18-04-2012 07:24 Many of our patients travel to Guangzhou from all over the world for medical treatment and tourism. China medical tourism can help with becoming a patient, travel arrangements and language assistance. If you want to know more about our services, please browse the or mail to us: Name: Daniel Gender: Male Nationality: USA Age: 50 Start of treatment: 2009-08-12 Diagnosis: brain stem injury Treatment: 3 injections of bone marrow stem cells and nutritious stem cell cocktail treatment Days admitted to the hospital: 40 Reason for coming to treatment: In 1986, Daniel was involved in a car accident, which left him comatose and with little chance of survival. Against the odds Daniel came out of the coma and survived. Today Daniel has limited, but manageable, ability to communicate and to move his body. Wishing to gain more improvements in his motor abilities and improve his quality of life, Daniel and his wife, LaNea, came to Guangzhou for stem cell treatment on September 2009.

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China medical tourism Brain Injury stem cell therapy 2 clip - Video

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18-04-2012 08:35 Many of our patients travel to Guangzhou from all over the world for medical treatment and tourism. China medical tourism can help with becoming a patient, travel arrangements and language assistance. If you want to know more about our services, please browse the web: or mail to us: Name: Shana Weil Gender: Feale Nationality: USA Age: 22 Start of treatment: 2008-11-24 Diagnosis: Traumatic brain injury Treatment: 4 stem cells injections via lumbar puncture and a nutritious stem cell cocktail treatment Days admitted to the hospital: 60 Reason for coming to treatment: On November 20, 2003, Shana lost control of her car and ran into a tree. The accident left her severely brain damaged. Later, Shana came out of the coma, and progressed from a vegetative state to being minimally conscious. Her parents decided to keep their daughter at home, taking care of all her daily needs and kept her on an intense physiotherapy program, but eventually realized that they had exhausted all treatment options available in the US Upon Hearing on the TV about another family that traveled to China for stem cell treatment, her parents decided to travel with their daughter to Guangzhou.

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China medical tourism Brain Injury stem cell therapy 3 clip - Video

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18-04-2012 09:47 Many of our patients travel to Guangzhou from all over the world for medical treatment and tourism. China medical tourism can help with becoming a patient, travel arrangements and language assistance. If you want to know more about our services, please browse the web: or mail to us: Name: Sammy Ashraf Gender: Female Nationality: Pakistan Age: 32 Start of treatment: 2010-11-18 Diagnosis: Hypoxic encephalopathy, secondary epilepsy Treatment: 3 injections of bone marrow stem cells and nutritious stem cell cocktail treatment Days admitted to the hospital: 30 Reason for coming to treatment: Sammy developed breathing problems and fell into a coma after taking some cough medicine on March 25, 2009, and then she received a tracheotomy, mechanical ventilation to assist her breathing and organic phosphorus detoxification treatment. On the third day, she was taken off the ventilation and continued her treatment in the ICU. She received physical rehabilitation bedside with the assistance of her family members. Three months later, Sammy could understand simple instructions given to her. She was able to swallow small amounts of liquid and move her arms and legs slightly. At the onset of the disease, Sammy was presented with paroxysmal convulsions, clenched fists, and she would grit her teeth. Sammy was put on Topamax for treatment. They looked for new therapy, so they contact us and came to our hospital for ...

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China medical tourism Brain Injury stem cell therapy 4 clip - Video

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18-04-2012 10:06 Many of our patients travel to Guangzhou from all over the world for medical treatment and tourism. China medical tourism can help with becoming a patient, travel arrangements and language assistance. If you want to know more about our services, please browse the web: or mail to us: Name: Binca Karprioru Gender: Female Nationality: Romania Age: 18 Start of treatment: 2007-11-17 Diagnosis: Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation Treatment: Stem cell treatment Days admitted to the hospital: 60 Reason for coming to treatment: Due to lack of oxygen during child birth Bianca was born with cerebral palsy characterized mainly by mental retardation. Before the treatment Bianca was very dependent on her mother in all daily activities - eating, dressing, tying her shoes, going to the bathroom and walking. Bianca could walk only with someone supporting her on one side and holding her hand. She could point to something but could not grasp small objects. She could pronounce a few words but was unable to create sentences. She could understand commands of medium difficulty. She appeared to have double vision and had difficulties focusing her sight. She was very anxious around people she didn't know and in unfamiliar environments and would express fear and uncontrolled aggression in such situations. She did not want to miss any opportunity, so she came here in Guangzhou for treatment.

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China medical tourism Cerebral Palsy stem cells therapy 6 clip - Video

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18-04-2012 10:54 Many of our patients travel to Guangzhou from all over the world for medical treatment and tourism. China medical tourism can help with becoming a patient, travel arrangements and language assistance. If you want to know more about our services, please browse the web: or mail to us: Name: Antilla Lawrence Gender: Male Nationality: Hungary Age: 27 Start of treatment: 2008-08-23 Diagnosis: Stem cell treatment Treatment: Weekly stem cell injections, physical therapy, cocktail medication Days admitted to the hospital: 40 Reason for coming to treatment: Antilla suffers from limited mobility and impaired balance due to limited oxygen supply to his brain during his birth. Before coming to Guangzhou Antilla suffered constantly from stiff and rigid muscles. His balance was poor; he could not get down the stairs without catching the handrail, he could not walk very fast and his walking was bumpy and uncoordinated. He could not bend his right knee while walking and used to lean forward with his upper body, a posture which worsened his sense of balance. He used to tire quickly from walking and suffered from back aches after a relatively long walk. He suffered from painful cramps in his legs, mostly during the night. In addition, Antilla's right arm and hand had very limited movement, and since he is right handed, this had a vast effect on his daily activities. He could not straighten his right arm more than ...

