Gene Therapy Research

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Better Living: Open Circle- Social and Emotional Learning – Video

April 6th, 2013

Better Living: Open Circle- Social and Emotional Learning
Students in Boston Public Schools are taking part in Open Circle, which empowers them to promote positive behaviors and healthy relationships at school and i...

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Penn Medicine ‘s New Center for Personalized Diagnostics Unlocks Cancer’s Secrets

April 6th, 2013

PHILADELPHIA Just like a massive iceberg jutting out of the ocean, many of cancers genetic underpinnings remain hidden under the surface, impossible to predict or map from above. The foreboding shadows and shapes that appear on CT scans and MRIs and even in the field that doctors see when they zoom in to look at cancer cells under a high-powered microscope are just the tip of the iceberg.

Penn Medicines new Center for Personalized Diagnostics, a joint initiative of the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center, is diving deeper into each patients tumor with next generation DNA sequencing. These specialized tests can refine patient diagnoses with greater precision than standard imaging tests and blood work, all with an aim to broaden treatment options and improve their efficacy.

Were using the most advanced diagnostic methods to unlock cancers secrets, says David B. Roth, MD, PhD, chairman of the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. A tumors genomic profile is the most critical piece of information for an oncologist to have when theyre deciding what therapy to recommend. The results of tests in the Center for Personalized Diagnostics reveal a genetic blueprint of each patient's tumor that is as discrete and singular as a fingerprint.

The Center for Personalized Diagnostics unites top experts in genomic analysis, bioinformatics, and cancer genetics who use the most sensitive data analysis tools available to identify the rarest of mutations with oncologists who treat patients and design clinical trials to test new therapies. Together, their efforts will provide cancer patients with cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic options.

The first group of patients who are undergoing testing through the CPD includes those with blood cancers and solid tumors of the brain, melanoma, and lung. Throughout 2013, the tests will be expanded for a wider range of cancer patients. Results are available within two weeks twice as fast as most commercially available testing panels. All new and relapsed Abramson Cancer Center patients will receive this testing conducted via simple blood tests and/or biopsy of tumor tissue or bone marrow as part of their evaluation and diagnostic process. Interpretation of results is communicated one-on-one to patients and their caregivers by physicians and genetic counselors.

In contrast to the CPDs offerings, individual genetic tests which now proliferate in the marketplace, even for healthy people who may be interested in going on a spelunking expedition through their DNA are time consuming and expensive to conduct, and they often yield information which is not clinically actionable. When these tests are offered for cancer patients, patients are often left with only a veritable alphabet soup detailing genetic information, with few plans for how to use those findings to conquer their cancer.

Since the CPD began operating in early 2013, however, tests in 80 percent of patients revealed genetic mutations that may be used to alter their treatment course or clarify their prognosis. The results are playing a role in:

The Centers research agenda operates in parallel with its clinical care mission. Each patients test results will add to an enormous repository of genomic mutation profiles that, combined with the ability to follow patients over time, will help clinical researchers identify new markers and mutation profiles to better predict the course of an individual patient's treatment response and suggest new targets for therapy. As new mutations are detected and novel treatment options are identified, the gene testing panels will be modified and expanded, creating an evolving, real-time mutation profiling option.

We see 11,500 newly diagnosed patients each year in the Abramson Cancer, and hundreds of others who seek our help when their cancers have not responded, or have returned, after receiving standard therapies elsewhere, said Chi Van Dang, MD, PhD, director of the Abramson Cancer Center. A key part of our mission is to provide each of these patients these tests as soon as possible, so that we can quickly tailor a treatment regimen that provides them the greatest chance of a cure.

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Scientists identify genetic markers of Alzheimer’s risk

April 6th, 2013

April 5, 2013 - 10:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Genetic markers that could help highlight who is at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease have been identified by U.S. scientists, according to BBC News.

The research in Neuron identifies mutations that affect the build-up of certain proteins in the brain.High levels of these tau proteins increase the chance of having the disease.

UK experts said the study could help understand the changes that occur in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.

Tangles of a kind of tau called phosphorylated tau (ptau) are a hallmark of the disease.

One of the new gene variants identified by the Washington University School of Medicine team was also shown to be linked to a small increased risk of developing Alzheimer's and a greater risk of cognitive decline.

