Archive for the ‘Gene Therapy Research’ Category

CHICAGO - Patients with advanced heart disease who received an experimental stem cell therapy showed slightly improved heart function, researchers said at a major U.S. cardiology conference on Saturday.

The clinical trial involved 92 patients, with an average age of 63, who were picked at random to get either a placebo or a series of injections of their own stem cells, taken from their bone marrow, into damaged areas of their hearts.

The patients all had chronic heart disease, along with either heart failure or angina, and their left ventricles were pumping at less than 45 per cent of capacity.

All the participants in the study were ineligible for revascularization surgery, such as coronary bypass to restore blood flow, because their heart disease was so advanced.

Those who received the stem cell therapy saw a small but significant boost in the heart's ability to pump blood, measuring the increase from the heart's main pumping chamber at 2.7 per cent more than placebo patients.

Study authors described the trial as the largest to date to examine stem cell therapy as a route to repairing the heart in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction.

"This is the kind of information we need in order to move forward with the clinical use of stem cell therapy," said lead investigator Emerson Perin, director of clinical research for cardiovascular medicine at the Texas Heart Institute.

Perin's research, which was conducted between 2009 and 2011 across five U.S sites, was presented at the annual American College of Cardiology Conference in Chicago.

The technique involved taking bone marrow samples from the patients and processing the marrow to extract stem cells. Doctors then injected the cells via catheter into the heart's left ventricle.

The injections, comprising some 100 million stem cells in all, were specifically targeted at damaged areas, identified by real-time electromechanical mapping of the heart.

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Stem cell treatment could repair heart damage

As South Allegheny's first participant in the University of Pittsburgh Gene Team, junior Shannon Wygonik is sharing her love for science with elementary students in her home district.

Hosted by Pitt's biological sciences department, the Gene Team combines research and educational components to foster an interest in science.

Gene Team coordinator Marcie H. Warner believes the inquiry-driven education model inspires high school participants as well as the young students they encounter through the Science Corps portion of the team's program.

"It aims to ignite a love of science in middle and elementary school students by bringing them together with high school students with an interest in science," Warner said. "These high school 'science mentors' come to the classrooms of younger students and present short interactive science lessons that touch on topics such as respiration, natural selection and genetics."

Shannon shared the Science Corps mission Friday with SA fourth-graders in a presentation called "What's in My Pizza?" The lesson focused on yeast's role in the dough-making process and how respiration of the tiny organisms produces carbon dioxide, which causes dough to rise.

Fourth-grader Anessa Short thought the lesson was easy to grasp.

"We got to interact and touch and feel the dough," Anessa said. "It was exciting. It was fun."

Shannon said she loves to see youngsters play with science.

"I really want to share what I know with them," she said. "It gives me an opportunity to teach the kids something exciting something as simple as pizza and how it relates to science."

Gene Team coordinator Brian DiRienzo said passion is what the program strives to achieve.

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Pitt Gene Team member shares love of science

By Andrea Anderson

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) A study appearing online last night in PLoS Genetics has found gene expression differences in brain samples from children with autism spectrum disorder compared to adults with the condition, hinting that different pathological processes may be at work in the autistic brain depending on age.

A California research team used arrays to assess almost three-dozen post mortem brain samples from individuals with or without autism, gauging both gene expression and copy number alterations in a region called the prefrontal cortex. Along with comparisons between unaffected and affected individuals, the investigators looked at how expression patterns in samples from toddlers and children with ASD compared with those in samples from adolescents and adults with ASD.

Though some gene expression patterns in the prefrontal cortex turned up regardless of age in the ASD group, researchers also found age-dependent gene expression alterations in autism. For example, samples from children with ASD tended to show atypical expression of genes contributing to neuron number consistent with some of the unusual early brain growth patterns previously described in ASD whereas adult autism cases were marked by unusual expression profiles involving genes from signaling, immune, and repair pathways.

"We're showing that the adult condition where you have neuron loss and you have immunological activation isn't the way it began. It's an outcome," co-corresponding author Eric Courchesne, director of the National Institutes of Health-University of California at San Diego's Autism Center of Excellence, told GenomeWeb Daily News.

For more than a decade, studies have been finding distinct early brain development patterns in autism, including excess neurons in certain parts of the brain. This overgrowth seems to stop sometime during childhood, Courchesne noted. And by adolescence or adulthood, the enlarged brain regions seen in childhood generally seem to disappear through processes such as neuron loss and/or thinning in some cortical areas.

That has made it tricky to figure out the molecular roots of the early brain overgrowth seen by neuroimaging experiments or postmortem analyses, authors of the new study explained, though previous genetic studies have garnered clues about some of the age-independent processes contributing to autism.

"Up until now, there has been no information on the developmental, molecular pathology of autism that is, what's going wrong early in the brain that's responsible for excess and abnormal brain growth," Courchesne explained.

He and his colleagues used Illumina microarrays to assess expression profiles across the genome in post-mortem prefrontal cortex samples, comparing the patterns in unaffected and affected individuals and in younger and older individuals with ASD.

Because they were dealing with RNA from post-mortem brain samples, which are often not collected immediately after death, the researchers sent samples to Illumina for processing with its DASL assay to help get as much signal as possible out of the microarray experiments.

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Age-Related Gene Expression Differences in Autism Detected in Post-Mortem Brain Samples

Public release date: 23-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Hannes Lohi hannes.lohi@helsinki.fi 358-919-25085 University of Helsinki

A new epilepsy gene for idiopathic epilepsy in Belgian Shepherds has been found in the canine chromosome 37. The research of Professor Hannes Lohi and his group conducted at the University of Helsinki and the Folkhlsan Research Center opens new avenues for the understanding of the genetic background of the most common canine epilepsies. The research also has an impact on the understanding of common epilepsies in humans. The research is published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE on March 23, 2012.

Epilepsy affects about 1-5% of the human population at some stage of live, and it includes a host of syndromes the age of onset, causes and prognosis of which vary significantly. Based on their basic mechanisms epilepsy syndromes are divided into genetic (idiopathic) epilepsies, structural / metabolic (symptomatic) epilepsies and epilepsies of unknown cause. Symptomatic causes refer to discernible external or structural change, whereas with idiopathic epilepsy there is a strong genetic background. A common denominator between the different syndromes are reoccurring epileptic seizures, which are divided according to an international classification into two main groups focal and generalized seizures based on clinical symptoms and research findings. About two thirds of the seizures in adults are focal in nature and one third generalized. In children and teenagers the occurrence of generalized forms of epilepsy is greater (ca. 50%).

