VALDOSTA To be whole again, the desire that sometimes overwhelms chair-bound Mandy Painter, fuels the Realtor each day through walking lessons during physical therapy and it's also what could see her through a cutting-edge program in Boston, where world-class neurologists can reawaken her cerebellum and see the mother of three to her feet again. Systemic auto-antibodies began searching Mandys body for cancer cells back as early as 2008 the defensive antibodies ultimately attacked proteins in her cerebellum that resembled the target cells in the tumor that was later discovered in her right breast. Now, everything that I want to do, I have to depend on someone else to do it and it breaks my heart to have to do that, says Mandy. Sometimes, I do sit around and feel sorry for myself. But I have to look at things around me and for the opportunities to come up. If I dont push ahead, I wont get anywhere. Based on what her doctors told her, she has literally been making baby steps as physical therapists work with her to retrain muscles that had regressed in movement memory to their beginnings, according to Mandy. The physical therapy shes been doing has reinvigorated … Continue reading →

Revolutionary test will be able to check for mutations linked to cancer Angelina Jolie highlighted pre-emptive action when she discovered she had a rogue gene after her mother died from cancer By Mario Ledwith PUBLISHED: 17:42 EST, 20 May 2013 | UPDATED: 17:42 EST, 20 May 2013 Cancer patients are to be provided with genetic tests to see whether their family members are also at risk of developing the disease. The revolutionary test will be offered to sufferers to check if they - and in some cases, members of their family - are carrying mutated genes which make them genetically prone to certain forms of cancer. The significance of genetic testing was highlighted last week when Angelina Jolie revealed that she had a double mastectomy after discovering that she was carrying a rogue gene. Gene monitoring: Results will be used to assess the risk of inherited cancers and pick targeted drugs for the most effective personal treatment The actress was told that had an 87 per cent of developing breast cancer due to the presence of the BRCA1 gene. The new test, being trialled on patients within the Royal Marsden Foundation Trust, will check for mutations linked to cancer in … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Main Category: Cancer / Oncology Also Included In: Genetics;Preventive Medicine Article Date: 21 May 2013 - 0:00 PDT Current ratings for: UK Aims To Make Genetic Testing Available To All Cancer Patients 1 (1 votes) The program, involving the Institute of Cancer Research, London, The Royal Marsden, the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics and Illumina Inc, aims to find a way to allow more cancer genes to be tested in more people. Mutations in some genes, referred to as cancer predisposition genes, considerably raise the probability that a person will have cancer. Although scientists can identify about 100 cancer predisposition genes, in the UK, testing for these genes is currently very limited. Looking for gene mutations is now quicker and at a more reasonable cost than ever before as a result of recent advances in methods for reading the genetic code, called sequencing. There is now a possibility to transform cancer gene testing and to improve the health consequences of several cancer patients as well as their families, the scientists explained. Professor Nazneen Rahman, lead researcher of the program and Head of Genetics at theInstitute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the Cancer Genetics Clinical Unit at The … Continue reading →

Public release date: 21-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Stephanie Desmon sdesmon1@jhmi.edu 410-955-8665 Johns Hopkins Medicine The epigenetic modifications, which alter the way genes function without changing the underlying DNA sequence, can apparently be detected in the blood of pregnant women during any trimester, potentially providing a simple way to foretell depression in the weeks after giving birth, and an opportunity to intervene before symptoms become debilitating. The findings of the small study involving 52 pregnant women are described online in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. "Postpartum depression can be harmful to both mother and child," says study leader Zachary Kaminsky, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "But we don't have a reliable way to screen for the condition before it causes harm, and a test like this could be that way." It is not clear what causes postpartum depression, a condition marked by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, exhaustion and anxiety that begins within four weeks of childbirth and can last weeks, several months or up to a year. An estimated 10 to 18 percent of all new mothers develop the condition, and the rate rises to … Continue reading →

--Alteration of two genes, detectable by simple blood test during pregnancy, foretold illness with 85 percent certainty in small study Newswise Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered specific chemical alterations in two genes that, when present during pregnancy, reliably predict whether a woman will develop postpartum depression. The epigenetic modifications, which alter the way genes function without changing the underlying DNA sequence, can apparently be detected in the blood of pregnant women during any trimester, potentially providing a simple way to foretell depression in the weeks after giving birth, and an opportunity to intervene before symptoms become debilitating. The findings of the small study involving 52 pregnant women are described online in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. Postpartum depression can be harmful to both mother and child, says study leader Zachary Kaminsky, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. But we dont have a reliable way to screen for the condition before it causes harm, and a test like this could be that way. It is not clear what causes postpartum depression, a condition marked by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, exhaustion and anxiety that begins within four weeks of … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/nc5lqz/genetic_testing) has announced the addition of the "Genetic Testing Market Outlook to 2017" report to their offering. A recent report, Genetic Testing Market Outlook to 2017, provides an in-depth analysis of the current and future genetic testing market. A comprehensive introduction of gene-based tests, their working principles and types are covered in around a 140-page report. On account of our analysis of the past and present market trends; drivers; and existing strengths and challenges; forecast for genetic testing has been drawn, according to which, the market is likely to grow at a CAGR of around 9% during 2012-2017. Our report is an outcome of extensive interaction with industry experts which has led us to portray the updated status of genetic testing in various therapeutic areas, major geographies and significant industry applications. The genetic testing industry has seen several new product launches, active research innovations, strategic activities, launch of new DTC tests, and wider therapeutic applications. The report effectively illustrates the role of genetic testing in diseases such as Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, and Alzheimer. It also incorporates the information on disease prevalence, available tests, and genes that cause a particular disease. An extensive research and reliable … Continue reading →

Public release date: 20-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Samuli Ripatti samuli.ripatti@helsinki.fi 358-405-670-826 University of Helsinki The study comprised over 24,000 Finnish subjects and was led by Professor Samuli Ripatti. The results revealed that a panel of 28 genetic markers improved detection of individuals with high risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) (10-year risk 20%) over traditional risk factors. Identification of high-risk individuals is an important preventive strategy for CHD, because the current guidelines recommend statin treatment for the high-risk group. "The results indicate that genetic markers could be useful in CHD prevention, when used in addition to traditional risk factor screening", said Professor Veikko Salomaa from National Institute for Health and Welfare. The study shows that genetic screening of individuals at intermediate risk (10-20%) based on traditional risk factors would reclassify 12% of them into the high-risk group. "Statin treatment of the reclassified individuals could prevent hundreds or even thousands of CHD events in Finland. The results are based on large population cohorts but should nevertheless be tested in a clinical setting. Pilot projects studying the effect of this new genetic information on health behavior are now being carried out", said Professor Samuli Ripatti. Genetic markers improved … Continue reading →