CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Foundation Medicine, Inc., a molecular information company that brings comprehensive cancer gene analysis to routine clinical care, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute today announced the Nature Medicine publication of results from their collaborative next-generation sequencing (NGS) study to assay cancer-relevant genes in 24 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 40 colorectal cancer (CRC) cases. In this study, 59% of the samples were found to have genomic alterations directly associated with a clinically-available targeted therapeutic or a relevant clinical trial of a targeted therapy. Two novel gene fusions, KIF5B-RET in NSCLC and C2orf44-ALK in CRC, were discovered among the potentially druggable alterations identified in the study. Both of these findings may expand therapeutic options for a subset of cancer patients. This publication demonstrates that using targeted NGS to profile patient tumors for molecular alterations associated with therapeutic responses may have an important clinical impact in cancer treatment. “In this collaboration, we detected clinically-relevant genomic alterations in more than half of the samples profiled, and, because Foundation Medicine’s NGS assay detects all classes of alterations with clinical-grade sensitivity, this research was able to identify both expected as well as completely novel alterations,” said Maureen Cronin, Ph.D., senior vice president, research … Continue reading →

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pathway Genomics, a genetic testing laboratory specializing in genetic testing for nutrition and exercise response, inherited disease, prescription drug response and health condition risks, has received membership in the American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA). As the nation’s leading industry group to advocate lab interests with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Congress, ACLA was created in 1971 and is committed to promoting public awareness about the value of laboratory services in preventing illness, diagnosing disease, and monitoring medical treatment. “ACLA is proud to welcome Pathway Genomics as its newest member,” said Alan Mertz, president of ACLA. “Pathway Genomics is another example of our nation’s laboratories that are at the forefront of genetic testing and personalized medicine.” In addition to Pathway’s ACLA membership, the San Diego-based company was recently accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), and the recipient of a Certificate of Accreditation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988. “ACLA is an essential organization within the laboratory community,” said Jim Plante, Pathway’s founder and CEO. “The approval of our membership is representative of the importance of genetic … Continue reading →

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An 11-year-old yellow Labrador suffering from severe arthritis underwent stem cell therapy on Valentine’s Day. It’s the first time a dog has received in-clinic adult stem cell therapy in Kansas City. According to Stanley Veterinary Clinic where Jake the dog is being treated, adult animal stem cell technology uses the body`s own regenerative healing power to help cure dogs, cats and horses suffering from arthritis, hip dysplasia and tendon, ligament and cartilage injuries and other ailments. Fat tissue is removed from the animal, the stem cells are separated from the fat and activated, and then injected into the affected areas. Within two months of the procedure, Jake should be moving well, with little or no pain. Severe arthritis affects up to 40 percent of the 164 million dogs and cats in the United States. As for Jake, FOX 4’s Kim Byrnes will have an update on his condition tonight on FOX 4 News at 5 and 6. Originally posted here: Dog Receives First-Ever Stem Cell Therapy in Kansas City … Continue reading →

February 14, 2012, 3:17 PM EST By Ryan Flinn (Adds comment from researcher in 13th paragraph.) Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Stem cells grown from patients’ own cardiac tissue can heal damage once thought to be permanent after a heart attack, according to a study that suggests the experimental approach may one day help stave off heart failure. In a trial of 25 heart-attack patients, 17 who got the stem cell treatment showed a 50 percent reduction in cardiac scar tissue compared with no improvement for the eight who received standard care. The results, from the first of three sets of clinical trials generally needed for regulatory approval, were published today in the medical journal Lancet. “The findings in this paper are encouraging,” Deepak Srivastava, director of the San Francisco-based Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, said in an interview. “There’s a dire need for new therapies for people with heart failure, it’s still the No. 1 cause of death in men and women.” The study, by researchers from Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, tested the approach in patients who recently suffered a heart attack, with the goal that repairing the damage might help stave … Continue reading →

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire -02/14/12)- 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 identified its initial Top 10 drug rescue candidates and plans to launch two formal drug rescue programs by the end of next quarter. VistaGen's goal for each of its stem cell technology-based drug rescue programs is to generate and license a new, safer variant of a once-promising large market drug candidate previously discontinued by a pharmaceutical company no earlier than late-preclinical development. "We are now at an advanced stage in our business model," said Shawn Singh, VistaGen's Chief Executive Officer. "After more than a decade of focused investment in pluripotent stem cell research and development, we are now at the threshold where game-changing science becomes therapeutically relevant to patients and commercially relevant to our shareholders. We have positioned our company and our stem cell technology platform to pursue multiple large market opportunities. We plan to launch two drug rescue programs by the end of the next quarter." Over the past year, VistaGen, working with its network of strategic partners, identified over 525 once-promising new drug candidates that meet the Company's … Continue reading →

A promising stem cell therapy approach could soon provide a way to regenerate heart muscle damaged by heart attacks. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and The Johns Hopkins University harvested stem cells from the hearts of 17 heart attack patients and after prepping the cells, infused them back into the patients' hearts. Their study is published in the current issue of The Lancet. The patients received the stem cell infusions about three months after their heart attacks. Researchers found that six months after treatment, patients had significantly less scarring of the heart muscle and also showed a considerable increase the amount of healthy heart muscle, compared to eight post-heart attack patients studied who did not receive the stem cell infusions. One year after, scar size was reduced by about 50 percent. "The damaged tissue of the heart was replaced by what looks like healthy myocardium," said Dr. Peter Johnston, a study co-author and an assistant professor of medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "It's functioning better than the damaged myocardium in the control subjects, and there's evidence it's starting to contract and generate electrical signals the way healthy heart tissue does." While this research is an early … Continue reading →