Richard Morimoto, 2nd International Conference Genetics of Aging and Longevity
Richard Morimoto (Northwestern Center for Genetic Medicine, USA) "The stress of misfolded proteins in biology, aging and disease".From: #1060; #1086; #1085; #1076; #1059; #1052; #1040;Views:4 0ratingsTime:37:27More inScience Technology
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Richard Morimoto, 2nd International Conference «Genetics of Aging and Longevity» - Video
Update on Down Syndrome Research: A Collaboration Between DSRTF and NDSS
In celebration of October 2012 as Down Syndrome Awareness Month, the National Down Syndrome Society and the Down Syndrome Research and Treatment Foundation collaborated with Dr. Roger Reeves to update the Down syndrome community on the status of Down syndrome cognition research. Dr. Roger Reeves is Professor in the Department of Physiology and a Core Faculty Member of the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is noted for his contributions to the study of genes using animal models to understand to identify genetic modifiers that contribute to more or less severe presentation of Down syndrome. Slides from the presentation are available at http://www.ndss.orgFrom:NDSSorgViews:286 0ratingsTime:58:16More inNonprofits Activism
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Update on Down Syndrome Research: A Collaboration Between DSRTF and NDSS - Video
Submitted by The Life Sciences Report as part of our contributors program .
This interview was conducted by The Life Sciences Report (10/11/12)
The myth of technology, whether for smartphones or cancer treatments, is that the next big thing appears suddenly and magically. Casey Research Analyst Alex Daley sets the record straight in this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report . While the science of genetic medicine has accelerated the process of turning magical thinking into practical medicine, Daley cautions investors in biotech and medical device companies to be patient, and names companies with innovative technologies poised for explosive growth.
The Life Sciences Report: At Casey Research's "Navigating the Politicized Economy" summit, you talked about the difference between the speed of science and the speed of technology, and how quickly the time to market and cost of products in the life sciences space is decreasing. Can you provide some examples?
Alex Daley: Many technologies, like the touch-screen tablets and smartphones that now dominate the market, seem to come out of nowhere, perpetuating the myth of technology as almost magical. But you only have to look as far as the as-yet-unfulfilled promises of recent years to see the slow development curve that leads to explosive growth. This has been most noticeable in the advent of genetic medicine.
We all remember the sequencing of the human genome as a scientific milestone. Announced in 2000, just at the turn of the millennium, it was followed by much media fanfare about the dawn of genetic medicine. Every untreatable disease was going to be cured. Every person was going to receive medicine tailored to his or her unique makeup.
Yet, more than a decade later, that promise remains almost entirely unfulfilled. It's not that the science has stood still. Quite the opposite: It has been moving forward at blazing speed. The original human genome project, which sequenced a single person's genome to 92%?including everything but some particularly difficult areas?took 13 years and cost more than $3 billion ($3B). It was a monumental advancement, but not practical for everyday use.
Over the last decade the cost of genome sequencing has fallen far faster than many predicted. We've gone from taking 13 years to taking just about one day to sequence a whole genome. And the cost has fallen from billions to thousands of dollars. We've now sequenced tens of thousands of genomes for scientific research, and with the falling price that number is skyrocketing. We have built an amazing scientific base for study, and driven down costs to make it viable for mainstream use. All of that had to happen before genetic medicine could even begin to crawl forward?precisely what is happening now, with the advent of the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antisense drug and other genetic milestones just being reached.
Just as the plasma TV (invented in the 1930s), the LED light (1960s), the industrial robot (also a child of the '60s), the touch-screen interface for computers (early 1980s) and other inventions we think of as thoroughly modern took decades to go from the lab into our everyday lives, it will take considerable time for genetic medicine to fully develop. But the pace is ever-increasing and advances happen at an astounding rate. The decrease in time needed for gene-sequencing, for instance, far outpaced the development of computer chips in terms of cost/speed, as in the famous Moore's law (predicting a doubling of circuit capacity every two years).
TLSR: What is the role of FDA in that race to market? Is it a speed bump, a safety crew or something else?
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David Heckerman from Microsoft Research presents a summary of his work in the session Discovering Genetic Associations on Large Data. This was part of the Strata Rx Online Conference: Personalized Medicine, a preview of OReillys conference Strata Rx, highlighting the use of data in medical research and delivery.
