Tag: genomics
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Genome Institute Grant Funds 23andMe Database Upgrades
29 July 2014. National Human Genome Research Institute, part of National Institutes of Health, is funding enhancements to the research database capabilities of personal genetics company 23andMe in Mountain View, California. The two-year, $1.37 million project aims to help the company better mine its genetic and survey data collections for research connecting genomic variations to…
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Cancer Screening Blood Test Proposed, New Company Formed
28 July 2014. A team from University of Bradford in the U.K. developed a simple blood test, which in early tests suggests it could screen patients for common types of cancer. The researchers led by medical sciences professor Diana Anderson published their findings last Friday in FASEB Journal, published by Federation of American Societies for…
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Company, Institute Studying Youth Lung Cancer Genomes
23 July 2014. Foundation Medicine, a company providing genome-based personalized cancer diagnostics, and Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute are studying the genomes of younger lung cancer patients to uncover differences in their cancer and identify therapies for this population. Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed. Some 224,000 people in the U.S. are expected…
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Orphan Status Assigned to Kidney Disorder RNA Therapy
21 July 2014. Regulus Therapeutics Inc. in San Diego says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration designated its RNA therapy for Alport syndrome, a rare genetic kidney disease, an orphan drug. The therapy, code-named RG-012, shows promise in preclinical studies, including with lab mice. Alport syndrome affects about 1 in 50,000 newborns, a condition that…
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U.S. Energy, Ag Depts Fund Genomic Research for Biofuels
18 July 2014. The U.S. energy and agriculture departments are funding 10 new studies that aim to improve plant feedstocks for biofuels and other bio-based products. Department of Energy (DoE) is contributing $10.6 million in 2014, while Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adding $2 million. The studies run for 3 years. The joint DoE/USDA Plant…
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Arcadia Awarded U.S. Patent for Longer Shelf-Life Tomato
17 July 2014. Arcadia Biosciences, an agricultural biotechnology company in Davis, California received a patent for its engineered tomato that ripens slower after harvesting. Patent number 8,772,606, “Non-transgenic tomato varieties having increased shelf life post-harvest,” was awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on 8 July to two inventors and assigned to Arcadia Biosciences.…
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Food Safety Test Systems Company Raises $60 Million in IPO
17 July 2014. Roka Bioscience Inc., a developer of molecular-level food safety tests in Warren, New Jersey, issued 5 million shares in its initial public offering (IPO) yesterday. The company priced the shares at $12.00, raising $60 million. Roka Bioscience will trade on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol ROKA. The company develops tests for…
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Geisinger, Indivumed Partner on Personalized Cancer Therapy
15 July 2014. Geisinger Health System that serves central and eastern Pennsylvania is partnering with Indivumed GmbH, a biotech company and biobank in Hamburg, Germany to provide individualized cancer diagnostics for Geisinger clients. Financial details of the deal first announced in May 2013, but formalized this week, were not disclosed. Indivumed maintains a biorepository of…
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NIH Funds $24 Million for Genetic Links to Alzheimer’s
8 July 2014. National Institutes of Health is awarding $24 million to eight academic medical centers for research on genomic factors behind people developing or avoiding Alzheimer’s disease. Recipients of the four-year grants are Boston University, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Columbia University in New York, University of Miami, University of Pennsylvania, University of…
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Spin-Off Licenses Genomic Technology from Wash. University
30 June 2014. PierianDx, a new company formed by medical faculty and practitioners at Washington University in St. Louis, licensed genomic technology from the university to commercialize diagnostic tools for personalized medicine. Financial details of the licensing deal were not disclosed. The start-up company plans to offer the technology in a system developed internally by…