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China medical tourism Cerebral Palsy stem cells therapy 7 clip - Video

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18-04-2012 12:47 Many of our patients travel to Guangzhou from all over the world for medical treatment and tourism. China medical tourism can help with becoming a patient, travel arrangements and language assistance. If you want to know more about our services, please browse the web: or mail to us: Name: Garbo Bocskai Gender: Male Nationality: Hungary Age: 20 Start of treatment: 2007-08-30 Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy Treatment: Stem cell treatment Days admitted to the hospital: 50 Reason for coming to treatment: Garbo was born as a result of a premature birth after only 7.5 months of pregnancy, and he suffered Septicemia secondary to Gastroenteritis caused by Thrush only 13 days after birth. Once the infection had been resolved, the infant appeared to have inconsistent bilateral eye movements and paralysis of the lower limbs and was eventually diagnosed with a Brain Injury at the age of 6 months. His parents heard that here in Guangzhou, Gabor would receive the advanced stem cell treatment done by a very professional medical team.

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Public release date: 18-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David Eve celltransplantation@gmail.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Tampa, Fla. (April. 18, 2012) Autologous (self-donated) mononuclear cells derived from bone marrow (BMMNCs) have been found to significantly induce vascular growth when transplanted into patients with diabetes who are suffering from critical limb ischemia caused by peripheral artery disease (PAD), a complication of diabetes. The team of researchers in Seville, Spain who carried out the study published their results in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation (20:10), now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/.

"Critical limb ischemia in diabetic patients is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality; however, neovascularization induced by stem cell therapy could be a useful approach for these patients," said study corresponding author Dr. Bernat Soria of the Andaluz Center for Biologic and Molecular Regenerative Medicine in Seville, Spain. "In this study we evaluated the safety and efficacy of inter-arterial administration of autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells with 20 diabetic patents with severe below-the-knee arterial ischemia."

The researchers noted that surgical or endovascular revascularization options for patients such as those in the study are limited because of poor arterial outflow. Although optimum dose, source and route of administration were outstanding questions, proper BMMNC dose for best results was an issue that the researchers hoped to clarify. They subsequently used a dose ten times smaller than other researchers had used previously in similar studies.

According to the authors, the rationale for their study was that intra-arterial infusions of autologous BMMNCs contain endothelial progenitors that are locally profuse at severely diseased vascular beds in the lower limb. Their hope was that the BMMNCs could promote early and effective development of new vascularization.

Patients were evaluated at three months and twelve months post-transplantation.

"As previously reported, the one-year mortality rate for diabetic patients with PAD - most of which are associated with cardiac complications - has been found to be 20 percent," explained Dr. Soria. "Our study documented significant increases in neovasculogenesis for the majority of our study patients and a decrease in the number of amputations. However, overall PAD mortality for our patients was similar to that generally experienced."

The researchers concluded that BMMNC therapy for lower limb ischemia was a "safe procedure that generates a significant increase in the vascular network in ischemic areas" and promotes "remarkable clinical improvement."

"While this study did not demonstrate a significant effect on mortality, it does suggest an improvement in the quality of life based on limb retention as shown by the significant reduction in the number of amputations", said Amit N. Patel, director of cardiovascular regenerative medicine at the University of Utah and section editor for Cell Transplantation.

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Autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cell transplants can reduce diabetic amputations

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There has been no shortage of baldness cures over the ages, but they all share one thing in common: none of them really work. Now, a team of scientists has used stem cell therapy to give a hairless mouse a mohawk. There is hope yet.

The researchers, from the Tokyo University of Science, have seized on the concept of using stem cells to provide regenerative medicine, and given it a twist. Actually, maybe more of a curl, because they hit on the idea of using the therapyusually reserved for restoring organs damaged by disease or illnessto regenerate hair follicles.

To do that, they created a "seed" of a hair follicle by combining adult epithelial stem cells and dermal papilla cellstwo basic cells that are found in the skinfrom a normal mouse. Then, they inserted that seed into the skin of a hairless mouse, which are genetically engineered for just this kind of research, and... waited.

The result? Fully functional hair follicles, that grew a respectable amount of hair. Not just that, these things connected properly with the skin and nerves, went through the typical cycle of shedding hairs and then regrowing, and could even get goosebumps. These hair follicles are the real deal. The research is published in Nature Communications.

All told, it's perhaps the most promising solution to regenerating hair that we've seen. The catchthere's always a catch, right?is that, as yet, it's entirely untested in humans. And even if it was, this kind of therapy is extremely exotic, so wouldn't come cheap. [Nature Communications]

Image by Tokyo University of Science

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Can Stem Cells Finally Provide a Baldness Cure That Works? [Science]

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From Rogaine to hair plugs, there have been many strides made to induce hair regrowth for bald or balding heads, but a new Japanese study found a possible cure to baldness by using stem cells.

Using stem cell therapy, scientists at the Tokyo University of Science in Japan led by Takashi Tsuki gave a hairless mouse a Mohawk by regenerating hair follicles.

Researchers used follicles from a normal mouse, namely adult epithelial stem cells and dermal papilla cell found in the skin, to create a "seed" of a hair follicle. Then, they implanted the newly-created "seed" using intracutaneous transplantation into the hairless mouse and -- Voila! -- hair.

According to the research published in Nature Communications, functional hair follicles grew on the hairless mouse properly on the skin in the epidermis, arrector pili muscle and nerve fibers. The newly regrown hair also went through a standard hair cycle of shedding and regrowth.

"Our current study thus demonstrates the potential for not only hair regeneration therapy but also the realisation of bioengineered organ replacement using adult somatic stem cells," the report said.

The baldness cure that worked on the hairless mice, however, has not yet been tested on humans, but the researchers hope to introduce the idea soon.

"We would like to start clinical research within three to five years, so that an actual treatment to general patients can start within a decade," researcher Koh-ei Toyoshima said in a statement.