Heckermans research attempts to answer essential questions such as What is your propensity for getting a particular disease? and How are you likely to react to a particular drug?
Key points from Heckermans presentation include:
The full presentation follows:
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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --In a new theoretical study, 23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, developed a mathematical model which shows that family history and genetic tests offer different strengths. The study results suggest that both family history and genetics are best used in combination to improve disease risk prediction. The full results of the study have now been published online in the journal PLOS Genetics.
Family history is most useful in assessing risks for highly common, heritable conditions such as coronary artery disease. However, for diseases with moderate or low frequency, such as Crohn's disease, family history accounts for less than four percent of disease heritability and is substantially less predictive than genetic factors in the overall population. The study results indicate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based genetic tests can reveal extreme likelihood ratios for a relatively large percentage of individuals, thus providing potentially valuable evidence in differential diagnoses.
"Both family history and genetics are important tools for assessing an individual's risk for disease," 23andMe CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki said. "We believe it will become increasingly important for individuals and physicians to know both family history and genetic profile to provide optimal healthcare."
Lead author and 23andMe scientist Chuong Do, Ph.D, worked with 23andMe senior medical director Uta Francke, M.D., and principal scientists David Hinds, Ph.D., and Nicholas Eriksson Ph.D. to make a comprehensive comparison of family health histories and genetic testing to assess risk for 23 different conditions. These conditions included coronary artery and heart diseases, type 1 and 2 diabetes, prostate cancer, Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, lung cancer, Crohn's and celiac disease, ovarian cancer, melanoma, bipolar disease and schizophrenia among others.
The analysis confirms that family history is most useful for highly common, heritable conditions and for single-gene (Mendelian) disorders with high penetrance, where the specific genetic cause is not yet known. For relatively common diseases that may have many contributing genetic and environmental factors, such as coronary artery disease, knowing that your father had the disease is helpful at predicting whether or not you might be at risk for the same condition.
For less common diseases involving many weak genetic, such as Crohn's disease, knowing family history seldom helps in making a risk prediction, in part, because these diseases are uncommon enough that they would rarely show up in the immediate family health history. When family histories are uninformative, genetic testing may still reveal the genetic variants that would put an individual at a higher or lower risk for the condition. For example, Crohn's disease might not show up in a family history, but the risk prediction from a genetic test can be relatively more informative.
"These results indicate that for a broad range of diseases, already identified SNP associations may be better predictors of risk than their family history-based counterparts, despite the large fraction of missing heritability that remains to be explained," stated lead researcher Chuong Do, Ph.D. "They also suggest that in some cases, individuals may benefit from supplementing their family medical history with genetic data, in particular, as genetic tests are improving and more risk factors are discovered."
"This study addresses the false division between these two diagnostic tools, genetic testing versus family health histories, where the approaches have traditionally been portrayed as competing alternatives," explained Uta Francke, M.D., senior medical director. "Physicians rely on a variety of tools such as a stethoscope or a thermometer both are useful in their own way. Similarly, family health histories and genetics both offer different but equally valuable information to inform patient care."
"Using genetic testing or SNP-association based methods to estimate risk for some rare complex diseases is as good as family histories can be at estimating risk for common heritable conditions," Dr. Francke continued, "and for individuals who don't have access to their family health history, genetic testing can alert them to risks they wouldn't be aware of otherwise."
The authors use their theoretical model to demonstrate the limits of predictive testing while also outlining specific areas where genetic tests have the potential to be medically useful. These results, which provide a cautiously optimistic outlook on the future of genetic testing, contrast with the conclusions reached in an independent study published earlier this year in Science Translational Medicine.
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23andMe Compares Family History and Genetic Tests for Predicting Complex Disease Risk
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NextGxDx, a healthcare information technology company, today announced the release of its online genetic testing platform that curates information on the more than 10,000 genetic testing products currently offered by FDA and CLIA certified labs in the U.S. According to NextGxDx's research, the database is the most comprehensive catalog of all the genetic testing products available to U.S. healthcare providers. The company also found the number of available tests is tenfold greater than previously estimated by industry experts.