Identification of the epilepsy gene on process

Genetic factors are estimated to play a role in the development of epilepsy in as many as 40% of epilepsy patients. Several genes affecting the development of symptomatic epilepsies have already been identified, but the genetic background of multifactorial idiopathic epilepsies often remain unknown. Both focal and generalized idiopathic epilepsies occur in Belgian Shepherds. The research group of Professor Hannes Lohi, working in collaboration with Danish, Swedish and American researchers in an EU-funded project, has made a major breakthrough by identifying a chromosome region associated with the most common form of epilepsy in dogs. By comparing the genome of dogs with epilepsy and healthy control dogs a gene region in chromosome 37 was discovered, which if homozygous, increases the risk of epilepsy seven-fold. In addition the research findings indicate that other, still unknown, genetic risk factors may be present in the breed.

The identified region has excellent neurological candidate genes for epilepsy and ongoing follow-up research is aimed to identify the specific gene causing epilepsy. Epilepsy genes have not previously been identified in this chromosome region, so the discovery will reveal an entirely new epilepsy gene in dogs and possibly also in humans. The type of epilepsy occurring in Belgian Shepherds is extremely common in also other breeds and thus the discovery may have an impact on the understanding of the epilepsies in different dog breeds.

"There are only few genes in the identified region and I believe that the ongoing analyses will help us to discover the specific epilepsy gene," says Professor Hannes Lohi who led the research. "This would give us a better understanding of the disease mechanisms and provide us with new diagnostic tools for the disease."

The Research group of Hannes Lohi has begun an extensive gene-sequencing project in which the entire identified chromosome region will be 'read through' with a next-generation sequencing method. By identifying the specific gene mutation an individual's epilepsy risk could be assessed, although the gene mutation may also be common in dogs that never become symptomatic of epilepsy.

Epilepsy is common among Belgian Shepherds

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New epilepsy gene located in dogs

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Ear, Nose and Throat Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology Article Date: 23 Mar 2012 - 8:00 PDT

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In the March 20 issue of the journal Cancer Cell, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reveal that the mTOR molecular pathway stimulates the activity of the Gli1 protein in the development and progression of esophageal cancer.

Senior author of the study, Mien-Chie Hung, Ph.D., vice president for basic research, professor and chair of MD Anderson's Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, explained:

Crosstalk between these two pathways is a challenge, but our experiments showed a combination of the mTOR inhibitor RAD-001 (Afinitor) and the Hedgehog inhibitor GDC-0449 (Erivedge) steeply reduced the tumor burden in a mouse model of esophageal adenocarcinoma."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved both drugs for use in other types of cancer.

After examining 107 tissue samples of human esophageal cancer, the researchers found that 87 (81.3%) had a marker of Gli1 activated by Hedgehog and 80 (74.8%) had a marker of mTOR promotion of Gli1.

According to the researchers less than 20% of individuals suffering from esophageal cancer (one of the most aggressive forms of cancer) survive for 5 years. Furthermore, they highlight that since the 1980s, the disease has become more prevalent in the U.S by 5% to 10% each year. Obesity and inflammation are believed to contribute to this increased incidence.

In order to show how mTOR and Hedgehog, both involved in esophageal and other types of cancers, converge on Gli1, the team conducted experiments with cell lines, human tumor samples and mouse models.

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Potential Combination Therapy For Esophageal Cancer

Newswise TAMPA, Fla. (March 23, 2012) An international group of researchers, including those from Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have published a paper in the March 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reviewing the results of a study that analyzed mutations in 18 genes of 398 patients who had acute myeloid leukemia (AML). They found that several mutated genes predicted improved outcomes when patients with certain gene mutations were given high-dose induction chemotherapy. Their findings suggest that mutational profiling could potentially be used for both risk stratification and also in helping health care providers make therapeutic decisions for some AML patients.

Previous studies have found that AML is a highly heterogenic disorder, said study co-author Hugo F. Fernandez, a senior member at Moffitt and associate chief of Moffitts Blood and Marrow Transplantation Division. Moreover, recent studies have revealed that a number of genetic mutations in AML patients might have prognostic value. The question of the presence of these gene mutations altering outcomes based on current therapy had not been answered to date.

Their paper cites a clinical trial carried out by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) in which dose-intensified chemotherapy improved outcomes in two age sets of AML patients. Based on these findings, the research team hypothesized that carrying out mutational analysis of all known molecular alterations occurring in more than 5 percent of patients with AML might allow for the identification of distinct, molecularly defined subgroups of patients who might benefit from dose-intensified chemotherapy.

The laboratory research team subsequently performed a mutational analysis on diagnostic samples from 398 patients enrolled in the ECOG clinical trial they cited and used patients frozen sample cells for extraction and profiling. The researchers validated the results of this latter group of 104 patients.

We found that intensification of the dose of anthracycline significantly improved outcomes and overall survival in patients with mutations in DNMT3A, NPM1 or MLL translocations, said Fernandez. This finding suggests that mutational profiling could be used to determine which AML patients will benefit from dose-intensive induction therapy.

Most importantly, said Fernandez, this study demonstrates how integrated mutational profiling of samples from a clinical trial cohort can advance understanding of the biologic characteristics of AML.

About Moffitt Cancer Center Follow Moffitt on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MoffittCancerCenter Follow Moffitt on Twitter: @MoffittNews Follow Moffitt on YouTube: MoffittNews

Located in Tampa, Moffitt Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, which recognizes Moffitts excellence in research and contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a prestigious alliance of the countrys leading cancer centers, and is listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of Americas Best Hospitals for cancer.

Media release by Florida Science Communications

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Identifying Acute Myeloid Leukemia Gene Mutations May Indicate Risk, Best Treatment

22-03-2012 12:29 Dr. Rebecca Carley talks about the vast dangers of vaccines and other AMA-approved treatments that actually do greater harm. website: drcarley.com (expand for more info) "The only safe vaccine is one that is never used." (Dr.James R. Shannon, former Director National Institute of Health) Vaccine Ingredients - Formaldehyde, Aspartame, Mercury + more The numbers of microbes, antibiotics, chemicals, heavy metals and animal byproducts is staggering. Would you knowingly inject these materials into your children? This following list of common vaccines and their ingredients should shock anyone --- eye-opening list here http://www.rense.com (page xcerpt) Acel-Immune DTaP - Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Wyeth-Ayerst 800.934.5556 * diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis adsorbed, formaldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, thimerosal, and polysorbate 80 (Tween-80) gelatin Act HIB Haemophilus - Influenza B Connaught Laboratories 800.822.2463 * Haemophilus influenza Type B, polyribosylribitol phosphate ammonium sulfate, formalin, and sucrose Attenuvax - Measles Merck & Co., Inc. 800-672-6372 * measles live virus neomycin sorbitol hydrolized gelatin, chick embryo Biavax - Rubella Merck & Co., Inc. 800-672-6372 * rubella live virus neomycin sorbitol hydrolized gelatin, human diploid cells from aborted fetal tissue BioThrax - Anthrax Adsorbed BioPort Corporation 517.327.1500 * nonencapsulated strain of Bacillus anthracis aluminum hydroxide, benzethonium chloride, and ...