However, even if it does work on people, the issue is raised about the cost, as stem cell therapy practices can be quite costly.

View the video of the hairless mouse with hair regrowth below.

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Baldness Cure: Japanese Study Finds Stem Cells Induce Hair Regrowth for Bald Heads on Mouse [PHOTO & VIDEO]

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Public release date: 18-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center

STANFORD, Calif. Heart-like cells made in the laboratory from the skin of patients with a common cardiac condition contract less strongly than similarly created cells from unaffected family members, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The cells also exhibit abnormal structure and respond only dully to the wave of calcium signals that initiate each heartbeat.

The finding used induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cell technology to create heart-muscle-like cells from the skin of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, which is one of the leading causes of heart failure and heart transplantation in the United States. It adds to a growing body of evidence indicating that iPS cells can faithfully reflect the disease status of the patients from whom they are derived.

Using the newly created diseased and normal cells, the researchers were able to directly observe for the first time the effect of a common beta blocker drug, as well as validate the potential usefulness of a gene therapy approach currently in clinical trials.

"Primary human cardiac cells are difficult to obtain and don't live long under laboratory conditions," said Joseph Wu, MD, PhD, associate professor of cardiovascular medicine. Instead, researchers have relied on studies of cells from rodent hearts, which beat much more quickly, to understand more about human heart disease. "Now we've created heart cells from iPS cells derived from skin that allow us to study in detail the mechanisms of a common cardiac disease and how these cells respond to clinical interventions."

Wu is the senior author of the research, which will be published April 18 in Science Translational Medicine. Postdoctoral scholar Ning Sun, MD, PhD, is the first author. The work is the latest in a type of research that's sometimes referred to as "disease-in-a-dish" studies. Using iPS technology, other researchers have created stem cells from patients with Parkinson's disease, Marfan syndrome and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, among others.

The implications of such research are huge. According to Wu, one of the major reasons cardiac drugs are pulled from the market is unexpected cardiac toxicity that is, they are damaging the very hearts they're meant to help. Currently, such drugs are pre-screened for toxic effects on common laboratory cell lines derived from either hamster ovaries or human embryonic kidney cells. Even though these ovarian and kidney cells have been artificially induced to mimic the electrophysiology of human heart cells, they are still very different from the real thing. A reliable source of diseased and normal human heart cells on which to test the drugs' effect prior to clinical use could improve drug screening, save billions of dollars and improve the lives of countless patients.

Dilated cardiomyopathy occurs when a portion of the heart muscle enlarges and begins to lose the ability to pump blood efficiently. Eventually, the enlarged muscle begins to weaken and fail, requiring either medication or even transplant. Although many cases occur sporadically and without an apparent cause, dilated cardiomyopathy can also be inherited via a variety of genetic mutations.

Wu and Sun performed skin biopsies on seven members of three generations of a family with the inherited form of the condition (called familial dilated cardiomyopathy). Four of the family members had inherited a specific genetic mutation in a gene called TNNT2 that causes the disease; the other three had not. The researchers used iPS technology to convert skin cells from the affected and unaffected family members into stem cells, which they then coaxed to become heart muscle cells for further study. They then compared cells from unaffected family members with those who had the disease.

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Stanford scientists show lab-made heart cells ideal for disease research, drug testing

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPXA - News), a biotechnology company developing Tovaxin, a novel T-cell therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), announced today that the Company will be holding a preliminary meeting with prospective clinical trial investigators at the 64th Annual American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Meeting in New Orleans on April 24, 2012. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the upcoming Phase IIb clinical trial using Opexas T-cell therapy in patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS).

"We are honored to introduce our next clinical trial to a group of invited neurologists at this years AAN meeting in New Orleans, commented Neil K. Warma, President and Chief Executive Officer of Opexa. The meeting will be an opportunity to discuss with select clinicians and their study coordinators potential participation in the SPMS clinical trial as well as present the final protocol for the trial including the design, structure and patient selection criteria. This is an exciting time for Opexa, neurologists and SPMS patients as this study will provide an innovative opportunity for treatment in an area where currently there are very few treatment options. The annual AAN meeting is an excellent forum for the MS community to discuss and present new therapies that could have an important impact on the treatment of MS. We are pleased that Tovaxin is generating a great deal of enthusiasm among physicians, key opinion leaders and patients in the lead up to this meeting and are equally pleased to be advancing our clinical plans for Tovaxin.

Mark Freedman, M.D., director of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Unit at the Ottawa Hospital and member of Opexas Scientific Advisory Board, commented, I am pleased to contribute my expertise to Opexa with their design and planning of this Phase IIb study. Opexa is now in the process of selecting clinical trial investigators and finalizing the remaining steps in order to conduct a study of optimal quality. I am pleased to facilitate the introduction of the Phase IIb study to prospective clinical trial investigators at this years AAN meeting. Patients with SPMS have few treatment options and Tovaxins safety profile certainly justifies investigation of this therapy in the challenging SPMS patient population.

The proposed Phase IIb clinical trial will be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of Opexas T-cell therapy in SPMS patients with evidence of disease progression without associated relapses. The study, to be initiated once the necessary resources are secured, is expected to treat approximately 180 patients in up to 30 sites in the United States and Canada with annual courses of treatment for two years.

About Opexa

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. is dedicated to the development of patient-specific cellular therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The Companys leading T-cell therapy, a personalized cellular immunotherapy treatment, is in clinical development targeting both Secondary Progressive and Relapsing Remitting MS. Opexas T-cell therapy is derived from T-cells isolated from peripheral blood, expanded ex vivo and reintroduced into the patients via subcutaneous injections. This process triggers a potent immune response against specific subsets of autoreactive T-cells known to attack myelin and, thereby, reduces the risk of relapse over time.

