With Faulty BRCA2 Gene Spreads More Quickly
Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;Men's Health;Genetics Article Date: 10 Apr 2013 - 3:00 PDT
Current ratings for: Prostate Cancer With Faulty BRCA2 Gene Spreads More Quickly
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Research has already established that men who inherit a faulty BRCA2 gene have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer, but this, the largest study of its kind, is the first to show that the faulty gene also means carriers are more likely to experience more rapid spread of the disease and poorer survival.
The study, reported this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, poses a potential challenge to health systems like the UK's NHS where carriers of the faulty gene are offered the same prostate cancer treatment options as non-carriers.
Senior author Ros Eeles, Professor of Oncogenetics at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in the UK, says in a statement that the study clearly shows prostate cancers linked to inheritance of the faulty BRCA2 cancer gene are more deadly than other types.
"It must make sense to start offering affected men immediate surgery or radiotherapy, even for early-stage cases that would otherwise be classified as low-risk," says Eeles, who is also Honorary Consultant in Clinical Oncology at The Royal Marsden in London.
However, she also cautions that:
"We won't be able to tell for certain that earlier treatment can benefit men with inherited cancer genes until we've tested it in a clinical trial, but the hope is that our study will ultimately save lives by directing treatment at those who most need it."
Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were originally spotted in patients with breast cancer. We now know that these faulty genes not only raise the risk of developing breast cancer, but also of ovarian and prostate cancers.
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Prostate Cancer With Faulty BRCA2 Gene Spreads More Quickly
Study finds gene that may raise Alzheimer's risk in blacks
The largest study to date looking for genetic causes of Alzheimer's in African Americans may offer new clues about why blacks in the United States are twice as likely as whites to develop the deadly, brain-wasting disease.
The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday, show that mutations in two genes that play a role in whites also contribute to Alzheimer's risk in blacks. One of those, known as ABCA7, may double the risk in blacks who have the mutation versus those who don't.
Although many genes have been found to raise the risk of Alzheimer's, most studies have been conducted in largely white populations, and few studies have looked specifically at genes that drive Alzheimer's in blacks. Part of that is because very few African Americans take part in gene studies looking at Alzheimer's risk.
The latest findings will need to be confirmed by other research teams, and critics say the study is incomplete until that work is done.
To get enough participants for the newly published study, researchers combined genetic information from 18 different Alzheimer's Disease Centers funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. They gathered information on 6,000 African Americans, 2,000 of whom had late-onset Alzheimer's disease, the most common form that occurs in older people.
The team then looked for genes that were most strongly associated with Alzheimer's. The strongest link was with a variant of a gene called apolipoprotein E or APOE, a gene that contains instructions for making a protein that carries cholesterol and is well-known risk factor for Alzheimer's.
The team found that a variant of this gene called APOE-e4 doubled the risk of Alzheimer's in blacks, in much the same way it does in whites.
But the study also turned up another gene that has only been weakly associated with Alzheimer's in whites. This gene, called ABCA7, which also plays a role in the production of cholesterol and fats, appears to have a much stronger effect in blacks.
"In whites, it increases risk by 10 to 20 percent, but in African Americans, it increases risk by about 70 to 80 percent. It has a way larger effect size in African Americans," said Dr. Christiane Reitz of Columbia University Medical Center, who conducted the genetic analyses on the study.
ABCA7 is also involved in cholesterol metabolism, as are several of the genes which have been found in the past five years or so to be linked with Alzheimer's in whites.
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Study finds gene that may raise Alzheimer's risk in blacks
Errors Of The Human Body US Release TRAILER 1 (2013) – Michael Eklund Thriller HD – Video
Errors Of The Human Body US Release TRAILER 1 (2013) - Michael Eklund Thriller HD
Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6h Subscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUn Like us on FACEBOOK: http://goo.gl/dHs73 Errors Of The Human Body ...
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Genetic engineering THE SEQUEL – Video
Genetic engineering THE SEQUEL
cabbages comes back for discussion.
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Genetic engineering THE SEQUEL - Video
Is medical therapy a better and safer choice than angioplasty
Public release date: 9-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 9, 2013The decision to perform an invasive procedure to open clogged arteries in the heart instead of first trying medication and lifestyle changes may not reduce a patient's risk of death or of a major cardiac event. Unnecessary procedures to treat chronic, stable heart disease contribute to rising health care costs. A targeted approach to avoiding this kind of overutilization by instead relying on evidence-based decision-making is presented 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/bari.