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Dr. Rebecca Carley : Vaccines

Public release date: 23-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dawn Peters healthnews@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley-Blackwell

New research found the genetic variant Patatin-like phospholipase domain containing protein-3 (PNPLA3) acting in conjunction with the glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) is associated with increased susceptibility to fatty liver disease in obese children. The study, published in the March issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, determined the PNPLA3 and GCKR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were responsible for up to 39% of the hepatic fat content in this pediatric population.

Obesity is a global health concern and children are not unscathed by this epidemic. As a result, experts say nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children and adolescents in industrialized countries. Previous studies indicate genetics significantly impacts the susceptibility of developing fatty liver and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), particularly in early-onset disease, which places greater interest on childhood obesity.

For the current study, a team led by Dr. Nicola Santoro from Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut recruited 455 obese children and adolescents who underwent genotyping and fasting triglycerides and lipoprotein particles testing. Participants in this pediatric cohort had a mean age of 13 years with 181 Caucasian, 139 African American and 135 Hispanic children. Researchers measured hepatic fat content (HFF%) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a subset of 142 children.

Study findings show that rs1260326 in the GCKR gene is associated with higher triglycerides levels and higher levels of very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) in Caucasian and African American children. The GCKR SNP was associated with fatty liver in each of the three ethnic groups. A joint effect between PNPLA3 and GCKR SNPs was responsible for 32% of the HFF% in Caucasian, 39% in African American and 15% of Hispanic children. "Our findings confirm that obese youths with genetic variants in the GCKR and PNPLA3 genes may be more susceptible to fatty liver disease. We need to be cautious, though, and refrain to automatically extend this observation to the overall population. In fact, our data refer to a population of obese children and adolescents. I think that further studies involving lean subjects and adults may help to further define in more details these associations," said Dr. Santoro.

In a related editorial, Valerio Nobili with "Bambino Gesu" Children's Hospital and Research Institute in Italy concurs, "Dr. Santoro and colleagues determined the additive effect of PNPLA3 and GCKR variants explained over one third of hepatic fat content variance in obese children." He recommends that ethnicity data be replicated in larger study cohorts due to the small number of participants in each of the three groups.

The study authors suggest that the GCKR variant may lead to accumulation of fat in the liver through an increase in hepatic triglyceride production and further research is warranted to confirm their results. Dr. Santoro concludes, "While the small sample size raises the possibility of false negative results in our study, the presence of both GCKR and PNLPA3 genetic variants acting in combination confers susceptibility to fatty liver disease in obese children."

###

This study and editorial are published in Hepatology. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the articles may contact healthnews@wiley.com.

Originally posted here:
Study identifies genetic variants linked to fatty liver disease in obese children

GAITHERSBURG, Md., March 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- GenVec, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNVC - News) announced today that data were presented on GenVec's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine program at the "Keystone Symposium on Viral Immunity and Host Gene Influence", which is taking place in Keystone, Colorado from March 21-26, 2012. The poster titled "Respiratory Syncytial Virus Neutralizing Antibodies Induced by Recombinant Adenovirus Vectors" #116 was presented on March 22, 2012 in Poster Session 1. The data were generated by the VRC and GenVec under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). The presentation was given by Man Chen, PhD, Research Fellow, Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory, at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Data presented at the conference demonstrated encouraging preclinical proof-of-concept findings generated in non-human primates. Specifically, the data show GenVec's vaccine technology induced neutralizing antibody, and significant T-cell responses with a single administration. The immune responses were consistent with protective responses without disease potentiation and multiple administrations increased the neutralizing antibody responses.

"These data clearly demonstrate in a primate model that a vaccine utilizing our technology has significant potential to prevent RSV," stated Jason Gall, PhD, Senior Director of Research at GenVec and the company's lead RSV scientist. "These data support continued development of our pipeline of infectious disease vaccines based on our viral vector technology."

About Respiratory Syncytial Virus

RSV is the single most important viral cause of lower respiratory infections in infants and young children and there is no approved vaccine. According to the World Health Organization, nearly all U.S. children have been infected with RSV by two years of age. Although RSV infection usually produces cold-like symptoms, the infection can result in severe lower respiratory tract infection, which causes up to 130,000 pediatric hospitalizations per year in the U.S. RSV also causes repeated infections throughout life, placing the elderly and individuals with compromised cardiac, pulmonary, or immune systems at risk for severe disease. Among the institutionalized elderly, it is estimated there are about 15,000 deaths annually from RSV.

About GenVec

GenVec is a biopharmaceutical company using differentiated, proprietary technologies to create superior therapeutics and vaccines. A key component of our strategy is to develop and commercialize our product candidates through collaborations. GenVec is working with leading companies and organizations such as Novartis, Merial, and the U.S. Government to support a portfolio of product programs that address the prevention and treatment of a number of significant human and animal health concerns. GenVec's development programs address therapeutic areas such as hearing loss and balance disorders; as well as vaccines against infectious diseases including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), dengue fever, malaria, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the area of animal health we are developing vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Additional information about GenVec is available at http://www.genvec.com and in the Company's various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Statements herein relating to future financial or business performance, conditions or strategies and other financial and business matters, including expectations regarding funding, grants, collaborations, revenues, cash burn rates, the development of products and the success of the Company's collaborations, including with Novartis and Merial, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. GenVec cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or historical experience include risks and uncertainties, including the failure by GenVec to secure and maintain relationships with collaborators; risks relating to the early stage of GenVec's product candidates under development; uncertainties relating to research and development activities; risks relating to the commercialization, if any, of GenVec's proposed product candidates; dependence on the efforts of collaborators and third parties; dependence on intellectual property; currently unanticipated expenses, and risks that we may lack the financial resources and access to capital to fund our operations. Further information on the factors and risks that could affect GenVec's business, financial conditions and results of operations, are contained in GenVec's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available at http://www.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and GenVec assumes no duty to update forward-looking statements.