The company intends to help implement strategies that further clinical integration of genetic testing. The goal of the platform is to speed the process of diagnosing, and thus treating, patients with genetic diseases. The NextGxDx platform allows healthcare providers and hospitals to easily identify the appropriate genetic tests for their patients by searching the database by symptoms or browsing by clinical specialty. The platform also allows side-by-side comparison of tests, and the company's partnerships with laboratories across the country enable physicians to order tests directly from the NextGxDx website.
"Our research shows there are nearly ten times more genetic tests available today than commonly thought, and yet there has not been a centralized, well-curated, user-friendly platform to help healthcare providers find the right test for a patient. Our platform brings together all the disparate information about available genetic tests to help physicians find and order the best test the first time," said Mark Harris, Ph.D., founder and CEO of NextGxDx. "In addition to facilitating the diagnosis process, the technology we have developed will allow us to maintain the most accurate catalog of genetic testing products available."
NextGxDx explores the factors informing and shaping the industry in "The Genetic Testing Landscape: Finding the Needle in the Haystack" a white paper released today. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the genetic testing industry, including the size of the industry, how genetic tests are used and how genetic information is communicated. It also outlines key strategies for the future of clinical integration of genetic testing and personalized medicine.
Among the paper's key findings:
"This report is designed to establish a robust analysis of genetic testing as it relates to the products currently available for clinical use," said Jud Schneider, Ph.D., scientific director of NextGxDx and author of the white paper. "As personalized medicine becomes a clinical reality, we think it's important for physicians to understand the scope and trajectory of the genetic testing industry and how it may impact their practices in the years ahead."
The white paper is currently available for free download on the NextGxDx website, http://www.NextGxDx.com.
About NextGxDx
NextGxDx is a healthcare information technology company that provides a web-based genetic diagnostics platform allowing hospitals and physicians to quickly and efficiently identify appropriate genetic tests and cross-reference multiple test providers. With the ability to research tests based on patient symptoms, instantly compare tests across laboratories, and determine existing institutional relationships, NextGxDx provides physicians with a single destination for discovering, comparing and ordering genetic tests. For more information, visit http://www.NextGxDx.com.
Media Contact: Erin Lawley 615-946-9914 erin@lovell.com
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HEIDELBERG, GERMANY and BUDAPEST, HUNGARY--(Marketwire - Oct 12, 2012) - Genetic Immunity ( OTCBB : PWRV ), a leader in immunotherapy technology product development, and DKFZ (German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany) signed a collaborative agreement to develop a DNA-based vaccine for the treatment of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection that causes cervical cancer and other cancers of the anus, penis, vulva, vagina, and oropharynx. Present HPV vaccines (Cervarix, Gardasil) have no therapeutic effect on HPV-related diseases, so they will not treat existing diseases or conditions caused by HPV.
The Division of Genome Modifications and Carcinogenesis led by Prof. Dr. Lutz Gissmann will initiate a preclinical research program to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the DKFZ's HPV-specific plasmid DNA using Genetic Immunity's nanomedicine formulation and Langerhans cell-targeting administration technologies. DKFZ is a world leading research center in tumor virology. Harald zur Hausen was awarded the Nobel Medicine Prize for his work on HPV-caused cancer of the cervix. Zur Hausen, former Scientific Director of the German Cancer Research Center, is recognized for finding that cervical cancer is caused by viral infections. His research made it possible to develop a vaccine against one of the most frequent cancers in women. Zur Hausen shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine with Franoise Barr-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier for discovering HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
"There is a huge unmet medical need for such cancer vaccine, because vaccines we have developed earlier do not provide protection against cancer when used for treatment of existing conditions caused by HPV. Our goal is to provide protection against cancer for patients after the onset of sexual activity, after they might be exposed to HPV," said Dr. Julianna Lisziewicz, CEO of Genetic Immunity.
Genetic Immunity has successfully tested in clinical trials DermaVir, a candidate immunotherapy for the cure of HIV. This new collaboration is using the clinically proven technology expanding the pipeline to another deadly viral disease that causes cancer. The partners will test whether HPV-specific memory T cells induced by Genetic Immunity's nanomedicine products could protect against cancer after infection has occurred.
"We found that Genetic Immunity technology is unique to target the vaccine DNA into the nucleus of the Langerhans cells. We believe that it will provide a breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy. We pioneered HPV prophylactic vaccines with new innovations and we would like to expand this tradition to therapeutic setting," said Dr. Prof. Gissmann of DKFZ.
