Editor's Choice Main Category: Genetics Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry;Pediatrics / Children's Health Article Date: 11 Jul 2012 - 14:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Academic Success Determined By Genetics

The study is published in the July edition of the American Psychological Association's journal Developmental Psychology.

Leading author Kevin Beaver, a professor at the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University explains: "Being able to show that specific genes are related in any way to academic achievement is a big step forward in understanding the developmental pathways among young people."

Beaver and his team discovered three genes in their study, which were identified as DAT1, DRD2 and DRD4 genes, were associated with behaviors, including motivation, intelligence, attention regulation, violence and cognitive skills.

Beaver remarks that although earlier studies have investigated the genetic foundations of intelligence, none of these studies has examined genes that could potentially contribute to educational attainment in population samples.

The team analyzed data from 1,674 respondents obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), which is a 4-wave study of a nationally representative sample of American adolescents enrolled in 1994 and 1995 when the youths were in middle or high school. The study ended in 2008, when the majority of the respondents were between 24 and 32 years old. All study participants, including their parents were surveyed and interviewed and provided DNA samples.

The genes discovered by the team are known as dopamine transporter and receptor genes, and although every person possesses the DAT1, DRD2 and DRD4 gene, Beaver says that the area of interest lies in the alleles, i.e. the molecular differences within the genes. The researchers found that people with certain alleles within these genes achieved the highest levels of education.

The team explains that dopamine transporter genes help in the production of proteins that control dopamine levels (a neurotransmitter) in the brain, while dopamine receptor genes play a role in neurotransmission. According to earlier studies, dopamine levels are involved in controlling impulsive behavior, attention and intelligence.

The team observed that possessing these alleles alone provided no guarantee of a person going on to higher levels of education, given that lower levels of education were more strongly linked to lower IQ levels, and that regardless of genetic effects, living in poor circumstances and 'mixing up with the wrong people' also led to lower levels of education.

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Academic Success Determined By Genetics

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Public release date: 11-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

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

BETHESDA, MD July 11, 2012 -- Important insights that explain why our ability to ward off infection declines with age are published in a new research report in the July 2012 issue of the Genetics Society of America's journal, GENETICS (http://www.genetics.org/). A team of U.S. scientists identified genes responsible for this decline by examining fruit flies a model organism often used to study human biology in an experimentally tractable system at different stages of their lives. They found that a completely different set of genes is responsible for warding off infection at middle age than during youth. Many of the genes identified are also present in humans, so this study opens doors to understanding genetic interactions that underlie why older people have more trouble fighting off infections than do younger people.

"We believe we have identified genes that contribute to the age-related deterioration of the immune response to infection," said Jeff Leips, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. "Because many of the genes that we have identified also occur in humans, we hope that such knowledge will lead to new treatments to maintain immune function as we age."

To make this discovery, Leips used fruit flies of different genotypes that were derived from a natural population. Flies of each genotype were infected with bacteria at two different ages when they were young, at an age equivalent to human teenagers, and when they were older, in what might be the equivalent to early middle age in humans. The researchers then measured the ability of the flies to clear the bacterial infection at each age while simultaneously assessing how the expression of genes responded to infection. Genes whose variation in expression were associated with the ability to clear the infection were identified for each of the different ages at the time of infection. Surprisingly, the genes were different -- there was no overlap in the sets of genes associated with the ability to clear infection across ages.

"The notion that the genes responsible for immune function are almost entirely different in middle age than in early adulthood is tantalizing," said Mark Johnston, editor-in-chief of the journal GENETICS. "As the average age of the U.S. population increases, understanding how to maintain strong, healthy immune systems could help many of us live longer, healthier lives."

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CITATION: T. M. Felix, K. A. Hughes, E. A. Stone, J. M. Drnevich, and J. Leips. Age-specific variation in immune response in Drosophila melanogaster has a genetic basis Genetics July 2012 Volume 191, Issue 3.

ABOUT GENETICS: Since 1916, GENETICS (http://www.genetics.org/) has covered high quality, original research on a range of topics bearing on inheritance, including population and evolutionary genetics, complex traits, developmental and behavioral genetics, cellular genetics, gene expression, genome integrity and transmission, and genome and systems biology. GENETICS, a peer-reviewed, peer-edited journal of the Genetics Society of America, is one of the world's most cited journals in genetics and heredity.

ABOUT GSA: Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is the professional membership organization for scientific researchers, educators, bioengineers, bioinformaticians and others interested in the field of genetics. Its nearly 5,000 members work to advance knowledge in the basic mechanisms of inheritance, from the molecular to the population level. The GSA is dedicated to promoting research in genetics and to facilitating communication among geneticists worldwide through its conferences, including the biennial conference on Model Organisms to Human Biology, an interdisciplinary meeting on current and cutting edge topics in genetics research, as well as annual and biennial meetings that focus on the genetics of particular organisms, including C. elegans, Drosophila, fungi, mice, yeast, and zebrafish. GSA publishes GENETICS, a leading journal in the field and an online, open-access journal, G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics. For more information about GSA, please visit http://www.genetics-gsa.org. Also follow GSA on Facebook at facebook.com/GeneticsGSA and on Twitter @GeneticsGSA.

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Decline of immune system with aging may have a genetic cause

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NewLink Genetics in Ames held a ribbon cutting to mark the firms newly expanded facilities Wednesday.

The company, which was founded over 10 years ago by Dr. Charles Link, works to develop drugs to help fight cancer.

NewLink Genetics is based on the idea that someday, instead of using traditional chemotherapy to fight cancer, you can actually stimulate the immune system to fight off cancer, said Link.

The firm employs over 80 people in two buildings at the Iowa State University Research Park. The company has doubled it space at the Research Park from 25,000 square feet to 50,000.

Governor Terry Branstad attended the ribbon cutting and lauded NewLink Genetics for its effort to develop jobs.

With NewLink Genetics on the cutting edge of this emerging cancer vaccine market, we think this can have a life-saving impact on millions of people throughout the world, said Branstad.

Economic Partnership Director Debi Durham, and Ames Mayor Ann Campbell both shared personal stories of how cancer had touched their lives, during the ceremony.

The company is conducting some clinical trials of its products. If those tests are successful, the firm could be hiring a number of new employees.

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RIBBON CUTTING: Ames Company Expands

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Public release date: 11-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

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

Bethesda, MDJuly 11, 2012 Listed below are the selected highlights for the July 2012 issue of the Genetics Society of America's journal, Genetics. The July issue is available online at http://www.genetics.org/content/current. Please credit Genetics, Vol. 191, JULY 2012, Copyright 2012.

ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS

Increasing association mapping power and resolution in mouse genetic studies through the use of meta-analysis for structured populations, pp. 959-967 Nicholas A. Furlotte, Eun Yong Kang, Atila Van Nas, Charles R. Farber, Aldons J. Lusis, and Eleazar Eskin

Because mouse models have a long history in the study of human disease, many studies describe the association of mouse genetic variation and disease traits. Their power can be increased by combining the results through the statistical procedure of meta-analysis, but the differing ancestry of the mouse panels used in each study can pose complications. These authors introduce a technique to combine studies, while accounting for differing ancestry, and they show how their method increases the potential to discover genomic regions underlying disease traits.

Multiple barriers to nonhomologous DNA end joining during meiosis in Drosophila, pp. 739-746 Eric F. Joyce, Anshu Paul, Katherine E. Chen, Nikhila Tanneti, and Kim S. McKim

Nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) is to be suppressed in meiosis. This article provides insight into how Drosophila does that. Two groups of proteins that promote homologous recombinationMCM-like protein MEI-218 and Rad51-related proteins RAD51C and XRCC3suppress NHEJ during meiotic prophase. The authors suggest that those proteins regulate early events in the double-strand break repair response, such as resection, which influences the particular pathway of repair.

Properties and power of the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource for the routine dissection of complex traits, pp. 935-949 Elizabeth G. King, Stuart J. Macdonald, and Anthony D. Long

This article describes a resource that promises to bring us closer to the ultimate goal of modern genetics: an understanding of how genetic variation translates into phenotype. The authors provide essential information about the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource, a community resource for genetic dissection of complex traits. They describe its mapping power and resolution, and present the inference of complete genotype information from a dense set of markers, assessing how sequence coverage and marker density influence this inference.

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Genetics Society of America's Genetics journal highlights for July 2012

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Newswise Bethesda, MDJuly 11, 2012 Listed below are the selected highlights for the July 2012 issue of the Genetics Society of Americas journal, GENETICS. The July issue is available online at http://www.genetics.org/content/current. Please credit GENETICS, Vol. 191, JULY 2012, Copyright 2012.

Please feel free to forward to colleagues who may be interested in these articles.

ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS Increasing association mapping power and resolution in mouse genetic studies through the use of meta-analysis for structured populations, pp. 959967 Nicholas A. Furlotte, Eun Yong Kang, Atila Van Nas, Charles R. Farber, Aldons J. Lusis, and Eleazar Eskin Because mouse models have a long history in the study of human disease, many studies describe the association of mouse genetic variation and disease traits. Their power can be increased by combining the results through the statistical procedure of meta-analysis, but the differing ancestry of the mouse panels used in each study can pose complications. These authors introduce a technique to combine studies, while accounting for differing ancestry, and they show how their method increases the potential to discover genomic regions underlying disease traits.

Multiple barriers to nonhomologous DNA end joining during meiosis in Drosophila, pp. 739746 Eric F. Joyce, Anshu Paul, Katherine E. Chen, Nikhila Tanneti, and Kim S. McKim Nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) is to be suppressed in meiosis. This article provides insight into how Drosophila does that. Two groups of proteins that promote homologous recombinationMCM-like protein MEI-218 and Rad51-related proteins RAD51C and XRCC3suppress NHEJ during meiotic prophase. The authors suggest that those proteins regulate early events in the double-strand break repair response, such as resection, which influences the particular pathway of repair.

Properties and power of the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource for the routine dissection of complex traits, pp. 935949 Elizabeth G. King, Stuart J. Macdonald, and Anthony D. Long This article describes a resource that promises to bring us closer to the ultimate goal of modern genetics: an understanding of how genetic variation translates into phenotype. The authors provide essential information about the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource, a community resource for genetic dissection of complex traits. They describe its mapping power and resolution, and present the inference of complete genotype information from a dense set of markers, assessing how sequence coverage and marker density influence this inference.

A hyperactive transposase of the maize transposable element Activator (Ac), pp. 747756 Katina Lazarow, My-Linh Du, Ruth Weimer, and Reinhard Kunze Transposons (jumping genes) are widely used to generate new mutations, but the typically low frequency of transposition makes the search for insertion mutants tedious. These investigators describe a hyperactive Ac transposase that should facilitate insertion mutagenesis in plants and other organisms.

Establishment of new mutations in changing environments, pp. 895906 Stephan Peischl and Mark Kirkpatrick This study helps us understand when populations can adapt quickly enough to avoid extinction. Most new beneficial mutations are lost by chance while they are still rare. The authors examine several biologically important situationswhen the environment changes in consistent, periodic, and random ways, and when population size changesto find the probability that new mutations escape extinction and become permanently established.

Remarkably simple sequence requirement of the M-factor pheromone of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, pp. 815825 Taisuke Seike, Yoshikazu Yamagishi, Hideo Iio, Taro Nakamura, and Chikashi Shimoda How long is a ligand? Not very, in the case described by these authors. They create a complete set of 152 missense mutations affecting a nonapeptide mating pheromone of fission yeast and find that only four carboxyl-terminal amino acid residues are necessary for it to stimulate its G-protein-coupled receptor. Improved models for transcription factor binding site identification using nonindependent interactions, pp. 781790 Yue Zhao, Shuxiang Ruan, Manishi Pandey, and Gary D. Stormo Methods predicting transcription factor binding sites usually assume that each position makes an independent contribution to binding. Here, the authors tell us this assumption is reasonably strong for most transcription factors, but in some cases it is quite weak. They introduce an extended binding energy model that includes contributions of adjacent base pairs and predicts binding sites more accurately than previous methods. This model facilitates studies of gene regulatory networks in cells.

This Months Perspectives Notch and the awesome power of genetics, pp. 655669 Iva Greenwald This Perspectives article, which focuses on Notch, a receptor that plays major and varied roles in animal development, is a paean to the remarkable synergy between genetics and molecular biology, and a coming-of-age story about how model organisms came to occupy a prominent place in modern biology research. The author provides a historical account of the discovery of this important protein and describes the major advances, from identifying the first Drosophila mutant almost a century ago through elucidating its unusual mechanism of signal transduction.

ABOUT GENETICS: Since 1916, GENETICS (http://www.genetics.org/) has covered high quality, original research on a range of topics bearing on inheritance, including population and evolutionary genetics, complex traits, developmental and behavioral genetics, cellular genetics, gene expression, genome integrity and transmission, and genome and systems biology. GENETICS, a peer-reviewed, peer-edited journal of the Genetics Society of America is one of the world's most cited journals in genetics and heredity.