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GenVec, Inc.

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Promising Data Presented On GenVec RSV Program

POWAY, CA--(Marketwire -03/22/12)- Vet-Stem announced today the introduction of StemInsure. The StemInsure service provides banked stem cells that can be grown to supply a lifetime of stem cell therapy for dogs. One fat collection, in conjunction with another anesthetized procedure, gives access to a lifetime of stem cells.

Vet-Stem has trained over 3,500 veterinarians, provided stem cells for over 8,000 animals in the US and Canada and currently banks more than 25,000 doses for future therapeutic use. Many veterinarians and their clients have requested a method to collect and store stem cells when a dog is young, before it needs the regenerative cells for therapy. StemInsure was designed to meet this need.

A Vet-Stem credentialed veterinarian can collect as little as 5 grams of fat (about the size of a grape) from a dog or puppy during an anesthetized procedure. Many veterinarians and owners are electing to do this fat collection in conjunction with a spay or neuter. This small amount of fat is processed and stem cells are cryopreserved in Vet-Stem's state-of-the-art facility. The cells can be cultured in the future to provide enough stem cells to last for the lifetime of the dog. More information can be found at http://www.vet-stem.com/steminsure.php.

"Vet-Stem is pleased to provide StemInsure as a solution to the thousands of veterinarians and dog owners who recognize the value of Vet-Stem cell therapy. The ability to store the cells in conjunction with another procedure is a great way to ensure that the dog will have access to a lifetime of cell therapy while reducing the number of anesthetic events," said Dr. Bob Harman, DVM, MPVM, and CEO of Vet-Stem. Dr. Harman continued, "Currently, Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy is widely used to treat osteoarthritis, and tendon/ligament injuries. It is our expectation that the therapeutic use of adipose derived stem cells will continue to expand and add to the value of a lifetime supply of stem cells for dogs."

About Vet-Stem:In January of 2004, Vet-Stem introduced the first veterinary stem cell service in the United States. Since that time there has been rapid adoption of this technology for treatment of tendon, ligament, and joint injuries by the veterinary community. Studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells can dramatically improve the healing of injuries and diseases that have had very few treatment options in the past.

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Vet-Stem Announces StemInsure(R): A Small Fat Sample Now, a Lifetime of Stem Cells Later

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ)One of the last search and rescue dogs from 9/11 lives here in Maryland. She was suffering from a painful condition until her owner took action with breakthrough technology.

Mary Bubala has the story.

Red is a search and rescue dog from Annapolis, but has traveled across the country. Her missions include Hurricane Katrina, the La Plata tornadoes and the Pentagon after 9/11.

They credit them with finding 70 percent of the human remains so that helped a whole lot of those families actually get closure, said Heather Roche, Reds owner.

Sept. 11 was Reds first search. Today shes one of the last 9/11 search and rescue dogs still alive.

She retired last summer due to severe arthritis.

It would be nice if her arthritis, if she felt better, that she could do those kinds of things that she misses, Reds owner said while fighting back tears. Alright I am going to cry.

Roche did some research and found an animal hospital in northern Virginia that uses breakthrough stem cell therapy to treat arthritis in dogs.

The Burke Animal Clinic is one of just a few across the country that use stem cell therapy.

The vet harvests 1 to 2 ounces of the dogs fatty tissue, activates the stem cells and then injects them back into the troubled areas.

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Stem Cell Therapy Used To Treat 9/11 Search And Rescue Dog

Public release date: 22-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jeremy Moore jeremy.moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research

PHILADELPHIA Cancer cell metabolism may present a new target for therapy as scientists have uncovered a possible gene that leads to greater growth of prostate cancer cells.

Study results are published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Almut Schulze, Ph.D., a group leader in the Gene Expression Analysis Laboratory at Cancer Research U.K., and colleagues analyzed three metastatic prostate cancer cell lines and compared those findings with those of a nonmalignant prostate epithelial cell line.

"Cancer metabolism is a new and emerging target that can be exploited as a potential therapeutic, and our study identified one of the components for the growth of these cancer cells," she said.

The researchers analyzed the effects of gene silencing of 222 metabolic enzymes, transporters and regulators on the survival of the cell lines.

"This approach revealed a significant complexity in the metabolic requirements of prostate cancer cells and identified genes selectively required for their survival," said Schulze.

Researchers determined that the gene PFKFB4 was vital in many of these processes. Specifically, it was required to balance glycolytic activity and antioxidant production to maintain cellular redox balance in the cancer cells. When levels of this gene were depleted in laboratory models, tumor growth was inhibited. Higher levels of this gene were found in the metastatic prostate cancer cell lines.

Schulze concluded that this gene is required for tumor growth and thus could be manipulated with targeted therapies. Although this study was confined to prostate cancer, she believes the findings could be applicable in other cancers as well.

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Scientists identify new mechanism of prostate cancer cell metabolism

Genetic studies find dysregulation in pathways that govern development of the prefrontal cortex in young patients with autism

Newswise A study led by Eric Courchesne, PhD, director of the Autism Center of Excellence at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has, for the first time, identified in young autism patients genetic mechanisms involved in abnormal early brain development and overgrowth that occurs in the disorder. The findings suggest novel genetic and molecular targets that could lead to discoveries of new prevention strategies and treatment for the disorder.

The study to be published on March 22 in PLoS Genetics uncovered differences in gene expression between brain tissue from young (2 to14 years old) and adult individuals with autism syndrome disorder, providing important clues why brain growth and development is abnormal in this disorder.

Courchesne first identified the link between early brain overgrowth and autism in a landmark study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2003. Next, he tested the possibility that brain overgrowth might result from an abnormal excess of brain cells. In November 2011, his study, also published in JAMA, discovered a 67 percent excess of brain cells in a major region of the brain, the prefrontal cortex a part of the brain associated with social, communication and cognitive development.

Our next step was to see whether there might be abnormalities of genetic functioning in that same region that might give us insight into why there are too many cells and why that specific region does not develop normally in autism, said Courchesne.

In the new study, the researchers looked towards genes for answers, and showed that genetic mechanisms that normally regulate the number of cortical neurons are abnormal. The genes that control the number of brain cells did not have the normal functional expression, and the level of gene expression that governs the pattern of neural organization across the prefrontal cortex is turned down. There are abnormal numbers and patterns of brain cells, and subsequently the pattern is disturbed, Courchesne said. This probably leads to too many brain cells in some locations, such as prefrontal cortex, but perhaps too few in other regions of cortex as well.