For more information, visit the Companys website at http://www.opexatherapeutics.com.

Cautionary Statement Relating to Forward - Looking Information for the Purpose of "Safe Harbor" Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words expects, believes, anticipates, estimates, may, could, intends, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release which are not strictly historical statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the development of the Companys product candidate, Tovaxin, constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, without limitation, risks associated with: our capital position, the ability of the Company to enter into and benefit from a partnering arrangement for the Company's product candidate, Tovaxin, on reasonably satisfactory terms (if at all), our dependence (if partnered) on the resources and abilities of any partner for the further development of Tovaxin, our ability to compete with larger, better financed pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, new approaches to the treatment of our targeted diseases, our expectation of incurring continued losses, our uncertainty of developing a marketable product, our ability to raise additional capital to continue our treatment development programs and to undertake and complete any further clinical studies for Tovaxin, the success of our clinical trials, the efficacy of Tovaxin for any particular indication, such as Relapsing Remitting MS or Secondary Progressive MS, our ability to develop and commercialize products, our ability to obtain required regulatory approvals, our compliance with all Food and Drug Administration regulations, our ability to obtain, maintain and protect intellectual property rights (including for Tovaxin), the risk of litigation regarding our intellectual property rights, the success of third party development and commercialization efforts with respect to products covered by intellectual property rights that the Company may license or transfer, our limited manufacturing capabilities, our dependence on third-party manufacturers, our ability to hire and retain skilled personnel, our volatile stock price, and other risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made. We assume no obligation or undertaking to update any forward-looking statements to reflect any changes in expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. You should, however, review additional disclosures we make in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

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Opexa to Hold Preliminary Investigator’s Meeting for MS Trial at American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Researchers from the Gladstone Institutes in the US showed for the first time that injecting a combination of genes into the damaged heart tissue of a living animal could make it beat again.

Although the technique is a long way from being fit for human trials, experts said it could eventually lead to a way of repairing the debilitating damage sustained in heart attacks.

The results, published in the Nature journal, replicate previous test tube studies which suggested that the three genes, which normally guide the development of the heart in embryos, could reprogram non-beating cells into fully functional heart muscle.

Dr Deepak Srivastava, who led the study, said: "These findings could have a significant impact on heart-failure patients, whose damaged hearts make it difficult for them to engage in normal activities like walking up a flight of stairs."

Prof Peter Weissberg, Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, added: This research illustrates one of many routes scientists are exploring to try and repair damage caused by a heart attack.

"If this is confirmed by further studies, it is a remarkable achievement. But a great deal more research will be needed before we will know whether such an approach is feasible, or indeed safe, in patients.

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Heart damage repaired in mice by gene therapy

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Public release date: 18-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vanessa Pavinato media@esmo.org European Society for Medical Oncology

Lugano-CH/Aurora-US-CO/Geneva-CH, 18 April 2012 -- A new genetic signature identified by Spanish researchers may provide doctors with robust and objective information about which patients with early stage lung cancer are at low or high risk of relapse following surgery, investigators report at the 3rd European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva. Their work also opens new avenues for immunotherapy for lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer is a disease that is often not diagnosed until it has grown and spread throughout the body. Even those patients who are diagnosed early enough to undergo surgical removal of the tumor still have a discouraging 30% rate of relapse.

Researchers hope that identifying which patients have the greatest risk of relapse will allow doctors to focus other treatment strategies, in order to improve their chance of being cured after surgery.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid, have found a 50-gene predictor that appears to be capable of doing just that. In a study of 84 patients with stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer, who had undergone surgery to remove their tumor, the gene signature accurately predicted which patients were at low risk of relapse.

The researchers analyzed genetic expression in the tumor mass using microarray technology. Following patients for six years, they were able to correlate gene expression patterns with the clinical course of disease, and the risk of relapse.

The Spanish research team's report at the meeting shows that the genes of the predictor were over-expressed in roughly one-third of patients, all of whom had a low risk of relapse. Further analysis showed that these genes were related to the activity of important immune system white blood cells, known as B lymphocytes.

"All of these genes overexpressed in the low-risk group are highly related to B lymphocyte activity," said Dr Florentino Hernando presenting the results at the meeting. "So, the B cell-mediated immune response seems to have a very important role."

The genetic profile identified by the researchers suggests that low-risk patients have an enhanced immune response against the tumor. "Thus, treatments that may interfere with this response such as post-surgical chemotherapy must be reconsidered for the low-risk subgroup," he says.

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Gene signature helps identify risk of relapse in lung cancer patients

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A brain study has found a gene linked to intelligence, a small piece in the puzzle as to why some people are smarter than others. shutterstock.com

A variant of this gene can tilt the scales in favour of a higher intelligence, study leader Paul Thompson said, stressing though that genetic blessings were not the only factor in brainpower.

Searching for a genetic explanation for brain disease, the scientists stumbled upon a minute variant in a gene called HMGA2 among people who had larger brains and scored higher on standardised IQ tests.

Thompson dubbed it an intelligence gene and said it was likely that many more such genes were yet to be discovered.

The variant occurs on HMGA2 where there is just a single change in the permutation of the four letters of the genetic code.

DNA, the blueprint for life, comprises four basic chemicals called A (for adenine), C (cytosine), T (thymine) and G (guanine), strung together in different combinations along a double helix.

In this case, the researchers found that people with a double C and no T in a specific section of the HMGA2 gene had bigger brains on average.

It is a strange result, you wouldnt think that something as simple as one small change in the genetic code could explain differences in intelligence worldwide, said Thompson, a neurologist at the University of California at Los Angeles.

The discovery came in a study of brain scans and DNA samples from more than 20,000 people from North America, Europe and Australia, of European ancestry.

People who received two Cs from their parents, a quarter of the population, scored on average 1.3 points higher than the next group half of the population with only one C in this section of the gene.

