Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) March 16, 2015 African American women have higher death rates from breast cancer than do white women. Veena Rao, Ph.D., researcher, professor and co-director of the Cancer Biology Program in the department of OB/GYN at Morehouse School of Medicine, has pointed to multiple factors that contribute to the increased vulnerability of African American women, such as barriers to testing and quality of treatment. Leading medical researchers, including University of Washington geneticist and Lasker Laureate Mary-Claire King, highlight additional factors undetected inherited mutations and now recommend offering genetic testing for all women at about age 30. Dr. King will make a free, public address at the Morehouse School of Medicine on March 19, to discuss Inherited Breast Cancer: From Gene Discovery to Public Health. Dr. Kings discovery in 1990 of the BRCA1 breast cancer gene demonstrated a mechanism of inherited cancer and proved that gene mutations could predict vulnerability to the disease. A 2013 study of inherited predisposition to breast cancer among African American women by Dr. King and Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade, director of The Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics, at the University of Chicago, found that 22 percent of African American breast cancer patients inherited a damaging … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise WASHINGTON Today AACC sent formal comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the agencys proposed regulation of next-generation sequencing tests. AACC appreciates FDAs efforts to seek input from the healthcare community before developing new policy in this area, but is concerned that FDA regulation of next-generation sequencing could impede the advancement of precision medicine. Precision medicine uses a persons unique biological makeup, including genetics, to determine which treatments that person would respond to best. Genetic tests hold the potential to predict an individuals risk of developing numerous different conditions throughout life. Having this knowledge could lead one to take a more proactive approach to his or her health, particularly with respect to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes that could be prevented with basic lifestyle changes. Next-generation sequencing will enhance the application of precision medicine by making genetic testing more readily available. After reviewing FDAs preliminary discussion paper on the topic, Optimizing FDAs Regulatory Oversight of Next-Generation Sequencing Diagnostic Tests, AACC recommends that oversight of next-generation sequencing remain under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) like other laboratory developed tests. CLIA-regulated laboratories conducting next-generation sequencing testing are experienced … Continue reading →

Clinics in other countries for some time have promised dramatic results in the treatment of lung disease, primarily emphysema, through the use of autologous stem cells obtained from the patient. The stem cells are extracted from adipose (fat) tissue, treated and then injected into the patient. The cells then supposedly go to work regenerating and replacing the damaged lung tissue. Several of this type of clinic are now popping up in parts of the United States, mostly in California and Florida. Their advertisements are filled with testimonials from patients, extolling the virtues of the treatments. The treatments are quite expensive, and would be an absolute godsend for the 30 million Americans who suffer from some stage of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). If they worked. Trouble is, none of these clinics or their treatments are approved by the FDA, and the only proof of their effectiveness is anecdotal, coming from selected customers. Anyone with a chronic, progressive disease, such as COPD, will usually find themselves in a situation of desperation, eager to embrace any promises of a cure. I have been there, and it is a terrible situation. Sadly, further research shows that institutions that are working on stem cell … Continue reading →

11 hours ago A research team led by Northwestern University nanomedicine expert Chad A. Mirkin and Sergei Gryaznov of AuraSense Therapeutics is the first to show spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) can be used as potent drugs to effectively train the immune system to fight disease, by either boosting or dampening the immune response. The initial treatment triggers a cell-specific immune response all over the body. By increasing the body's immune response toward a specific cell type, SNAs could be used to target anything from influenza to different forms of cancer. They also can be used to suppress the immune response, a tactic important in treating autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues. "The ability to selectively trigger the immune response with spherical nucleic acids presents a whole new way of thinking about drug development," said Mirkin, a corresponding author of the study. "Once developed fully, SNAs will lay the foundation for developing an entire new pipeline of drugs to treat a range of diseases, from psoriasis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis to lymphoma, bladder cancer and prostate cancer." Mirkin is the George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College … Continue reading →