In one of only two studies of its kind, a study from researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts demonstrates that non-viral gene therapy can delay the onset of some forms of eye disease and preserve vision. The team developed nanoparticles to deliver therapeutic genes to the retina and found that treated mice temporarily …
Use of estrogen alone did not increase lung cancer mortality in postmenopausal women, according to a study published online August 13 in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial, which consisted of several clinical trials on postmenopausal women, one study showed women with previous hysterectomy taking combined estrogen plus progestin therapy had …
Malignant gliomas are the most common subtype of primary brain tumor – and one of the deadliest. Even as doctors make steady progress treating other types of solid tumor cancers, from breast to prostate, the most aggressive form of malignant glioma, called a glioblastoma multiforme or GBM, has steadfastly defied advances in neurosurgery, radiation therapy and various conventional or novel drugs …
Using a new, rapid and less expensive DNA sequencing strategy, scientists have discovered genetic alterations that account for most cases of Kabuki syndrome, a rare disorder that causes multiple birth defects and mental retardation. Instead of sequencing the entire human genome, the new approach sequences just the exome, the 1-2 percent of the human genome that contains protein-coding genes.
A team of researchers has discovered new evidence that Parkinson’s disease may have an infectious or autoimmune origin. “Common genetic variation in the HLA region is associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson’s disease” appears online in Nature Genetics.
Rett syndrome is one of thousands of genetic disorders in existence — but one of the few many people believe will soon be reversible. Scientists were able to reverse symptoms of the neurodevelopmental disorder in mice in 2007, giving hope to families everywhere.
Understanding the underlying genetic weakness of certain types of cancer may lead to targeted therapy and provide the key to effective treatment, a new study suggests. An international consortium of researchers has shown that an investigational drug, Olaparib, can reduce the size of tumors in women with advanced hereditary ovarian cancer with BRCA gene mutations.
Do we have to wait 500 years for medical progress to come from genetic research? Dr. Bryan Hanypsiak, director of medical education at Arthrex Inc., asserts that in his commentary opposing the Jackson Lab initiative.
An emerging therapy that attacks cancer cells continues to show promise, most recently in two international studies on women who have breast and ovarian cancer and are carriers of cancer-causing mutations particularly prevalent among Ashkenazi Jews.
A new study by the Center for Thrombosis Research at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, MD will examine the utility of point-of-care genetic and platelet function testing to identify patients at risk for a cardiac event after coronary stenting. Therapy will be altered based on the testing results with the goal of improving patient outcomes. Under the direction of Paul A. Gurbel, MD, Director of the …
Currently, new treatment facilities for radiation therapy with ions are built all over the world. These particles destroy cancer cells and have a better ability to spare the surrounding healthy tissue than other techniques. Today, accelerated hydrogen and carbon ions are mainly used to treat inoperable tumors in organs like the brain and bone marrow, which are sensitive to radiation therapy.
High-risk bone marrow transplants partially cured five children with a potentially deadly genetic defect in which proteins that hold layers of skin together are absent, U.S. researchers said Wednesday.
Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved increasing the length of therapy with Valcyte (valganciclovir hydrochloride) in adult kidney transplant patients at high risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease.
The bond between autistic children and Mattilda the Dalmatian can be nothing short of magical, said Mattilda’s owner, Stephanie Cooper-Greenberg. Children who are normally too shy or afraid to read aloud will sit down with Mattilda and glow with a confidence that shocks and delights their parents.
Interleukin Genetics, Inc. announced today that the Company has signed an agreement with the University of Michigan to conduct a landmark clinical study on risk factors predictive of periodontal disease progression to tooth loss using a new version of Interleukin Genetics’ PST genetic test.
Therapy’s potential could extend beyond care of epidermolysis bullosa, researchers say.
In two groundbreaking studies, doctors have used stem cells from bone marrow to help heal children with a killer skin disease, and to repair injured lungs.
I have read with interest Ben Bova’s two columns describing his personal predictions that genetics and gene therapy will play an important future role in health care.
DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9e090a/cell_therapy_tec) has announced the addition of Jain PharmaBiotech’s new report “Cell Therapy – Technologies, Markets and Companies” to their offering. This report describes and evaluates cell therapy technologies and methods, which have already started to play an important …
Nineteen-month-old Eden Cheslock loves to be held. That’s good, because if she wants to go anywhere she has to be carried.
Ninety-five different genes have been identified which affect cholesterol levels in the blood, research says
A set of guidelines has been published to protect people using DIY genetic tests for inherited diseases, such as certain types of breast cancer.The guidelines have been drawn up by the Human Genetics Commission (HGC), which hopes to provide the public with greater confidence in genetic testing kits.Companies – many of which are based in the US – have started to sell DIY testing kits over the …
University of Adelaide researchers are a step closer to finding a link between genetic susceptibility to cerebral palsy and a range of environmental risk factors during pregnancy, including infections and pre-term delivery.
For 25 years, Brenda Finucane has helped families cope with developmental disabilities in her role as a genetic counselor at Elwyn Training & Research Institute in Middletown.
Some people find quinine to be bitter while others can drink it like water. Now, scientists from the Monell Center and collaborators report that individual differences in how people experience quinine’s bitterness are related to underlying differences in their genes.The findings, published online in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, demonstrate that genetic variation in regions of DNA that …