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Tiny gene change affects brain size, IQ: Scientists

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ScienceDaily (Apr. 19, 2012) Scientists led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the first gene directly linked to the most common form of psoriasis, a chronic skin condition.

The research shows that rare mutations in the CARD14 gene, when activated by an environmental trigger, can lead to plaque psoriasis. This type of psoriasis accounts for 80 percent of all cases and is characterized by dry, raised, red patches covered with silvery scales that can be itchy and painful.

The new findings also indicate that mutations in CARD14 can be involved in the pustular form of psoriasis and in a debilitating arthritis linked to the psoriasis. The discovery may lead to more effective, targeted therapies for plaque psoriasis and other forms of the disease.

The research is published May 4 in two separate papers in The American Journal of Human Genetics.

"We have searched for almost two decades to find a single gene linked to plaque psoriasis," says the senior author of both papers, Anne Bowcock, PhD, professor of genetics. "Individually, the rare mutations we have found likely confer a high risk for the disease, and we think they will be important in the search to find new, more effective treatments."

Although psoriasis has long been thought to be caused by an overactive immune system, the genetic pathway uncovered by the scientists points to defects in the skin as the main culprit of the condition and to immune cells as secondary players.

Now, the researchers want to find out how common the altered pathway is in the different types of psoriasis and in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Their work suggests that in at least some patients with different forms of psoriasis, this pathway is the same.

An estimated 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis, and about 30 percent of them develop psoriatic arthritis. Like other common diseases, psoriasis runs in families and has been thought to have a genetic component, but it's been difficult to pin down the genes involved. That's because common variations in genes likely contribute very little to the overall genetic risk of the disease, and mutations that substantially increase a person's risk are so rare they have been impossible to find.

With early support from the National Psoriasis Foundation, Bowcock initiated the research with co-author Alan Menter, MD, of the Psoriasis Research Institute at the Baylor College of Medicine.

Using the latest DNA technology to sequence all of a patient's genes, Bowcock and her colleagues uncovered a rare CARD14 mutation in a large family of northern European descent in which plaque psoriasis was prevalent. They also found the mutation in the one-third of family members who had developed psoriatic arthritis, suggesting that the same rare mutation can play a role in both conditions.

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First gene linked to common form of psoriasis identified

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PISCATAWAY, N.J., April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- GenScript USA Inc., an internationally recognized biology contract research organization (CRO) has recently launched Rush Gene Synthesis service in the global market on Dec. 22, 2011, and has achieved 100% success and on time delivery rates ever since its kick-off.

"Two decades ago, a 2 Kb gene took me nearly two years to obtain the construct using conventional PCR cloning technologies in my PhD research. I did believe this could be changed. Nowadays, GenScript Rush Gene Synthesis service delivers synthetic genes in as little as 5 business days. The proprietary technology and a dedicated Rush Gene service team are the key points to making GenScript Rush Gene Synthesis service a big success," commented Frank Zhang, the CEO and co-founder of GenScript.

"Delivering synthetic genes in as little as 5 days, GenScript Rush Gene Synthesis service is not only fast but is accurate and worry-free to our customers," says Frank, "all our synthesized genes are packed into cloning vectors, picked from single clones and fully sequence-verified before the delivery. Therefore, none of our customers is bothered with picking up the right gene from the tube. With this rush service, we aim to drive molecular biology research faster than ever."

Besides the world-leading gene synthesis service, GenScript, as a contract research organization (CRO), also provides comprehensive services for biological research and early-phase drug discovery, such as bio-reagents, assay development & screening, lead optimization, antibody drug development and animal model services. The bio-reagents services include custom gene synthesis and molecular biology, custom protein expression and purification, custom peptide synthesis, antibody production, and custom cell line development. Headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey, GenScript has three subsidiaries located in France, Japan, and China.

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GenScript Rush Gene Synthesis - Driving Molecular Biology Research Faster

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Public release date: 18-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-6042 American Chemical Society

Scientific insights that expand on the teachings of Mendel, Watson and Crick, and underpinnings of the Human Genome Project are moving drug companies along the path to development of new medicines based on deeper insights into how factors other than the genetic code influence health and disease. That's the topic of the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society.

The article, by C&EN Senior Editor Lisa M. Jarvis, focuses on the quiet revolution in epigenetics that has been sweeping through biology, chemistry and other scientific fields for the last several years. It explains how scientists initially believed that cracking the genetic code, achieved a decade ago, would lay out a straight path for inventing new medicines: Identify the genetic mutation behind a disease and then find a drug that overcomes it. But scientists now know that another layer of biochemical controls, an epigenetics layer, influences how and when genes work in health and disease without changing DNA itself. Early epigenetics research already produced four drugs currently approved to treat blood cancer. But these treatments lack selectivity, limiting their effectiveness.

Now, Jarvis explains, companies like GlaxoSmithKline, Epizyme and Constellation Pharmaceuticals are moving ahead to develop the next generation of epigenetic drugs, particularly for cancer. Armed with a better understanding of how specific epigenetic enzymes are implicated in disease, they are designing compounds to block the activity of those enzymes. The article describes GSK's announcement earlier this month of an epigenetic inhibitor it has developed that might fight lymphoma. "Although no one will know the value of the new epigenetic compounds until they are tested in humans, scientists are confident that the field is moving forward with the right balance of caution and enthusiasm," Jarvis concludes.

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Not by DNA alone: How the epigenetics revolution is fostering new medicines

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ST. LOUIS, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (Nasdaq: SIAL - News) today announced that Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering (SAGE) Labs, an initiative of Sigma Life Science, extended CompoZr Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) technology to achieve the first tissue-specific conditional knockout of an endogenous gene in rats. For two decades this approach for generating sophisticated disease models could be performed only in mice. Rats, however, are preferred by drug discovery and basic researchers because the animal's physiology, neurobiology and other features are more predictive of human conditions. Rats engineered to contain tissue-specific conditional gene knockouts are available exclusively through the SAGEspeed Custom Model Development Service. Details are available at http://www.sageresearchmodels.com/conditional-KO.