The team used genetic information from more than 1,200 people, significantly larger than previous studies in this area.

Dr Alison Goate, who led the study, said: "We anticipate that knowledge about the role of these genes in Alzheimer's disease may lead to the identification of new targets from therapies or new animal or cellular models of the disease.

UK experts said the study adds to the number of genetic markers that have been linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Dr Doug Brown, director of research and development at the Alzheimer's Society, said: "In discovering new genes that have a link to Alzheimer's, this robust study helps scientists to better understand the way the brain changes when dementia develops.

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Liver transplantation for patients with genetic liver conditions has high survival rate

April 6th, 2013

Public release date: 5-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sally Garneski pressinquiry@facs.org 312-202-5409 American College of Surgeons

Chicago (April 5, 2013): Patients faced with the diagnosis of a life-threatening liver disease have to consider the seriousness of having a liver transplant, which can be a definitive cure for many acquired and genetic liver diseases. Among the main considerations are the anxiety of waiting for a donor organ, the risks associated with the transplant operation, and the chance that the transplant procedure will not achieve the desired result. There is also the six-figure cost of the procedure and accompanying patient care, all of which may not be completely covered by health insurance. But, according to a study appearing in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of CaliforniaLos Angeles (UCLA), found that liver transplants are worth the risk for people who have genetic liver conditions.

The study is a first-of-its-kind, single-institution comparison of outcomes for both pediatric and adult patients undergoing liver transplantation for lethal genetic syndromes. Researchers found that children with genetic disorders that cause fibrosis, cirrhosis, and other liver conditions, which can affect other organs, have a good chance of still being alive five years, even 20 years after a liver transplant operation. Adults with these types of conditions also have high survival rates.

"If we had not transplanted these patients, long term, they would have died," said study lead author, Henrik Petrowsky, MD, who was an attending transplant surgeon and assistant professor of surgery at UCLA during the time the study was conducted.

Patients with genetic liver conditions are different from those who developed liver diseases from a hepatitis C infection or alcoholism. First, this patient population is less common. Dr. Petrowsky estimates that only about nine percent of liver transplants in children and only two percent in adults are performed as a treatment to correct genetic conditions. Second, the severity of genetic liver disease may not be as obvious. Since donated livers are allocated according to who needs them most, people with genetic liver diseases often have to be given extra consideration when weighing how long they can wait for a donor organ.

Although the genetic defect permeates every cell in the affected patient's body, it expresses mainly in the liver. However, certain disorders could also affect other organs. During a transplant, when the old liver is replaced with a new one "it's almost a form of gene therapy," explains Dr. Petrowsky, who is now vice chair of the department of visceral and transplant surgery at the University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland. "The genetic defect is still in every cell, but since it's mainly expressed in the liver, the genetic disorder is corrected by the transplanted liver which does not harbor the genetic defect."

Dr. Petrowsky's team wanted to evaluate the impact of the transplant procedure on patients' outcomes, especially because patients families go through so much before a transplantable liver can be procured. Therefore, the investigators looked at patient records from the UCLA liver transplant database for 74 children and 78 adults who had received liver transplants between 1984 and 2012 to correct genetic disorders. For 68 percent of those patients, the genetic disorder led to cirrhosis, or scaring of the liver, making liver transplantation their only hope for survival.

Five years later, 89 percent of children in the study were still alive, and 77 percent were still alive 20 years later. For adults, 73 percent were still alive after five years and 50 percent were still alive after 20 years.

"Without a transplant, the five-year survival rates are below five percent, depending on the severity of the liver disease," Dr. Petrowsky said.

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Liver transplantation for patients with genetic liver conditions has high survival rate, study finds

April 6th, 2013

Apr. 5, 2013 Patients faced with the diagnosis of a life-threatening liver disease have to consider the seriousness of having a liver transplant, which can be a definitive cure for many acquired and genetic liver diseases. Among the main considerations are the anxiety of waiting for a donor organ, the risks associated with the transplant operation, and the chance that the transplant procedure will not achieve the desired result. There is also the six-figure cost of the procedure and accompanying patient care, all of which may not be completely covered by health insurance. But, according to a study appearing in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) found that liver transplants are worth the risk for people who have genetic liver conditions.