In addition, the scientists discovered a turning down of the genetic mechanisms responsible for detecting DNA defects and correcting or removing affected cells during periods of rapid prenatal development.

Autism is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder, yet the genetic underpinnings in the brain at young ages have remained largely unknown. Until now, few studies have been able to investigate whole-genome gene expression and genotype variation in the brains of young patients with autism, especially in regions such as the prefrontal cortex that display the greatest growth abnormality.

Scientists including co-first authors Maggie Chow, PhD, and Tiziano Pramparo, PhD, at UC San Diego identified abnormal brain gene expression patterns using whole-genome analysis of mRNA levels and copy number variations from 33 autistic and control postmortem brain samples. They found evidence of dysregulation in the pathways that govern cell number, cortical patterning and cell differentiation in the young autistic prefrontal cortex. In contrast, in adult patients with autism, the study found that this area of the brain shows dysregulation of signaling and repair pathways.

Our results indicate that gene expression abnormalities change across the lifespan in autism, and that dysregulated processes in the developing brain of autistic patients differ from those detected at adult ages, said Courchesne. The dysregulated genetic pathways we found at young ages in autism may underlie the excess of neurons and early brain overgrowth associated with this disorder.

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Gene Expression Abnormalities in Autism Identified

What: Honors Forum on Faith and Intellect; topic is bioethics

When: Noon to 1 p.m. today

Where: Hardin-Simmons University, in the multipurpose room of the Johnson Building.

Keynote speaker: Dr. Peter Dysert II, chief of pathology, Baylor University Medical Center

Topic: "Precision Medicine: A Technology-driven Revolution"

Registration fees: $20 for conference and all meals ($10 for HSU employees and students); $5 each for keynote address and meal; no charge for presentations only.

Photo by Joy Lewis

Joy Lewis/Reporter-News Dr. James Denison, director of the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, talks with guests before his keynote address, "Precision Medicine: Ethical Imperatives and Challenges" at Hardin-Simmons University on Thursday.

The day may come when some diseases are greatly diminished or even eliminated through genetic testing before people are even conceived that's the good news.

But what if that same testing can predict a child's future capabilities when conception occurs? Will that knowledge affect a couple's decision to have a child or even to marry?

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Ethics questions posed by 'precision medicine' are weighty, speaker tells HSU forum

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (OTCQB: ILIU.PK - News) announced today that it will host a conference call and Webcast on Thursday, March 29 at 4:30 p.m. (EDT) to discuss the Companys fourth quarter and 2011 year-end results.

To access the live call, dial 877-324-1976 (domestic) or 631-291-4550 (international). The live Webcast and replay access of the teleconference will be available on the Investors section of Interleukin Genetics, Inc.s Website at http://www.ilgenetics.com.

About Interleukin Genetics, Inc.

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (OTCQB: ILIU.PK - News) develops and markets a line of genetic tests under the Inherent Health brand.The products empower individuals to prevent certain chronic conditions and manage their existing health and wellness through genetic-based insights with actionable guidance. Interleukin Genetics leverages its research, intellectual property and genetic panel development expertise in metabolism and inflammation to facilitate the emerging personalized healthcare market. The Company markets its tests through partnerships with health and wellness companies, healthcare professionals and other distribution channels. Interleukin Genetics flagship products include its proprietary PST genetic risk panel for periodontal disease and tooth loss susceptibility sold through dentists, and the Inherent Health Weight Management Genetic Test that identifies the most effective diet and exercise program for an individual based on genetics. Interleukin Genetics is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. and operates an on-site, state-of-the-art DNA testing laboratory certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). For more information, please visit http://www.ilgenetics.com.

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Interleukin Genetics, Inc. Announces Conference Call to Discuss Fourth Quarter 2011 Results

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire -03/21/12)- Entest BioMedical Inc. (OTCQB: ENTB.PK - News) (Pinksheets: ENTB.PK - News)

Entest BioMedical Inc. (OTCQB: ENTB.PK - News) (Pinksheets: ENTB.PK - News) and RenovoCyte LLC announced they have treated 8 canine patients of a 10 dog pilot study utilizing Canine Endometrial Regenerative Cells (CERC) licensed from Medistem Inc. (Pinksheets: MEDS.PK - News) in the treatment of canine osteoarthritis.

Previously, Entest announced the treatment of the first canine patient on November 18, 2011. Since that time Entest's McDonald Animal Hospital has treated 8 dogs in its 10 Dog Pilot Study with RenovoCyte. To date, all of the dogs participating in this study have shown dramatic improvement in their mobility and apparent reduction of pain.

Dr. Greg McDonald, Chief Veterinarian at McDonald Animal Hospital, said, "50 million CERC stem cells have been injected intravenously into eight dogs. Each dog selected for this study showed signs of arthritis. Follow-up blood tests, urinalysis and physical exams are now being scheduled for the patients that have already been treated. So far, all these canine patients have shown improvement."

Entest BioMedical Chairman David Koos stated, "Osteoarthritis is considered one of the most common causes of lameness in dogs, occurring in up to 30% of all dogs. It is caused by a deterioration of joint cartilage, followed by pain and loss of range of motion of the joint. We expect this treatment to relieve these animals from the pain associated with arthritis. This has extraordinary possibilities for dogs and may lead the way for human treatment of arthritic pain."

The CERC is a "universal donor" stem cell product that does not require matching with the recipient allowing for the generation of standardized products that can be delivered to the office of the veterinarian ready for injection. This is in stark contrast to current stem cell therapies utilized in veterinary applications which require the extraction, manipulation, and subsequent implantation of tissue from the animal being treated. CERC is the canine equivalent of Medistem's Endometrial Regenerative Cell (ERC). Medistem was recently granted approval from the FDA to initiate a clinical trial in human patients using its ERCs.

"We are extremely pleased with our research relationship with Entest BioMedical. This study of canine pets suffering from naturally occurring osteoarthritis is a better test model than laboratory induced disease because it will give us the opportunity for long term follow up of these patients. RenovoCyte sees this study as part of the supporting documentation that will be needed to obtain FDA approval for widespread usage of this therapy," said Shelly Zacharias, DVM, Director of Veterinary Operations, RenovoCyte, LLC.

A spokesperson for Entest noted the Company is also currently conducting a 10 dog safety study on its immune-therapeutic cancer vaccine for dogs, having treated 3 dogs so far.