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Conventional gene knockout eliminates a gene throughout an entire animal. In contrast, conditional gene knockout can eliminate a gene solely in the relevant tissue or organ, leading to a more accurate understanding of the gene's function. Conditional gene knockout can also knock out genes at certain points in development, enabling studies of genes whose absence in embryos is lethal, but whose loss of function in adulthood is critical to investigate for many human diseases.

"Almost 89% of drug candidates fail to achieve approval," said Edward Weinstein, Director of SAGE Labs. "Basic and drug discovery researchers need access to more predictive animal models whose physiology, biology, and genetics more closely reflect specific human conditions. SAGE Labs is applying ZFN technology to achieve previously impossible genetic manipulations, such as tissue-specific gene deletion in rats."

Using the conditional knockout methodology, scientists at SAGE Labs have generated a pair of rat lines in which two important neuronal genes, Crhr1 and Grin1, were removed in specific neuronal populations. Crhr1 and Grin1 have been implicated as playing a role in depression and schizophrenia, respectively. The rat lines were developed through the SAGEspeed model creation process, which uses Sigma's CompoZr ZFN technology to create sophisticated genetic modifications in rats, mice, rabbits, and other organisms. CompoZr ZFN technology is the first to enable highly efficient, targeted editing of the genome of any species.

For more information and to request pricing, visit http://www.sageresearchmodels.com.

Cautionary Statement: The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "enable," "enabling," "leading to," "achieve," "predictive" or similar expressions, or by expressed or implied discussions regarding potential future revenues from products derived there from. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of management regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that iPS cells, iPS-cell derived primary cell lines, novel assays, or related custom services will assist the Company to achieve any particular levels of revenue in the future. In particular, management's expectations regarding products associated iPS cells, iPS-cell derived primary cell lines, novel assays, or related custom services could be affected by, among other things, unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the Company's ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection; competition in general; government, industry and general public pricing pressures; the impact that the foregoing factors could have on the values attributed to the Company's assets and liabilities as recorded in its consolidated balance sheet, and other risks and factors referred to in Sigma-Aldrich's current Form 10-K on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Sigma-Aldrich is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Sigma Life Science: Sigma Life Science is a Sigma-Aldrich business that represents the Company's leadership in innovative biological products and services for the global life science market and offers an array of biologically-rich products and reagents that researchers use in scientific investigation. Product areas include biomolecules, genomics and functional genomics, cells and cell-based assays, transgenics, protein assays, stem cell research, epigenetics and custom services/oligonucleotides. Sigma Life Science also provides an extensive range critical bioessentials like biochemicals, antibiotics, buffers, carbohydrates, enzymes, forensic tools, hematology and histology, nucleotides, amino acids and their derivatives, and cell culture media.

About Sigma-Aldrich: Sigma-Aldrich is a leading Life Science and High Technology company whose biochemical, organic chemical products, kits and services are used in scientific research, including genomic and proteomic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, the diagnosis of disease and as key components in pharmaceutical, diagnostics and high technology manufacturing. Sigma-Aldrich customers include more than 1.3 million scientists and technologists in life science companies, university and government institutions, hospitals and industry. The Company operates in 40 countries and has nearly 9,000 employees whose objective is to provide excellent service worldwide. Sigma-Aldrich is committed to accelerating customer success through innovation and leadership in Life Science and High Technology. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich, please visit its website at http://www.sigma-aldrich.com.

Sigma-Aldrich and Sigma are trademarks of Sigma-Aldrich Co, LLC registered in the US and other countries. SAGE and CompoZr are registered trademarks of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC. SAGEspeed is a trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC.

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SAGE® Labs Creates the First Tissue-Specific Gene Deletion in Rats

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A team of UCLA researchers has found a genetic engineering technique that suppresses the HIV virus in mice, an encouraging step toward potentially fighting the disease in humans, researchers said.

The study, led by Scott Kitchen, a member of the UCLA AIDS Institute and assistant professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine, draws upon previous UCLA research findings. It was published last week in the epidemiology journal PLoS Pathogens and funded in part by the UCLA Center for AIDS Research.

Researchers examined the effectiveness of genetically engineered killer T cells, which are capable of fighting off disease, at combating the HIV virus in a mouse. The team used a humanized mouse engineered to have a human immune system. In the humanized mouse, the disease progressed similarly to its progression in humans, making it a reliable tool for the study and providing powerful predictive value for the therapy in humans, Kitchen said. Its a major advance and a step closer in demonstrating the potential use of this in people, he said.

A few months ago, the team introduced a population of the engineered T cells into a mouse so they could develop and grow into a human immune system, Kitchen said. The researchers then conducted blood and organ tests at the second and sixth weeks, finding a decrease in the HIV levels and an increase in the cells HIV typically kills, according to the journal article.

The findings could theoretically be used to support a clinical trial in humans, said Jerome Zack, associate director at the UCLA AIDS Institute and co-author of the study.

A benefit genetic engineering is that it opens the field to therapeutic HIV treatments, and that it can be extended to potentially treat other diseases such as cancer, said co-author Arumugam Balamurugan.

In 2009, the lead scientists from the most recent study showed that human blood stem cells in mice could be genetically engineered to grow large quantities of killer T cells, As a result of their genetic engineering, these T cells grew to a large population and targeted HIV-infected cells in the mice.

We had the idea that we could take the elements of immune response (the T cells) that are successful in suppressing HIV in infected people to see if it was possible to identify a receptor specific to HIV, Kitchen said, referring to the teams research in 2009.

