Tag: genomics
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Trial Shows Engineered T-Cells Act on Multiple Myeloma
21 July 2015. An early-stage clinical trial shows immune system cells from patients with the blood-related cancer multiple myeloma — modified to attack a protein suspected of helping the cancer grow — generated a positive clinical response in most of the participants. The team from University of Pennsylvania cancer center, University of Maryland medical school,…
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Genetic Engineered Variety Controls Destructive Moth
16 July 2015. A genetically engineered diamondback moth that prevents females of the species from maturing is found in greenhouse tests to quickly control populations of this destructive pest. Results of the tests, led by biotechnology company Oxitec Ltd., appear today in the journal BMC Biology. The diamondback moth — Plutella xylostella — is a…
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FDA Clears Biotech Cancer Therapies for Early Trials
13 July 2015. Biotechnology company Blueprint Medicines says U.S. Food and Drug Administration accepted new drug applications on its two lead products, clearing the way for trials with humans. The Cambridge, Massachusetts enterprise is developing cancer therapies, with its lead products targeting liver and gastrointestinal tumors. Blueprint develops cancer therapies that limit the actions of…
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Antibodies Isolated for Chikungunya Virus
9 July 2015. Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville isolated 13 antibodies from a person infected with the chikungunya virus shown to possibly prevent and treat infections in lab mice. The team led by James Crowe, director of Vanderbilt’s Vaccine Center, published its findings yesterday in the journal Cell Host & Microbe. Chikungunya is a disease…
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Arcadia Bio, Partners to Produce Stress-Tolerant Soybeans
7 July 2015. Arcadia Biosciences, an agricultural biotechnology company, will develop a new variety of soybeans engineered for greater tolerance of environmental stresses, with partners in Brazil and Argentina, two major soybean growers. Financial details of the collaboration between the Davis, California company and Bioceres S.A. in Rosario, Argentina, and Tropical Melhoramento e Genética Ltda,…
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Compression Software for Genomic Analysis Being Designed
6 July 2015. Engineers at University of Illinois in Urbana and Stanford University in California are tackling the problem of massive data files generated by genomic analyses, an emerging issue as precision medicine harnessing genomics takes hold. A team led by engineering faculty Olgica Milenkovic at Illinois and Tsachy Weissman at Stanford is funded by…
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Engineered Mosquitoes Sharply Reduce Dengue Carriers
2 July 2015. A variety of mosquito, engineered to produce offspring that die before maturity, was found to reduce the dengue mosquito population in a city in Brazil by 95 percent, well below the level needed to spread the disease. The team from the biotechnology company Oxitec Ltd. in Abingdon, U.K., with academic and business…
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Patient Registry Started for Rare Genetic Disorder
29 June 2015. A registry of families with individuals having Sjögren-Larsson syndrome aims to systematically collect data about families’ experiences with the disease and provide a source of participants for clinical trials of therapies. The registry is being formed by the National Organization for Rare Disorders and Sjögren-Larsson Syndrome Network Community. Sjögren-Larsson Syndrome, or SLS,…
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Point-of-Care Ebola Test Found Accurate in Field Test
26 June 2015. A commercial point-of-care test detecting Ebola virus in the blood of a patient was shown in a field test in Sierra Leone to be as accurate as tests sent to remote labs for analysis. Results of the study led by Nira Pollock of Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital were published…
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Broad, Google Partner on Genomic Analysis Platform
24 June 2015. The Broad Institute, a molecular medicine research organization affiliated with Harvard University and MIT, and Google Genomics are collaborating to offer a readily-available cloud-based analysis platform for genomic data. Financial aspects of the agreement between Broad Institute — officially Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard — and Google…