Opening a new chapter in the use of genomic science to fight cancer, the Food & Drug Administration on Friday approved olaparib, a medication for advanced ovarian cancer associated with a defective BRCA gene. The new drug, to be marketed under the commercial name Lynparza, was found in a preliminary clinical trial to shrink or eliminate ovarian tumors in women whose cancers bore a specific genetic fingerprint and who had undergone at least three prior lines of chemotherapy. Based on Lynparza's "existing objective response rate and duration of response data," the drug safety agency granted the medication's maker, Astra-Zeneca, an "accelerated" approval. Roughly a third of women with the genetic mutation targeted by Lynparza saw partial shrinkage or complete disappearance of their ovarian tumors over an average of eight months. At the same time, the FDA granted marketing approval for a "companion diagnostic" that will help identify women whose advanced ovarian cancer is likely to respond to the drug. That test, BRACAnalysis CDx, is made by Myriad Genetics Inc. To be a candidate for Lynparza, a patient must take the test and show positive for a specific mutation of the BRCA gene, which confers a high risk of both breast … Continue reading →

FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The intestinal bacteria that cause inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, may be inherited, researchers report. The findings, published recently in the journal Genome Medicine, could help in efforts to prevent the disease and treat the 1.6 million Americans with Crohn's or colitis, the study authors added. "The intestinal bacteria, or 'gut microbiome,' you develop at a very young age can have a big impact on your health for the rest of your life," lead author Dan Knights, an assistant professor in the department of computer science and engineering and the Biotechnology Institute at the University of Minnesota, said in a journal news release. "We have found groups of genes that may play a role in shaping the development of imbalanced gut microbes," he explained. The study of 474 adults with inflammatory bowel disease who live in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands found a link between the participants' DNA and their gut bacteria DNA. The Crohn's and colitis patients also had less variety of gut bacteria and more opportunistic bacteria than the general population. The findings are an important step in creating new drugs for the treatment … Continue reading →

This gene accounts for the size of the human brain and potentially our superior cognitive abilities Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) and Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (IMCB) have identified a genetic pathway that accounts for the extraordinary size of the human brain. The team led by Dr Bruno Reversade from A*STAR in Singapore, together with collaborators from Harvard Medical School, have identified a gene, KATNB1, as an essential component in a genetic pathway responsible for central nervous system development in humans and other animals. By sequencing the genome of individuals of normal height but with a very small head size, the international team revealed that these individuals had mutations in the KATNB1 gene, indicating that this gene is important for proper human brain development. Microcephaly (literally meaning "small head" in Latin) is a condition often associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Measured at birth by calculating the baby's head circumference, a diagnosis of microcephaly is given if it is smaller than average. Microcephaly may stem from a variety of conditions that cause abnormal growth of the brain during gestation or degenerative processes after birth, all resulting in a small head circumference. In general, individuals with microcephaly have … Continue reading →

This treatment will only be allowed under carefully defined conditions, however, so that the outcomes can be carefully monitored to see if the treatment works and doesnt have any unexpected side-effects. Stem cells can act as a repair system for the body. Limbal stem cells are located in the eye at the border between the cornea the clear front part of the eye - and the sclera the white of the eye. Physical or chemical burns can cause loss of these stem cells, resulting in limbal stem cell deficiency, LSCD, a condition that is estimated to affect about 3.3 out of 100,000 people in the European Union and around 650 people in Britain. Symptoms include pain, sensitivity to light, inflammation, excessive blood vessel growth, clouding of the cornea, and eventually blindness. In LSCD the limbal stem cells become so diminished that they eyes can no longer make new cells to repair damage. The new treatment takes a small sample of the patients healthy cornea, removes the stem cells and grows them until there are sufficient numbers to put back into the eye. The cells themselves then repair the damage. Moorfields Eye Hospital in London has successfully treated around 20 people … Continue reading →

Stem cell treatment florida round 2 By: nicolecrook27 … Continue reading →