Though advances have been made in the fight against HIV, an estimated 50,000 new cases are diagnosed in the United States each year, and there are more than 33 million people living with the disease worldwide, according to the National Institutes of Health. Factors that make the disease difficult to fight include its rapid rate of spread and lack of preventative measures. The findings could lead to more comprehensive methods of fighting the disease and eventually to a clinical trial in humans, Kitchen said.

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UCLA researchers develop genetically engineered stem cells to fight HIV in mice

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SAN DIEGO, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM - News), a life sciences company providing innovative genetic analysis solutions, today announced an agreement with MultiPlan, Inc., the nation's leading provider of healthcare cost management solutions (PHCS). Under this expanded agreement, Sequenom's participation in the PHCS and MultiPlan networks will now include its Center for Molecular Medicine's MaterniT21 PLUS laboratory-developed test to detect certain fetal trisomies in women at increased risk of carrying a child with one of these chromosomal abnormalities. More than 900,000 providers participate in MultiPlan's networks.

"We are very pleased to extend our relationship with MultiPlan, giving their clients' members and their network of participating providers access to the MaterniT21 PLUS test," said Harry F. Hixson, Jr., Ph.D., Chairman and CEO, Sequenom, Inc. "Of the many important decisions to make in a high-risk pregnancy, the coverage of a valuable noninvasive prenatal test will be a relief to many expectant families."

The MaterniT21 PLUS test is intended for use in pregnant women at increased risk for fetal aneuploidy and can be used as early as 10 weeks gestation. In the United States, there are an estimated 750,000 such high-risk pregnancies each year. Results of the MaterniT21 PLUS test delivered to ordering physicians will include the presence of any of the three trisomies for their high-risk patients. The MaterniT21 PLUS test is available through Sequenom CMM as a testing service to physicians. To learn more about the MaterniT21 PLUS test, please visit Sequenomcmm.com.

About SequenomSequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM - News) is a life sciences company committed to improving healthcare through revolutionary genetic analysis solutions. Sequenom develops innovative technology, products and diagnostic tests that target and serve discovery and clinical research, and molecular diagnostics markets. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in San Diego, California. Sequenom maintains a Web site at http://www.sequenom.com to which Sequenom regularly posts copies of its press releases as well as additional information about Sequenom. Interested persons can subscribe on the Sequenom Web site to email alerts or RSS feeds that are sent automatically when Sequenom issues press releases, files its reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission or posts certain other information to the Web site.

About Sequenom CMM, LLCSequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM), a CAP accredited and CLIA-certified molecular diagnostics laboratory, is developing a broad range of laboratory developed tests with a focus on prenatal and ophthalmic diseases and conditions. These laboratory-developed tests provide beneficial patient management options for obstetricians, geneticists and maternal fetal medicine specialists. Sequenom CMM is changing the landscape in genetic disorder diagnostics using proprietary cutting edge technologies.

About MultiPlanMultiPlan, Inc. is the industry's most comprehensive provider of healthcare cost management solutions. The company provides a single gateway to a host of primary, complementary and out-of-network strategies for managing the financial risks associated with healthcare claims. Clients include insurers/health plans, third party administrators, self-funded employers, HMOs and other entities that pay medical bills in the commercial healthcare, government, workers compensation and auto markets. MultiPlan is owned by BC Partners, a leading international private equity firm, and Silver Lake, the world's largest private investor in technology. For more information, visit http://www.MultiPlan.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsExcept for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements regarding performance, participation, or expectations under Sequenom's agreement with MultiPlan, the impact or effect of the agreement or coverage on expectant families, the intended use of the MaterniT21 PLUS test and the results delivered to ordering physicians, Sequenom's commitment to improving healthcare through revolutionary genetic analysis solutions, developing a broad range of laboratory developed tests, and changing the landscape in genetic disorder diagnostics, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the risks and uncertainties associated with Sequenom's ability to develop and commercialize new technologies and products, particularly new technologies such as prenatal and other diagnostics and laboratory developed tests, Sequenom's ability to manage its existing cash resources or raise additional cash resources, competition, intellectual property protection and intellectual property rights of others, government regulation particularly with respect to diagnostic products and laboratory developed tests, obtaining or maintaining regulatory approvals, ongoing litigation and other risks detailed from time to time in Sequenom, Inc.'s most recent Annual Report on Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10-K and other documents subsequently filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are based on current information that may change and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and Sequenom, Inc. undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the issuance of this press release.

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Sequenom Announces National Agreement with Provider MultiPlan, Inc.

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ScienceDaily (Apr. 17, 2012) When a child has autism, siblings are also at risk for the disorder. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that the genetic reach of the disorder often extends to half siblings as well.

On the surface, the finding may not be surprising -- half siblings share about 25 percent of their genes. But the discovery is giving scientists new clues to how autism is inherited.

The study is published online in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

According to principal investigator John N. Constantino, MD, the new research adds to recent evidence that even though autism is far more common in males, females still can inherit and pass along genetic risk for autism.

"We found that autism risk for half siblings is about half of what it is for full siblings," he says. "Most of the half siblings we studied had the same mothers. Given that half of the risk of transmission was lost and half was preserved among those maternal half siblings, mothers and fathers appear to be transmitting risk equally in families in which autism recurs."

Constantino, the Blanche F. Ittleson Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and director of the William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Washington University and psychiatrist-in-chief at St. Louis Children's Hospital, says the findings also suggest that in many families, the transmission of autism is the result of the effects of many genes -- not just one -- with each contributing a small proportion of risk.

Prior estimates of the extent to which autism is influenced by genetic factors are derived from studies of identical and fraternal twins where one, or both, are affected by the disorder. Since identical twins share 100 percent of their genes, and fraternal twins share 50 percent, inherited conditions tend to be twice as common in an identical twin pair compared to a fraternal twin pair. But twin studies of autism are too small to give precise estimates about how the disorder is inherited.

