Tag: genomics
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Coffee Genome Sequenced, Caffeine Enzymes Analyzed
5 September 2014. An international team of researchers sequenced the genome of a major type of coffee that revealed the evolutionary pathway of this popular drink, and more details about caffeine, a main attraction of coffee. The team was led by Institute of Research for Development and National Sequencing Center, both in France, and University…
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Trial Crowdsources Lung Cancer Biomarker Screening
22 August 2014. A clinical trial at University of Colorado Cancer Center in Aurora is recruiting participants through an online campaign to find people with lung cancer that meet a specific genetic profile who would most likely respond to the drug being tested. The study is led by Ross Camidge, director of the center’s thoracic…
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Trial Testing Genetic Profiles for Personal Cancer Therapy
15 August 2014. MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and Foundation Medicine in Cambridge, Massachusetts are testing the benefit of genetic profiles of tumors in determining personalized therapies for patients with metastatic cancer. The researchers conducting the trial also believe genetic profiling can better match cancer patients to studies of new treatments, and lead to…
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System Tests Quality of Engineered Stem Cells, Tissue
14 August 2014. Biomedical engineers and systems biologists developed an online system that tests the fidelity of engineered cells and tissue to the real-life properties of the cells they aim to emulate. The system, known as CellNet, is the creation of researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston University, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired…
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Genetically Engineered Medflies Found to Control Wild Types
13 August 2014. Researchers at the biotechnology company Oxitec Ltd. in Oxford and University of East Anglia in Norwich, both in the U.K., created a modified form of the Mediterranean fruit fly that tests show can reduce the population of this pest responsible for extensive crop damage in many parts of the world. Results of…
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23andMe, Pfizer Partner on Bowel Disease Genetics
12 August 2014. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer and personal genetics company 23andMe in Mountain View, California are researching genetic factors associated with inflammatory bowel disease, for which Pfizer is testing several treatments. Financial aspects of the collaboration were not disclosed. Inflammatory bowel disease is the name given to disorders of the digestive tract, such as…
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Licensing Deal Combines Genomics, Placenta Stem Cells
11 August 2014. A new licensing agreement will make available research by Celgene Cellular Therapeutics on stem cells from the placenta to Human Longevity Inc., a company specializing in genomics for age-related disorders. Financial aspects of the agreement were not disclosed, but as part of the deal, Celgene is expected to make an equity investment…
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Efficient Sequencing Method Devised to ID Cells, Biomarkers
6 August 2014. Researchers at University of California in San Francisco and Fluidigm Corp. in South San Francisco developed a more efficient process for analyzing genetic material, still revealing cell types and biomarkers that previously required more in-depth analysis. The team led by Arnold Kriegstein, director of UCSF’s regeneration medicine and stem cell center, and…
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Immunotherapy Start-Up Adds $134M in Venture Funding
5 August 2014. Juno Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in Seattle developing cancer treatments that harness the human immune system, secured $134 million in its second round of venture financing. The company, a spin-off enterprise from research labs in Seattle and New York, says the new round was provided by 10 public mutual funds and health…
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Roche Acquiring RNA Medications Biotech Company
5 August 2014. The pharmaceutical company Roche is acquiring Santaris Pharma, a biotechnology company developing therapies targeting ribonucleic acid or RNA that performs vital genetic functions. Roche is expected to pay as much as $450 million for Santaris, based in Hørsholm, Denmark. Santaris designs therapies focusing on RNA, a fundamental molecular building block in the…