RYE BROOK, NY--(Marketwire -07/19/12)- As part of a fundamental commitment to support physicians in the management of cancer, CBLPath announces today its launch of in-house NRAS Mutation Analysis testing. This molecular assay screens for clinically relevant genetic mutations that may be present in cases of colorectal cancer, melanoma and thyroid cancer, thus helping oncologists make an accurate diagnosis and the most appropriate treatment decisions for affected patients. "Our new polymerase chain reaction, or PCR-based test uses the latest sequencing technology to detect NRAS genetic aberrations in a timely and accurate manner, aiding molecular classification of disease and consequently impacting patient prognosis and therapeutic efficacy," said Co-CEO and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Carlos D. Urmacher, FCAP, FASCP. "We're pleased to add NRAS to our powerful arsenal of biomarker-centered diagnostics that are advancing the practice of personalized medicine. It's truly a 'win-win' for oncologists, who can provide better medicine, faster with our testing and for their patients who receive customized care and targeted treatment based on their individual molecular profiles." The NRAS gene (Neuroblastoma RAS Viral Oncogene Homolog Gene) encodes the NRAS enzyme, which is member of RAS family of proteins. (RAS is an abbreviation for Rat sarcoma, where these proteins were … Continue reading →

New approach sorts cancer driver mutations from abundant but irrelevant passengers Newswise HOUSTON Its been a burning question in melanoma research: Tumor cells are full of ultraviolet (UV)-induced genetic damage caused by sunlight exposure, but which mutations drive this cancer? None have been conclusively tied to melanoma. The sheer abundance of these passenger mutations has obscured the search for genetic driver mutations that actually matter in melanoma development and progression. By creating a method to spot the drivers in a sea of passengers, scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified six genes with driving mutations in melanoma, three of which have recurrent hotspot mutations as a result of damage inflicted by UV light. Their findings are reported in the July 20 issue of the journal Cell. Those three mutations are the first smoking gun genomic evidence directly linking damage from UV light to melanoma, said co-senior author Lynda Chin, M.D., Professor and Chair of MD Andersons Department of Genomic Medicine. Until now, that link has been based on epidemiological evidence and experimental data. This study also is exciting because many of the recent … Continue reading →

Public release date: 19-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center STANFORD, Calif. The entire genomes of 91 human sperm from one man have been sequenced by Stanford University researchers. The results provide a fascinating glimpse into naturally occurring genetic variation in one individual, and are the first to report the whole-genome sequence of a human gamete the only cells that become a child and through which parents pass on physical traits. "This represents the culmination of nearly a decade of work in my lab," said Stephen Quake, PhD, the Lee Otterson Professor in the School of Engineering and professor of bioengineering and of applied physics. "We now have devices that will allow us to routinely amplify and sequence to a high degree of accuracy the entire genomes of single cells, which has far-ranging implications for the study of cancer, infertility and many other disorders." Quake is the senior author of the research, which will be published July 20 in Cell. Graduate student Jianbin Wang and former graduate student H. Christina Fan, PhD, now a senior scientist at ImmuMetrix, share first authorship of the paper. Sequencing sperm cells is particularly interesting because … Continue reading →

Newswise This has been a good week for breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS. Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration approved a daily pill, Truvada, which reduces the risk of HIV infection. Today, a University of Nebraska Medical Center research teams progress toward developing weekly or twice-monthly injectable antiretroviral therapy (ART) nanomedicines for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection will be highlighted as the cover story in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. A long-acting, nanoformulated ART (nanoART) would be a substantive improvement over daily and sometimes more complex regimen of pills, said Howard Gendelman, M.D., the lead investigator on the development of nanoART for HIV/AIDS and professor and chairman of the department of pharmacology and experimental neuroscience (PEN) at UNMC. The journal article hails the successful testing of UNMCs ART injectables as treatment of HIV-infected mice and in preventing new infections. We actually followed the process exactly as we would with a person and it worked, Dr. Gendelman said. This is all very exciting. Although there are clear pitfalls ahead and the medicines are not yet ready for human use, the progress is undeniable. Dr. Gendelman said one of the projects real advantages is in the nanoformulations. NanoART is cell … Continue reading →