"The largest studies have included less than 300 clinically affected twin pairs," Constantino says. "And they include girls, boys and mixed twin pairs, which complicates the testing of models of inheritance in autism because the disorder is much more common in boys than girls."

Other studies have focused on siblings of children with autism, looking at how much more common autism recurrence is in siblings than the general population. But to derive more information on genetic structure from their family studies, Constantino's group looked at autism recurrence in half siblings and compared it to that in full siblings.

The researchers studied over 5,000 families in which there was a child with autism and at least one additional sibling -- the families were enrolled in a national volunteer, Internet-based family registry for autism, the Interactive Autism Network (IAN). Among those families, 619 included at least one maternal half-sibling. The researchers focused on maternal half-siblings rather than paternal half siblings because these children were more likely to live full-time with their biological mothers and to share the same environmental influences between the time they were born and the age of two, the time at which the onset of autistic syndromes occur. They compared autism recurrence among the 619 maternal half siblings to the rate among 4,832 full siblings.

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Study of half siblings provides genetic clues to autism

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 18-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Raquel Maurier raquel.maurier@ualberta.ca 780-492-5986 University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

(Edmonton) A medical researcher at the University of Alberta is working with scientists from across North America to find out if there are genetic markers for autism. More than 15 scientists will examine DNA samples from children with autism and their infant siblings to see if the siblings are at high risk.

And if siblings are at high risk for developing autism, could intervention start before symptoms develop?

If theres a family of a child with autism, they of course wonder what the risk for the younger infant is, says Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, a U of A researcher with the Department of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, who is the principal investigator for the two-year study.

We want to know if its possible to use genetic biomarkers as a way of giving these families a more accurate estimate of what that siblings risk is. If there was a way of using genetic biomarkers to identify infants at high-risk before the more overt manifestations of autism were obvious, it would really open the door to provide support and intervention at earlier stages of development.

According to the Autism Speaks Canadian website, autism, part of a group of disorders known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a persons lifetime. The disorder is characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills and social abilities, and also by repetitive behaviors. Autism, which is more common among boys than girls, affects 1 in 88 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Zwaigenbaum is working with scientists in Toronto, Hamilton, Halifax and various American universities including: the University of Washington, UC Davis, Vanderbilt, UC San Diego, Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Miami.

This research initiative is funded by the Simons Foundation and by Autism Speaks. The $1.3 million in funding will go towards the creation of a biorepository: a collection of DNA samples and other biospecimens from families with a child with autism and a younger infant, to complement the clinical data. This collection will be mined by this research group and the broader scientific community studying autism. Additional funding provided by Autism Speaks and Autism Speaks Canada will support the analysis of the collected blood samples.

Further studies of genetic risk factors will help us understand the full spectrum of autism, says Gerald D. Fischbach, scientific director of the autism research initiative and director of life sciences at the Simons Foundation. It is essential to identify such markers in young children. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum is one of the leaders in studies of infant siblings of children known to be on the autism spectrum. This vulnerable population would be best served by early diagnosis and that is the goal of this project.

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Researchers across North America team up to find genetic markers for autism

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18-04-2012 02:33 Find out about the basics of cells, chromosomes, and the genes contained in your DNA.

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Genetics 101 Part 1: What are genes? - Video

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18-04-2012 02:35 Learn about the variations in human DNA called SNPs, and how they can be used to understand relationships between people.

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Genetics 101 Part 2: What are SNPs? - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Even if humans hadn't hunted the Tasmanian tiger to extinction, its low genetic diversity may have naturally doomed the curious marsupial, researchers have found.

"We found that the thylacine had even less genetic diversity than the Tasmanian devil," study researcher Andrew Pask, of the University of Connecticut, said in a statement. "If they were still be around today, they'd be at a severe risk, just like the devil."

The Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), also known as the thylacine, was hunted to extinction in the early 1900s; the last one died in a Tasmanian zoo in 1936. Named for its telltale stripes, the Tasmanian tiger stood as tall as a medium-size dog and once roamed across both mainland Australia and Tasmania. [ Marsupial Gallery: A Pouchful of Cute ]

The new research captured some genetic fragments from the Tasmanian tiger, from 14 samples including pelts, bones and preserved specimens more than 100 years old. The scientists found the individuals to be 99.5 percent similar over a portion of the genome that normally has lots of differences.

"If we compare this same section of DNA, the Tasmanian tiger only averages one DNA difference between individuals, whereas the dog, for example has about five to six differences between individuals," study researcher Brandon Menzies, also of the University of Connecticut, said in a statement.

Genetic variability is basically the difference in the gene sequence between any two individuals. Analysis of the recovered genome indicates that the animal would have had too little genetic variability to survive. When this gets low, it spells doom for a species, because the species has more difficulty adapting to threats if it doesn't have a greater pool of genes to pull from.

Low genetic diversity can arise from many different situations: when a species consisting of many small isolated populations sees a precipitous drop in numbers or goes through a lot of inbreeding. In the case of the Tasmanian devil and the Tasmanian tiger, their low genetic diversity probably came from small groups that remained isolated from the main population in mainland Australia.

The tiger's extant cousin, the Tasmanian devil, is currently being decimated by a contagious cancer. The researchers say the devil's low genetic diversity allowed this disease to spread all the easier. The Tasmanian tiger, if around today, would also be exceptionally susceptible to diseases, the researchers said.

Knowing more about the Tasmanian tiger can help researchers fight for the still-living native species, like the Tasmanian devil. "From a conservation standpoint, we need to know these things about animals' genomes," Pask said. "There are a lot of fragile animals in Australia and Tasmania."

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Tasmanian tiger likely doomed by genetics

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