About Entest BioMedical Inc.:Entest BioMedical Inc. (http://www.entestbio.com) is a veterinary biotechnology company focused on developing therapies that harness the animal's own reparative / immunological mechanisms. The Company's products include an immuno-therapeutic cancer vaccine for canines (ImenVax). ImenVax is less invasive and less traumatic in treating cancer. Additionally, the Company serves as the contract research organization conducting a pilot study on a stem cell based canine osteoarthritis treatment (developed by RenovoCyte LLC) utilizing a 'universal donor' stem cell. Entest is also building a network of veterinary hospitals (with its initial location in Santa Barbara, CA and anticipates acquiring other veterinary hospitals in California) -- which serve as distribution channels for its products.

DisclaimerThis news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which forward-looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, the effect of government regulation, competition and other material risks.

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Entest BioMedical Excited With Progress on 10 Dog Pilot Study of "Universal Donor" Stem Cell Treatment for Canine ...

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire -03/21/12)- VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC.BB: VSTA.OB - News) (OTCQB: VSTA.OB - News), a biotechnology company applying stem cell technology for drug rescue and cell therapy, and Vala Sciences, Inc., a biotechnology company developing and selling next-generation cell image-based instruments, reagents and analysis software tools, have entered into a strategic collaboration. Their goal is to advance drug safety screening methodologies in the most clinically relevant human in vitro bioassay systems available to researchers today.

Cardiomyocytes are the muscle cells of the heart that provide the force necessary to pump blood throughout the body, and as such are the targets of most of the drug toxicities that directly affect the heart. Many of these drug toxicities result in either arrhythmia (irregular, often fatal, beating of the heart) or reduced ability of the heart to pump the blood necessary to maintain normal health and vigor.

"Our collaboration with Vala directly supports the core drug rescue applications of our Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube platform," said Shawn K. Singh, JD, VistaGen's Chief Executive Officer. "Our high quality human cardiomyocytes combined with Vala's high throughput electrophysiological assessment capabilities is yet another example of how we are applying our stem cell technology platform within a strategic ecosystem of complementary leading-edge companies and technologies. We seek to drive our drug rescue programs forward and generate a pipeline of new, cardiosafe drug candidates."

Through the collaboration, Vala will use its Kinetic Image Cytometer platform to demonstrate both the suitability and utility of VistaGen's human pluripotent stem cell derived-cardiomyocytes for screening new drug candidates for potential cardiotoxicity over conventional in vitro screening systems and animal models. VistaGen's validated human cardiomyocyte-based bioassay system, CardioSafe 3D, will permit Vala to demonstrate the quality, resolution, applicability and ease of use of its new instrumentation and analysis software to make information-rich, high throughput measurements and generate fundamentally new insights into heart cell drug responses. Accurate, sensitive and reproducible measurement of electrophysiological responses of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to new drug candidates is a key element of VistaGen's CardioSafe 3D drug rescue programs. VistaGen's strategic collaboration with Vala is directed towards this goal.

About VistaGen Therapeutics

VistaGen is a biotechnology company applying human pluripotent stem cell technology for drug rescue and cell therapy. VistaGen's drug rescue activities combine its human pluripotent stem cell technology platform, Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube, with modern medicinal chemistry to generate new chemical variants (Drug Rescue Variants) of once-promising small-molecule drug candidates. These are drug candidates discontinued due to heart toxicity after substantial development by pharmaceutical companies, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) or university laboratories. VistaGen uses its pluripotent stem cell technology to generate early indications, or predictions, of how humans will ultimately respond to new drug candidates before they are ever tested in humans, bringing human biology to the front end of the drug development process.

Additionally, VistaGen's small molecule drug candidate, AV-101, is in Phase 1b development for treatment of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain, a serious and chronic condition causing pain after an injury or disease of the peripheral or central nervous system, affects approximately 1.8 million people in the U.S. alone. VistaGen is also exploring opportunities to leverage its current Phase 1 clinical program to enable additional Phase 2 clinical studies of AV-101 for epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and depression. To date, VistaGen has been awarded over $8.5 million from the NIH for development of AV-101.

About Vala Sciences

Vala Sciences is a San Diego-based biotechnology company that develops and sells cell-image-based instrumentation, reagents and analysis software tools to academic, pharmaceutical and biotechnology scientists. Vala's IC 200 class of instrumentation, and CyteSeer Automated Image Cytometry software convert labor-intensive qualitative observations of biological changes that can take from days to months, into accurate measurements delivered automatically in minutes.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

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VistaGen Therapeutics Enters Strategic Drug Screening Collaboration With Vala Sciences

Public release date: 21-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, March 21, 2012Healthy individuals who carry a gene variation linked to an increased risk of autism have structural differences in their brains that may help explain how the gene affects brain function and increases vulnerability for autism. The results of this innovative brain imaging study are described in an article in the groundbreaking neuroscience journal Brain Connectivity, a bimonthly peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc (http://wwwliebertpub.com). The article is available free online at the Brain Connectivity (http://www.liebertpub.com/brain) website.

"This is one of the first papers demonstrating a linkage between a particular gene variant and changes in brain structure and connectivity in carriers of that gene," says Christopher Pawela, PhD, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Assistant Professor, Medical College of Wisconsin. "This work could lead to the creation of an exciting new line of research investigating the impact of genetics on communication between brain regions."

Although carriers of the common gene variant CNTNAP2identified as an autism risk genemay not develop autism, there is evidence of differences in brain structure that may affect connections and signaling between brain regions. These disruptions in brain connectivity can give rise to functional abnormalities characteristic of neuropsychological disorders such as autism.

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Emily Dennis and coauthors from UCLA School of Medicine and UCLA (Los Angeles, CA) and University of Queensland and Queensland Institute of Medical Research (Brisbane, Australia), used a sophisticated imaging technique to study the brains of healthy young adults who are carriers of CNTNAP2. They report their findings in "Altered Structural Brain Connectivity in Healthy Carriers of the Autism Risk Gene, CNTNAP2." (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/brain.2011.0064)

About the Journal

Brain Connectivity (http://www.liebertpub.com/brain) is the journal of record for researchers and clinicians interested in all aspects of brain connectivity. The Journal is under the leadership of Founding and Co-Editors-in-Chief Christopher Pawela, PhD and Bharat Biswal, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. It includes original peer-reviewed papers, review articles, point-counterpoint discussions on controversies in the field, and a product/technology review section. To ensure that scientific findings are rapidly disseminated, articles are published Instant Online within 72 hours of acceptance, with fully typeset, fast-track publication within 4 weeks. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed online at the Brain Connectivity (http://www.liebertpub.com/brain) website.