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Genetics Society of America's GENETICS Highlights for July 2012

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REYKJAVIK, Iceland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

deCODE Genetics, a global leader in analyzing and understanding the human genome, together with their colleagues from the pharmaceutical company Genentech, reported today in the journal Nature the discovery of a variant of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene that confers protection against both Alzheimers disease (AD) and cognitive decline in the elderly. The findings also indicate a linkage between age-related cognitive decline and late-onset forms of AD, the most common cause of dementia.

Our results suggest that late-onset Alzheimers disease may represent the extreme of more general age-related decline in cognitive function, said study lead author Kari Stefansson, M.D., Dr. Med., CEO of deCODE Genetics. Also important, these data support certain Alzheimers disease drug development programssome of which are already in human clinical trials.

Alzheimers disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with the production and accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides produced by cleaving bits off the APP. While several mutant forms of the APP gene have been linked to early-onset, aggressive forms of AD, there is limited evidence supporting a role for mutations in the gene in the more common late-onset form of the disease.

In searching for low-frequency variants of the APP gene associated with AD, deCODE scientists found a significant association with a mutation in whole genome sequence data from 1,795 Icelanders. The research team showed that the mutation is significantly more common in the studys elderly control group than in those with AD, suggesting that the mutation confers protection against the disease.

The Genentech team then tested these findings using in vitro cellular assays with wild-type APP and APP enriched with A673T, the mutation allele. Importantly, they showed a significantly reduced production of amyloid beta in cells with A673T.

Our genetic data indicate that the mutation is protective against Alzheimers disease, said Stefansson. Our findings and the in vitro work done by Genentech also provide a proof of principle for the idea that blocking BACE1 cleavage of APP may protect against Alzheimers, offering greater confidence to pharmaceutical companies with active BACE1 inhibitor drug development programs.

Cognitive Decline in the Elderly

To study the association of the protective mutation with general cognitive decline, the research team examined the frequency of the mutation in the original Icelandic control group of those cognitively intact at age 85. The team found an enrichment of the mutation in this group, consistent with its protective effect against AD.

Extending this work further, the team investigated cognitive function using a seven-category test in carriers of the mutation and non-carriers in the age range of 80 to 100 years old. The research team found a statistically significant difference between carriers and non-carriers, with the carriers of the mutation having a score indicative of better-conserved cognition. After removing known AD cases, the team again found that carriers had better cognitive function, suggesting that the mutation extends its protective effect to the elderly in general.

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deCODE Genetics Discovers Mutation Conferring Protection Against Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Decline in Elderly

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Sugarland cosmetic dentist Dr. Jue from A Beautiful Smile at Lake Pointe becomes the first provider of dental stem cell therapy in Fort Bend County through Store-A-Tooth.

Sugarland, TEXAS (PRWEB) July 10, 2012

Sugarland cosmetic dentist Dr. Lance Jue from A Beautiful Smile at Lake Pointe has become the first provider of dental stem cell therapy in Fort Bend County.

Dental stem cell therapy saves stem cells from baby teeth, teeth removed for orthodontic reasons and wisdom teeth to help with future infections, injuries or diseases.

Dr. Jue works with Store-A-Tooth, which provides a Tooth Transport Kit, collects and validates the stems cells that are collected from the tooth. The cells are kept frozen until the day they are needed, at which time they are sent to the patients healthcare provider.

Dental stem cells have been used to treat periodontal disease, diabetes, spinal cord injury, stroke and liver disease. Stem cells are different from other cells because they can transform into many different cell types and divide more than other types of cells.

Dental stem cells are particularly effective because they replicate faster than stem cells take from other body tissues.

The initial cost of the Store-A-Tooth service is one-third to one-half the initial cost of storing umbilical cord blood, another source of stem cells.

A Beautiful Smile at Lake Pointe is the dental practice of Dr. Lance Jue. It has served the Houston area's restorative, cosmetic and general dentistry needs for 19 years. Dr. Jue makes an effort to listen to every patient to give him or her the appropriate treatment.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebcosmetic-dentistry/a-beautiful-smile/prweb9682301.htm

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Dr. Jue Brings Store-A-Tooth Dental Stem Cell Therapy Service to Sugarland

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A substance found in the zebrafish could point the way toward avoiding paralysis in cases of spinal cord injury, a study found.

When a person suffers a spinal-cord injury, cells known as glia prevent blood from pouring into the wound by forming a scar. But at the same time, the scar prevents axons, nerve cells that communicate with the brain, from penetrating the scar. And that is what causes paralysis.

But in zebrafish, a tiny member of the minnow family, the glia allow the axons to penetrate, resulting in a complete regeneration of the spinal cord within two months. You cant tell theres been any wound at all, said researcher Peter Currie, of the Monash Universitys Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI).

A protein called fibroblast growth factor (fgf) is responsible for the different response in humans and zebrafish.

The hope is that fgf could eventually be used to promote better results in spinal cord repair in people, Currie said in a statement.

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Tiny Fish Could Cure Spinal-Cord Injuries

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(PRWEB) July 11, 2012

"Post fusion pain is treated with cell therapy now at the center for regenerative medicine," according to Doctor Farshchian, the medical director for the center for regenerative medicine.

The joint at the base of the big toe is called the metatarophalangeal joint, or MTP joint. This is the junction of small bone of the big toe and the long bone of the forefoot.

This joint is essential to the biomechanics of our feet, receiving much stress and prone to arthritis by itself. Pain around the base of the big toe is a common symptom of arthritis around this area.

This pain is exacerbated by activity. After the joint is fused by itself, the toe may not touch the ground, which may cause slight instability or imbalance when the patient walks.

The Center for Regenerative Medicine in Miami, Florida concentrates on helping arthritic and injured people to get back to a functional level of life and their activities using non-surgical techniques and Orthopedic medicine. The center's expertise is in treatment of conditions of spine, knees , shoulders , and other cartilage damages. They have developed non-surgical and rehabilitation techniques focused on treatment and management of joint pain. Theirr team includes health professionals organized around a central theme. Their website is http://www.arthritisusa.net

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Post Fusion Pain is Treated with Cell Therapy Now at the Center for Regenerative Medicine

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Tuloy na ang stem cell therapy ni Annabelle Rama dahil naka-schedule na siyang pumunta sa Germany sa first week ng September.