Lisa Behnke, MD, MHA, BSN and coauthors from OptumHealth Care Solutions (Fort Myers, FL and Golden Valley, MN) and Jefferson School of Population Health (Philadelphia, PA) emphasize that whereas percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may be a lifesaving procedure for patients with an acute coronary event, it may not be more beneficial in stable coronary artery disease than more conservative treatment approaches, yet it has become increasingly common over the past 30 years.
In the article "A Targeted Approach to Reducing Overutilization: Use of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Stable Coronary Artery Disease," the authors present a model for shared decision-making in which physicians and patients together consider the various treatment options, what each involves, their risks, and a comparison of the outcomes associated with each according to the latest evidence published in the medical literature.
"This study is a prime example of how comparative effectiveness research offers the promise of improved quality and safety, as well as lower cost," 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. "Better informed decisions means the right treatments will be given to the right patients. This means fewer complications and shorter hospitalizations."
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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/bari. Population Health Management is the Official Journal of the Care Continuum Alliance.
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Is medical therapy a better and safer choice than angioplasty
Fat cells prolong survival of human stem cells grown in vitro
Public release date: 9-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 9, 2013One of the main obstacles that stands in the way of using human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSCs) to treat a variety of diseases is the difficulty growing them in culturethey quickly die or differentiate into other cell types. A series of experiments that demonstrate the successful use of fat cells as part of a feeder layer to support prolonged growth of hHSCs in culture is reported in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.
In the article "Extending Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Survival In Vitro with Adipocytes" Dean Liang Glettig and David Kaplan, Tufts University, Medford, MA included adipocytes (fat cells) in varying amounts and locations in the feeder layers of hHSCs being grown in the laboratory. They varied the concentrations of different cell types including adipocytes in the feeder layer, comparing different amounts of adipocytes, and evaluated the effect of direct cell-to-cell contact between the hHSCs and the adipocytes in the feeder layer on the survival rate of the hHSCs.
"The ability to prolong hHSC culture in vitro not only benefits basic stem cell research, it is also an important step towards developing advanced cell therapies for future clinical use," says BioResearch Open Access Editor Jane Taylor, PhD, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
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About the Journal
BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal led by Editor-in-Chief Robert Lanza, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. and Editor Jane Taylor, PhD. The Journal provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMed Central. All journal content is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy and HGT Methods, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website (https://www.liebertpub.com).
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Fat cells prolong survival of human stem cells grown in vitro
Fashionista, Part 1
Genetic engineering is in the news again. I say, bring it on.
When they passed out the genes that give women a sense of style, skill with a curling iron, artistry with the paint pots, I drew blanks. Genetic engineering might be the answer.
A church committee chairperson called and invited me to participate in a church fashion show. I agreed, thinking I might give other glamour-challenged women hope.
Besides, I thought my pastor/hero and role model would be a good sport and say yes too. Ha. They didnt even ask her, in respect for her dignity. I guess I dont have much of that either.
Ever since I can remember, Ive never enjoyed primping and powdering, clothes-shopping and hairdos. The reason Im sure this is a genetic deficiency is that my Mom was the same. We shared genes for fine straight hair and lack of style.
Youre so nice and tall, Mom always said of me. Her 5-foot-2 saw my 5-foot-6 as elegant, and she thought I looked swell no matter what I wore.
She also said, Whats wrong with the dress you have? a lot. AndWhy do you need another one? You can only wear one at a time. So I never had much chance to develop my under-endowed femininity.
In retrospect, Im beginning to think my denominational sisters invited me in a well-intentioned demonstration of pity. A charity case, as it were.
I said yes, assuming I had committed to one hour, one evening, a month away.
Again, ha.
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Fashionista, Part 1
Human Genetic Engineering: A Very Brief Introduction
April 9, 2013
Rayshell Clapper for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online
What, Why and How?
What exactly is human genetic engineering (HGE or HGM)? Its a simple question with a complex answer. According to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP), HGM is a process by which scientists and medical professionals alter the genetic makeup, or DNA, in a living human cell. Ideally, HGM would be used to fix defective genes that cause diseases and other genetic complications.
In one method of altering the genes of living cells, scientists insert a new gene into a virus-like organism. This organism is then allowed to enter the cells and insert the new gene into the genome. Human genetic engineering uses two applications to do this: somatic and germline. It is important to note the distinction between these two applications.
