Molecular Diagnostics

Image: The Oragene saliva kits for collecting reliable samples with an all-in-one system for the collection, stabilization and transportation of DNA from saliva (Photo courtesy of DNAGenotek).

Another Key Gene Discovered for Alzheimer’s Disease

The consensus among scientists has been that the Apolipoprotein E (ApoE4) gene is the main marker of Alzheimer's disease and many other dementias, but a new study has added another key player into the mix. More...
05 Oct 2017

Image: Immunohistochemistry of estrogen-receptor-positive (ER (+)) breast cancer (Photo courtesy of Biocare Medical).

Genetic Test Discovered for Predicting Cancer Recurrence

Treatment failure, due to drug resistance, still remains a major obstacle for more effective anti-cancer therapy and personalized medicine. In estrogen-receptor-positive (ER (+)) breast cancer, approximately 40% to 50% of patients eventually develop tamoxifen-resistance. More...
04 Oct 2017

New Markers Revealed for Severe Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic condition that affects an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide. In MS, the sheath covering nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord becomes damaged, slowing or blocking electrical signals from the brain reaching the eyes, muscles, and other parts of the body. More...
03 Oct 2017

Image: The Implen Nanophotometer all-in-one spectrometer (Photo courtesy of Implen).

Rapid Alternative to Standard Safety Tests Introduced

Lentiviruses are a type of retrovirus commonly used by scientists to introduce new genes into therapeutic chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells), which are introduced back into patients to fight cancer. More...
03 Oct 2017

$Image: A ribbon model of an X-ray diffraction based 3D structure of FANCM- FAAP24 complex, as shown in ID# 4BXO of the Protein Database (PDB) (Photo courtesy of Coulthard R et al, 2013, PDB).$

Discovered Inherited Syndrome Predisposes Body to Cancer

The syndrome was found and characterized by studying patients with biallelic mutations (mutations in both inherited gene copies) in the FANCM gene. These mutations predisposed the body to development of tumors and to hypersensitivity to and rejection of chemotherapy treatments. Contrary to what has been thought, the study suggests that mutations in the FANCM gene does not cause Fanconi anemia, a rare disease that affects ~ 1 of every 100,000 children. More...
02 Oct 2017

Gene Variants Predict Child Neuroblastoma Risk

Potential biomarkers predicting a child's risk for developing neuroblastoma are linked to common variants in the MMP20 (matrix metalloproteinase-20) gene on chromosome 11q. More...
02 Oct 2017

$Image: Immunohistochemistry for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) in peritoneal mesothelioma shows separation of the 5\' (green) and 3\' (red) probe signals in each of the three cases with diffuse strong ALK expression (Photo courtesy of the JAMA Network).$