Kasama ni Annabelle sa Germany trip ang kanyang anak na si Ruffa Gutierrez. Hindi ako sure kung may plano rin si Ruffa na magpa-stem cell therapy dahil walang age limit ang procedure na pinag-uusapan na ngayon sa apat na sulok ng showbiz.

Tinutukso si Annabelle Rama na may kinalaman sa kanyang pagkandidato sa Cebu ang desisyon niya na sumailalim sa stem cell therapy.

Tumawa lang si Bisaya na mukhang seryoso na sa pagkandidato bilang kongresista ng North Cebu sa eleksiyon sa susunod na taon.

Binibiro si Bisaya na magpapa-stem cell therapy siya para kundisyon na kundisyon ang katawan niya habang nangangampanya sa North Cebu.

Ayaw kumpirmahin ni Bisaya ang political plans niya. Hintayin na lamang daw ng mga tao ang kanyang bonggang announcement sa October.

Asawa ni Jose nag-iba ng abogado matapos matalo

How true na iba na raw ang lawyers ni Analyn Manalo kaya tumanggi nang magsalita ang kanyang mga dating abogado?

Si Analyn ang kontrobersiyal na dyowa ni Jose Manalo. Ilang buwan nang nasa news ang mag-asawa dahil sa kanilang paghihiwalay.

News noong weekend na natalo si Analyn sa kaso na isinampa niya laban kay Jose.

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Bibiyahe sa Germany kasama si Ruffa, Annabelle magpapakondisyon sa kampanya kaya magpapa-stem cell therapy

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Newswise Personalized medicine has promised to radically change the way we look at health and disease. Talk of tailored drug therapies and early detection of cancer has captured the attention of scientists and lay people alike. So when will patients start to reap the benefits of this medical revolution?

The transition to personalized medicine wont be seamless or swift, says Lee Gutkind, who co-authored "An Immense New Power to Heal: The Promise of Personalized Medicine" (In Fact Books, May 2012) with novelist and science writer Pagan Kennedy. The authors explain the complex world of personalized medicine in an engaging, approachable story-telling style.

Gutkind is the distinguished writer in residence at ASUs Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes (CSPO) and a professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He is also the founder and editor of the journal Creative Nonfiction.

In researching the book, Gutkind learned the tremendous potential for personalized medicine, and the obstacles keeping doctors from putting it into practice.

Giving up turf One aspect of personalized medicine involves the use of genetics to get a detailed and accurate picture of human DNA and how it responds to disease. When the first complete human genome was sequenced in 2007, scientists gained insight into how genetic variations can predict certain diseases and disorders. The idea is that having access to genetic information will allow health care providers to take a more preventative approach to caring for patients.

However, physicians are traditionally reluctant to adopt new technologies. Most primary care doctors have little training in genetics, and many have never even heard the term personalized medicine.

When I started this book between 2007 and 2008, I could go to physicians in major medical centers across the United States and say the phrase personalized medicine, and at least half of those people wouldnt even know what it was, Gutkind says. Again and again, I had to define personalized medicine for the people who ought to have known 10 years ago what it meant.

Of the physicians who were aware of personalized medicine, few seemed eager to share their knowledge with colleagues and patients. Even most medical schools have yet to amend the curriculum to include genetics and personalized medicine. Gutkind attributes this to a lack of understanding of the importance and potential of personalized medicine. It also speaks to the physicians unwillingness to give up turf to the field of genetics, an area they may know little about.

We want a revolution in health care, but we are not making the transition, Gutkind says.

The meaning of genes Its understandable that doctors with no training in genetics would be wary of personalized medicine. But Gutkind was surprised to learn that even for a geneticist, garnering useful health information from genetic data is no easy task.

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Book Explores the Promise, Pitfalls of Personalized Medicine

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Public release date: 10-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

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

New Rochelle, NY, July 9, 2012Genetic tests exist to identify risk for the rare inherited form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to predict susceptibility to the more common, late-onset form of AD, but do people want to know, and how do they react? The answers can be found in the article published in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free on the Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers website.

"This article addresses a major disease of tremendous impact on increasing numbers of people and documents the large psychological component that physicians and genetic counselors must be ready to address." says Kenneth I. Berns, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, and Director of the University of Florida's Genetics Institute, College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL.

In the article "To Know or Not to Know: An Update of the Literature on the Psychological and Behavioral Impact of Genetic Testing for Alzheimer Disease Risk," B. Rahman and a team of researchers from Australia review the latest studies on whether people at risk for early-onset familial AD want to know their genetic profile and actually undertake testing, and how they tend to respond to the results. They also evaluate the attitudes of the general population and people with a family history of late-onset AD toward testing for disease risk factors and what motivates them to undergo genetic testing.

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About the Journal

Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 10 times per year in print and online that reports on all aspects of genetic testing, including molecular and biochemical based tests and varied clinical situations; ethical, legal, social, and economic aspects of genetic testing; and issues concerning effective genetic counseling. Tables of contents and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 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 Human Gene Therapy and OMICS. 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 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc..

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Do people want to know if they are at risk for Alzheimer's disease?

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 10-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

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

New Rochelle, NY, June 3, 2012 Remote presence robots are used in intensive care units (ICUs) to help critical care physicians supplement on-site patient visits and maintain more frequent patient interactions. Physicians who employ this technology to supplement day-to-day patient care strongly support the positive clinical and social impact of using robots, according to a report published in Telemedicine and e-Health, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free on the Telemedicine and e-Health website.

"The integration of robotics in healthcare adds value to patient care and management of an individual's health," says Charles R. Doarn, MBA, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal and Research Professor of Family and Community Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The survey article entitled "Utilization of Robotic 'Remote Presence' Technology within North American Intensive Care Units" was conducted by investigators at InTouch Health (Santa Barbara, CA) and the Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore), found that most of the physicians utilizing robotic remote presence in the ICU were more senior staff who specialized in critical care medicine. The authors report that all survey respondents intend to continue using the technology and believe that it improves patient care and patient and family satisfaction.

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About the Journal

Telemedicine and e-Health is an official journal of the American Telemedicine Association, the Canadian Telehealth Forum of COACH, and the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth. Edited by Ronald C. Merrell, M.D., Professor of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, and Charles Doarn, MBA. Telemedicine and e-Health is the leading international, peer-reviewed journal combining medicine, telecommunications, and information technology. Published 10 times a year in print and online, the Journal covers telemedicine applications that are playing an increasingly important role in health care and provides tools that are indispensable for home health care, remote patient monitoring, and disease management. It encompasses not only rural health and battlefield care, but nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and maritime and aviation applications. A sample table of contents and free issue may be viewed on the Telemedicine and e-Health website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 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 Population Health Management and Journal of Laparoendoscopic Surgery and Advanced Surgical Techniques. 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 online at the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website.