Genetic Immunity is a wholly owned subsidiary of Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc. ( OTCBB : PWRV ).
About Genetic Immunity
Genetic Immunity, part of Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc. (PWRV), is a clinical stage technology company committed to discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing a new class of immunotherapeutic biologic drugs for the treatment of viral infections, cancer and allergies. Our Langerhans cell-targeting nanomedicines are exceptional in both safety and immune modulating activity boosting specific Th1-type central memory T cells. These are essential to eliminate infected cells or cancerous cells, and balance the immune reactivity in response to allergens.
In 1988 Drs. Lisziewicz and Lori founded Genetic Immunity in the US after they described the 1st patient whose immune system was boosted to control HIV after treatment interruption (Lisziewicz et al. New England Journal of Medicine 1999) that lead to the invention of DermaVir. The Company's innovative technology team directed by Dr. Lisziewicz, a champion of immune boosting therapies, is now headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. She has been invited into the Scientific Advisory Board of the HIV Cure Initiative led by Francoise Barre-Sinoussi Nobel Prize Laureate for her HIV research in 2009. For more information please visit http://www.geneticimmunity.com
About DKFZ
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DKFZ and Genetic Immunity Sign Collaboration Agreement to Develop HPV Therapeutic Vaccine
BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc. announced today an exclusive licensing agreement with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine under which Iverson receives global exclusive commercialization rights for molecular diagnostics that are designed to help physicians to assess cardiovascular risk in men and women and infertility risk in women. In this new era of personalized medicine, it is now possible to more accurately determine if the healthy cholesterol fraction, HDL, and its partner protein, scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI), affect risk for heart disease in men and women as well as hormonal and fertility outcomes in women. Mutations within the SR-BI gene (SCARB1) are common and work by Annabelle Rodriguez-Oquendo, M.D. at John Hopkins University School of Medicine has suggested that variations within theSCARB1gene show associations with heart disease risk in men and women as well as hormonal and fertility problems in women.
Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology and a member of Iverson Genetic Diagnostics Board of Directors, commented, The importance of finding gene variants that affect the metabolism of cholesterol, especially the healthy fraction, and hormones--hence causing disease--is incredibly important for personalized medicine. This agreement between Iverson and Johns Hopkins is a wonderful example of a diagnostic test that could significantly improve the health of many patients throughout the world.
DeanSproles, CEO of Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc., stated, We are very pleased to collaborate with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine on this product and look forward to including the new SR-BI test in the Iversons Physicians LogicTMportfolio later this year.
About Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc.
Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc. is a Nevada C corporation with administrative headquarters in Bothell, Washington, and production headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina. Iverson is establishing a recognizable global brand for providing trusted genetic tests and testing services for the emerging market of individualized medicine and genetics-based molecular diagnostics. The companys mission is to improve patient outcomes through personalized care. Iverson is a fully credentialed laboratory service company focused on providing results within 24 hours for hospitals and physicians. Iversons patented technology, Physicians LogicTM, is our healthcare information resource developed to deploy test results to providers and integrate with various electronic medical record systems in a HIPAA-compliant environment.
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - They're called discreet DNA samples, and the Elk Grove, California, genetic-testing company easyDNA says it can handle many kinds, from toothpicks to tampons.
Blood stains from bandages and tampons? Ship them in a paper envelope for paternity, ancestry or health testing. EasyDNA also welcomes cigarette butts (two to four), dental floss ("do not touch the floss with your fingers"), razor clippings, gum, toothpicks, licked stamps and used tissues if the more standard cheek swab or tube of saliva isn't obtainable.
On Thursday it released a report on privacy concerns triggered by the advent of whole genome sequencing, determining someone's complete DNA make-up. Although sequencing "holds enormous promise for human health and medicine," commission chairwoman Amy Gutmann told reporters on Wednesday, there is a "potential for misuse of this very personal data."
"In many states someone can pick up your discarded coffee cup and send it for (DNA) testing," said Gutmann, who is the president of the University of Pennsylvania.
"It's not a fantasy to think about how, without baseline privacy protection, people could use this in a way that would be really detrimental," such as by denying someone with a gene that raises their risk of Alzheimer's disease long-term care insurance, or to jack up life insurance premiums for someone with an elevated genetic risk of a deadly cancer that strikes people in middle age.
