Greensboro, NC-- The staff and community surrounding Archer Elementary School are raising money to help the family of a very ill third-grade student. Two Archer Elementary School teachers detected something was wrong with their student, Melanie Mayo-Tornez, when she would shake uncontrollably during assignments and started walking funny. Teachers tell News 2 it seemed to have happened all of a sudden. Miss Lakisha Graham said, "It kind of brought to mind someone who has suffered a stroke. She washaving a hard time just being able to move, the tremors, just all those things I was observing with her that day." "Her right foot was kind of slapping the sidewalk which I had never noticed before and she didn't know I was watching and alarm bells went off", added ESL Teacher, Cindy Hilbinger. Theteachers brought their observations to the family. Melanie was later diagnosed with, "Acute Cerebellar Ataxia", essentially a cold virus settling around her brain. Mrs. Hilbinger said the mother in her kicked in when she saw the desperation in her student's face. She knew something was severely wrong with the usually vibrant, sweet student. "It's just not7-3 with June, July, and August off, that's just not true. We carry … Continue reading →

Public release date: 13-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Scott LaFee slafee@ucsd.edu 619-543-6163 University of California - San Diego Tracking the genetic pathway of a disease offers a powerful, new approach to drug discovery, according to scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine who used the approach to uncover a potential treatment for prostate cancer, using a drug currently marketed for congestive heart failure. Their findings are published in the current online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "The science of genomics the study of all of the genes in a person and how these genes interact with each other and the environment has revealed many fundamental aspects of biology, including the mechanisms of diseases like cancer. But it has not yet been truly exploited to find new medicines to treat those diseases," said Xiang-Dong Fu, PhD, professor of cellular and molecular medicine and senior author of the PNAS paper. Fu, with colleagues at UC San Diego and elsewhere, describe a unique screening strategy that compares genes associated with specific disease phenotypes (traits) with small molecules capable of intervening with disease-linked gene-expression events. The high-throughput process, capable of analyzing large … Continue reading →

Genetically engineered microbes that might one day churn out biofuels, clean up toxic waste or generate new medicines need to be proved safe before they are released into the environment, a coalition of 111 environmental and social justice groups said Tuesday. Led by the environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth, the coalition also called for stronger government regulations over extreme genetic engineering and a moratorium on the commercial use and release of lab-created organisms. Without proper safeguards, we risk letting synthetic organisms and their products out of the laboratory with unknown potential to disrupt ecosystems, threaten human health and undermine social, economic and cultural rights, the coalition said in a new report. The technology to manipulate the genes of bacteria, yeast and other organisms has existed since the 1970s, leading to pest-resistant crops, bacteria that produce human insulin and other breakthroughs. But in 2010, biologist J. Craig Venter announced that his institute had invented synthetic biology by transplanting the entire genome of one bacterium into a different species, which then reproduced. While not qualifying as an entirely new organism, the lab-built microbe did fuel concerns that this technology presented new and hard-to-quantify risks. The White House jumped in, with … Continue reading →

GDF has expanded its Medical & Scientific Advisory Board to keep the organization at the forefront of genomic medicine. new york, NY (PRWEB) March 13, 2012 Dr. Schadt brings a bold new research approach, which is premised on studying multiple genes and biological processes through the use of advanced technology and computer models to develop a better understanding of disease causes and ultimately better diagnostics and treatment. We are extremely pleased and privileged to welcome a thought-leader like Dr. Schadt to our Advisory Board, where he will help guide the organizations efforts, said Elisa Ross, GDF President. Its important that GDF stays at the very forefront of genomic medicine so that we can optimize use of funds and provide the most valuable information to others. An expert in computational mathematics and sequencing technology, Dr. Schadts research at companies including Merck & Co. and Roche Biosciences has helped revolutionize the integration of genetic and molecular profiling data to construct predictive models of disease that have led to a number of discoveries relating to causes of common diseases. He currently maintains his position as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Pacific Biosciences, a third generation DNA sequencing company, where hes worked since 2009 … Continue reading →

NEWARK, Calif., March 13, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM - News), a leading stem cell company developing and commercializing novel cell-based therapeutics and tools for use in stem cell-based research and drug discovery, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2011 and provided a business update. "The StemCells team made significant progress in 2011 with regard to two critical goals for the Company, namely accelerating and broadening our HuCNS-SC neural stem cell clinical trial agenda for diseases of, and injuries to, the central nervous system, while at the same time reducing our operating cash burn. We are now uniquely positioned as the only stem cell company pursuing clinical trials for disorders of all three organs of the CNS, the brain, spinal cord and eye," said Martin McGlynn, President and CEO of StemCells, Inc. "We have strong preclinical data underlying all our clinical trials, much of which has already been published in peer-reviewed journals, but we realize that the true test of our proprietary cell-based technology will be in the clinic. In this regard, I am pleased to confirm StemCells remains on track to report safety and efficacy data from our recently completed … Continue reading →