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Can robots improve patient care in the ICU?

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Public release date: 10-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

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

New Rochelle, NY, July 10, 2012Improving access to health care for minority women of childbearing age could improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce racial differences in infant mortality, according to an article 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.

Infant mortality rates for non-Hispanic blacks and other minorities are much higher than for non-Hispanic whites. Better preconception heath care for women is a promising strategy for reducing racial disparities in reproductive health outcomes. This may include reducing behavioral risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and excessive drinking. It could also involve greater access to preventive care and preconception and reproductive counseling.

The article "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Preconception Risk Factors and Preconception Care" by Clark Denny, PhD and colleagues, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA), estimated the prevalence of five risk factors for negative pregnancy outcomes in more than 54,600 women ages 18-44 years. They found that more than half of the women had at least one risk factor and nearly 20% of women had two or more risk factors.

An accompanying Editorial, "Forthcoming Changes in Healthcare Financing and Delivery Offer Opportunities for Reducing Racial Disparities in Risks to Reproductive Health" by Anne Dunlop, MD, MPH and Darcie Everett, MD, MPH, Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA), highlights changes in health care policy, financing, and delivery that will expand coverage, emphasize prevention, and improve access to preconception and reproductive health care for lower-income Americans.

"Clearly, there is a need for better preconception health care, particularly among high-risk groups, in order to improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce racial disparities," says Editor-In-Chief 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.

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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.

Read more:
New CDC study on racial disparities in infant mortality published in Journal of Women's Health

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 10-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: John Sterling jsterling@genengnews.com 914-740-2196 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, July 9, 2012More than half (52%) of the companies comprising the tissue engineering (TE) and stem cell industries are revenue-generating, compared to about 21% four years ago, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). Of those companies, 31% have commercial products and 21% are service-based; another 30% have products in clinical trials, according to the current issue of GEN.

The GEN article is based on interviews with leading tissue engineering researchers and on the findings of a landmark paper ("Progress in the Tissue Engineering and Stem Cell Industry, Are we there yet"), which appears in Tissue Engineering: Part B, Volume 18, Number 3, 2012, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

"Like many other biotechnologies, tissue engineering has experienced an up and down history," said John Sterling, Editor in Chief of GEN. "But with numerous technical advances moving the field forward combined now with rising revenues, this segment of bioresearch is really taking off."

The industry itself is beginning to attain profitability, with sales revenues reaching $3.5 billion and industry spending approaching $3.6 billion. The 2012 analysis by a group led by Robert Langer, Sc.D., one of the authors of the paper in the Liebert journal, reported a nearly threefold increase in commercial sales for TE and stem cell products and services compared to the previous four-year period. Furthermore, the number of companies selling products or offering services increased more than twofold to 106.

The GEN article also notes that Tissue Engineering has formed an industry council for the purpose of helping to guide the evolution of the industry and to create strategic initiatives aimed at overcoming some of the R&D, manufacturing, and regulatory challenges facing the industry.

Among the companies interviewed for the GEN article are Organogenesis, Cytograft Tissue Engineering, Scintellix, and Humacyte.

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For a copy of the July issue of GEN, please call (914) 740-2146, or email: pbartell@genengnews.com

Read more from the original source:
GEN reports on growth of tissue engineering revenues

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Consumers armed with genetic testing information from the likes of 23andMe and a whole host of gene testing companies are showing up at the emergency room or their primary care physicians offices looking for answers.

The problem is that those physicians dont know enough about the emerging field of personalized medicine, said Dr. Jennifer Lowry, a pediatrician at Childrens Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri. Lowry, who works at the hospitals Center for Personalized Medicine and Therapeutic Innovation, was speaking at MedCity CONVERGE Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Personalized medicine may be routine at Mayo Clinic but when parents show up with their childs genetic test results in the doctors office, many physicians are asking what this all means, Lowry said. They are like Whaaaat?

Later in an interview, Lowry said that personalized medicine was not even taught when she was in medical school and she had to learn it by herself.

She and others on the panel which included James Burn, president and CEO of genetic testing firm AssureRx, and Mike Scott, patient advocate, chairman of National Organization for Rare Disorders agreed that physician education was essential.

Burns said that AssureRx is exploring ways to educate patients simultaneously with those in the medical profession.

However, Lowry later said that she does not believe that companies developing the tests should be the entities managing this communication.Lowry said that the education will have to come from physicians who are unconnected to organizations that do the testing. She added that the Center for Personalized Medicine and Therapeutic Innovation holds conferences to educate the primary care physician or the ER physician, but many times people who show up are mainly researchers.

There is a good reason for why Lowry doesnt want the education to come from the companies doing the testing. She doesnt think these tests are that accurate.

Mayo is the best that we have, but I sometimes override even their interpretation of the test results, Lowry declared.

Read more:
Physicians need more education on personalized medicine

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL July 10, 2012 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Qiagen (QGEN), Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY), Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY), Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Myriad Genetics (MYGN).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Mondays Analyst Blog:

FDA Approves Qiagens KRAS Test

Molecular diagnostics solutions provider, Qiagen (QGEN) recently got the nod of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the therascreen KRAS RGQ PCR Kit (therascreen KRAS test), which helps in determining the responsiveness of the metastatic colorectal cancer patients to the drug Erbitux (cetuximab). Qiagen considers this FDA approval of the therascreen KRAS test as a major breakthrough in the companys international expansion of its Personalized Healthcare franchise that comprises a huge portfolio of molecular companion diagnostics to guide treatments in oncology.

The drug Erbitux is an epidermal growth factor receptor (:EGFR) inhibitor and is used to treat colon and rectum cancer. It is also beneficial for head and neck cancer treatment. Currently, this drug is marketed in the U.S. by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) and Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY).

Excerpt from:
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Qiagen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Quest Diagnostics and Myriad Genetics

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --23andMe, a leading personal genetics company, today announced its first acquisition with the purchase of CureTogether, Inc.The addition of CureTogether provides technology and talent that will improve 23andMe's ability to gather data for research while also providing customers with engaging and meaningful interactions in 23andMe's online community. Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"A driving force for the acquisition is the alignment of core values we share with CureTogether," 23andMe CEO and Co-Founder Anne Wojcicki. "It underscores 23andMe's commitment to helping individuals understand their own genetic information through proven DNA analysis technologies and web-based interactive tools; and generating patient-driven, informed-consent research as well as empowering our customers to use their personal genetic information to find connections and establish communities based on their DNA."

