Newswise HOUSTON (Aug. 21, 2012) Thanks to a cousins warning that thoracic aortic disease ran in their family, Houstonian Pat Arthur discovered that he carried a genetic defect that could cause his aorta to dissect and rupture with little or no warning. He also learned that this particular defect resulted in an aggressive form of the disease and the growing aneurysm spotted with a scan needed to be surgically corrected sooner than later.

It was life-saving information.

Now a new clinic devoted to integrated care for aortic disease is able to merge personalized genetic information with clinical care at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

The new clinic will provide state-of-the-art care of patients with aortic and other vascular disease, with a particular emphasis on managing the disease based on the underlying genetic alteration that is causing the disease. This is the epitome of personalized medicine, said Dianna M. Milewicz, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Medical Genetics and the President George H.W. Bush Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine at UTHealth. This is one of the first diseases that we can treat based on the underlying gene causing the disease.

The Multidisciplinary Aortic and Vascular Disease Clinic includes a medical geneticist, genetic counselors, cardiologists, and cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons who specialize in providing care to individuals and families with thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections, as well as other vascular diseases and cardiac valve abnormalities. Congenital disorders such as bicuspid aortic valve and genetic syndromes such as Marfan syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome can lead to thoracic aortic disease. In addition, thoracic aortic disease can be inherited in families without any features of a syndrome.

Milewicz directs a $12 million grant from the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (RO1 HL62594; P50HL083794-01), part of the National Institutes of Health, for collaborative research on thoracic aortic disease. She and her research team at UTHealths John Ritter Research Program in Aortic and Vascular Diseases have discovered four genes that predispose people to familial thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections and have confirmed that another four contribute to familial disease. Defects in some of these genes also affect other parts of the vascular system and can result in intracranial aneurysms, early onset coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke and Moyamoya disease. If patients know they carry a particular gene defect, they can be treated with medications and monitored for signs of disease. In the case where there appears to be a familial link but the gene defect has not been discovered, family members can undergo regular screening for vascular disease to prevent premature deaths and strokes.

This is translational medicine a direct pipeline from research to the clinic, said cardiologist Siddharth Prakash, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at UTHealth. We can look at the risk factors and the long-term survival and tailor that according to the genetic work of Dr. Milewicz and her team.

Surgical care for patients is centered at the Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute (HVI) in the Texas Medical Center. Hazim Safi, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery and chief of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at HVI, and Anthony Estrera, M.D., are also involved in the care of these patients. The clinic is part of UT Physicians, the clinical practice of the UTHealth Medical School. For more information, call (832) 325-7211.

Link:
UTHealth Research, Clinical Care Merge in Aortic and Vascular Disease Clinic

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Annual Scientific Meeting of the College of American Pathologists Gives Special Attention to Lung Cancer

Newswise NORTHFIELD, ILL. New science in molecular diagnostics, personalized medicine, and genetic testing for cancer will be featured topics when more than 1,000 pathology leaders gather at the Manchester Grand Hyatt on September 9-12, 2012, for the annual scientific meeting of the College of American Pathologists (CAP). CAP 12THE Pathologists Meeting will highlight advances in anatomic and clinical pathology related to laboratory medicine with a special focus on pulmonary pathology, the diagnosis of lung disease.

Revolutions in the molecular understanding of cancer have changed the way pathologists diagnose this disease and guide treatment, said CAP President Stanley J. Robboy, MD, FCAP. Today, the most effective treatment options are based on appropriate testing, accurate diagnosis, and a team approach to patient care one that includes the pathologist. Weve created a curriculum at our annual meeting for pathologists to keep current on the new diagnostic procedures that can enhance patient care.

At CAP 12, expert pathologists from around the globe will lead educational seminars that provide practical tools, which pathologists can immediately incorporate into their practices. Hot topics include breakthroughs in the molecular testing of lung cancer, a disease that strikes more than 230,000 Americans each year. This special scientific session will offer perspectives from one of the nations leading pathology experts in the study of lung cancer, Marc Ladanyi, MD, FCAP, an attending pathologist on the Molecular Diagnostics Service in the Department of Pathology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York, and Kim Norris, a UCLA Lung SPORE patient advocate and president of the Lung Cancer Foundation of American. Additional hot topics include: o Next-Generation Sequencing for Inherited Disorders o Companion Diagnostics for Targeted Therapy Cancer o Treatment Implication of ER-Positive and HER2-Positive Breast CancerThe Critical Role of Pathologists o Molecular Classification of Multiple Myeloma Using Genomic Profiling

Abstract Program Showcases Junior CAP Members Original Research As part of the CAP 12 Abstract Program, five CAP physician residents will receive special recognition for outstanding original research. Editors from the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine evaluated the submissions. This years winning abstracts cover a range of topics, including major discrepancies between clinical and postmortem pediatric diagnoses, and a large multi-institutional study that sought to determine whether the 2-tier ovarian serous carcinoma grading system was useful in stratifying these carcinomas.

CAP Will Honor San Diego High School Students for Excellence in Science Additionally, the CAP is honoring six of the best and brightest high school science students in San Diego through its Path to the Future in Medicine program. As part of this program, the students are invited to display their winning projects at CAP 12. In addition, they will have the opportunity to tour the CAP 12 meeting and discuss possible careers in medicine and science, as well as general science issues, with leaders in pathology.

The students, who competed at the 2012 Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair in March were judged for excellence in five areas: creativity, scientific thought, attention to detail, skill, and clarity.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP), celebrating 50 years as the gold standard in laboratory accreditation, is a medical society serving more than 18,000 physician members and the global laboratory community. It is the worlds largest association composed exclusively of board-certified pathologists and is the worldwide leader in laboratory quality assurance. The College advocates accountable, high-quality, and cost-effective patient care.

### Editors note: Please call Julie Monzo at 847-832-7538, or e-mail jmonzo@cap.org, for free media registration. Or visit our Web site at: http://www.cap.org/CAP12.

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Advances in Molecular Diagnostics, Genetic Testing, and Personalized Medicine to Be Focus at CAP '12 -- THE ...

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Newswise ITHACA, N.Y. More than one out of every four cases of breast cancer is associated with a specific, missing gene a finding that could have significant implications for chemotherapy treatments, according a recent study by Cornell University researchers.

The study shows that the lack of a certain gene occurs in almost 28 percent of human breast cancers, playing a role in some 60,000 breast-cancer cases in the United States and 383,000 worldwide this year. Posted online in the journal GENETICS, the study has important clinical implications: It suggests that several existing drugs may be effective in treating breast cancers with the missing gene, called NF1. It also suggests that the commonly used breast cancer drug tamoxifen could make the disease worse in these specific cancers.

The NF1 gene negatively regulates one of the most important oncogenes genes that when mutated or expressed at high levels contribute to turning a normal cell into a cancerous one. This oncogene, called RAS, is involved in signaling inside the cell to control growth. When NF1 is missing or depleted, RAS becomes hyperactivated and can lead to tumor formation.

In the study, Cornell researchers used a mouse model with elevated mutation rates that led to breast cancer in 80 percent of the mice.

These mice almost always get mammary tumors, and when we looked at their genomes, nearly all of them were missing this NF1 gene, said John Schimenti, professor of genetics at Cornells College of Veterinary Medicine and the papers senior author. There are many big cancer studies that identify the most commonly mutated genes, but they dont prove experimentally that those genes are the drivers of cancer.

