Newswise Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at Louisiana State University have developed a method for identifying aggressive prostate cancers that require immediate therapy. It relies on understanding the genetic interaction between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The goal is to better predict a prostate cancers aggressiveness to avoid unnecessary radical treatment. Their study was published in the online journal PLOS ONE in April. According to the authors, prostate cancer accounts for 20 percent of all cancers and 9 percent of cancer deaths. It is the most common cancer and was the second leading cause of cancer death in American men in 2012. For most prostate cancer patients, the disease progresses relatively slowly, said study co-author Hui-Yi Lin, Ph.D., assistant member of the Chemical Biology and Molecular Medicine Program at Moffitt. However, some cases grow aggressively and metastasize. It is often difficult to tell the difference between the two. The two treatment options for aggressive prostate cancer radical surgery and radiation therapy have negative side effects, such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction. It is why the authors believe there is an urgent need for biomarkers that can identify or predict aggressive types of prostate cancer. Through examining combinations of genetic … Continue reading →

To view our videos, you need to enable JavaScript. Learn how. install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now. Then come back here and refresh the page. Dr. Harry Ostrer, a genetics and pathology professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says that genes "are inventions of nature. They are not inventions of people." But for more than 20 years, companies have been patenting genes. One company, Myriad Genetics, has held the patent on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that put women at higher risk for breast and ovarian cancer. That is, until last week, when the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that human genes can't be patented, even when removed from the body. "It really opens the door with regards to science, discovery, genetic testing," says "If I had a better way of doing testing in your BRCA1 and 2 genes, why shouldn't I be able to offer it to you? Faster, cheaper, better." Ostrer was an original plaintiff in the case against Myriad. The ruling means he and his team can now move forward with their research. "We have designed a breast cancer panel," he says. "It has to include BRCA1 and 2 because we want to … Continue reading →

Findings may lead to the ability to give newborns a "genetic score" on obesity risk factors. A new study suggests that overweight newborns may share the same genetic marker for a higher risk for obesity later in life, which may eventually allow doctors to identify those predisposed to obesity as soon as they're born. [READ: Gene Research May Help Spot Baby's Obesity Risk] Reeti Chawla, a pediatric endocrinologist with the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, says that she and her team were able to identify 45 genetic markers that are linked to both obesity in adults and are commonly found in babies with large birth weights. In the United States, babies that are 8 pounds, 13 ounces or more are generally considered to be "large for gestational age." "Obesity is such a complex trait that obviously has a lot of environmental components, but it appears babies born large have an increased risk for obesity later in life," Chawla says. The study was based on the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes, a study that looked at more than 4,400 newborns and their mothers' blood sugar levels. Subsequent studies will follow these children as they grow up. [ALSO:More Evidence Links BPA … Continue reading →