23andMe's Personal Genome Service enables individuals to explore their own DNA and currently provides more than 200 health and traits reports as well as genetic ancestry information. 23andMe's customer communities currently cover a wide range of topics from Relative Finder matches provided through the company's ancestry analysis, to disease-specific research communities such as Parkinson's Disease, Sarcoma, Myleoproliferative Neoplasms and the Roots Into The Future research community for African-Americans.

CureTogether brings to 23andMe additional tools and systems for gathering data from health-based communities that are complementary to the existing 23andMe platforms, allowing customers to share quantitative information on more than 500 medical conditions, talk about sensitive symptoms and compare which treatments work best for them as they track their health. CureTogether's platform includes more than 4 million phenotypic data points across those different health conditions that could help inform future genetic discoveries. "There are tremendous opportunities for our members and for future research by integrating the 23andMe and the CureTogether platforms and phenotypic data," explained CureTogether Co-Founder Daniel Reda, who joins 23andMe as senior product manager.

CureTogether was launched in 2008 initially to help people who live in daily chronic pain. Starting with three conditions, it quickly expanded as people wrote in to request that their conditions be added to their ongoing study. CureTogether, like 23andMe, is supported by social web-based platforms and is committed to patient-driven research, having partnered with researchers at leading universities and research institutions including Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Drexel University, MIT Media Laboratory and Stanford University.

"We encourage our CureTogether members to join us in the 23andMe community," added CureTogether Co-Founder Alexandra Carmichael who joins 23andMe as senior product manager, "to help accelerate research discoveries enabled by this unprecedented compilation of community-contributed genetic and phenotypic data."

An ongoing service, 23andMe's Personal Genome Service provides a wealth of information about an individual's DNA and updates about new research. Customers can also choose to participate in the company's unique research programs. By completing online surveys, customers contribute directly to genetic research that can potentially lead to better understanding of and new treatments for a variety of health conditions. To learn more, visit http://www.23andMe.com.

About 23andMe 23andMe, Inc. is a leading personal genetics company dedicated to helping individuals understand their own genetic information through DNA analysis technologies and web-based interactive tools. The company's Personal Genome Service enables individuals to gain deeper insights into their ancestry and inherited traits. The vision for 23andMe is to personalize healthcare by making and supporting meaningful discoveries through genetic research. 23andMe, Inc., was founded in 2006, and the company is advised by a group of renowned experts in the fields of human genetics, bioinformatics and computer science. More information is available at http://www.23andme.com.

More here:
23andMe Acquires CureTogether, Inc.

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

IRVINE, Calif. and AMSTERDAM, July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Agendia, an innovative molecular cancer diagnostics company and leader in personalized medicine, today announced that Dr. Mark Gittleman, Medical Director of Breast Care Specialists and Advanced Breast Care Imaging, has joined the company's Medical Advisory Board. The board will play a key role in advising Agendia on the clinical application of its extensive product pipeline, including its Symphony suite of tests for breast cancer and its ColoPrint test for colon cancer.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120710/NY37010 )

"I have been impressed by the science and methodologies behind Agendia's product development, the conversion of their tests to an FFPE format and the numerous validation studies that have been published to date," said Dr. Gittleman. "These tests have been extremely useful in appropriately directing targeted systemic therapy for my breast cancer patients. For these reasons, I am pleased to have been asked to join Agendia's Medical Advisory Board, and I look forward to contributing and sharing new ideas to reach our common goals."

As a breast cancer specialist, Dr. Gittleman has a vested interest in new technologies that enable medical professionals to better understand the biology of breast cancer, thereby helping patients attain better outcomes through the application of validated, clinically useful technologies such as Agendia's MammaPrint, BluePrint, TargetPrint and TheraPrint gene profiling tests. He is a past president of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. Dr. Gittleman currently serves on the ASBS Coding and Reimbursement and Breast Imaging Technology committees and is a reviewer for Ultrasound and Stereotactic certification applicants.

"With his vast knowledge and experience in breast imaging and minimally invasive biopsy techniques, Dr. Gittleman brings a unique perspective to our growing Medical Advisory Board," said David Macdonald, CEO of Agendia. "As Agendia invests significantly in clinical research studies to support the use of new diagnostic tests, our Medical Advisory Board will be an integral part of our clinical trial development. We look forward to working with Dr. Gittleman in our efforts to advance the future of healthcare and bring personalized medicine to breast and colon cancer patients."

About Agendia:

Agendia is a leading molecular diagnostic company that develops and markets genomic-based diagnostic products, which help support physicians with their complex treatment decisions. Agendia's breast cancer Symphony suite was developed using unbiased gene selection, analyzing the complete human genome, ensuring 100% definitive results for cancer patients. Symphony includes MammaPrint, the first and only FDA-cleared IVDMIA breast cancer recurrence assay, as well as BluePrint, a molecular subtyping assay, TargetPrint, an ER/PR/HER2 expression assay, and TheraPrint, an alternative therapy selection assay. Together, these tests help physicians determine a patient's individual risk for metastasis, which patients will benefit from chemo, hormonal, or combination therapy, and which patients do not require these treatments and can instead be treated with other less arduous and less costly methods.

In addition to the Symphony suite of tests, Agendia has a rich pipeline of genomic products in development. The company collaborates with pharmaceutical companies, leading cancer centers and academic groups to develop companion diagnostic tests in the area of oncology and is a critical partner in the ISPY-2 and MINDACT trials.

For more information, please visit http://www.agendia.com.

For further information, please contact: Post+Beam Melissa Hurley Tel: +1 646 442 2773 E-mail: hurley@postandbeam.is

See original here:
Agendia Welcomes Dr. Mark Gittleman to Expanding Medical Advisory Board

Recommendation and review posted by sam

SAN DIEGOand ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Everist Genomics (EGI), a privately held personalized medicine company developing innovative diagnostics for oncology and cardiovascular disease, announced today that it will open a new lab at Johnson and Johnson's Janssen Labs, a new life science innovation center, based in San Diego. Out of the more than 300 companies that have applied for space at the state-of-the-art facility, only 15 companies, including EGI, have been selected to date by Janssen Labs.