The study is a first-of-its-kind, single-institution comparison of outcomes for both pediatric and adult patients undergoing liver transplantation for lethal genetic syndromes. Researchers found that children with genetic disorders that cause fibrosis, cirrhosis, and other liver conditions, which can affect other organs, have a good chance of still being alive five years, even 20 years after a liver transplant operation. Adults with these types of conditions also have high survival rates.

"If we had not transplanted these patients, long term, they would have died," said study lead author, Henrik Petrowsky, MD, who was an attending transplant surgeon and assistant professor of surgery at UCLA during the time the study was conducted.

Patients with genetic liver conditions are different from those who developed liver diseases from a hepatitis C infection or alcoholism. First, this patient population is less common. Dr. Petrowsky estimates that only about 9 percent of liver transplants in children and only 2 percent in adults are performed as a treatment to correct genetic conditions. Second, the severity of genetic liver disease may not be as obvious. Since donated livers are allocated according to who needs them most, people with genetic liver diseases often have to be given extra consideration when weighing how long they can wait for a donor organ.

Although the genetic defect permeates every cell in the affected patient's body,it expresses mainly in the liver. However, certain disorders could also affect other organs. During a transplant, when the old liver is replaced with a new one "it's almost a form of gene therapy," explains Dr. Petrowsky, who is now vice chair of the department of visceral and transplant surgery at the University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland. "The genetic defect is still in every cell, but since it's mainly expressed in the liver, the genetic disorder is corrected by the transplanted liver which does not harbor the genetic defect."

Dr. Petrowsky's team wanted to evaluate the impact of the transplant procedure on patients' outcomes, especially because patients families go through so much before a transplantable liver can be procured.

Therefore, the investigators looked at patient records from the UCLA liver transplant database for 74 children and 78 adults who had received liver transplants between 1984 and 2012 to correct genetic disorders. For 68 percent of those patients, the genetic disorder led to cirrhosis, or scaring of the liver, making liver transplantation their only hope for survival.

Five years later, 89 percent of children in the study were still alive, and 77 percent were still alive 20 years later. For adults, 73 percent were still alive after five years and 50 percent were still alive after 20 years.

"Without a transplant, the five-year survival rates are below 5 percent, depending on the severity of the liver disease," Dr. Petrowsky said.

Only one pediatric patient and one adult patient had a recurrence of the underlying genetic disease. The pediatric patient died 12 years after the transplant. The adult had another liver transplant and was still alive 22 years later. "For certain genetic conditions, replacing the liver is not enough," Dr. Petrowsky explained, because "other tissues and organs are expressing the mutated protein. So the discussion now is should we do a combined liver and bone marrow transplantation in these rare cases to improve the outcome?"

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Genetic markers found to predict Alzheimer’s

April 6th, 2013

Scientists have identified early genetic markers that can potentially predict who is at an increased risk for developing Alzheimers, Medical Daily reported.

Currently, in order to determine if someone will develop Alzheimers disease, doctors use tests that analyze the amount of Tau protein buildup in the central nervous system. The more Tau in an individuals system, the more likely he or she will progress towards dementia.

However, there was no system to help determine who will start expressing this protein years ahead of time until now.

Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified genetic mutations that can influence the accumulation of Tau proteins, according to Medical Daily. This discovery could potentially lead to an early genetic test, which could help reveal those who are most at risk for Alzheimers leading to earlier, more effective treatments.

"We have identified several genes that influence the levels of soluble tau in the cerebrospinal fluid, senior author Dr. Alison Goate, of WU School of Medicine, told Medical Daily, and we show that one of these genes also influences risk for Alzheimer's disease, rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, and density of tangle pathology in the brain."

After performing a genetic analysis on 1,269 patients, Goate and her team identified genetic mutations in a previously implicated region, found in the gene TREM2, as putting people at risk for Alzheimers. A receptor gene, TREM2 can actually influence the development of another similar gene TREML2.

According to the researchers, the two genes while similar acted oppositely in association with the Tau protein levels. The first was associated with risk for Alzheimers and the other was protective against the disease.