In humans, there are many causes of breast cancer, and each patients cancer has a slightly different set of natural gene variants as well as new mutations in their tumors, so identifying individual genes that drive cancer can be problematic. But the model mice are inbred and get exactly the same tumor every time. So weve eliminated all the noise, allowing the researchers to identify NF1 as a driver of these tumors, said Schimenti.

In the mouse model, RAS is hyperactivated. Since RAS is one of the most important oncogenes, many drugs have been already developed to interrupt the RAS pathway to treat cancer. If NF1 is missing and it is causing cancer by activating RAS, then these drugs may help, said Schimenti. Therefore, there doesnt need to be any more drug development to test this possibility right now.

The study also suggests that tamoxifen, one of the most common breast cancer treatments, may exacerbate the disease when the missing NF1 is the driver. Another study reported that NF1 protein depletion makes cancer cells resistant to tamoxifen, and tamoxifen-treated patients whose tumors have low NF1 levels had poorer clinical outcomes.

Schimenti and his colleagues plan to test whether they can reverse growth of tumors in mice missing the NF1 gene by inserting a replacement gene. They are also testing how effective RAS inhibitor drugs are at curbing cancer in mice. The paper shows that RAS inhibitors curb growth of these tumor cells in culture.

Marsha Wallace, a graduate student working in Schimentis lab at Cornell, is the papers lead author. Researchers from the University of North Carolina and Sloan Kettering Cancer Center co-authored the study.

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Missing Gene May Drive More Than One in Four Breast Cancers

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SAN DIEGO, Aug. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- HUYA Bioscience International announced today a strategic partnership with one of China's leading research organizations, Tianjin Research Center of Basic Medical Sciences (TJRCBMS). HUYA is an international leader in accelerating the global development of China's pharmaceutical innovations. Their new partnership with TJRCBMS will focus on innovations coming out of this newly formed institution that could meet critical global pharmaceutical pipeline needs.

Located on the Tianjin Medical University campus, TJRCBMS is a nonprofit research institution founded by the municipal government of Tianjin. Its mission is to be on the global biomedical research frontiers and serve China's strategic development needs. Since its opening in 2005, it has recruited high-caliber principal investigators from China as well as from overseas to establish laboratories and conduct cutting-edge research in areas such as translational cancer biology, neural information processing, and gene therapy. Many of these investigators are well established in their respective research areas and have published extensively in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

The new partnership between HUYA and TJRCBMS will enable both parties to collaborate to promote new drug development in China and worldwide. TJRCBMS will be able to consult with HUYA's team of experts in drug development and globalization. In turn, HUYA will have the first opportunity to evaluate certain research and development projects conducted at TJRCBMS, and provide support and assistance as needed.

"Working with Tianjin Research Center of Basic Medical Sciences puts us at the cutting edge of biomedical research in China," said Clement Gingras, HUYA's Chief Technical Officer and COO, China. "We are very excited about this opportunity and look forward to fruitful collaborations in the years to come."

Professor Ning Zhang, the Director for TJRCBMS also expressed his optimism about this new partnership: "HUYA can provide their expertise on pharmaceutical development to help accelerate the global reach of our innovative research."

ABOUT HUYA BIOSCIENCE INTERNATIONAL

HUYA is one of the first companies to have recognized China's potential to help meet the global demand for new preclinical and clinical stage compounds. The company's strategy is to facilitate and promote the global development and commercialization of new drug compounds originating in China. With eight offices strategically located across China, the most comprehensive Chinese compound portfolio in the world, and a growing number of collaboration agreements with premier Chinese research and development organizations, HUYA occupies a unique position with regards to the China bio-pharmaceutical industry. Its strategy to identify and license novel Chinese compounds, and to offer Western pharmaceutical companies efficient and comprehensive access to therapeutic innovation in China, means the Company can enable efficient global development. HUYA has become a champion in guiding China's biomedical innovations into the worldwide marketplace. HUYA is jointly headquartered in Shanghai and in San Diego, California. More information is available at http://www.huyabio.com.

ABOUT TIANJIN RESEARCH CENTER OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES

With initial funding of 30 million RMB from the municipal government of Tianjin, Tianjin Research Center of Basic Medical Sciences was established as a non-profit research institution to advance the biomedical research and serve China's strategic development needs. With its innovative open recruiting strategy and supportive management policies, TJRCBMS has attracted top talent globally to establish laboratories to conduct research in areas covering translational cancer biology, pharmaceutical sciences, neural information processing, epigenetics and tumorigenesis, molecular and populational genetics, gene therapy, molecular immunology as well as immunology and inflammation. For more information, please visit http://202.113.48.12/cn/expcenter/chinese.html.

CONTACT

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HUYA Bioscience Announces New Partnership With Tianjin Research Center of Basic Medical Sciences

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ScienceDaily (Aug. 21, 2012) Research on a unique vertebrate called the sea lamprey shows that more than a thousand genes are shed during its early development. These genes are paradoxically lost all throughout the developing embryo except in a specialized compartment called "primordial germ cells" or PGCs. The PGCs can be thought of as embryonic stem cells and are used, ultimately, for making the next generation of lampreys. Based on computational analysis, a significant number of genes that are lost in the embryo have signatures of "pluripotency," which suggests that they could also have undesirable effects if they were inadvertently turned on in the body. In effect, by undergoing programmed genome rearrangement and gene loss during embryogenesis, the sea lamprey "seals" the genes away in the small germline compartment so they cannot be misexpressed and thereby create untoward problems (such as development of cancer, for example).

The study was completed at the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) and recently published as a featured article in Current Biology, along with an outside commentary.

The article authors are Jeramiah Smith, PhD, former postdoctoral fellow at BRI and now Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Kentucky; Chris Amemiya, PhD, Principal Investigator at BRI and Professor of Biology, University of Washington; Evan Eichler, PhD, University of Washington Genome Sciences Professor; and Carl Baker, Research Scientist, University of Washington.

The discovery builds on the group's previous work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2009. "Our new research confirms that lampreys experience rampant programmed genome rearrangement and losses during early development," says Dr. Amemiya. "The genes are restricted to the germline compartment suggesting a deeper biological strategy in order to regulate the genome for highly precise, normal functioning. The strategy removes the possibility that the genes will be expressed in deleterious ways. Humans, on the other hand, must contain these genes through other "epigenetic" mechanisms that are not fool-proof.

There are several implications of this work:

Sea lampreys are "basal" vertebrates that lack jaws and have unique properties that are of interest to scientists. This includes a completely different genetic toolkit for their adaptive immune system, which was also discovered, in part, by Amemiya's group, as well as remarkable powers of regeneration that allow them to completely recover from a severed spinal cord.

High throughput genomic sequencing, computational analysis and other state-of-the-art scientific advances made this research possible. Grant funding was provided by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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Unique solution to gene regulation

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

Contact: Kay Branz kbranz@benaroyaresearch.org 206-342-6903 Immune Tolerance Network

SEATTLE - (August 21, 2012) Research on a unique vertebrate called the sea lamprey shows that more than a thousand genes are shed during its early development. These genes are paradoxically lost all throughout the developing embryo except in a specialized compartment called "primordial germ cells" or PGCs. The PGCs can be thought of as embryonic stem cells and are used, ultimately, for making the next generation of lampreys. Based on computational analysis, a significant number of genes that are lost in the embryo have signatures of "pluripotency," which suggests that they could also have undesirable effects if they were inadvertently turned on in the body. In effect, by undergoing programmed genome rearrangement and gene loss during embryogenesis, the sea lamprey "seals" the genes away in the small germline compartment so they cannot be misexpressed and thereby create untoward problems (such as development of cancer, for example). The study was completed at the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) and recently published as a featured article in Current Biology, along with an outside commentary highlighting its biological importance.

