Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise (NEW YORK November 10) The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinais Institute for Personalized Medicine is launching a study designed to learn whether patients, who are aware of their genetic predisposition to chronic kidney disease, are more inclined to engage in proactive lifestyle modification with their primary care physician. Chronic kidney disease affects about 26 million American adults. Many studies have shown that African Americans are up to seven times more likely than any other population to develop high blood pressure and subsequent complications, such as kidney disease. A large fraction of the kidney disease disparity is attributable to variations, or differences, in a single gene called apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1). In Mount Sinais specialized laboratory, variations in the APOL1 gene can be identified with a simple blood test. Erwin Bottinger, MD, Director, Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is one of the studys Principal Investigators. Many patients do not have their blood pressure adequately controlled to minimize the risk for complications such as kidney disease. We will test whether sharing genetic risk information with patients and alerting their doctors through a patient's … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 11-Nov-2014 Contact: Scott LaFee slafee@ucsd.edu 619-543-6163 University of California - San Diego @UCSanDiego With the help of mouse models, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the "tooth fairy," researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have implicated a new gene in idiopathic or non-syndromic autism. The gene is associated with Rett syndrome, a syndromic form of autism, suggesting that different types of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may share similar molecular pathways. The findings are published in the Nov. 11, 2014 online issue of Molecular Psychiatry. "I see this research as an example of what can be done for cases of non-syndromic autism, which lack a definitive group of identifying symptoms or characteristics," said principal investigator Alysson Muotri, PhD, associate professor in the UC San Diego departments of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular Medicine. "One can take advantage of genomics to map all mutant genes in the patient and then use their own iPSCs to measure the impact of these mutations in relevant cell types. Moreover, the study of brain cells derived from these iPSCs can reveal potential therapeutic drugs tailored to the individual. It is the rise of personalized medicine for mental/neurological disorders." … Continue reading →

By Estel Grace Masangkay Clinical stage nanomedicine platform company BIND Therapeutics announced that it has signed a joint R&D agreement with Merck to develop novel nanomedicines for oncology. According to the terms of the agreement, BIND will use its Medicinal Nanoengineering proprietary platform to build targeted Accurins that will be based on investigational KSP and PLK1 inhibitors selected from Mercks preclinical oncology portfolio. The partnership could potentially include additional Merck compounds in the future. BIND will take the lead in funding and conducting R&D activities to move Accurin candidates through first-in-human trials. Merck and BIND will then have alternate options to choose whether or not to develop and market the Accurin products. If BIND chooses to pursue further development, Merck will be eligible to receive royalty payments once the products reach the market. However, if Merck assumes responsibility for further development, it will pay BIND a fee based on R&D expenses with additional royalty payments on future sales. No further financial terms of the agreement were disclosed by either company. Accurins are nanoparticles that are used to encapsulate anticancer drugs in a biodegradable polymer shell, which carries the drug to the targeted cancer cells and can keep healthy cells safe. … Continue reading →