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HIV :: Virco introduces an improved rapid methodology to establish new hiv-1 resistance profiles

Responding to the need to make timely evaluations and decisions when treating treatment experienced HIV patients, Virco (http://www.vircolab.com), a leader in drug resistance testing recently introduced an improved virco(R)TYPE HIV-1 test that rapidly determines the complex phenotypic resistance profiles for darunavir, tipranavir and other antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. Utilizing clinical trial data that was used to support the approval of darunavir and tipranavir, virco(R)TYPE HIV-1 reports now include Clinical Cut-Offs (CCOs) for these recently introduced agents(1). Virco(R)TYPE HIV-1 analyzes patient HIV-1 resistant genotypes using Virco’s large database to quickly and accurately predict phenotypic resistance. This timely determination of phenotypic resistance assists physicians in choosing a drug treatment plan that has the least amount of drug resistance.

Cancer :: Berkeley cancer genome center to study tumor genomics

The newly established Berkeley Cancer Genome Center, led by members of the Life Sciences Division in the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is one of seven Cancer Genome Characterization Centers to receive awards from the National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute. Earlier today the two institutes, both part of the National Institutes of Health, announced a three-year, $35 million project which will seek to identify important genetic changes involved in lung, brain, and ovarian cancers through genome analysis.

Health :: MassTag PCR – new tool helps identify mysterious viruses – respiratory infection

A fast, sensitive and inexpensive diagnostic tool called MassTag PCR has been developed that can identify the specific pathogen that causes a particular case of respiratory infection, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The research team ? headed by scientists in the Jerome L. and Dawn Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and their colleagues at the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health ? used MassTag PCR to identify previously undiagnosed pathogens that caused influenza-like illnesses in New York State during the winter of 2004.

Gene :: Fruit Fly Study Identifies Gene Mutation That Regulates Sensitivity to Alcohol

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have discovered a gene mutation in fruit flies that alters sensitivity to alcohol. The findings, reported in the October 6 issue of the journal Cell, may have implications for human studies seeking to understand innate differences in people?s tolerance for alcohol. The research was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Muscular Dystrophy :: Drug Trichostatin A (TSA) Can Counteract Muscular Dystrophy

Scientists at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and other institutions have demonstrated for the first time that a single drug can rebuild damaged muscle in two strains of mice that develop diseases comparable to two human forms of muscular dystrophy. This advance, which is reported online in Nature Medicine, is the latest from a research collaboration that began several years ago by the teams of Vittorio Sartorelli, M.D., at NIAMS and Pier Lorenzo Puri, M.D., Ph.D., now at Dulbecco Telethon Institute (DTI) in Rome, Italy and The Burnham Institute in La Jolla, Calif.

Cancer :: Agencourt genomic services is key collaborator in new study on breast and colon cancer genes

Agencourt Bioscience Corporation, a Beckman Coulter company, has announced that its Genomic Services were integral in a breakthrough Johns Hopkins study on the genetic code for breast and colon cancers. A recent and widely publicized report on that study, published this month in Science Express, was co-authored by James Hartigan, an Agencourt project manager. The research identifies close to 200 mutated genes, now linked to these cancers, most of which were not previously recognized as associated with tumor initiation, growth, spread or control. The study provides an understanding into disease processes and is expected to drive cancer research for years to come.

Malaria :: John mcneil named scientific director of path malaria vaccine initiative

The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative today announced the appointment of John G. McNeil, MD, MPH, as scientific director, effective immediately. Dr. McNeil will have principal responsibility for directing MVI’s early-stage vaccine development efforts and for shaping and managing MVI’s overall candidate vaccine portfolio.

Breast Cancer :: Risk of anemia reduced by exercise in breast cancer patients

Women undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer benefit from moderate intensity, regular aerobic activity, according to a new study. Published in the November 15, 2006 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study found that exercise improved the oxygen capacity of patients and maintained levels of red blood cells during radiation treatment. In contrast, women who did not exercise experienced significant declines in their oxygen capacity. This is the first study to investigate the effect of exercise during treatment.

Rheumatoid Arthritis :: Cancer drug Gleevec may be remedy for rheumatoid arthritis

The potent cancer drug Gleevec, used to combat leukemia and some gastrointestinal cancers, may be useful in treating rheumatoid arthritis, according to a team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Their findings will be published in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Autism :: Older Fathers More Likely to Have Autistic Children

The risk of developing autism is significantly higher among children born to men who are 40 and older than it is among children with fathers under 30, researchers report. The reason appears to be genetic, researchers suggest.