Tag: genomics
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Genetic Tech Company to Acquire Prenatal Test Developer
Illumina Inc., a developer of genetic diagnostics systems in San Diego, will acquire Verinata Health Inc. in Redwood City, California, a provider of non-invasive prenatal tests for high-risk pregnancies. The deal will pay Verinata Health $350 million, with up to $100 million in additional milestone payments through 2015. Illumnia offers technology for research and diagnostics,…
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Synthetic Sugars Developer Lands $3.5M Venture Financing
Proterro Inc. in Ewing, New Jersey, a developer of synthetic sucrose for biofuels and chemicals, secured $3.5 million in new venture financing. The company also says the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a notice of allowance for the genetically engineered bacteria used in its production process. The company combines genetic engineering with chemical…
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DNA Repair Genes Identified as Blood Radiation Indicators
Medical and engineering researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in California and several universities identified eight genes that can provide a faster diagnosis of potential radiation exposure than current methods. The team led by Andrew Wyrobek of Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division published its findings in a recent issue of the journal PLOS One. The…
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Computer Model Shown to Predict Irregular Heartbeat
Medical researchers at University of Rochester in New York, with computer scientists at IBM, built a computer model of the heart wall that can predict the risk of irregular heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death in patients. The results of this collaboration, led by Rochester cardiovascular professor Coeli Lopes, appear in a recent issue of…
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DNA Sequencing Performed with Tiny Samples, No Library Prep
Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Babraham Institute, both in the U.K., developed a technique for sequencing DNA molecules requiring a tiny fraction of material and without the laborious library preparation that had been needed before. The work of the team led by Harold Swerdlow (pictured left), Sanger Institute research and development director,…
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Amgen Purchases Diagnostics Developer deCODE Genetics
Amgen, a biotechnology company in Thousand Oaks, California, acquired deCODE Genetics, a developer of genetic disease risk assessment tests in Reykjavik, Iceland in an all-cash transaction valued at $415 million. Amgen says the transaction does not require regulatory approval and is expected to close before the end of 2012. deCODE Genetics offers genetic scans for…
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Genomics Biotech Raises $40 Million in Venture Funds
Moderna Therapeutics, a biotechnology start-up in Cambridge, Massachusetts developing therapies harnessing messenger RNA, secured some $40 million in venture funding. The financing for this round was led by Flagship Ventures that incubated Moderna Therapeutics, and includes other unamed private investors. The two-year-old company, founded and based on research by scientists at Harvard University and MIT,…
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Genetics Company Lands NIH Allergies, Asthma Research Grant
The genetic testing company 23andMe in Mountain View, California received funding from National Institutes of Health for research into the genetics of allergies and asthma. The company also received two other NIH grants, to assess accuracy of new sequencing technologies in clinical applications and develop better genetic research tools based on information in the 23andMe…
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Supreme Court to Take Gene Patents Case
The New York Times reports today the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case about the ability of inventors to patent human genes. The case involves patent claims by Myriad Genetics, a developer of molecular diagnostics in Salt Lake City, that is being challenged by a group of physicians, scientists, and professional organizations. The suit…
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Process Created for Stem Cells from Routine Blood Samples
Medical researchers at University of Cambridge in the U.K. developed a process to extract induced pluripotent stem cells from a routine blood sample. The team led by Cambridge’s Amer Rana published its findings yesterday online in the journal Stem Cells: Translational Medicine. Induced pluripotent stem cells are adult cells genetically reprogrammed to resemble embryonic stem…