April 6th, 2013

Will Bodybuilding Make Me Weaker?
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American College of Medical Genetics Supports Non-invasive Prenatal Screening for Fetal Aneuploidy Detection in …

April 6th, 2013

SAN JOSE, CA, April 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - The American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) issued a position statement to support the use of non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) in women with singleton pregnancies. The statement can be found at this link: http://www.acmg.net/docs/nips-GiM_galley_text_130301.pdf

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The statement clearly emphasizes NIPS as a screening, and not diagnostic, test. It goes on to highlight the advantages of higher detection rates and lower false positives rates associated with NIPS versus maternal serum screening, and it underscored the importance of first trimester ultrasound regardless of screening modality. ACMG recommends both pre-test and post-test counseling to inform women about NIPS tests in regards to benefits and limitations. As a screening test, NIPS can lead to both false positive and false negative results.

NIPS with the Harmony Prenatal Test has been studied in more than 6,000 women to date across multiple studies. Ariosa shares ACMG's view that NIPS is a safe and effective prenatal testing option for pregnant women and that it should be responsibly introduced into clinical practice.

"ACMG's statement provides ongoing support of non-invasive prenatal screening with cell-free DNA as a major clinical advance," said Ken Song, CEO of Ariosa Diagnostics. "Our commitment to responsible introduction of this screening technology will help women manage the health of their pregnancy and fetus.

About Ariosa Diagnostics

Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc. is a molecular diagnostics company committed to innovating together to improve patient care. The flagship product, the Harmony Prenatal Test, is a safe, highly accurate and affordable prenatal test for maternal and fetal health. Led by an experienced team, Ariosa is using its proprietary technology to perform a directed analysis of cell-free DNA in blood. The Harmony Prenatal Test equips pregnant women and their healthcare providers with reliable information to make decisions regarding their health, without creating unnecessary stress or anxiety.

The company began operations in 2010 and is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. For more information, visitwww.ariosadx.com. Follow us on Twitter @HarmonyPrenatal and on Facebook at Harmony Prenatal for Healthy Pregnancy.

CONTACT: Jen Bruursema Ariosa Diagnostics 202-316-4553 jbruursema@ariosadx.com

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Cancer Genetics , Inc. Announces Full Exercise of Over-Allotment Option

April 6th, 2013

RUTHERFORD, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Cancer Genetics, Inc. (CGIX), a diagnostics company focused on developing genomic-based, oncology tests and services, today announced the full exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the underwriters to purchase an additional 90,000 shares of its common stock, at a price to the public of $10.00 per share, in connection with its previously announced underwritten initial public offering of 600,000 shares of common stock, bringing expected total gross proceeds from the offering to $6,900,000, before underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by Cancer Genetics.

Aegis Capital Corp. is acting as sole book-running manager for the offering.

Feltl and Company, Inc. is acting as co-manager for the offering.

This offering is being 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 by 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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Bodyshock – The Boy In The Bubble – David Vetter – Part 1 – Video

April 6th, 2013

Bodyshock - The Boy In The Bubble - David Vetter - Part 1
David Vetter (September 21, 1971 -- February 22, 1984) became famous for living in a sterile environment. He was born with severe combined immunodeficiency (...

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Bodyshock – The Boy In The Bubble – David Vetter – Part 2 – Video

April 6th, 2013

Bodyshock - The Boy In The Bubble - David Vetter - Part 2
David Vetter (September 21, 1971 -- February 22, 1984) became famous for living in a sterile environment. He was born with severe combined immunodeficiency (...

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Bodyshock – The Boy In The Bubble – David Vetter – Part 3 – Video

April 6th, 2013

Bodyshock - The Boy In The Bubble - David Vetter - Part 3
David Vetter (September 21, 1971 -- February 22, 1984) became famous for living in a sterile environment. He was born with severe combined immunodeficiency (...

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Bodyshock – The Boy In The Bubble – David Vetter – Part 4 – Video

April 6th, 2013

Bodyshock - The Boy In The Bubble - David Vetter - Part 4
David Vetter (September 21, 1971 -- February 22, 1984) became famous for living in a sterile environment. He was born with severe combined immunodeficiency (...

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QVC and Fashion Footwear Association of New York Invest in Personalized Breast Cancer Therapy Research

April 5th, 2013

WEST CHESTER, Pa., April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --QVC and the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY), building on a 19 year philanthropic relationship supporting breast cancer research, have announced a $140,000 grant to fund research at The Wistar Institute on a specific and deadly form of breast cancer called triple negative.