Janssen Labs, which opened in January 2012, provides its resident life science companies access to world-class infrastructure, equipment and resources to help advance research and development aimed at advancing medical care. Resident companies are chosen by a selection committee consisting of senior Johnson and Johnson management based on a comprehensive review that includes the prospective companies' business plans and financial projections. The companies are evaluated across a number of criteria, including:

"In the biotechnology sector, San Diego is seen as one of the world's biggest hotbeds of innovation, and Johnson and Johnson stands in a class of its own with regards to innovation in research and development," said Alex Charlton, Executive Vice Chairman of EGI Charlton. "The expansion of EGI into Janssen Labs represents an exciting opportunity for us to showcase the unique capabilities of our diagnostics, prognostics and therapeutic selection technologies, which are underpinned by the company's strong IP position. Ultimately, we expect this initiative to support our entire business strategy, from new product development to marketing and sales, catalyzing both short-term and long-term growth opportunities."

EGI plans to open its Janssen Labs satellite laboratory in Q3 2012, enabling the company to achieve greater cost efficiencies across its business by sharing resources such as equipment and administrative support services with other companies at the facility. By locating the company's new laboratory in one of the world's top global biotechnology hubs, the company can evaluate opportunities for partnerships with other life science companies. EGI also sees tremendous added value by having close proximity to Silicon Valley.

Charlton added that while the terms of the Janssen Labs program does not require resident companies to contract with Johnson and Johnson on any research and development or commercialization plans, it ensures that EGI is on the radar screen of the multinational life sciences leader. "There is no obligation for companies operating at Janssen Labs to work or partner with Johnson and Johnson," Charlton said. "But as a natural result of our proximity to Johnson and Johnson, there is a potential to develop such relationships with the company in the future."

EGI has already begun marketing a number of products in areas such as colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease through its ongoing R&D programs and industry partnerships. The company launched its first companion diagnostic test, OncoDefender-CRC, in June 2011 and has already distributed more than 6,000 OncoDefender-CRC test kits to hospitals around the country. In March 2012, the company expanded its companion diagnostics portfolio and began marketing three new testsOncoSelector, OncoDefender-MMR and OncoDefender-Lynch Syndrome. Through several strategic product acquisitions, the company has also entered the cardiovascular space, launching two new mobile health diagnostics, CardioDefender and AngioDefender. These devices integrate novel sensor technology with mobile digital services, smartphones and other mobile devices to provide flexible monitoring and diagnosis of cardiovascular conditions that traditionally have been limited to observation through legacy hospital diagnostic systems.

At the company's new laboratory at Janssen Labs, EGI will focus on continuing to build out its colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease portfolios, leveraging its proprietary machine learning algorithm, Evolver, to identify and assess new biomarkers that are relevant to disease prognosis and treatment. EGI is also exploring new technologies and platforms designed to advance treatment planning in other indications, such as metabolic disease

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120710/NY36911) CardioDefender The world's first hospital quality ECG on a smartphone

About Everist Genomics

Everist Genomics, Inc. (EGI) is a personalized medicine company, which develops and commercializes medically unique diagnostics, prognostics and therapeutic selection technologies. EGI is focused on rapidly growing disease areas with major unmet needs, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease (e.g. diabetes). EGI's innovative products successfully integrate with mobile digital services, smartphones and tablet computers resulting in advanced medical technology, which until now has been confined to the hospital setting. For online information about Everist Genomics, please visit http://www.everistgenomics.com.

Original post:
Everist Genomics Awarded Admission to Johnson and Johnson's Life Science Innovation Center

Recommendation and review posted by sam

"Janne's Next Step" is a Unique Documentary that Chronicles a Man's Fight to Walk Again After a Devastating Spinal Cord Injury

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

"The basis of Locomotor Training is the discovery that the spinal cord has a complicated circuitry that can control locomotor," said Dr. V. Reggie Edgerton, Distinguished Professor of Integrative Biology and Physiology and of Neurology at UCLA. "Our research has proven that the spinal cord can actually re-learn how to walk after a spinal cord injury, without input from the brain."

After Janne Kouri suffered a tragic diving accident that nearly cost him his life, he was told he would never walk again. He underwent an experimental activity-based rehabilitation treatment called Locomotor Training that was developed by Dr. Reggie Edgerton (UCLA) and Dr. Susan Harkema (University of Louisville) in partnership with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. Locomotor Training re-teaches the spinal cord how to control motor functions, like walking, through repetitive motion. It was developed and perfected with the help of lab animals and brave people, like Janne. After months of intensive training, Janne began to regain function in his feet, then in his legs, and today Janne can take steps with a walker.

Janne is now helping hundreds of others living with spinal cord injuries through his nonprofit organization, NextStep Fitness -- the first community facility in the U.S. to offer Locomotor and activity-based training at its state-of-the-art facility in Los Angeles. With this optimistic story of human triumph over tragedy, "Janne's Next Step" shows viewers how dedicated experts at UCLA, University of Louisville and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation are developing incredible, cutting-edge treatments to help those living with spinal cord injuries walk again. For more information about the film or screening event, please email info@fbrmedia.com.

FBR Media is an award-winning production studio that creates striking digital content across multiple platforms. Its latest TV series, Bench to Bedside, tells inspirational true stories about people and animals living with serious illnesses and the incredible biomedical research that could save their lives. FBR Media is a registered trademark of the Foundation for Biomedical Research.

SOURCE FBR Media

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World Premiere of "Janne's Next Step" on Los Angeles' KTTV on July 29

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Sugarland, TEXAS (PRWEB) July 10, 2012

Sugarland cosmetic dentist Dr. Lance Jue from A Beautiful Smile at Lake Pointe has become the first provider of dental stem cell therapy in Fort Bend County.

Dental stem cell therapy saves stem cells from baby teeth, teeth removed for orthodontic reasons and wisdom teeth to help with future infections, injuries or diseases.

Dr. Jue works with Store-A-Tooth, which provides a Tooth Transport Kit, collects and validates the stems cells that are collected from the tooth. The cells are kept frozen until the day they are needed, at which time they are sent to the patients healthcare provider.

Dental stem cells have been used to treat periodontal disease, diabetes, spinal cord injury, stroke and liver disease. Stem cells are different from other cells because they can transform into many different cell types and divide more than other types of cells.

Dental stem cells are particularly effective because they replicate faster than stem cells take from other body tissues.

The initial cost of the Store-A-Tooth service is one-third to one-half the initial cost of storing umbilical cord blood, another source of stem cells.

A Beautiful Smile at Lake Pointe is the dental practice of Dr. Lance Jue. It has served the Houston area's restorative, cosmetic and general dentistry needs for 19 years. Dr. Jue makes an effort to listen to every patient to give him or her the appropriate treatment.