"Those who are willing to share some of the most intimate information about themselves for the sake of medical progress should be assured appropriate confidentiality, for example, about any discovered genetic variations that link to increased likelihood of certain diseases, such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease and schizophrenia," Gutmann said.
The commission took on the issue because whole genome sequencing is poised to become part of mainstream medical care, especially by personalizing medical treatments based on a patient's DNA.
$1,000 GENOME
That has been driven in large part by dramatic cost reductions, from $2.5 billion per genome in the Human Genome Project of the 1990s and early 2000s to $1,000 soon. Several companies, including Illumina Inc. and Life Technology's Ion Torrent division, sell machines that can sequence a genome for a few hundred dollars, but that does not include the analysis to figure out what the string of 3 billion DNA "letters" means.
A three-year-old federal law prohibits discrimination in employment or health insurance based on someone's genetic information but does not address other potential misuses of the data. Without such privacy protection, said Gutmann, people may be reluctant to participate in genetic studies that do whole genome sequencing, for fear their genetic data will not be secure and could be used against them.
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Citing privacy concerns, U.S. panel urges end to secret DNA testing
ScienceDaily (Oct. 8, 2012) McGill researchers have identified a small region in the genome that conclusively plays a role in the development of psychiatric disease and obesity. The key lies in the genomic deletion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, a nervous system growth factor that plays a critical role in brain development.
To determine the role of BDNF in humans, Prof. Carl Ernst, from McGill's Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, screened over 35,000 people referred for genetic screening at clinics and over 30,000 control subjects in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Overall, five individuals were identified with BDNF deletions, all of whom were obese, had a mild-moderate intellectual impairment, and had a mood disorder. Children had anxiety disorders, aggressive disorders, or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while post-pubescent subjects had anxiety and major depressive disorders. Subjects gradually gained weight as they aged, suggesting that obesity is a long-term process when BDNF is deleted.
"Scientists have been trying to find a region of the genome which plays a role in human psychopathology, searching for answers anywhere in our DNA that may give us a clue to the genetic causes of these types of disorders," says Prof. Ernst, who is also a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. "Our study conclusively links a single region of the genome to mood and anxiety."
The findings, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, reveal for the first time the link between BDNF deletion, cognition, and weight gain in humans. BDNF has been suspected to have many functions in the brain based on animal studies, but no study had shown what happens when BDNF is missing from the human genome. This research provides a step toward better understanding human behaviour and mood by clearly identifying genes that may be involved in mental disorders.
"Mood and anxiety can be seen like a house of cards. In this case, the walls of the house represent the myriad of biological interactions that maintain the structure," says Ernst, "Studying these moving parts can be tricky, so teasing apart even a single event is important. Linking a deletion in BDNF conclusively to mood and anxiety really tells us that it is possible to dissect the biological pathways involved in determining how we feel and act.
We now have a molecular pathway we are confident is involved in psychopathology," adds Ernst, "Because thousands of genes are involved in mood, anxiety, or obesity, it allows us to root our studies on a solid foundation. All of the participants in our study had mild-moderate intellectual disability, but most people with these cognitive problems do not have psychiatric problems -- so what is it about deletion of BDNF that affects mood? My hope now is to test the hypothesis that boosting BDNF in people with anxiety or depression might improve brain health."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by McGill University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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TAMPA A new cocktail of cancer-fighting drugs can help patients with advanced melanoma, a Moffitt Cancer Center researcher has reported in a study to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The new research builds on recent advances in therapies for advanced melanoma that center on targeting its genetic fingerprint. Until recently, the deadly skin cancer was considered nearly untreatable in its later stages.
Drugs now are available that can block a mutation in a gene called BRAF, which fuels the cancer. The mutation is present in about half of melanoma cases. If caught early, lesions can be removed surgically, but doctors traditionally had few options once melanoma spreads throughout the body.
Dr. Jeffrey Weber, director of Moffitt's Melanoma Research Center of Excellence, was among the leaders of a national team that sought better results by combining drug therapies to inhibit the BRAF mutation and overcome the tumor's ability to grow resistant to the drugs.
The results of their complex study, involving about 250 patients, are now available online and will publish in print in the Nov. 15 edition of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers found they could improve the outcome for patients through a combination of two drugs, dabrafenib and trametinib. Patients receiving the combination therapy saw their cancers go into remission for 9 1/2 months, compared to 5 1/2 months for those on dabrafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, alone.
