Newswise BIRMINGHAM, Ala. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) today announced that Illumina Inc. has licensed the rights to a DNA sequencing technology developed by a UAB microbiologist and a University of Washington physicist. The patent-licensing deal revolves around nanopores first studied as potential chinks in the armor of the tuberculosis bacteria, but now part of efforts to make sequencing even faster and cheaper. Sequencing reveals genetic variations, which partly determine each persons risk for many diseases as well as which drugs will work for him or her. Cancer centers are already sequencing tumors in search of variations that make some resistant to chemotherapy. Global sequencing studies seek to find the genetic contributors to conditions such as autism and diabetes. Widespread access to genetic information will improve medical care worldwide; but in order to become part of daily, personalized medicine, DNA sequencing methods will need to become faster and cheaper, said Michael Niederweis, Ph.D., a microbiology professor in the UAB School of Medicine and one of two researchers who developed the technology. Our nanopore technology promises to achieve that, and we believe Illumina can transform our experimental system into a pioneering commercial technology. While the terms of the deal … Continue reading →

tzi the Iceman has at least 19 living male relatives in the Austrian Tirol, according to a genetic study into the origins of the people who now inhabit the region. Scientists from the Institute of Legal Medicine at Innsbruck Medical University analyzed DNA samples taken from 3,700 blood donors in the Tyrol region of Austria. During their study, they discovered that 19 individuals share a particular genetic mutation with the 5,300-year-old mummy, whose full genome was published last year. PHOTOS: Iceman Mummy 20 Yrs On: Mysteries Remain These men and the Iceman had the same ancestors, Walther Parson, the forensic scientist who carried out the study, told the Austrian Press Agency. The researchers focused on parts of the human DNA which are generally inherited unchanged. In men it is the Y chromosomes and in females the mitochondria. Eventual changes arise due to mutations, which are then inherited further, Parson explained. People with the same mutations are categorized in haplogroups. Designed with letters, haplogroups allow researchers to trace early migratory routes since they are often associated with defined populations and geographical regions. Indeed, tzis haplogroup is very rare in Europe. The Iceman had the halogroup G, sub category G-L91. In our … Continue reading →

Stem Cell Therapy Process: Murphy the Irish Wolfhound Murphy is a 6 year old Irish Wolfhound who is both a service dog and a therapy dog. When he tore his ACL and then fell and fractured his pelvis, we had only ... By: wesbroAZ … Continue reading →

Stem Cell Therapy in India for Osteoarthritis Completely bedridden patient have started joint movements after transplantation of autologous stem cells intra thically and thhough IV. His stem cell transpl... By: StemRx BioScience … Continue reading →

Mathew Blurton Jones - New Hope: Stem Cell Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease "New Hope: Stem Cell Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease" Mathew Blurton-Jones, Ph.D. -- University of California, Irvine 24th Annual Southern California Alzheime... By: UCITLTC … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES and RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., Oct. 14, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TotipotentRX Corporation and ThermoGenesis Corp. (KOOL), reported yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Association of Blood Banks in Denver, Colorado, a study confirming TotipotentRX's ground-breaking acute myocardial infarction ("AMI") combination product utilizing ThermoGenesis' point-of-care cell processing technology for an autologous bone marrow derived stem cell therapy can be delivered safely in 60 minutes. Mr. Ken Harris, Study Director and Chief Executive Officer of TotipotentRX, presented a case study and physician feedback confirming that the Company's Acute Myocardial Infarction Rapid Stem Cell Therapy ("AMIRST") protocol utilizing autologous bone marrow derived stem cells achieved its primary safety and secondary efficacy endpoints by improving the patient's Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction ("LVEF") from 35% to 60.3% in 24 months while preventing further infarct scarring and undesirable remodeling. Low LVEF and heart remodeling are two key contributors in AMI patients advancing to heart failure. Dr. Ashok Seth, Chairman - Cardiac Sciences, and Dr. Vinay Sanghi, both of Fortis Healthcare, conducted the clinical case study which shows the AMIRST treatment safely delivered to a single male patient an effective dose of autologous selected stem cells in a single intracoronary heart catheterization procedure. … Continue reading →

Updated Phase 1b Data for Demcizumab in Non-Small Cell Lung and Pancreatic Cancers First Public Presentation of Clinical Data From Ongoing Phase 1 Trials for Anti-Notch1 and Fzd8-Fc Programs Updated Pharmacodynamic Data for the Vantictumab Program REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 14, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OMED), a clinical-stage company developing novel therapeutics that target cancer stem cells (CSCs), or tumor-initiating cells, today reported five abstracts had been accepted as poster presentations at the upcoming AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, October 19-23, 2013 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA. These five posters contain results from four of OncoMed's five clinical stage product development candidates. Two of the five posters represent the first public presentations of clinical data from two novel anti-CSC agents: anti-Notch1 (OMP-52M51), an antibody targeting the Notch1 receptor and inhibiting signaling through this important target in the Notch CSC pathway, and Fzd8-Fc (OMP-54F28), a fusion protein binding Wnt ligands and inhibiting the key Wnt CSC pathway. The titles and timing of the five poster presentations are: About Cancer Stem Cells Cancer stem cells, or CSCs, are the subpopulation of cells in a tumor responsible for driving growth and metastasis of … Continue reading →