The article authors are Jeramiah Smith, PhD, former postdoctoral fellow at BRI and now Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Kentucky; Chris Amemiya, PhD, Principal Investigator at BRI and Professor of Biology, University of Washington; Evan Eichler, PhD, University of Washington Genome Sciences Professor; and Carl Baker, Research Scientist, University of Washington.

The discovery builds on the group's previous work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2009. "Our new research confirms that lampreys experience rampant programmed genome rearrangement and losses during early development," says Dr. Amemiya. "The genes are restricted to the germline compartment suggesting a deeper biological strategy in order to regulate the genome for highly precise, normal functioning. The strategy removes the possibility that the genes will be expressed in deleterious ways. Humans, on the other hand, must contain these genes through other "epigenetic" mechanisms that are not fool-proof.

There are several implications of this work:

Sea lampreys are "basal" vertebrates that lack jaws and have unique properties that are of interest to scientists. This includes a completely different genetic toolkit for their adaptive immune system, which was also discovered, in part, by Amemiya's group, as well as remarkable powers of regeneration that allow them to completely recover from a severed spinal cord.

High throughput genomic sequencing, computational analysis and other state-of-the-art scientific advances made this research possible. Grant funding was provided by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

###

About Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason

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Research reveals unique solution to gene regulation

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 2012) Algae are high on the genetic engineering agenda as a potential source for biofuel, and they should be subjected to independent studies of any environmental risks that could be linked to cultivating algae for this purpose, two prominent researchers say.

Writing in the August 2012 issue of the journal BioScience, the researchers argue that ecology experts should be among scientists given independent authority and adequate funding to explore any potential unintended consequences of this technological pursuit.

A critical baseline concern is whether genetically engineered algae would be able to survive in the wild, said Allison Snow, professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University and lead author of the paper.

"If they're grown in big, open ponds, which is mainly what were talking about, could the newer types of microalgae get out into nature and mingle? We need to know if they can survive and whether they can hybridize or evolve to become more prolific when they get out of a controlled environment," Snow said.

"If they can survive, we also need to know whether some types of genetically engineered blue-green algae, for example, could produce toxins or harmful algal blooms -- or both," Snow noted.

And because algae are so small and could be dispersed by rough weather or wildlife activity, biologists worry that any transgenes they contain to enhance their growth and strength could be transferred to other species in a way that could upset a fragile ecosystem.

"The applications are new and the organisms are less well-known. They range from being very tame 'lab rats' that won't survive in nature to wild organisms that can presumably cross with each other unless some measures are taken to prevent crossing. It's a very new situation," Snow said.

Snow co-authored the article with aquatic ecologist Val Smith, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas.

Snow has a history in this area of research. She led a study in 2002 that was the first to show that a gene artificially inserted into crop plants to fend off pests could migrate to weeds in a natural environment and make the weeds stronger. She also has served on national panels that monitor and make recommendations about the release of genetically engineered species into the environment.

There are a lot of unknowns about this area of research and development in microalgae, and that's largely because algae don't have the breeding history that, say, corn and soybeans have, Snow said. In addition, few details are publicly available because much of this information remains confidential as businesses compete to be the first to commercialize their genetically altered algae.

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Genetically engineered algae for biofuel pose potential risks

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 20-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

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

New Rochelle, NY, August 20, 2012Major depression affects as many as 16% of reproductive-aged women in the U.S. Yet pregnant women have a higher rate of undiagnosed depression than nonpregnant women, according to a study published in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jwh.

Jean Ko, PhD and coauthors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, found that more than 1 in 10 women ages 18-44 years had a major depressive event during the previous yearrepresenting about 1.2 million U.S. womenbut more than half of those women did not receive a diagnosis of depression and nearly half did not receive any mental health treatment. The article "Depression and Treatment among U.S. Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women of Reproductive Age, 2005-2009," further reports that disparities in receiving a diagnosis and treatment were associated with younger age, belonging to a racial/ethnic minority, and insurance status.

The accompanying Editorial entitled "Depression: Is Pregnancy Protective?" by Jennifer Payne, MD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, explores the ongoing challenges in the adequate diagnosis and treatment of major depression, the additional factors that come into play during pregnancy, and the implications of the Ko et al. study results.

"As health care providers, we simply must do a better job at diagnosing depression and referring women for mental health treatment. Reproductive health care visits provide an opportune time to address this ," says Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women's Health, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women's Health, Richmond, VA, and President of the Academy of Women's Health.

###

About the Journal

Journal of Women's Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for or are more prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women. The Journal covers the latest advances and clinical applications of new diagnostic procedures and therapeutic protocols for the prevention and management of women's healthcare issues. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Women's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jwh. Journal of Women's Health is the Official Journal of the Academy of Women's Health.

About the Society

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How well is depression in women being diagnosed and treated?

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

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

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

New Rochelle, NY, August 21, 2012For the millions of people worldwide with type 1 diabetes who cannot produce sufficient insulin, the potential to transplant insulin-producing cells could offer hope for a long-term cure. The discovery of a marker to help identify and isolate stem cells that can develop into insulin-producing cells in the pancreas would be a critical step forward and is described in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a new bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com) The article is available free online at the BioResearch Open Access website (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores).

Pancreatic stem cells, the precursors of insulin-producing cells, have not yet been identified in humans or animals, and there is much debate about where they may reside. Ivka Afrikanova, Ayse Kayali, Ana Lopez, and Alberto Hayek, University of California, San Diego, CA, have identified a biochemical markerstage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA4)that they propose can be used to identify and purify human pancreatic stem cells. The article "Is Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigen 4 a Marker for Human Ductal Stem/Progenitor Cells" (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/biores.2012.0235) reports that when grown in culture with high levels of glucose and B27, these SSEA4+ stem cells can differentiate into insulin-producing pancreatic cells.

###

About the Journal

BioResearch Open Access (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores) is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal that provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMedCentral. All journal content is available online at the BioResearch Open Access website (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores).

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com) is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy and HGT Methods, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website (http://www.liebertpub.com).

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com Phone: (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax: (914) 740-2101

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New marker for identifying precursors to insulin-producing cells in pancreas

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

By Jack Kaskey - 2012-08-21T12:14:41Z

Noah Berger/Bloomberg

A tomato breeder displays varieties grown at the Monsanto Co. facility in Woodland, California.

Doug Heath, a tomato breeder for Monsanto Co. (MON), offers visitors juicy slices of Cherokee Purple, a delicate variety with a sweetness and acidity hes trying to replicate in hardier commercial fruit.

We want to see these in the stores more than one month a year, Heath told visitors this month at his research plot in Woodland, California. He gave out the tomato slices at Field Days, an annual gathering for farmers and distributors to see new crops from Monsantos Seminis vegetable seed unit.