Patients receiving the combination treatment also saw their tumors shrink at a higher rate than those receiving the single drug.
"This is an evolutionary development which has important implications," Weber said. "What this shows is you can, to some degree, reverse (drug) resistance."
Additionally, researchers saw more patients respond to the combination therapy. And fewer of them experienced common side effects, which can include additional (though less serious) skin cancers.
The research was funded by GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the two drugs. The study involved about two dozen researchers at major cancer centers in the United States and Australia.
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Moffitt Cancer Center researcher advances melanoma treatment in New England Journal of Medicine
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY--(Marketwire - Oct 8, 2012) - Genetic Immunity (OTCBB: PWRV) is pleased to announce the GMP approval of its manufacturing facility. The development of the GMP manufacturing process and the facility was financed from a $4 million grant received from the Hungarian Office for Innovation and Technology.
"To establish a GMP manufacturing facility is a major milestone for Genetic Immunity. Initially, it will serve our need to produce high quality ingredients to our nanomedicine products tested in clinical trials. We developed our GMP manufacturing technology and processes to be suitable to upgrade them to a commercial scale. This approval demonstrates the capability of our team to advance our DermaVir HIV-specific immunotherapy to the market, and our new candidate products from the bench to the bedside,"said Dr. Julianna Lisziewicz, CEO of Genetic Immunity.
The GMP status is provided for the manufacturing and the validated quality control processes of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient of our immunotherapeutic nanomedicine products.Genetic Immunity has a state of the art R&D laboratory that includes a dedicated GMP facility. Due to the platform feature of our plasmid DNA based nanomedicine technology, only the nucleotide sequence of the DNA is specific for the target disease. Consequently, the manufacturing and the quality control process of the lead and all pipeline products is the same. This means that the GMP facility can be used for the manufacturing all products of Genetic Immunity regardless of clinical stage. The common GMP manufacturing technology simplifies the regulatory process, saves costs and time in clinical development, and reduces time to market approval of medicinal products.
"With this GMP facility we have successfully closed the manufacturing gap between clinical trial scale and the commercial production. With continuous development of the manufacturing processes we are able to control the costs and achieve a competitive price for each market segments at an attractive ROI ratio for every product. We are strongly focused on the market and are well prepared for large scale manufacturing for our planned Expanded Access program of DermaVir," said Mr. Viktor Rozsnyay, CEO of Power of the Dream Ventures.
Genetic Immunity is a wholly owned subsidiary of Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc. (OTCBB: PWRV).
About Genetic Immunity Genetic Immunity is part of Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc. (PWRV) committed to bring innovative Hungarian products and services to public. GeneticImmunity is a clinical stage technology company committed to discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing a new class of immunotherapeutic biologic drugs for the treatment of viral infections, cancer and allergy. The Company's two distinguished technology platforms will revolutionize the treatment of these chronic diseases. Our Langerhans cell targeting nanomedicines are exceptional in both safety and immune modulating activity boosting specific Th1-type central memory T cells. Such immune responses differ from antibodies induced by vaccines. These are essential to eliminate infected cells or cancerous cells, and balance the immune reactivity in response to allergens. Our IT team generated a complex algorithm to match the mechanism of action of our drugs with clinical efficacy. In the future, we will predict the clinical and immunological benefits of our drugs based on the patient's disease and genomic background. The unique mixture of our technologies represents the next generation of personalized but not individualized medicines ensuring a longer and higher economic return. Genetic Immunity's primary focus is the development of DermaVir that acts to boost the immune system of HIV-infected people to eliminate the infected cells that remained in the reservoirs after successful antiretroviral treatment. Three clinical trials conducted in EU and US showed that DermaVir immunizations were as safe as placebo and only four sequential patch treatments were required to reduce the HIV infected cells in the blood within 24 weeks.