"The mission of the QVC-FFANY relationship is to support the most promising research with the potential to end breast cancer," said Mike George, president and CEO of QVC. "We are proud to support The Wistar Institute's work as it holds great promise for developing new treatments for breast cancer and saving women's lives." QVC addresses critical health issues for women by working with organizations, like FFANY, to invest in life-saving research.

Close to 300, 000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Of these, nearly one in four breast cancer cases is classified as triple negative. Triple negative patients have a higher rate of relapse following treatment than other breast cancer patients, and therefore, have lower overall survival rates.

Triple negative patients have tumors that are missing three proteins found in normal cells. These proteins are critical to deciphering chemical signals, like those from hormones. The laboratory of Dario Altieri, M.D., Director of The Wistar Institute Cancer Center, set out to discover how triple negative breast cancers survive without these important proteins and, in doing so, they found a common factor. Since cells require these signals in order to grow and divide, triple negative breast cancer cells survive by using a gene that is normally "switched off" in adults: Notch-1. While the road to creating therapies is a long one, Altieri is committed to advancing research of Notch- 1 with the ultimate goal of developing new treatments for triple negative breast cancer.

"This funding will help us develop better, more targeted therapies against this highly aggressive form of breast cancer," Altieri said. "We are grateful to QVC and FFANY for their vision in ensuring this promising line of research moves forward."

This year, QVC and FFANY will celebrate 20 years of the QVC Presents "FFANY Shoes On Sale" broadcast, which has donated more than $40 million for breast cancer research and education.

About The Wistar Institute The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, Wistar has long held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. The Wistar Institute: Today's Discoveries Tomorrow's Cures. On the Web at http://www.wistar.org.

About the Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation The Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation was created to support ongoing research and education programs in the fight against breast cancer and is supported by members of the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY). Donated footwear is sold on live television through QVC during the Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation's annual charity benefit, QVC Presents "FFANY Shoes on Sale." Net proceeds are distributed to leading breast cancer research and education institutions across the United States, including beneficiaries for the 2012 event: The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, The John Wayne Cancer Institute Breast Center at Saint John's Health Center, The Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, The Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center's Breast Oncology Program, The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation makes its home at 274 Madison Avenue, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10016, http://www.FFANY.org.

About QVC QVC, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Interactive Corporation (LINTA), is the world's leading video and ecommerce retailer. QVC is committed to providing its customers with thousands of the most innovative and contemporary beauty, fashion, jewelry and home products. Its programming is distributed to approximately 250 million homes worldwide through operations in the U.S., Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and a joint venture in China. West Chester, Pa.-based QVC has shipped more than a billion packages in its 26-year history and the company's website, QVC.com, is ranked among the top general merchant Internet sites. QVC, Q, and the Q Ribbon Logo are registered service marks of ER Marks, Inc.

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Research and Markets: Drug Delivery in Cancer – Technologies, Markets and Companies – Updated 2013 Report with More …

April 5th, 2013

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5cl4b2/drug_delivery_in) has announced the addition of Jain PharmaBiotech's new report "Drug Delivery in Cancer - Technologies, Markets and Companies" to their offering.

Drug delivery remains a challenge in management of cancer. Approximately 12.5 million new cases of cancer are being diagnosed worldwide each year and considerable research is in progress for drug discovery for cancer. Cancer drug delivery is no longer simply wrapping up cancer drugs in a new formulations for different routes of delivery. The focus is on targeted cancer therapy. The newer approaches to cancer treatment not only supplement the conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy but also prevent damage to normal tissues and prevent drug resistance.

Innovative cancer therapies are based on current concepts of molecular biology of cancer. These include antiangiogenic agents, immunotherapy, bacterial agents, viral oncolysis, targeting of cyclic-dependent kinases and tyrosine kinase receptors, antisense approaches, gene therapy and combination of various methods. Important methods of immunotherapy in cancer involve use of cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, cancer vaccines and immunogene therapy.

Several innovative methods of drug delivery are used in cancer. These include use of microparticles as carriers of anticancer agents. These may be injected into the arterial circulation and guided to the tumor by magnetic field for targeted drug delivery. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) technology has been used to overcome some of the barriers to anticancer drug delivery. Encapsulating anticancer drugs in liposomes enables targeted drug delivery to tumor tissues and prevents damage to the normal surrounding tissues. Monoclonal antibodies can be used for the delivery of anticancer payloads such as radionucleotides, toxins and chemotherapeutic agents to the tumors.

