NEW YORK A huge international effort involving more than 100 institutions and genetic tests on 200,000 people has uncovered dozens of signposts in DNA that can help reveal further a person's risk for breast, ovarian or prostate cancer, scientists reported Wednesday. It's the latest mega-collaboration to learn more about the intricate mechanisms that lead to cancer. And while the headway seems significant in many ways, the potential payoff for ordinary people is mostly this: Someday there may be genetic tests that help identify women with the most to gain from mammograms, and men who could benefit most from PSA tests and prostate biopsies. And perhaps farther in the future these genetic clues might lead to new treatments. "This adds another piece to the puzzle," said Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research U.K., the charity which funded much of the research. One analysis suggests that among men whose family history gives them roughly a 20 percent lifetime risk for prostate cancer, such genetic markers could identify those whose real risk is 60 percent. The markers also could make a difference for women with BRCA gene mutations, which puts them at high risk for breast cancer. Researchers may be able to … Continue reading →

Mar. 27, 2013 An international research collaboration has found five new regions of the human genome that are linked to increased risks for developing ovarian cancer. Duke Medicine researchers played a leading role analyzing genetic information from more than 40,000 women. The findings are published in four studies, two appearing in the journal Nature Communications and two in Nature Genetics on March 27, 2013. The research is being published as part of a coordinated release of new data from the Collaborative Oncological Gene-environment Study (COGS), an international effort to identify genetic variations that make certain people susceptible to developing breast, prostate and ovarian cancers. According to the National Cancer Institute, ovarian cancer accounts for 3 percent of all cancers in women and is the leading cause of death among cancers of the female reproductive system. This is due to the lack of early symptoms or effective screening tests. Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes dramatically increase ovarian cancer risk. Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations can identify women who would benefit most from surgery to prevent ovarian cancer, but this is relevant to less than 1 percent of the population. Other genetic variants that are more common … Continue reading →

By Duke Medicine News and Communications DURHAM, N.C. -- An international research collaboration has found five new regions of the human genome that are linked to increased risks for developing ovarian cancer. Duke Medicine researchers played a leading role analyzing genetic information from more than 40,000 women. The findings are published in four studies, two appearing in the journal Nature Communications and two in Nature Genetics on March 27, 2013. The research is being published as part of a coordinated release of new data from the Collaborative Oncological Gene-environment Study (COGS), an international effort to identify genetic variations that make certain people susceptible to developing breast, prostate and ovarian cancers. According to the National Cancer Institute, ovarian cancer accounts for 3 percent of all cancers in women and is the leading cause of death among cancers of the female reproductive system. This is due to the lack of early symptoms or effective screening tests. Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes dramatically increase ovarian cancer risk. Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations can identify women who would benefit most from surgery to prevent ovarian cancer, but this is relevant to less than 1 percent of the population. Other … Continue reading →

Public release date: 27-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Rachel Harrison rachel.harrison@duke.edu 919-419-5069 Duke University Medical Center DURHAM, N.C. -- An international research collaboration has found five new regions of the human genome that are linked to increased risks for developing ovarian cancer. Duke Medicine researchers played a leading role analyzing genetic information from more than 40,000 women. The findings are published in four studies, two appearing in the journal Nature Communications and two in Nature Genetics on March 27, 2013. The research is being published as part of a coordinated release of new data from the Collaborative Oncological Gene-environment Study (COGS), an international effort to identify genetic variations that make certain people susceptible to developing breast, prostate and ovarian cancers. According to the National Cancer Institute, ovarian cancer accounts for 3 percent of all cancers in women and is the leading cause of death among cancers of the female reproductive system. This is due to the lack of early symptoms or effective screening tests. Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes dramatically increase ovarian cancer risk. Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations can identify women who would benefit most from surgery to prevent ovarian cancer, … Continue reading →

LONDON (ShareCast) - ReNeuron Group (Other OTC: RNUGF - news) has received regulatory approval to begin the first phase of a clinical trial in the UK for the company's ReN009 stem cell therapy treatment for critical limb ischaemia. Critical limb ischaemia, a condition which leads to blood vessel blockage in limbs such as toes and can lead to amputation, is ReNeuron's second major disease target after stroke in its CTX stem cell line. The stem cell therapeutics group said ReN009 has the potential to restore sufficient blood flow in the affected lower limb of patients with the condition. The Phase 1 clinical trial will be undertaken though NHS Tayside at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee, Scotland. ReN009 cells will be administered via straightforward intramuscular injection into the affected lower limb of nine patients with peripheral arterial disease. ReNeuron was recently awarded a late stage biomedical catalyst grant of 0.4m from the Technology Strategy Board, the UK Government's innovation agency, to be deployed towards the cost of the study. "These clinical trial approvals for our next major disease target, together with the recently announced biomedical catalyst funding for the Phase I critical limb ischaemia study, represent strong endorsements of … Continue reading →