Monsanto is accelerating its push to identify thousands of genetic markers in fruits and vegetables as it brings the tools of biotechnology to conventional breeding, giving Heath the ability to select for everything from taste to disease- resistance. Its also allowing the worlds biggest vegetable- seed producer to develop new varieties in two to four years, down from as many as 10 years. Using the markers is like having X-ray glasses that let breeders peer inside a leaf clipping or seed to find what will grow, Heath said.

His efforts are gathering momentum at the St. Louis-based company, which bought Seminis for $1.4 billion in 2005 and is looking to expand its market share. Monsanto has identified about 5,000 genetic markers in peppers, more than 4,000 in tomatoes and thousands more in melons, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers and beans, according to an Aug. 14 investor presentation. The company plans to identify more vegetable markers this year than in the past 20 years combined.

Syngenta AG (SYNN), the second-biggest vegetable seed producer, and other companies are also identifying the markers. Syngenta has more than 250,000 genetic markers to help with vegetable breeding, including about 50,000 in melon, 25,000 in tomato and 10,000 in peppers, according to an e-mail from Paul Minehart, a spokesman for the Basel, Switzerland-based company.

Monsanto is unrivaled in integrating genetic data into breeding decisions, Chief Technology Officer Robb Fraley said in an interview. The company declined to disclose its total vegetable markers.

Using genetic markers to guide breeding decisions will improve the appeal and nutrition of tomatoes and 20 other fruits and vegetables, helping people eat healthier and propelling vegetables to Monsantos third-most-profitable business, surpassing cotton in the next three years, Fraley said.

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Monsanto Genetic ’X-Ray Glasses’ Speed Tastier Tomatoes

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ScienceDaily (Aug. 21, 2012) Numerous viruses are used in the service of science today. They serve as gene taxis to transfer therapeutic genes into body cells or as therapeutic viruses targeted to infect and destroy cancer cells. For such applications, the viruses are often equipped with additional genes, such as for immune mediators or for proteins inducing programmed cell death. However, these gene products can harm the body if they are released at the wrong moment or at excessive levels. "Ideally, we want to be able to turn on and off the transferred genes at a specific time," says Dr. Dirk Nettelbeck, a virologist from DKFZ.

To this end, Patrick Ketzer of Nettelbeck's group experimented, jointly with colleagues from Konstanz University, with what are called RNA switches. In order to construct such a switch, the researchers inserted synthetic segments of DNA into the viral genetic material in the direct vicinity of the transferred gene. In the infected cell, this construct is transcribed together with the transferred gene into a single messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule. The switch is operated using an agent which is added to cells infected with the virus. The substance is precisely fitted to bind to the RNA molecule and induces it to cut itself up. Thus, the potentially dangerous protein cannot be produced. The researchers copied this regulation mechanism from bacteria which use RNA switches to regulate production of numerous proteins.

The DKFZ virologists first constructed an RNA switch that is kept in permanent "off" position by the substance. The production of the foreign protein does not start as long as substance is added. "This was a first proof that RNA switches work in viruses at all. But it is just as well possible to construct switches that do not allow production of the protein until the substance is added," Dirk Nettelbeck explains.

In cells, it has been possible for many years now to specifically turn on and off genes. To do so, scientists modified specific natural regulatory regions called promoters in the cellular genetic material. As a result, addition of the antibiotic tetracycline causes mRNA production to be turned on or off.

"However, this type of switch is too big and complex to be used in viruses or doesn't work there," says Dirk Nettelbeck. "The RNA switches, in contrast, are only 100 base pairs long." Using the RNA switches, the researchers managed to increase the production of the therapeutic gene by ten times. "But there is still room for a lot more," Nettelbeck explains. "The construction of RNA switches is extremely variable. Once the technology is fully developed, we will be able to better equip and regulate viruses for many therapeutic applications." Nettelbeck and his team are convinced that the useful RNA switches will become established for many other uses in research and medicine.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Viruses with integrated gene switch

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

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that Scotlands NHS Lothian has been confirmed as a site for its Phase I/II human clinical trial for Stargardts Macular Dystrophy (SMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

NHS Lothian should be a superb partner for our EU clinical trial for SMD, said Gary Rabin, chairman and CEO of ACT. We are particularly pleased to be working with the Principal Investigator, Professor BaljeanDhillon, and his team. Additionally, we would like to thank the men and women of the Scottish Development Authority and Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) for their tireless efforts to help make this history-making clinical trial a reality.

This approved, Phase I/II clinical trial for SMD is a prospective, open-label study designed to determine the safety and tolerability of RPE cells derived from hESCs following sub-retinal transplantation to patients with advanced SMD. It is similar in design to the companys US trials for SMD and dry age-related macular degeneration initiated in July 2011.

SMD represents an important unmet need in the wider clinical arena of macular degeneration, said Professor Dhillon, BMed Sci, BM BS, FRCS, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, NHS Lothian and Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh. This trial will evaluate a promising potential new treatment for this condition, using hESC-derived RPE cells.

Professor Marc Turner, Medical Director of SNBTS continued, hESC-derived RPE cells represent one of the first of a new generation of regenerative therapies and is an example of the high quality clinical research being conducted in, and supported by, NHS Scotland which we hope will help to transform medicine over the coming decades.

On July 30, the company announced that the third patient in this SMD clinical trial had been treated.

More information on the companys clinical trials will be posted today on Mr. RabinsChairmans blog.

About Stargardts Disease

Stargardts disease or Stargardts Macular Dystrophy is a genetic disease that causes progressive vision loss, usually starting in children between 10 to 20 years of age. Eventually, blindness results from photoreceptor loss associated with degeneration in the pigmented layer of the retina, called the retinal pigment epithelium, which is the site of damage that the company believes the hESC-derived RPE may be able to target for repair after administration.

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ACT Announces Scotland’s NHS Lothian as Additional Site for EU Clinical Trial Using hESC-Derived RPE Cells for Macular ...

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BACKGROUND: According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, regenerative medicine is the next evolution of medical treatments. Regenerative medicine offers the potential for the body to heal itself. Scientists at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., were the first in the world to engineer lab-grown organs that were successfully implanted into humans. Now, the team of researchers is working to engineer more than 30 different replacement tissues and organs to develop cell therapies with the goal of curing a variety of diseases. (SOURCE: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine)

LAB-GROWN URETHRAS: Researchers from Wake Forest were the first in the world to use patients own cells to build tailor-made urine tubes in the lab and successfully replace damaged tissue in five boys in Mexico. The boys were unable to urinate due to a pelvic injury. After receiving the lab-grown urethras, all the boys continue to do well with normal or near-normal urinary flow. The urethras were grown on biodegradable mesh scaffolds made of a polyester compound. The scaffolds were seeded with cells taken from the patients own bladders and incubated in the lab for four to seven weeks. They were then used to repair damaged segments of the boys urethras. For us, really, our goal here at the Institute is really to try to complete technologies that we can get to patients to make their lives better, so anytime that were able to do that, improve the quality of patients lives, we feel like thats part of our mission, Anthony Atala, M.D., Director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, told Ivanhoe.

(SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Dr. Atala and WebMD article)

GROWING EARS: Scientists are working on printing ears in the lab. What we can do is we can take any three dimensional image of an ear, and it can be put into the computer, and that will generate an image within the printer that then prints that specific three dimensional structure, John Jackson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, told Ivanhoe. Right now, implants that are commercially-available are hard and rigid. They also cause problems with erosion through the skin. The new, tailor-made ears are flexible and patient-specific. In animal studies, the lab-grown ears have been shown to cause less erosion. The next step is to print the ears for use in humans. To be able to take a structure, generate a 3D implant and have that as a potential treatment for a patient who has lost an ear, thats very exciting, Dr. Jackson told Ivanhoe.

(SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Dr. Jackson)

ENGINEERING MUSCLE: Researchers are also looking to see if they can engineer tissue that resembles muscle to repair small injuries in the body. They take biopsies from skeletal muscles and culture out the stem cells from the muscle. They then seed the cells onto a scaffold and condition the scaffold and a bioreactor to exercise muscle in-vitro. Then, they use that construct as an implant to accelerate regeneration and repair of injured muscle in the body. Scientists have been studying the engineered muscle in animals, and the next step is to try it in humans. For me, personally, its fantastic because you dont often get an opportunity to do research thats not only compelling but that can result in therapies that can help people on a daily basis and really improve their quality of life, George Christ, Ph.D., Professor of Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, told Ivanhoe.

(SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Dr. Christ)

View post:
Building Body Parts: Ears, Muscles and More!

Recommendation and review posted by sam

ADMIXTURE and STRUCTURE tests arent formal mixture tests. Yes! In fact, in the open science community this issue is repeated over and over and over, because people routinely get confused (our audience does not consist of population geneticists and phylogeneticists by and large). So sometimes it is necessary to lay it out in detail as in the post above. The key point to always remember is that population genetic & phylogenetic statistics and visualizations are a reduction and summary of reality in human palatable form. They tell us something, but they do not tell us everything. A common issue is that for purposes of mental digestion it is useful to label ancestral elements European, or on PCA refer to a European-Asian cline, as if the population genetic abstractions themselves are the measure of what European or Asian is. But European and Asian are themselves human constructions, and subject to debate (e.g., do Turks count as Europeans? Indians as Asians?) The population genetic statistics are not themselves subjective, but the meanings we give them are.

Lets illustrate this with a concrete example. The Cape Coloured population of South Africa is a compound of Khoisan, Bantu, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Northern European ancestry. But if you use a basic summary statistic which measured genetic distance, such as Fst,they turn out to exhibit the lowest value with South Asians. Whats going on here? This is a real result, but Fst is blind to extraneous information of demographic history. If you used ADMIXTURE or STRUCTURE with only African and European populations you would overestimate the European ancestry of the Cape Coloureds. Why? Because the non-European and non-African component would probably collapse into the European element. The algorithms work fine, given the conditions you start it out with. Adding in South and Southeast Asians as reference populations allows these components to fall out. We expect such a division based on history, but recall that South Asians themselves are an admixed population! But for the purposes of understanding the ethnogenesis of the Cape Coloureds, which dates to the past 400 years, an admixture event ~3,000 years before the present is not relevant. In other words, how misleading the result from a given tool is is contingent upon the questions were asking. If we are trying to extract answers which are inappropriate to the tools, then well get inappropriate answers.

For the purposes of human population genetics and phylogenetics the main issue is the historical and cognitive bias toward Platonism and types. Instead of European being a convenient label for pragmatic purposes, we imbue European with the essences of value of an ideal type. Once we make this transition hilarity ensues. For example, using classic Platonic typology the Caucasian race was defined using as a measure the exemplar of that race, the Georgian people of the Caucasus. The classic meaning of Caucasian naturally included the people of Europe and West Asia, with some more expansive definitions inclusive of most South Asians. But in the American context Caucasian has transformed into white European Westerner. This means that there are debates whether genuine Caucasians, such as Armenians, are actually Caucasian! What was once a convenient word used to illustrate a clear and distinct concept has transmuted itself so as to generate confusion and diminish clarity.

But I think the current wave of human population and phylogenetics unmasks an even deeper problem. The extant races of modern humans may themselves be recent syntheses of a very different human phylogenetic tree as recently as ~15,000 years ago. For example, nearly every single indigenous resident of South Asia seems to exhibit some level of admixture between two very distinct branches of the human tree within the last 10,000 years. The Indian race, as we understand it, is definitely a feature of near prehistory at the earliest (the Neolithic), and perhaps as late as the Indo-Aryan migrations ~4,000 years before the present. And now there are suggestive clues that the same applies to Europe. The people of Europe have roots in the Ice Age inhabitants of the continent, but also the Neolithic peoples of West Asia. And, due to the limitations of demography-blind model based clustering algorithms they may even have more exotic affinities to East Asia which have long been masked! The last may even be an Ice Age era admixture (see the comment at the first link on the relationship to First Americans).

One of the realities of trying to reconstruct the past from what we have in the present is that the past becomes a jigsaw puzzle using pieces of the present. This is informative, but there are limitations. Because the reality is is that the present is a jigsaw puzzle constructed out of the past. Obviously we cant run an experiment from the past to the present. We have to go backwards, rather than forwards. These are the constraints which bound and shade our understanding. They should not lead us down the path of pure skepticism. Rather, they should instill in us the importance of constant critique, and evaluation of our premises. In fact, one of the things which seem clear from the latest wave of paleogenetic research is that empirical results themselves can overturn premises.

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On phylogenetic instrumentalism | Gene Expression

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

17-08-2012 17:46 A fundraiser for the spinal cord injury community is taking on the theme from the popular Kevin Spacey movie called "Pay It Forward."

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Raising money for spinal cord injury community - Video

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/58n7cj/toxicology_and_epi) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Toxicology and Epigenetics" to their offering.

Epigenetics is the study of both heritable and non-heritable changes in the regulation of gene activity and expression that occur without an alteration in the DNA sequence. This dynamic and rapidly developing discipline is making its impact across the biomedical sciences, in particular in toxicology where epigenetic differences can mean that different individuals respond differently to the same drug or chemical.

Toxicology and Epigenetics reflects the multidimensional character of this emerging area of toxicology, describing cutting-edge molecular technologies to unravel epigenetic changes, the use of in vivo and in vitro models, as well as the potential use of toxicological epigenetics in regulatory environments. An international team of experts consider the interplay between epigenetics and toxicology in a number of areas, including environmental, nutritional, pharmacological, and computational toxicology, nanomaterials, proteomics and metabolomics, and cancer research.

Toxicology and Epigenetics is an essential insight into the current trends and future directions of research in this rapidly expanding field for investigators, toxicologists, risk assessors and regulators in academia, industry and government.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Environment, Epigenetics, and Diseases 5

3 DNA Methylation and Toxicogenomics 25

4 Chromatin at the Intersection of Disease and Therapy 51

Link:
Research and Markets: Toxicology and Epigenetics

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

17 August 2012 Last updated at 08:29 ET

A court in the US has again backed a biotech company's right to patent genes which have been isolated from the human body.

Myriad Genetics has patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are strongly linked to breast and ovarian cancer.

Patents on genes have been repeatedly contested in the courts.

The latest decision by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals sided in favour of the company.

The patents are valuable as they give the owners exclusive rights to diagnostic tests for the genes. One of the questions in the case was whether isolating a gene makes it different to one still in the body.

Circuit Judge Alan Lourie said: "Everything and everyone comes from nature, following its laws, but the compositions here are not natural products.

"They are the products of man, albeit following, as all materials do, laws of nature."

The decision was welcomed in a statement from the president of Myriad Genetics Peter Meldrum: "We are very pleased with the favourable decision the court rendered today which again confirmed that isolated DNA is patentable.