Somatic engineering (from the Greek word soma, which means body) targets specific genes in specific organs and tissues without affecting the genes in the eggs or sperm (depending upon the gender of the person). The aim of this type of human genetic engineering is to treat or cure an existing condition. It does not alter the individuals entire genetic makeup as a report for the Genetics and Public Policy Center explains.
The other type of human genetic engineering is germline, which targets the genes in eggs, sperm, or embryos in very early stages of development. This means that the genetic modifications that take place affect every cell created afterwards in the developing embryos body. Germline HGM also means that the modifications are passed on to all future generations if the individual goes on to have offspring. Obviously, germline HGM tends to be more controversial because the introduction of the gene alters future reproduction, whereas somatic HGM only affects the individual on which it is performed.
Finally, cloning can be considered as a third method of HGM. The US Department of Energys genomics website explains that there are three main types of cloning: recombinant DNA technology or DNA cloning, reproductive cloning, and therapeutic cloning. DNA cloning is the transfer of a DNA fragment from one organism to a self-replicating genetic element in order for the DNA to replicate itself in a foreign host cell. Reproductive cloning, on the other hand, is used to generate an organism that has the same nuclear DNA as another currently or previously existing organism (think of Dolly the sheep). Finally, therapeutic cloning also known as embryo cloning involves the production of human embryos for use in research.
The Controversy
On February 13, 2013, experts debated whether the US should ban specifically prenatal engineering. Livescience.com reported about this debate over HGM as the concern turned from empowering parents to give their children the best start possible to creating designer babies who may encounter genetic problems as a result of the genetic engineering of humans.
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Human Genetic Engineering: A Very Brief Introduction
Obama Says FULLY Automatic Weapons at Sandy Hook – Video
Obama Says FULLY Automatic Weapons at Sandy Hook
How many people really don #39;t know the difference between Semi-Automatic and Fully Automatic weapons? Tag Cloud: NwoSatire Illuminati NWO Alien Invasion "New ...
By: subliminalproof
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Obama Says FULLY Automatic Weapons at Sandy Hook - Video
Alzheimer gene ABCA7 significantly increases late-onset risk among African Americans
Public release date: 9-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kim Menard kim.menard@uphs.upenn.edu 215-662-6183 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
PHILADELPHIA - A variation in the gene ABCA7 causes a twofold increase in the risk of late onset Alzheimer disease among African Americans, according to a meta-analysis by a team of researchers including experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. This is the largest analysis to date to determine genetic risk associated with late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) specifically in African American individuals. The study appears in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a genomics theme issue.
The Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC) led by Gerard Schellenberg, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine compared genetic data from nearly 6,000 African Americans over 60 years of age, with and without Alzheimer disease. The researchers found that the genotypes with the strongest association with the risk of LOAD among African Americans were ABCA7 (odds ratio, 1.8) and APOE (odds ratio, 2.3), genotypes also associated with increased risk among individuals of European ancestry. The association with ABCA7 was 60 percent stronger among African Americans than it had been observed among individuals of European ancestry.
"While the genotypes are similar between groups, the strength of risk is significantly different," said Schellenberg. "ABCA7 was previously identified to be weakly involved in the risk of Alzheimer disease among non-hispanics of European ancestry. Among African Americans, however, the gene is associated with a much stronger risk of late-onset Alzheimer disease."
African Americans have a higher incidence of late-onset AD, which affects 1 percent of people at age 65 years to more than 30 percent of people older than 80 years. As much as 20 percent of the disease-attributable risk is related to the APOe4 gene variation.
Researchers note that, if the study can be validated and replicated in additional studies, these findings may have "major implications for developing targets for genetic testing, prevention, and treatment."
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Richard Mayeux, MD, MSc, and Christine Reitz, MD, PhD, both from Columbia University Medical Center, led the study for the Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium. In addition to Dr. Schellenberg, collaborators from Penn's Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine include Li-San Wang, PhD; Otto Valladares, MS; Chiao-Feng Lin, PhD; and Laura B. Cantwell, MPH. The study was funded by numerous grants from the National Institute on Aging, within the National Institutes of Health. Additional information including a complete list of co-authors and funding sources is included in JAMA study.
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
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Alzheimer gene ABCA7 significantly increases late-onset risk among African Americans