PITTSTON, ME--(Marketwire - Mar 27, 2013) - YaFarm Technologies, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: YFRM) (YaFarm, or the Company) is pleased to announce the grand opening of The Integrative Stem Cell Institute (ISCI), apremier provider of point-of-care, stem cell-based therapies. The Institute is located within Hospital Galenia at 77505 Benito Jurez Quintana Roo, Mexico and the telephone number is 1.503.446.5039 (US). The grand opening event, scheduled for 6:30PM on Thursday, April 25, 2013 will introduce the Institute to the Cancun community. Along with dignitaries and medical professionals in Cancun, the ISCI has also invited international physicians and research groups to attend the event and tour the facility. The ISCI combines a state-of-the-art laboratory with therapy rooms to provide stem cell based clinical studies for neuro-degenerative diseases. The 2000+ square foot facility located in the Hospital Galenia contains a large ISO 7, Clean 10,000 clean room to process and differentiate progenitor (stem) cells for research and clinical applications. The ISCI provides these therapies as part of controlled clinical studies that combine the ISCI science with the world-class medical expertise an interdisciplinary faculty of licensed and experienced physicians. "This will be the first opportunity for us to show off the ISCI to our neighbors here … Continue reading →

The Consumer By Linda Bolido Philippine Daily Inquirer All the publicity about stem-cell therapy (SCT), including endorsements from some of the countrys most powerful people and brightest stars, has made it seem like a miracle cure, even a cure-all. From the treatment of life-threatening medical problems to reversing the effects of aging, people are now beginning to look to SCTespecially if they can afford itfor salvation. But, according to a doctor I know, there are actually only two proven applications for the therapy right now. The rest, at this stage, is really still experimental. People have, of course, volunteered for pioneering procedures, hoping for a cure for whatever ails them. Education still needed Thats well and good, as long as they are fully informed and give their unequivocal consent to being experimented on. The problem, however, is some people undergo the therapy without fully understanding it. And there are groups that seem to think that because they have Googled the therapy and read everything on the Net about it, they are capable of doing the procedure. I mentioned in this column previously that even beauty parlors were offering to do SCT. Although it would be only for cosmetic purposes, the … Continue reading →

SNOWMASS, Colo., March 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Howard Leonhardt, founder of Bioheart, Inc. and Leonhardt Ventures will be presenting his team's experience with stem cell transplantation for heart failure treatment at the 28th Annual International Symposium of Interventional Cardiology. The conference, which will explore a comprehensive approach to the percutaneous management of structural heart disease and coronary and peripheral vascular disease, will be held at the Westin Hotel in Snowmass Village, Colo., from March 24 - 29, 2013. Leonhardt's presentation, titled "25 Years' Experience With Myoblast Transplantation" and listed as Oral Abstract Session VI in the program, will take place Thursday, March 28, from 7 - 10 a.m. Over the past 25 years, the team'sresearch and trials in stem cell transplantation for treating heart failure have revealed the following: For more information on the 28th Annual International Symposium of Interventional Cardiology, see http://www.interventionalcardiol.com. To learn more about advances in regenerative medicine, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com and http://www.leonhardtventures.com. About Leonhardt Ventures: Since 1983 Leonhardt Ventures http://www.leonhardtventures.com has a strong history of inventing, developing, backing and bringing to market leadership products for treating heart and cardiovascular disease. Over 200,000 patients have been treated to date with Leonhardt inventions. In the 1980s, the group developed … Continue reading →

"STEM cell therapy is now in Davao City," announced by Dr. Luz P. Acosta, founding member of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine. The stem cell treatment that is made available in the city is the internationally-recognized procedure approved by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Acosta explained that the process starts with taking a collection of platelet-rich plasma (blood) and autologous adipose tissue (fat) from the patient. From these, the stem cells are then isolated and activated through the use of machines technologically enhanced to perform such tasks. She said the stem cells are then ready to be administered to the patient through local injections as needed. The whole process, she added, is done in approximately two to three hours, under local anesthesia. No hospital admission is required. The body will not incur any adverse reactions, according to the medical expert, since only the patient's own cells are being used in the process, contrary to that of the controversial procedures which use fetal or animal stem cells that each pose ethical and religious issues or genetic and ancestral issues, respectively. The revolutionary stem cell treatment, according to Acosta, has had documented success … Continue reading →

By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com March 27, 2013 8:08 PM InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5 MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Health will crack down on spas and salons that offer stem cell therapy, Secretary Enrique Ona said Wednesday. Ona said they will be guided by the new implementing rules and regulations that were formulated to regulate the practice of stem cell and cell-based therapy in the country. Our efforts at regulating the practice of stem cell therapy in this country are aimed at safeguarding the welfare of our patients and the general public by making sure safe, effective and ethical stem cell modalities and practices are within emerging international and global standards considering the very complex nature of this therapy, he said. Initially, the DOH will order spas and salons facilities to stop offering stem cell therapy or face closure. We have been very liberal in allowing those things but the moment it becomes already a public concern we should warn the public, he said. Ona added that the guidelines also require healthcare facilities to be accredited by the DOH if they want to continue practicing stem cell therapy. The DOH has created the Bioethics Advisory Board to … Continue reading →