Antisense oligonucleotides have been in clinical trials for cancer for some time now. RNAi has also been applied in oncology. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can be targeted to tumors and one example is suppression of H-ras gene expression indicating the potential for application in therapy of ovarian cancer. Cancer gene therapy is a sophisticated form of drug delivery for cancer. Various technologies and companies developing them are described. Nucleic acid-based cancer vaccines are also described.

Drug delivery strategies vary according to the type and location of cancer. Role of drug delivery in the management of cancers of the brain, the bladder, the breast, the ovaries and the prostate are used as examples to illustrate different approaches both experimental and clinical. Biodegradable implants of carmustine are already used in the treatment of malignant brain tumors.

The market value of drug delivery technologies and the anticancer drugs are difficult to separate. Cancer market estimates from 2012-2022 are given according to organs involved and the types of cancer as well as according to technologies. Distribution of the into major regions is also described.

Profiles of 227 companies involved in developing innovative cancer therapies and methods of delivery are presented along with their 256 collaborations. The bibliography contains over 650 publications that are cited in the report.The report is supplemented with 66 tables and 10 figures.

Key Topics Covered:

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ICM’s New Blue Gene Supercomputer Supports The Largest Biomedical Research Initiative In Poland

April 5th, 2013

WARSAW, Poland, April 4,2013 /PRNewswire/ --IBM (NYSE: IBM)Blue Gene/Q, the most powerful single architecture supercomputer in Poland, has been chosen by The Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modeling, University of Warsaw (ICM) of Poland to support the country's largest biomedical and biotechnological research initiative called, "Centre for Pre-clinical Research and Technology (CePT)." More than 500 life sciences and biomedical researchers, physicians and students, from a consortium led by The Medical University of Warsaw (WUM) and consisting of three universities and seven research centers of the Polish Academy of Sciences, will use the supercomputer and its supporting e-infrastructure to gain further insight into chronic diseases.

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"CePT, a EUR 100 million project, aims to support Poland's transition towards more preventive and patient-centric healthcare," said Dr. Robert Sot, Director of CePT, Warsaw University. "The project will allow the medical community to provide a more holistic approach and open collaboration for the development of innovative treatments and drugs that will improve patients' quality of life over the long term."

Estimations show that over one-fourth of Poland's aging population has developed at least one or, very often, more chronic diseases such as: cancer, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory conditions, stroke, and neurological disorders. Early detection and timely diagnosis of these diseases translate into well-targeted and optimized healthcare, as well as improved quality of a patient's life. Similar demands could stimulate the need to carry out clinical and pre-clinical tests covering three to five million Polish citizens, and generate massive volumes of valuable health data which can, in turn, be used by laboratories.

ICM's new Blue Gene/Q, code named Nostromo, will help scientists process up to 16 terabytes of Big Data per one sequence by running compute-intensive simulations at the speed of 209.7 trillion operations per second. The supercomputer will use algorithms moving beyond the "routine" sequencing of human or animal genomes, to tackle more complex processes that will reveal the rare variants in human genetics, (i.e. those that cause predispositions to Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes, downs syndrome, etc.). By understanding what prevents protein molecules, which build and maintain human bodies, from folding up properly and triggering a disease, scientists will be able to develop a new drug or treatment, (i.e. "build" their own molecules or block the action of undesirable enzymes).

"The process of developing and generating a new drug or treatment normally takes up to three years, and costs have nearly quadrupled in the past 15 years," said Prof. Marek Niezgodka, Director of ICM. "With Nostromo, we expect to increase the simulation speed which will bring us much closer to the era of "personalized medicine," when preventative approaches can be tailored to a specific condition."

Nostromo currently ranks N 143 on the Top500.org list and N 9 on Green500.org. The system has already been installed by IBM Poland and Qumak SA, IBM's Business Partner.

"IBM delivered the most powerful single architecture supercomputer for the ICM of Poland. Nostromo is able to process up to 16 TB of Big Data per one sequence by running simulations at the speed of 210 TFLOPS," said Ales Bartunek, Country General Manager, IBM Poland and Baltics. "We are confident that the POWER based Blue Gene/Q has the potential to save years of research and help scientists take healthcare in Poland to the next level."

About Nostromo

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ICM's New Blue Gene Supercomputer Supports The Largest Biomedical Research Initiative In Poland

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