Public release date: 4-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 ext. 2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News New Rochelle, NY, June 4, 2013The composition of breast milk varies from mother to mother, and genetic factors may affect the levels of protective components in breast milk that could influence a newborn's outcomes. The potential to perform genomic studies on breast milk samples is explored in a Review article in Breastfeeding Medicine, the Official Journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Breastfeeding Medicine website at http://www.liebertpub.com/bfm. Kelley Baumgartel and Yvette Conley, University of Pittsburgh, PA, reviewed the scientific literature to determine whether breast milk is an appropriate source for genetic materialDNA and RNAto perform gene expression and epigenetic studies. In the article "The Utility of Breast Milk for Genetic or Genomic Studies: A Systematic Review," the authors describe the potential value of the genetic information obtained from breast milk, which can be collected easily and noninvasively. It could lead to a better understanding of the variability in breast milk and to strategies for optimizing the neonatal diet through fortification of donor breast … Continue reading →

Public release date: 3-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Susi Hamilton susi.hamilton@unsw.edu.au 61-422-934-024 University of New South Wales Even if Australians with newly diagnosed bowel cancer were routinely tested for a genetic predisposition to further cancers, one in three people would still not take the necessary steps to use that information to prevent further disease. Researchers from UNSW Medicine took the extra step of screening for the hereditary Lynch syndrome in the 2,100 people with colorectal cancer who presented at a number of NSW hospitals* over a three-year period. Researchers found that a significant number of these people (245) had a bowel cancer with features that suggested Lynch syndrome, which leaves people vulnerable to a range of other cancers including stomach, ovarian and uterine cancers. But as 30 per cent of people did not or could not act on the information found in the screening, by giving a blood sample and their consent, the diagnosis of Lynch syndrome was missed. The study, which has just been published in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology, is the first time the impact of routine screening for Lynch syndrome has been assessed on this scale. "It's like what Angelina Jolie had … Continue reading →

CARLSBAD, Calif. & IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Applied Spectral Imaging Inc. (ASI) and BioDot Inc. have entered into an agreement in which both companies will engage in combined sales and marketing of an integration product that will directly link the GenASIs imaging and analysis instrument by ASI and the CellWriter automated dispensing system for FISH and Karyotyping by BioDot. The combined solution enables an end-to-end, automated workflow for FISH and Karyotyping, from slide production to sample analysis and result reporting. Personalized medicine challenges laboratories to continuously expand their genetic analysis throughput rapidly and cost effectively. The ASI and BioDot platforms provide an end-to-end environment for managing samples from slide preparation to the generation of the analysis report. said Limor Shiposh, CEO of Applied Spectral Imaging Inc. Our combined offering for automated genetic analysis leverages the imaging and analysis accuracy, speed and quality results of ASIs GenASIs platform with the flexibility, efficiency and simplicity of BioDots CellWriter automated dispensing system for FISH and Karyotyping added Mrs. Shiposh. We are excited to work with ASI on a combined automated workflow solution for FISH and Karyotyping. The cytogenetics workflow is highly complex and by integrating automated slide processing with automated microscopy, we can now … Continue reading →

SYDNEY, June 4 (Bernama) -- One in three Australians with newly-diagnosed bowel cancer would not act on genetic screening that showed predisposition to other cancers, researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) reported Tuesday. Researchers from UNSW Medicine took the extra step of screening for hereditary Lynch syndrome in 2,100 people with bowel cancer being treated at NSW hospitals over a three year period, reports China's Xinhua news agency. Lynch syndrome is an inherited disorder that increases the risk of many types of cancer. The researchers found that 245 of the patients in the study had a bowel cancer with features that suggested Lynch syndrome. But 30 percent of the participants did not act on the results of their screening by giving a blood sample and their consent, and so the diagnosis of Lynch syndrome was missed. "Even though we have the technology and the tools, there are very human reasons why people don't, or can't, participate," explained Robyn Ward, Head of the Adult Cancer Program at UNSW's Lowy Cancer Research Centre. "Some of the reasons were unavoidable -- people had mental health issues or language problems, or they died before they could agree," she added. Diagnosis of … Continue reading →

June 3, 2013 A multi-institutional team of researchers have pinpointed the genetic traits of the cells that give rise to gliomas -- the most common form of malignant brain cancer. The findings, which appear in the journal Cell Reports, provide scientists with rich new potential set of targets to treat the disease. "This study identifies a core set of genes and pathways that are dysregulated during both the early and late stages of tumor progression," said University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) neurologist Steven Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., the senior author of the study and co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine. "By virtue of their marked difference from normal cells, these genes appear to comprise a promising set of targets for therapeutic intervention." As its name implies, gliomas arise from a cell type found in the central nervous system called the glial cell. Gliomas progress in severity over time and ultimately become highly invasive tumors known as glioblastomas, which are difficult to treat and almost invariably fatal. Current treatments, which include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, can delay disease progression, but ultimately prove ineffective. Cancer research has been transformed over the past several years by new concepts arising from stem … Continue reading →

CHICAGOBRCA gene mutations, flaws in a tumor-suppressing gene that raise the risk of breast cancer, are surprisingly common in black women with the disease, according to the first comprehensive testing in this racial group. The study, presented Monday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, found that one-fifth of these women have BRCA mutations, a problem usually associated with women of Eastern European Jewish descent but recently highlighted by the plight of Angelina Jolie. The study may help explain why black women have higher rates of breast cancer at young ages -- and a worse chance of survival: One recent study found black women were twice as likely to die within first three years of a breast cancer diagnosis compared to white women. Play Video Play Video Doctors say black female patients should be offered genetic counseling and may want to consider more frequent screening and prevention options, which can range from hormone-blocking pills to breast removal, as Jolie chose to do. "We were surprised at our results," said the study leader, Dr. Jane Churpek, a cancer specialist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. Too few black women have been included in genetic … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, NY and PETACH TIKVAH, ISRAEL--(Marketwired - Jun 4, 2013) - BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics (OTCQB: BCLI), a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that the Company has received the third installment of the 2013 grant from Israel's Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) in the amount of approximately $335,000 (~1.2M NIS). The yearly grant for 2013, in the amount of $729,000 (~2.7M NIS), was awarded to BrainStorm's Research and Development program towards the development of its leading and innovative NurOwn therapy for ALS using autologous adult stem cells. "We are thankful to the OCS for its continued support of our NurOwn R&D program. The non-dilutive funding we receive from them will support our efforts to expedite our clinical development program as well as optimization of the NurOwn manufacturing process," said Alon Natanson, BrainStorm's CEO. The OCS has supported BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Ltd. since 2007, providing a total of $2.67 million in grants, including this one. Under the terms of the grant, the Company is required to pay royalties to the OCS, amounting to 3% - 5% of revenues derived from sales of the products funded with these grants, but only up to the … Continue reading →