Read the original here:
Dr. Jue Brings Store-A-Tooth Dental Stem Cell Therapy Service to Sugarland

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

NEW YORK, July 10, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS) ("NeoStem" or the "Company"), a cell therapy company, today announced that its CEO will present at the Seventh Annual JMP Securities Healthcare Conference on July 12, 2012.

The presentation will be webcast live and available to view at the following web address: http://wsw.com/webcast/jmp18/nbs/. The webcast will be archived for 90 days following the live presentation.

The Seventh Annual JMP Securities Healthcare Conference

About NeoStem, Inc.

NeoStem, Inc. ("we," "NeoStem" or the "Company") continues to develop and build on its core capabilities in cell therapy to capitalize on the paradigm shift that we see occurring in medicine. In particular, we anticipate that cell therapy will have a large role in the fight against chronic disease and in lessening the economic burden that these diseases pose to modern society. Our January 2011 acquisition of Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC ("PCT") provides NeoStem with a foundation in both manufacturing and regulatory affairs expertise. We believe this expertise, coupled with our existing research capabilities and collaborations, will allow us to achieve our mission of becoming a premier cell therapy company. Our PCT subsidiary's manufacturing base is one of the few current Good Manufacturing Practices ("cGMP") facilities available for contracting in the burgeoning cell therapy industry. Amorcyte, LLC ("Amorcyte"), which we acquired in October 2011, is developing a cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Amorcyte's lead compound, AMR-001, represents NeoStem's most clinically advanced therapeutic and Amorcyte is enrolling patients for a Phase 2 trial to investigate AMR-001's efficacy in preserving heart function after a heart attack. We also expect to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial by 2012/2013 to investigate AMR-001's utility in arresting the progression of congestive heart failure and the associated comorbidities of that disease. Athelos Corporation ("Athelos"), which is approximately 80%-owned by our subsidiary, PCT, is engaged in collaboration with Becton-Dickinson that is exploring the earlier stage clinical development of a T-cell therapy for autoimmune conditions. In addition, our pre-clinical assets include our VSELTM Technology platform as well as our MSC (mesenchymal stem cells) product candidate for regenerative medicine.

For more information on NeoStem, please visit http://www.neostem.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations, as of the date of this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements herein with respect to the successful execution of the Company's business strategy, including with respect to the Company's successful development of cell therapeutics, as well as the future of the cell therapeutics industry. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward- looking statements as a result of various factors. Factors that could cause future results to materially differ from the recent results or those projected in forward-looking statements include the "Risk Factors" described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 20, 2012 and in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company's further development is highly dependent on future medical and research developments and market acceptance, which is outside its control.

Read more:
NeoStem to Present at the Seventh Annual JMP Securities Healthcare Conference

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Tuloy na ang stem cell therapy ni Annabelle Rama dahil naka-schedule na siyang pumunta sa Germany sa first week ng September.

Kasama ni Annabelle sa Germany trip ang kanyang anak na si Ruffa Gutierrez. Hindi ako sure kung may plano rin si Ruffa na magpa-stem cell therapy dahil walang age limit ang procedure na pinag-uusapan na ngayon sa apat na sulok ng showbiz.

Tinutukso si Annabelle Rama na may kinalaman sa kanyang pagkandidato sa Cebu ang desisyon niya na sumailalim sa stem cell therapy.

Tumawa lang si Bisaya na mukhang seryoso na sa pagkandidato bilang kongresista ng North Cebu sa eleksiyon sa susunod na taon.

Binibiro si Bisaya na magpapa-stem cell therapy siya para kundisyon na kundisyon ang katawan niya habang nangangampanya sa North Cebu.

Ayaw kumpirmahin ni Bisaya ang political plans niya. Hintayin na lamang daw ng mga tao ang kanyang bonggang announcement sa October.

Asawa ni Jose nag-iba ng abogado matapos matalo

How true na iba na raw ang lawyers ni Analyn Manalo kaya tumanggi nang magsalita ang kanyang mga dating abogado?

Si Analyn ang kontrobersiyal na dyowa ni Jose Manalo. Ilang buwan nang nasa news ang mag-asawa dahil sa kanilang paghihiwalay.

News noong weekend na natalo si Analyn sa kaso na isinampa niya laban kay Jose.

See the article here:
Bibiyahe sa Germany kasama si Ruffa, Annabelle magpapakondisyon sa kampanya kaya magpapa-stem cell therapy

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ScienceDaily (July 10, 2012) Black skin cancer, also known as melanoma, is particularly aggressive and becoming increasingly common in Switzerland. Despite intensive research, however, there is still no treatment. Researchers from the University of Zurich have now discovered a gene that plays a central role in black skin cancer. Suppressing this gene in mice inhibits the development of melanoma and its proliferation -- a discovery that could pave the way for new forms of therapy.

Until recently, it was assumed that a tumor was composed of many equivalent cells that all multiply malignantly and can thus contribute towards tumor growth. According to a more recent hypothesis, however, a tumor might also consist of malignant cancer stem cells and other less aggressive tumor cells. Normally, stem cells are responsible for the formation of organs. Cancer stem cells can divide in a very similar way and develop into other tumor cells to form the tumor. Efficient tumor therapy thus primarily needs to fight cancer stem cells. Consequently, a team of stem-cell researchers from the University of Zurich headed by Professor Sommer decided to find out whether mechanisms that are important for normal stem cells also play a role in cancer stem cells.

Regulating gene discovered in tumor

Melanoma cells are rogue skin-pigment cells formed by so-called neural crest stem cells during embryonic development. Professor Sommer's group teamed up with dermatologists and pathologists to investigate whether cells with characteristics of these specific stem cells are present in human tumor tissue. "This was indeed the case, as we were able to prove based on numerous biopsies performed on melanoma patients," says Sommer. In particular, one gene that effectively controls the stem-cell program was highly active in all the tumor tissue studied. This gene, which is known as "Sox10," is essential for cell division and the survival of stem cells.

Gene suppression inhibits cancer

The next step for the Zurich researchers was to test how Sox10 works in human melanoma cells. They determined that the gene also controls a stem-cell program in cancer cells and is necessary for cell division. In order to corroborate these findings in a living organism, the researchers ultimately used a mouse which carried similar genetic mutations to those found in human melanoma and thus developed black skin cancer spontaneously. Astonishingly, the suppression of Sox10 in this animal model completely inhibited the formation and spread of cancer.

"Our research demonstrates that a tumor could probably be treated by attacking its stem cells," concludes Sommer. The results also illustrate that such studies can primarily be successful through the close collaboration and conscious use of synergies between basic researchers and clinicians.

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Melanoma-promoting gene discovered

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith