Public release date: 21-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jim Dryden jdryden@wustl.edu 314-286-0110 Washington University School of Medicine Part of the risk for alcohol dependence is genetic, and the same is true for eating disorders. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found it's likely some of the same genes are involved in both. In the September issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, the researchers report that people with alcohol dependence may be more genetically susceptible to certain types of eating disorders and vice versa. "In clinical practice, it's been observed that individuals with eating disorders also have high rates of alcohol abuse and dependence," said Melissa A. Munn-Chernoff, PhD, the study's first author. "Other studies have focused on the genetic connections between alcohol dependence and eating disorders, but all of those studies looked only at women. Ours was the first to include men as well." According to Munn-Chernoff, a postdoctoral research scholar in psychiatry, that's important because although eating disorders tend to be thought of as a female problem, they affect men, too. Studying data gathered from nearly 6,000 adult twins in Australia, Munn-Chernoff and her colleagues found … Continue reading →

Asher Chanan Khan, an oncologist with the Mayo Clinic Florida, calls individualized medicine the future of medicine. Amelia Island residents Cecilia and Dan Carmichael are making a down payment on that future with a $5 million donation to help establish a Center of Individualized Medicine at the Mayo Clinics Jacksonville campus. The Carmichaels gift will help Mayo move from talking about the promise of genomic medicine to making it a reality for patients, said Alexander Parker, who is now the Cecilia and Dan Carmichael Family Associate Director of the Mayo Clinics Center for Individualized Medicine in Florida. Individualized medicine uses genetic testing to establish a patients genome sequencing. Such individualized approaches are not uncommon, said Chanan Khan, assistant director of the Center of Individualized Medicine. But in most cases, the genetic testing doesnt answer the most important question, he said. The report tells you whether your gene is bad or good, he said. It doesnt tell you what to do. What will be different at Mayo is that a team of 14 to 16 people from a variety of fields will sit together and give a patients genetic results the most sophisticated and most detailed analysis. Chanan Khan said that … Continue reading →

August 20, 2013 Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online Predicting future behavior is never easy, but new research from scientists at Indiana University has found that certain genetic biomarkers can help predict when someone will attempt suicide. According to a report of their study in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, Indiana researchers found elevated levels of certain RNA biomarkers in the blood of both bipolar disorder patients having suicidal thought as well individuals who had committed suicide. Suicide is a big problem in psychiatry. Its a big problem in the civilian realm, its a big problem in the military realm and there are no objective markers, said study author Dr. Alexander B. Niculescu, a lab director at the Institute of Psychiatric Research in the IU School of Medicine. There are people who will not reveal they are having suicidal thoughts when you ask them, who then commit it and theres nothing you can do about it. We need better ways to identify, intervene and prevent these tragic cases, he added. Over the course of three years, the researchers tracked male volunteers diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Volunteers were interviewed and provided blood samples every three to six months. The researchers performed … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Within weeks of the Supreme Court's historic decision declaring that human genes cannot be patented, two scientists have started a company that will democratize the human genome and give people direct access to their own genetic information which can have an immediate impact on their health and well being. The court's decision spurred the two scientists, Christopher Mason, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medical College, and Jeffrey Rosenfeld, PhD, of Rutgers Medical School, to form Genome Liberty and begin offering immediate, personalized genetic testing directly to the public although the results should used in concert with a doctor. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130820/MN65902) "The Supreme Court's decision opened an era of genomic liberty, allowing people to look at the DNA for all of their genes which had been hidden behind patent walls for companies that had a monopoly on such testing," Mason said. "Our next-generation sequencing technology allows individuals to be proactive in understanding how their genome can affect their health decisions." Previously, individuals had to rely on their doctors to understand their health and to make proper medical decisions for them. As scientists and doctors have found the molecular basis for disease and drug response, it … Continue reading →

Albany, New York (PRWEB) August 20, 2013 TechNavio's analysts forecast the Global Stem Anticancer Therapeutics market to grow at a CAGR of 11.48 percent over the period 2012-2016. Increasing investment in R&D is one of the key factors contributing to this market growth. The Global Stem Anticancer Therapeutics market has also been witnessing an increasing number of strategic alliances among vendors. However, stringent regulatory approval processes could pose a challenge to the growth of this market. To check out the Complete table of contents, visit: http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis-details/global-stem-cell-anticancer-therapeutics-market-2012-2016 . TechNavio's report, the Global Stem Anticancer Therapeutics Market 2012-2016, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market in the Americas, and the EMEA and APAC regions; it also covers the Global Stem Anticancer Therapeutics market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. The key vendors dominating this space include Celgene Corp., Curis Inc., Exelixis Inc., Gamida Cell Ltd., Lonza Group, Merck & Co. Inc., OncoMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., Pfizer Inc., Roche Holding AG, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., and Verastem Inc. Browse all reports of this category visit … Continue reading →

By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com August 20, 2013 3:45 PM InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5 MANILA, Philippines Reminder for those who wish to have their stem cell therapy practice and products accredited: You have until August 31 to register, the Department of Health said Tuesday. Citing Administrative Order 2013-0012 issued March 18 this year, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said that while the Department of Health (DOH) supports scientific advancement in the field of cellular medicine, its priority is to protect the public from harm rather than give a blanket endorsement of its use or potential benefits. Those who need to seek accreditation include: health care facilities doing stem cell therapy (with the DOH) as well as companies that import, market, and produce stem cell products (with the Food and Drug Administration, which is under DOH). Ona said the DOH seeks to regulate stem cell therapy both as a recognized treatment modality and for research purposes. "This is to allay fears that unscrupulous individuals or groups will engage in unethical practices and subject naive patients to undue harm and unproven medical claims," he added. Among the DOH guidelines are: Ona conceded that there are only a limited number of medical … Continue reading →

Public release date: 19-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Nidyah Sani nidyah@ibn.a-star.edu.sg 65-682-47005 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore Singapore, August 19, 2013 Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) have developed a simple method of organizing cells and their microenvironments in hydrogel fibers. Their unique technology provides a feasible template for assembling complex structures, such as liver and fat tissues, as described in their recent publication in Nature Communications1. According to IBN Executive Director Professor Jackie Y. Ying, "Our tissue engineering approach gives researchers great control and flexibility over the arrangement of individual cell types, making it possible to engineer prevascularized tissue constructs easily. This innovation brings us a step closer toward developing viable tissue or organ replacements." IBN Team Leader and Principal Research Scientist, Dr Andrew Wan, elaborated, "Critical to the success of an implant is its ability to rapidly integrate with the patient's circulatory system. This is essential for the survival of cells within the implant, as it would ensure timely access to oxygen and essential nutrients, as well as the removal of metabolic waste products. Integration would also facilitate signaling between the cells and blood vessels, which is important for … Continue reading →