"Importantly, the court agreed with Myriad that isolated DNA is a new chemical matter with important utilities which can only exist as the product of human ingenuity."

Read more:
Gene patents upheld in US court

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX) and BioTimes subsidiary OncoCyte Corporation today announced the publication of a scientific report on the gene COL10A1 and its potential as a marker for numerous types of human cancers. The paper, published in the peer-reviewed journal Future Oncology and available online today, describes the microarray-based approach used to identify COL10A1 as a pan-cancer biomarker with significantly elevated expression in diverse malignant tumor types including cancers of the breast, stomach, colon, lung, bladder, pancreas, and ovaries. In addition, the protein was shown to be specifically localized within tumor vasculature. Combined, these findings will be an important basis for the development and application of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, including the measurement of Collagen Type X in the blood as a screen for the presence of cancer, the use of antibodies that recognize and bind to the protein to visualize and locate tumors in the body, and the targeted delivery of tumor-destroying agents.

These findings are significant on several levels, said Karen Chapman, PhD, Director of Bioinformatics at OncoCyte and lead author of the report. COL10A1, the gene that encodes Collagen Type X, is normally only expressed in a specific zone within developing bones and is generally not expressed in most adult cells and tissues. This low background expression, taken together with the significant expression that we observed in many tumor types, underscores the potential use of this biomarker as a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target for many cancer types.

As a result of the studies described in todays publication, OncoCyte has generated five proprietary monoclonal antibodies to Collage Type X for use in developing novel cancer diagnostics, imaging agents and targeted therapeutics, said Joseph Wagner, PhD, CEO of OncoCyte and co-author of the study. Given the broad expression of this protein across numerous tumor types and its association with tumor vasculature, characterization of this marker in cancer patients blood samples has become a priority at OncoCyte. Upon validation of their performance in detecting cancers from patient samples, these antibodies are candidates for inclusion in PanC-DxTM, a low-cost, easy-to-use product with broad cancer detection ability slated for launch in 2014.

PanC-DxTM is being developed to detect the presence of a variety of human cancers, including cancers of the breast, lung, bladder, uterus, stomach, and colon, during routine check-ups. By facilitating early non-invasive cancer detection through a blood test, PanC-DxTM could lead to more successful therapeutic outcomes while simultaneously reducing the costs of cancer monitoring and globally increasing the availability of affordable cancer screening. OncoCyte first announced the development of PanC-DxTM during December 2011 and intends to launch the product in Europe in 2014 before seeking the required approval by the Food and Drug Administration to market PanC-DxTM in the United States.

About BioTime, Inc.

BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, is a biotechnology company focused on regenerative medicine and blood plasma volume expanders. Its broad platform of stem cell technologies is enhanced through subsidiaries focused on specific fields of application. BioTime develops and markets research products in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, including a wide array of proprietary ACTCellerate cell lines, HyStem hydrogels, culture media, and differentiation kits. BioTime is developing Renevia (formerly known as HyStem-Rx), a biocompatible, implantable hyaluronan and collagen-based matrix for cell delivery in human clinical applications. BioTime's therapeutic product development strategy is pursued through subsidiaries that focus on specific organ systems and related diseases for which there is a high unmet medical need. BioTime's majority owned subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. is developing therapeutic products derived from stem cells for the treatment of retinal and neural degenerative diseases. BioTime's subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation is developing therapeutic applications of stem cells to treat orthopedic diseases and injuries. Another subsidiary, OncoCyte Corporation, focuses on the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of stem cell technology in cancer, including the diagnostic product PanC-Dx currently being developed for the detection of cancer in blood samples. ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. is developing applications of BioTime's proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell technology to reverse the developmental aging of human cells to treat cardiovascular and blood cell diseases. BioTime's subsidiary, LifeMap Sciences, Inc., markets GeneCards, the leading human gene database, and is developing an integrated database suite to complement GeneCards that will also include the LifeMap database of embryonic development, stem cell research and regenerative medicine, and MalaCards, the human disease database. LifeMap will also market BioTime research products. BioTime's lead product, Hextend, is a blood plasma volume expander manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by Hospira, Inc. and in South Korea by CJ CheilJedang Corporation under exclusive licensing agreements. Additional information about BioTime can be found on the web at http://www.biotimeinc.com.

About OncoCyte Corporation

OncoCyte Corporation is a majority-owned subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. OncoCyte's mission is to develop novel products for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in order to improve both the quality and length of life of cancer patients. OncoCyte's molecular diagnostics division is developing products for earlier detection of a variety of cancers. In addition to its diagnostic product line, OncoCyte is developing cellular therapies to treat cancer based on the unique biology of vascular precursor cells. The goal of OncoCyte's therapeutic research efforts is to derive vascular cells that can be engineered to deliver a toxic payload to the developing blood vessels of a malignant tumor to destroy the tumor without killing nearby normal tissues in the body. Additional information on OncoCyte can be found on the web at http://www.oncocyte.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

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BioTime and OncoCyte Corporation Publish Data on the Gene COL10A1 as a Marker and Potential Diagnostic for a Wide ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Credit: Tel Aviv University

Published: Aug. 16, 2012 at 5:03 PM

TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Genetics can reveal not only who your ancestors were but where they came from geographically, researchers at Israel's Tel Aviv University report.

Working with researchers from UCLA, they've created a probabilistic model of genetic traits for every coordinate on the globe for determining more precisely the geographical location of a person's ancestral origins.

The method has the potential to reveal the ancestry, origins, and migration patterns of many different human populations, the researchers said.

There are points in the human genome called SNPs that differ among individuals, Tel Aviv researcher Eran Halperin said, and mutated sometime in the past and the mutation was then passed to a large part of the population in a particular geographic region.

The probability of a person possessing these mutations today varies depending on the geographical location of those early ancestors, he said.

The new method is able to pinpoint more specific locations for an individual's ancestors, for example placing an individual's father in Paris and mother in Barcelona, a TAU release said Thursday.

Previous methods would "split the difference" and place this origin inaccurately at a site between those two cities, such as Lyon, the release said.

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Genetics pins ancestors to a map location

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The University of Michigan central campus.

ANN ARBOR As a key step toward providing patients with treatments based on their own DNA profiles, the University of Michigan and the Phoenix, Ariz.-based International Genomics Consortium have launched a new joint venture that will help usher in an age of personalized medicine.

Called Paradigm, the new nonprofit company brings together the expertise of the UM Health System and IGC, two leaders in using genetic information to understand and treat disease.

Beginning with cancer, and then extending into other disease groups, Paradigm will offer doctors and health care organizations anywhere access to whole gene and multi-gene sequencing and molecular diagnostics.

The company will also help support clinical trials at UMHS and other health systems.

Paradigm complements other DNA services offered by UMHS, including the MLabs reference laboratory, and the research-oriented DNA Sequencing Core. Paradigm is being formed under the Michigan Health Corporation, the part of UMHS that enables outside partnerships.

The company will be based in Ann Arbor, with additional operations at IGC headquarters in Phoenix.

Were thrilled to take this important step that allows us to harness the power of genetic information to guide patient therapy and improve outcomes, says Jay Hess, M.D. chair of the Department of Pathology at the UM Medical School and a co-founder of Paradigm. IGC has a proven track record of bringing molecular diagnostics to market, yet shares our nonprofit patient-focused vision.