About the Company

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Autism risk gene linked to differences in brain structure

21-03-2012 13:09

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Individual Rights to Genetic Information—Issues for Medicine and Government - Video

WEDNESDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- Men worried about encroaching baldness, take heart: A genetic analysis of tissue taken from both bald and hairier spots on men's scalps has identified a protein involved in male pattern hair loss.

The researchers note that drugs that inhibit the protein are already in development, and it's possible those drugs could one day be used to help men preserve their head of hair.

In the study, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania did an analysis of more than 25,000 genes and honed in on one that produces an enzyme that produces a protein known as PGD2. That protein is present in much higher levels in bald spots.

When scientists placed PGD2 on hair follicles in a petri dish, they found the protein inhibited hair growth.

Researchers then tested the protein on mice genetically engineered to lack a receptor for PGD2, and found that hair growth was unaffected. But when PGD2 was applied to mice that have a different receptor (GPR44), the mice grew less hair.

PGD2 is a type of prostaglandin, or a hormone-like substance known to be involved in many body functions, including regulating the contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle tissue. Drugs that inhibit PGD2, for example, are being studied for use in preventing airway constriction in asthma.

"Several companies have compounds in development that block the receptor for PGD2. Those compounds are being studied to treat asthma," said senior study author Dr. George Cotsarelis, chair and professor of dermatology at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. "We think using these compounds topically . . . could slow down and possibly reverse baldness."

The study is published in the March 21 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

About 80 percent of white men have some degree of hair loss before age 70, according to background information in the study. In balding men, hair follicles don't disappear, but they shrink and produce very small, even microscopic hairs, Cotsarelis explained.

The belief is that something is inhibiting the follicle from growing a normal hair. One of those factors seems to be PGD2, which was found near stem cells in the follicle, which are important in hair growth, Cotsarelis explained.

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Research Spots Potential New Target in Fight Against Baldness

Public release date: 21-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Chris Gunter or Holly Ralston cgunter@hudsonalpha.org 256-327-0400 HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- When the intestines are not able to properly process our diet, a variety of disorders can develop, with chronic diarrhea as a common symptom. Chronic diarrhea can also be inherited, most commonly through conditions with genetic components such as irritable bowel syndrome. Researchers in Norway, India, and at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology have identified one heritable DNA mutation that leads to chronic diarrhea and bowel inflammation.

Shawn Levy, Ph.D., faculty investigator at HudsonAlpha said, "Based on the effects seen from this one mutation, we are hopeful that the work will aid in understanding of much more common diseases like Crohn's and irritable bowel syndrome, which also have inflammation and diarrhea as symptoms."

The Norwegian family studied for the paper published today in The New England Journal of Medicine has 32 living members with a number of related inflammatory bowel conditions. Such a large family allowed scientists in Norway to use traditional genetic linkage methods to narrow down the potential DNA mutation to one portion of chromosome 12, and then to a specific gene called GUCY2C.

The Norway group asked Levy and his group at HudsonAlpha to confirm initial findings on this mutation as well as determine if there were other mutations that could contribute to the disorder. "Our exome sequencing was able to rule out other mutations and demonstrate that the one change in the GUCY2C gene was common to the disease," commented Levy.

The protein made from the GUCY2C gene is involved in transmitting specific chemical signals from food consumed to the cells inside our bowels. But the family members with chronic diarrhea have a mutation that makes the protein constantly "on," or transmitting much more signal than it should. Based on this new understanding, the scientists are now evaluating possible drug treatments based on the function of the affected protein. They can also recommend that GUCY2C be reexamined in more common bowel inflammation syndromes, as it may contribute to pathology for thousands of people worldwide.

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The article "Familial Diarrhea Syndrome Caused by an Activating GUCY2C Mutation," by Fiskerstrand et al. can be found at the website http://www.nejm.org.

The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Alabama, is the cornerstone of the Cummings Research Park Biotechnology Campus. The campus hosts a synergistic cluster of life sciences talent - science, education and business professionals - that promises collaborative innovation to turn knowledge and ideas into commercial products and services for improving human health and strengthening Alabama's progressively diverse economy. The non-profit institute is housed in a state-of-the-art, 270,000 square-ft. facility strategically located in the nation's second largest research park. HudsonAlpha has a three-fold mission of genomic research, economic development and educational outreach.

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Genetic mutation found in familial chronic diarrhea syndrome

Public release date: 21-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Phyllis Edelman pedelman@genetics-gsa.org 301-634-7302 Genetics Society of America

BETHESDA, MD -- The Genetics Society of America (GSA) and the Drosophila community are pleased to announce the nine award recipients for their poster presentations at the 53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference held March 7-11, 2011 in Chicago, IL.

Poster awards were presented to scientists at three career stages: undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. Each category offered a first prize for $500, second for $300 and third for $200.

"The poster awards are just one way that we highlight the contributions of early-career researchers, recognizing these talented individuals not only for their science, but on the effective communication of their results," said Adam Fagen, Ph.D., executive director of GSA. "We look forward to following the careers of these students and postdocs and expect great things as they continue in science."

"Winning a poster award is a true honor," said Elizabeth Gavis, Ph.D., past president of the Drosophila community's Board of Directors. "Although the poster presenters span all career stages, these awards are designated specifically for students and postdocs and recognize the intellectual and experimental contributions of the winners as well as their ability to convey their research to other scientists," she added.

The nine recipients of the awards were selected from among 500 student and postdoc posters, which represent more than half of the nearly 1,000 poster presentations at the conference. The awardees, research institution, poster titles and principal investigators (PI) who worked with them are listed below.

Undergraduate Awardees:

1st Place: Kathryn Landy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ Poster Title: Chromosome axis proteins regulate synapsis and recombination in female meiosis (#322) PI: Kim S. McKim, Ph.D.

2nd Place: Balint Z. Kacsoh, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia Poster Title: High hemocyte load is associated with increased resistance against parasitoids in Drosophila suzukii, a relative of D. melanogaster (#459) PI: Todd A. Schlenke, Ph.D.

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Drosophila meeting poster award recipients announced

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Response Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:RGDX - News), a company focused on the development and commercialization of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer, will announce its fourth quarter and full-year 2011 financial results and an operational update in a press release to be issued before the market opens on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. The company will host a conference call that same day at 10:00 a.m. EDT to discuss its financial results.

CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS

To access the conference call by phone on March 27 at 10:00 a.m. EDT, dial (800) 537-0745 or (253) 237-1142 for international participants. A telephone replay will be available beginning approximately two hours after the call through April 3, and may be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056, (404) 537-3406, or (800) 585-8367. The reply passcode is 64520370.

