Tag: genomics
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Leukemia Genetic Signature, Drug Candidates Identified
Researchers at University of Rochester in New York identified a set of genes behind the early growth of leukemia stem cells, and used those cells to highlight potential existing drugs with the chemistry to target those cells. The team led by senior investigator and Rochester medical school professor Craig Jordan — with colleagues from Weill…
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Microbe Genetically Engineered to Produce Biofuel
A research team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineered the genes of a soil bacterium so the organism can produce isobutanol, a “drop-in” biofuel. The team led by biologist Anthony Sinskey, including chemists and engineers from MIT, published its findings online in the journal Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (paid subscription required). Sinskey and colleagues investigated…
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Foundation Medicine, Clovis Oncology Partner on Diagnostics
Genomic diagnostics provider Foundation Medicine in Cambridge, Massachusetts and biotechnology company Clovis Oncology in Boulder, Colorado, will collaborate on diagnostics to identify cancer patients most likely to respond to rucaparib, a drug candidate in development by Clovis Oncology. Rucaparib is a small-molecule drug developed to treat tumors with defective BRCA gene function in breast and…
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Technology Created to Remove Toxins from Edible Crop Plants
Researchers in Denmark, Spain, and Germany developed a method for keeping natural plant toxins out of edible parts of food and animal feed crops. The team led by University of Copenhagen plant biologist Barbara Ann Halkier reports its findings in this week’s issue of the journal Nature (paid subscription required). Halkier and colleagues studied glucosinolates,…
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Biopharm Gains SBIR Grant for Cystic Fibrosis Treatment
OrPro Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in San Diego, received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from National Institutes of Health, to advance development of its lead product, ORP-100, for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The company did not disclose the amount of the award from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of…
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Bayer CropScience, Australian Agencies Partner on Wheat R&D
Bayer CropScience in Monheim, Germany, is collaborating with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO, Australia’s science agency) and the Australian Grains Research and Development Corporation to develop new wheat varieties that produce higher yields. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. CSIRO has already designed a new higher-yielding wheat strain using genetic…
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Techniques Developed for Deeper Single-Cell Gene Sequencing
Researchers in Sweden and the U.S. have devised a process for in-depth genomic sequencing of single cells, which can lead to a better understanding of malignant tumors. The team from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, the University of California in San Diego, and Illumina Inc. in Hayward, California published…
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Grant to Fund New Drought-Resistant Biofuel Grasses
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis has received a $12.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a more drought-resistant type of grass that can be processed into biofuels. The five-year award will be shared by collaborators at Carnegie Institution for Science, University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, University of…
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Agilent, University, Agencies to Partner on Pathogen Genomes
Agilent Technologies Inc. in Santa Clara, California is collaborating with University of California in Davis, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on collecting a database of 100,000 foodborne pathogen genomes. The 100K Genome Project aims to sequence the genetic code of some 100,000 foodborne pathogens over five years, and make…
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Strategy Proposed for Overcoming Resistance to Cancer Drug
Researchers in the U.K., with colleagues from the U.S. and Sweden, have recommended a way to overcome the resistance of cancer cells to the drug crizotinib, which recently showed positive results in its first trial in children with cancer. The findings are published online this week in the journal Cancer Cell (paid subscription required). Louis…