Paradigm builds on our ever-increasing understanding of the interplay of multiple disease-causing genes and how this affects sensitivity to specific treatment regimens, added Robert Penny, M.D., co-founder and CEO of Paradigm and IGC, which was formed by veteran genetic researchers and played a key role in compiling The Cancer Genome Atlas, a catalog of genes known to be involved in cancer. We will bring our expertise to bear to create true personalized medicine options for clinicians and their patients.

Initially, Paradigm will focus on offering services to oncologists and oncology groups, pathologists, academic medical centers and clinical trial groups studying personalized medicine regimens. Its first products will be especially of use in better tailoring treatments for cancer patients.

Read the original here:
UM Forms Nonprofit Joint Venture For Personalized Medicine

Recommendation and review posted by sam

ANN ARBOR - The University of Michigan and the International Genomics Consortium have launched a new joint venture that will help usher in an age of personalized medicine.

Called Paradigm, the new nonprofit company brings together the expertise of the U-M Health System and IGC, two leaders in using genetic information to understand and treat disease a step toward providing patients with treatments based on their own DNA profiles.

Beginning with cancer, and then extending into other disease groups, Paradigm will offer doctors and health care organizations anywhere access to whole gene and multi-gene sequencing and molecular diagnostics.

The company will also help support clinical trials at UMHS and other health systems.

Paradigm complements other DNA services offered by UMHS, including the MLabs reference laboratory, and the research-oriented DNA Sequencing Core. Paradigm is being formed under the Michigan Health Corporation, the part of UMHS that enables outside partnerships.

The company will be based in Ann Arbor, with additional operations at IGC headquarters in Phoenix.

"We're thrilled to take this important step that allows us to harness the power of genetic information to guide patient therapy and improve outcomes," says Jay Hess, M.D. Ph.D., M.H.S.A., chair of the Department of Pathology at the U-M Medical School and a co-founder of Paradigm. "IGC has a proven track record of bringing molecular diagnostics to market, yet shares our nonprofit patient-focused vision."

"Paradigm builds on our ever-increasing understanding of the interplay of multiple disease-causing genes and how this affects sensitivity to specific treatment regimens," says Robert Penny, M.D., Ph.D., the chief executive officer and co-founder of Paradigm and IGC, which was formed by veteran genetic researchers and played a key role in compiling The Cancer Genome Atlas, a catalog of genes known to be involved in cancer. "We will bring our expertise to bear to create true personalized medicine options for clinicians and their patients."

Initially, Paradigm will focus on offering services to oncologists and oncology groups, pathologists, academic medical centers and clinical trial groups studying personalized medicine regimens. Its first products will be especially of use in better tailoring treatments for cancer patients.

"Pursuing new, innovative channels for scientific collaboration is a priority and strength of the University of Michigan," notes Ora Pescovitz, M.D., CEO of the U-M Health System and U-M executive vice president for medical affairs. "Paradigm is a terrific example of this effort and of how cutting-edge science will have an immediate benefit for patients."

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U-M, International Genomics Consortium Launch Personalized Medicine JV

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Public release date: 16-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kara Gavin kegavin@umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System

ANN ARBOR, Mich. and PHOENIX, Ariz. As a key step toward providing patients with treatments based on their own DNA profiles, the University of Michigan and the International Genomics Consortium (IGC) have launched a new joint venture that will help usher in an age of personalized medicine.

Called Paradigm, the new nonprofit company brings together the expertise of the U-M Health System and IGC, two leaders in using genetic information to understand and treat disease.

Beginning with cancer, and then extending into other disease groups, Paradigm will offer doctors and health care organizations anywhere access to whole gene and multi-gene sequencing and molecular diagnostics.

The company will also help support clinical trials at UMHS and other health systems.

Paradigm complements other DNA services offered by UMHS, including the MLabs reference laboratory, and the research-oriented DNA Sequencing Core. Paradigm is being formed under the Michigan Health Corporation, the part of UMHS that enables outside partnerships.

The company will be based in Ann Arbor, with additional operations at IGC headquarters in Phoenix.

"We're thrilled to take this important step that allows us to harness the power of genetic information to guide patient therapy and improve outcomes," says Jay Hess, M.D. Ph.D., M.H.S.A., chair of the Department of Pathology at the U-M Medical School and a co-founder of Paradigm. "IGC has a proven track record of bringing molecular diagnostics to market, yet shares our nonprofit patient-focused vision."

"Paradigm builds on our ever-increasing understanding of the interplay of multiple disease-causing genes and how this affects sensitivity to specific treatment regimens," says Robert Penny, M.D., Ph.D., the chief executive officer and co-founder of Paradigm and IGC, which was formed by veteran genetic researchers and played a key role in compiling The Cancer Genome Atlas, a catalog of genes known to be involved in cancer. "We will bring our expertise to bear to create true personalized medicine options for clinicians and their patients."

Read more from the original source:
Creating a future of personalized medicine: U-M forms joint venture for DNA diagnostics

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Paradigm, formed in partnership with International Genomics Consortium, will help doctors tailor treatment

Newswise ANN ARBOR, Mich. and PHOENIX, Ariz. As a key step toward providing patients with treatments based on their own DNA profiles, the University of Michigan and the International Genomics Consortium (IGC) have launched a new joint venture that will help usher in an age of personalized medicine.

Called Paradigm, the new nonprofit company brings together the expertise of the U-M Health System and IGC, two leaders in using genetic information to understand and treat disease.

Beginning with cancer, and then extending into other disease groups, Paradigm will offer doctors and health care organizations anywhere access to whole gene and multi-gene sequencing and molecular diagnostics.

The company will also help support clinical trials at UMHS and other health systems.

Paradigm complements other DNA services offered by UMHS, including the MLabs reference laboratory, and the research-oriented DNA Sequencing Core. Paradigm is being formed under the Michigan Health Corporation, the part of UMHS that enables outside partnerships.

The company will be based in Ann Arbor, with additional operations at IGC headquarters in Phoenix.

Were thrilled to take this important step that allows us to harness the power of genetic information to guide patient therapy and improve outcomes, says Jay Hess, M.D. Ph.D., M.H.S.A., chair of the Department of Pathology at the U-M Medical School and a co-founder of Paradigm. IGC has a proven track record of bringing molecular diagnostics to market, yet shares our nonprofit patient-focused vision.

Paradigm builds on our ever-increasing understanding of the interplay of multiple disease-causing genes and how this affects sensitivity to specific treatment regimens, says Robert Penny, M.D., Ph.D., the chief executive officer and co-founder of Paradigm and IGC, which was formed by veteran genetic researchers and played a key role in compiling The Cancer Genome Atlas, a catalog of genes known to be involved in cancer. We will bring our expertise to bear to create true personalized medicine options for clinicians and their patients.

Initially, Paradigm will focus on offering services to oncologists and oncology groups, pathologists, academic medical centers and clinical trial groups studying personalized medicine regimens. Its first products will be especially of use in better tailoring treatments for cancer patients.

Read the original post:
Personalized Medicine: U-M Forms New DNA Diagnostics Joint Venture

Recommendation and review posted by sam

NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0955290/Personalized-Medicine---A-Global-Market-Overview.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=In_Vitro_Diagnostic

`Personalized Medicine can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. For some, it may relate to doctors having knowledge about their case history and the treatment received, which is a morale boosting factor, since everybody wants caregivers who can comprehend an individual's problems. The day is not very far when this level of personal or individual understanding between a patient and a doctor would be much deeper than hitherto anticipated. The coming decade is expected to witness an increase in the use of companion diagnostics and personalized medicines, with pricing incentives and efficiency improvement propelling the market. Current market leaders with diagnostic divisions focusing on biomarker identification would be at an advantage.

This report review, analyze and projects the personalized medicine market for global and the regional markets including the United States, Europe and Rest of World. The market numbers illustrated in this report only represent the market exclusively for the product segments and technologies enunciated above. The market, in this report, does not include the associated hardware equipment or software technologies that are used to manage patient data. The study includes recent and current trends related to technology and the market along with the key industry developments.

The market for personalized medicine product types analyzed in this study includes Targeted Biologics, Proteomics & Genomics, Genetically Modified (GM) Products, Wellness & Disease Management, Other Molecular Diagnostics and Self/Other Diagnostics. The report also includes the market analysis for application technologies of personalized medicine Pharmacogenomics, Point-of-Care Testing, Stem Cell Therapy, Pharmacoproteomics, Pharmacogenetics and Other Technologies. The report analyses the global market in terms of USD Million.

This 350 page global market report includes 43 charts (includes a data table and graphical representation for each chart), supported with meaningful and easy to understand graphical presentation, of the market. The statistical tables represent the data for the global market by geographic region, product type and application technology. The report covers the brief business profiles of 56 key global players and 77 major players across the United States 45; Europe 24; and Rest of World 8. The report also provides the listing of the companies engaged in research and development, manufacturing, processing, supplies and distribution of personalized. Also enlisting the academic institutions engages in personalized medicine, the global list covers the addresses, contact numbers and the website addresses of 395 companies.

PART A: GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE

1. INTRODUCTION1.1 Product Outline1.1.1 Personalized Medicine's Influence on Large Scale Studies1.1.2 Gazing into the Crystal Ball: What the Future Holds for Personalized Medicine1.1.3 Ramifications of Personalized Medicine for Healthcare Systems1.1.3.1 Pharmaceutical Industry1.1.3.2 Diagnostics Industry1.1.3.3 Insurers1.1.3.4 Physicians1.1.3.5 Government Agencies1.1.3.6 Patients1.1.4 Analysis of Personalized Medicine by Segment1.1.4.1 Targeted Biologics1.1.4.1.1 Overview1.1.4.1.2 Targeted Biologics for Breast Cancer: An Illustration1.1.4.2 Proteomics & Genomics1.1.4.2.1 Proteomics1.1.4.2.1.1 A Complex Problem1.1.4.2.1.2 Post-Translational Modifications1.1.4.2.1.3 Phosphorylation1.1.4.2.1.4 Ubiquitination1.1.4.2.1.5 Other Modifications1.1.4.2.2 Genomics1.1.4.2.2.1 Pharmacogenomics1.1.4.3 Genetically Modified (GM) Products1.1.4.3.1 The Genetic Engineering Process1.1.4.3.1.1 Applications of Genetic Engineering1.1.4.4 Wellness & Disease Management1.1.4.4.1 Wellness Defined1.1.4.4.2 Disease Management Defined1.1.4.5 Molecular Diagnostic Technologies1.1.4.5.1 DNA Sequencing1.1.4.5.2 Biochips and Microarrays1.1.4.5.3 Cytogenetics1.1.4.5.3.1 Personalized Medicine Based on Molecular Cytogenetics1.1.4.5.3.2 Personalized Medicine Based on Cytomics1.1.4.5.4 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Genotyping1.1.4.5.4.1 Applications of SNPs Pertinent to Personalized Medicine1.1.4.5.5 Haplotyping1.1.4.5.6 Application of Proteomics In Molecular Diagnosis1.1.4.5.7 Gene Expression Profiling1.1.4.5.8 Personalized Medicine and Molecular Imaging1.1.4.5.9 Diagnostics Based On Glycomics1.1.4.5.10 Combining Diagnostics and Therapeutics1.1.4.5.11 Point-Of-Care (POC) Diagnosis1.1.4.5.12 Genetic Testing For Disease Predisposition1.1.5 Analysis of Personalized Medicine by Technology1.1.5.1 Pharmacogenomics1.1.5.1.1 Drug Metabolism1.1.5.1.2 Applications1.1.5.2 Point-of-Care Testing1.1.5.2.1 Tests that are Most Apt for Specific Scenarios1.1.5.2.2 Advantages1.1.5.3 Stem Cell Therapy1.1.5.3.1 Treatment with Stem Cells1.1.5.3.2 Current Therapies1.1.5.3.3 Future Treatments1.1.5.4 Pharmacoproteomics1.1.5.5 Pharmacogenetics1.1.5.5.1 Prediction of Drug-Drug Interactions1.1.5.5.2 Integration of Pharmacogenetics with the Healthcare System1.1.5.5.3 Pharmacogenetic Tests1.1.5.6 Other Personalized Medicine Technologies1.1.5.6.1 Biochips1.1.5.6.2 Genetic Screening1.1.5.6.3 Metabolomics1.1.5.6.4 Molecular Diagnostics1.1.5.6.5 Pharmacodynamics1.1.5.6.6 Pharmacokinetics1.1.5.6.7 SNP Genotyping1.1.6 The Rationale Behind Personalized Medicine: "One Size no Longer Fits All"1.1.7 The Human Genome: What is It?

2. KEY MARKET TRENDS

Combating Melanoma and Lung Cancer Facilitated Using Novel Personalized Drugs

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Personalized Medicine - A Global Market Overview

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Public release date: 16-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kim Polacek kim.polacek@moffitt.org 813-745-7408 H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center, working with colleagues in Sweden, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico, have validated a radiosensitivity molecular signature that can lead to better radiation therapy decisions for treating patients with breast cancer.

The results appeared in a recent issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The study examined patients with breast cancer who had been treated with radiation therapy and demonstrated that a radiosensitivity molecular signature (RSI) could predict clinical outcomes exclusively in patients treated with radiation therapy. The radiosensitivity molecular signature (RSI) used by the research team had previously been tested and validated for rectal, esophageal, and head and neck cancers. The technology, which identifies radiosensitivity and radioresistance, opens the door to biologically guided radiation therapy and offers the potential for better outcomes.

"Developing a radiosensitivity predictive assay has been a goal of radiation biology for decades," said Javier F. Torres-Roca, M.D., member of the Experimental Therapeutics program at Moffitt. "This effort supports the emphasis on personalized medicine, where the goal is to use molecular signatures to guide therapeutic decisions."

According to Torres-Roca, approximately 60 percent of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy during their treatment. Yet until now, no molecular diagnostic or biomarker of radiosensitivity had been developed to predict its benefit.

The radiosensitivity molecular signature was developed based on gene expression for 10 specific genes and a linear regression algorithm. RSI was developed in 48 cancer cell lines using a systems-biology strategy focused on identifying biomarkers for cellular radiosensitivity.

This study validated RSI's benefit when researchers found that radiosensitive breast cancer patients had an improved five-year, relapse-free survival when compared to radioresistant patients.

"This study validated RSI in 503 patients in two independent data sets," Torres-Roca said. "We have validated RSI in five independent cohorts totaling 621 patients, so this latest validation study, to the best of our knowledge, makes this technology the most extensively validated molecular signature in radiation oncology."

Read more:
Moffitt Cancer Center researchers validate molecular signature to predict radiation therapy benefit

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