By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 3:15 PM on 17th February 2012 Created 5:25 PM on 6th February 2012 Bio-hazard: Scientists found three out of 234 people were virtually insensitive to the anthrax toxin. They said this could have implications for other pathogens like HIV Some people have a natural genetic resistance to anthrax, according to scientists. Research into anthrax found susceptibility to the deadly disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis varied from person to person - revealing that susceptibility to the toxin is a heritable genetic trait. Among 234 people studied by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine in the United States, the cells of three people were virtually insensitive to the toxin, while the cells of some people were hundreds of times more sensitive than those of others. The findings may have important implications for national security, as people known to be more resistant to anthrax exposure could be effective first-line responders in times of crises. The research also highlights the fact that many lethal pathogens - including HIV, malaria, leprosy and hepatitis - rely on interactions with host genes to infect and replicate within human cells. Inherited differences in the level of expression … Continue reading →

Public release date: 21-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Margaret Allen mallen@smu.edu 214-768-7664 Southern Methodist University A majority of college students is receptive to donating blood or other genetic material for scientific research, according to a new study from Southern Methodist University, Dallas. In what appears to be the first study to gauge college students' willingness to donate to a genetic biobank, the study surveyed 250 male and female undergraduate and graduate students. Among those surveyed, 64 percent said they were willing to donate to a biobank, said study author Olivia Adolphson. Students filled out a two-page survey with 18 questions designed to assess their willingness to participate in a biobank, an archive of blood and tissue samples donated by individuals for the purpose of genetic research. Student reasons include altruism, while barriers were privacy and lack of time "Overall I found that my sample was very willing to participate in a biobank," said Adolphson, an undergraduate psychology researcher at SMU. "The reasons cited were altruism ? people want to help others ? as well as to advance scientific research and to help find cures. The barriers were concerns about privacy, lack of time, lack of interest and … Continue reading →

It's personal now: Alexis Borisy (left) and Michael Pellini lead an effort to make DNA data available to help cancer patients. Credit: Christopher Harting Michael Pellini fires up his computer and opens a report on a patient with a tumor of the salivary gland. The patient had surgery, but the cancer recurred. That's when a biopsy was sent to Foundation Medicine, the company that Pellini runs, for a detailed DNA study. Foundation deciphered some 200 genes with a known link to cancer and found what he calls "actionable" mutations in three of them. That is, each genetic defect is the target of anticancer drugs undergoing testing—though not for salivary tumors. Should the patient take one of them? "Without the DNA, no one would have thought to try these drugs," says Pellini.  Starting this spring, for about $5,000, any oncologist will be able to ship a sliver of tumor in a bar-coded package to Foundation's lab. Foundation will extract the DNA, sequence scores of cancer genes, and prepare a report to steer doctors and patients toward drugs, most still in early testing, that are known to target the cellular defects caused by the DNA errors the analysis turns up. Pellini says … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 21, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pathfinder Cell Therapy, Inc. ("Pathfinder," or "the Company") (OTCQB:PFND.PK - News), a biotechnology company focused on the treatment of diabetes and other diseases characterized by organ-specific cell damage, today presented preliminary data highlighting the potential of the Company's unique cell-based therapy for treating diabetes at the 7th Annual New York Stem Cell Summit. Richard L. Franklin, M.D., Ph.D., Founder, CEO and President of Pathfinder, provided an overview of the Company's Pathfinder Cell ("PC") technology, and presented preclinical evidence demonstrating how treatment with PCs was able to reverse the symptoms of diabetes in two different mouse models. Pathfinder Cells are a newly identified non-stem cell mammalian cell type that has the ability to stimulate regeneration of damaged tissue without being incorporated into the new tissue. In today's presentation, Dr. Franklin showed how recent experiments performed using a non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse strain were supportive of earlier data that demonstrated complete reversal of diabetes in mice. The earlier results, which used a drug-induced diabetic mouse model, were published in Rejuvenation Research1. Though preliminary, the recent results are encouraging because the NOD mouse model is widely used and highly regarded as being predictive of human … Continue reading →

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Celling Biosciences announces a sponsorship of the 7th Annual Stem Cell Summit being held on February 21st at Bridgewaters New York in New York City. The Stem Cell Summit is consistently the premiere venue for the world's leaders in regenerative medicine to network and promote next generation technologies and cell therapies. The meeting will feature more than 30 thought leaders in stem cell therapy including Dr. Kenneth Pettine of the Orthopedic Stem Cell Institute in Loveland, Colorado.  Dr. Pettine has teamed up with Celling Biosciences' SpineSmith Division to present "Adult Stem Cell Therapy for Orthopedic and Spine Conditions Resulting from Injury or Aging."  Dr. Pettine has become an innovator in the regenerative cell therapy market and believes "regenerative therapies will become the next standard of care in treating many orthopedic conditions."  Following the Stem Cell Summit, Dr. Pettine will be presenting a discussion on regenerative therapies to the trainers and medical staff attending this year's NFL combine.  The NFL has recently gained attention from Peyton Manning going oversees to receive a cell therapy treatment for his cervical spine condition.  Dr. Pettine envisions a day when these professional athletes stop going to foreign countries to … Continue reading →

ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwire -02/21/12)- VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC.BB: VSTA.OB - News) (OTCQB: VSTA.OB - News), a biotechnology company applying stem cell technology for drug rescue and cell therapy, has retained MissionIR, a national investor relations consulting firm, to develop and implement a strategic investor relations campaign. Through a network of investor-oriented online websites and full suite of investor awareness services, MissionIR broadens the influence of publicly traded companies and enhances their ability to attract growth capital and improve shareholder value. "VistaGen's work with human stem cell technology is groundbreaking," said Sherri Snyder, Director of Marketing at MissionIR. "The company's versatile platform, Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube™, provides clinically relevant predictions of potential heart toxicity of new drug candidates long before they are ever tested on humans. Guided by a management team with decades of experience, VistaGen's stem cell technology can potentially save billions of dollars in the healthcare industry while recapturing prior R&D investment in once-promising new drug candidates." "We are pleased to bring MissionIR on board as our external investor relations partner," said Shawn Singh, VistaGen's Chief Executive Officer. "The crucial work our company is doing can fundamentally change the way medicine is developed. Paired with MissionIR's global … Continue reading →

SOURCE: Healthcare Global NORWICH, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Feb 21, 2012) - In April 2011 researchers from IBM and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) announced that they had stumbled on "a nanomedicine breakthrough." They discovered a new type of polymer which was able to detect and destroy bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics and infectious diseases such as MRSA. It is now hoped the discovery will have the potential to revolutionise treatments for MRSA and other superbugs which are becoming increasingly common in hospitals and healthcare environments across the world. If commercially manufactured, these biodegradable nanostructures could be injected directly into the body or applied topically to the skin, treating skin infections through consumer products like deodorant, soap and hand sanitizer, as well as being used to help heal wounds, tuberculosis and lung infections. To get a more up-to-date picture of how the discovery and development of this innovative new technique is progressing, Healthcare Global caught up with Dr James Hedrick, an IBM research scientist, in its March issue. To read this article in full, visit http://www.healthcareglobal.com or read the February issue Healthcare Global digital magazine. About Healthcare Global Healthcare Global is a pioneering digital media site for Healthcare … Continue reading →