To access the live and archived webcast of the conference call, go to the Investor Relations section of the Company's Web site at http://investor.responsegenetics.com. It is advised that participants connect at least 15 minutes prior to the call to allow for any software downloads that might be necessary.

About Response Genetics, Inc.

Response Genetics Inc. (RGI) is a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer. RGIs principal customers include oncologist, pathologists and hospitals. In addition to diagnostic testing services, the Company generates revenue from the sales of its analytical testing services of clinical trial specimens to the pharmaceutical industry. RGI was founded in 1999 and its principal headquarters are located in Los Angeles, California. For additional information, please visit http://www.responsegenetics.com.

Forward-Looking Statement Notice

Except for the historical information contained herein, this press release and the statements of representatives of RGI related thereto contain or may contain, among other things, certain forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Such forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties. Such statements may include, without limitation, statements with respect to the Companys plans, objectives, projections, expectations and intentions, such as the ability of the Company to announce its financial results and provide a conference call, to continue to provide clinical testing services to the medical community, to continue to expand its sales force, to continue to build its digital pathology initiative, to attract and retain qualified management, , to continue to provide clinical trial support to pharmaceutical clients, to enter into new collaborations with pharmaceutical clients, to enter into new areas such as companion diagnostics, and to continue to execute on its business strategy and operations, to continue to analyze cancer samples, the potential for using the results of this research to develop diagnostic tests for cancer, the usefulness of genetic information to tailor treatment to patients, and other statements identified by words such as projects, may, could, would, should, believes, expects, anticipates, estimates, intends, plans or similar expressions.

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Response Genetics, Inc. to Release Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2011 Financial Results and Host Conference Call on ...

NEW YORK (AP) Shares of Myriad Genetics Inc. fell Wednesday after a Supreme Court ruling started a new round of concerns about the company's intellectual property, which includes patents on genetic mutations related to breast cancer.

THE SPARK: On Tuesday the Supreme Court threw out patent claims belonging to Prometheus Laboratories, a subsidiary of Nestle SA. The 9-0 ruling overturned patents that were used in a blood test that helps doctors determine the dosage of a drug used to treat autoimmune diseases.

The test involved administering the drug, called thiopurine, to patients and then determining the levels of thiopurine metabolites in the patient's red blood cells. The court ruled that the patents were based on the laws of nature, which can't be patented.

Myriad has faced challenges to some of the patents supporting its BRACAnalysis test, which looks for mutations on a gene that indicates an increased risk for inherited breast cancer. In March 2010 a New York district court ruled that genes could not be patented, but a federal appeals court reversed that decision in July.

THE BIG PICTURE: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been awarding patents on human genes for decades, and the federal court said the BRACAnalysis patents were valid because they concern "isolated DNA," which has a different chemical structure from DNA within the body. The case could come before the Supreme Court.

THE ANALYSIS: Analysts said Wednesday that it's not clear if the Supreme Court will accept the Myriad Genetics case or how it would rule if it did. Jefferies & Co. analyst Jon Wood said the ruling in the Prometheus Laboratories case does not contradict the federal court's findings from July. However he said that even if the Myriad Genetics patents are overturned, the BRACAnalysis test is supported by many other patents.

William Blair & Co. analyst Amanda Murphy said the decision "introduces some uncertainty related to method patents in general, particularly correlation claims in diagnostics" for Myriad Genetics and Genomic Health Inc., but she said the Prometheus Labs and the Myriad case involve different types of patents.

Genomic Health's Oncotype DX test is designed to predict the risk that a patient's breast or colon cancer will recur.

SHARE ACTION: Myriad shares lost 94 cents, or 3.9 percent, to $23.37 in afternoon trading. The stock is up 16 percent this year.

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Myriad Genetics slips on patent concerns

BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Seattle Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGEN - News) announced today that Nancy A. Simonian, M.D. has been appointed to the companys Board of Directors. Dr. Simonian is a biotechnology veteran with more than 16 years of global drug development experience, most recently as Chief Medical Officer at Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company.

Nancy brings significant experience in all aspects of clinical development, regulatory affairs and medical research, as well as program management and strategic prioritization of product portfolios, said Clay B. Siegall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Seattle Genetics. She is a valuable addition to our Board as we continue executing on our broad clinical development program for ADCETRIS and advancing our pipeline of clinical and preclinical products aimed at improving treatments for people with cancer.

This is an exciting time at Seattle Genetics, with the August 2011 FDA approval of ADCETRIS in two relapsed lymphomas, the many ongoing and planned clinical trials to evaluate ADCETRIS in a wide range of CD30-positive malignancies and a robust pipeline of other oncology assets, said Dr. Simonian. I look forward to working with the Board and the management team to maximize the potential of Seattle Genetics antibody-drug conjugate technology, collaborations and value to patients.

NancySimonian is currently an independent consultant to the biotechnology industry. From 2001 to 2011 she was at Millennium where she led clinical and regulatory activities supporting the development and product approvals for all oncology programs, including Velcade as well as drugs for inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. She also chaired the portfolio review committee responsible for all development investments. Before Millennium, she was Vice President of Clinical Research at Biogen (now Biogen Idec) where she was responsible for clinical development and medical affairs of the neurology and oncology pipeline, including Avonex and Tysabri. Dr. Simonian currently serves on the board of directors of the Personalized Medicine Coalition. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Dr.Simonian was on the faculty of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School as an assistant professor of neurology. She received a B.A. in Biology from Princeton University and an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School.

About Seattle Genetics

Seattle Genetics is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of monoclonal antibody-based therapies for the treatment of cancer. The FDA granted accelerated approval of ADCETRIS in August 2011 for two indications. ADCETRIS is being developed in collaboration with Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company. In addition, Seattle Genetics has three other clinical-stage ADC programs: SGN-75, ASG-5ME and ASG-22ME. Seattle Genetics has collaborations for its ADC technology with a number of leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including Abbott, Bayer, Celldex Therapeutics, Daiichi Sankyo, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Millennium, Pfizer and Progenics, as well as ADC co-development agreements with Agensys, an affiliate of Astellas, and Genmab. More information can be found at http://www.seattlegenetics.com.

Certain of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking, such as those, among others, relating to the companys plans for clinical trials with ADCETRIS and other programs. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include, among others, that adverse events adversely affect the ability to successfully conduct planned clinical trials. More information about the risks and uncertainties faced by Seattle Genetics is contained in the companys Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Seattle Genetics disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Seattle Genetics Appoints Dr. Nancy Simonian to Board of Directors