In 1988 Drs. Lisziewicz and Lori founded the Genetic Immunity in the US after they described the 1st patient whose immune system was boosted to control HIV after treatment interruption (Lisziewicz et al. New England Journal of Medicine 1999) that lead to the invention of DermaVir. The Company's innovative technology team directed by Dr. Lisziewicz, a champion of immune busting therapies, is now headquartered in Budapest (Hungary). For more information please visit http://www.geneticimmunity.com
Forward-looking statements Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature constitute forward-looking statements qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding business combination and similar transactions, prospective performance and opportunities and the outlook for the companies' businesses, including, without limitation, the ability of PWRV to advance Genetic Immunity's product pipeline or develop a curative immunotherapy for HIV, performance and opportunities and regulatory approvals, the anticipated timing of data from clinical data; the possibility of unfavorable results of the company's clinical trials; filings and approvals relating to the transaction; the expected timing of the completion of the transaction; the ability to complete the transaction considering the various closing conditions; and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the companies, and the companies assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.
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Genetic Immunity Receives GMP Certification for In-House Manufacturing Facility
Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Parkinson's Disease Also Included In: Genetics Article Date: 08 Oct 2012 - 0:00 PDT
Current ratings for: Parkinson's Risk Linked To Specific Genetic Variants
The researchers say they have carried out the first ever genome-wide evaluation of genetic variants linked to Parkinson's disease.
Jeanne Latourelle, DSc, and Richard H. Myers, PhD, explained that a recent study published by the PDGC (PD Genome Wide Association Study Consortium) had shown that people with genetic variants in or close to the genes HLA, MAPT, SNCA, RIT2, and GAK/DGKQ had a higher-than-average risk of developing Parkinson's disease. However, in that study, the mechanism behind the higher risk had not been determined.
Boston University School of Medicine reported in PLOS ONE in July 2012 that the FOXO1 gene plays an important part in the pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease. That study is said to have used the largest number of brain samples used in a wide-genome expression study of PD.
Latourelle suggested that perhaps a genetic variant might change how a gene is expressed in the brain, resulting in a higher risk of developing Parkinson's.
The scientists say that their findings may pave the way for treatments to correct the genetic variants and thus possibly reverse the effects of Parkinson's disease.
They determined gene expression by using a microarray that screened what the effects of genetic variants were on the expression of genes located very near the variant - called cis-effects - and genes that were far from the variant, such as genes on a totally different chromosome, called trans-effect. To recap - cis-effects are those on very nearby genes, while trans-effect are those on distant genes.
When they analyzed the cis-effects, it was observed that many genetic variants in the MAPT region showed a significant association with the expression of multiple nearby genes, including gene LOC644246, the duplicated genes LRRC37A and LRRC37A2, and the gene DCAKD.
They also observed significant cis-effects between variants in the HLA region on chromosome 6 and HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQA1, two genes that were very near. When examining for trans-effects, they found 23 DNA sequence variations that were statistically significant in variants from the RIT2, MAPT, and SNCA genes.
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ScienceDaily (Oct. 5, 2012) Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) investigators have led the first genome-wide evaluation of genetic variants associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). The study, which is published online in PLOS ONE, points to the involvement of specific genes and alterations in their expression as influencing the risk for developing PD.
Jeanne Latourelle, DSc, assistant professor of neurology at BUSM, served as the study's lead author and Richard H. Myers, PhD, professor of neurology at BUSM, served as the study's principal investigator and senior author.
A recent paper by the PD Genome Wide Association Study Consortium (PDGC) confirmed that an increased risk for PD was seen in individuals with genetic variants in or near the genes SNCA, MAPT, GAK/DGKQ, HLA and RIT2, but the mechanism behind the increased risk was not determined.
"One possible effect of the variants would be to change the manner in which a gene is expressed in the brains, leading to increased risk of PD," said Latourelle.
To investigate the theory, the researchers examined the relationship between PD-associated genetic variants and levels of gene expression in brain samples from the frontal cortex of 26 samples with known PD and 24 neurologically healthy control samples. Gene expression was determined using a microarray that screened effects of genetic variants on the expression of genes located very close to the variant, called cis-effects, and genes that are far from the variant, such as those on a completely different chromosome, called trans-effects.
An analysis of the cis-effects showed that several genetic variants in the MAPT region showed a significant association to the expression of multiple nearby genes, including gene LOC644246, the duplicated genes LRRC37A and LRRC37A2 and the gene DCAKD. Significant cis-effects were also observed between variants in the HLA region on chromosome 6 and two nearby genes HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQA1. An examination of trans-effects revealed 23 DNA sequence variations that reached statistical significance involving variants from the SNCA, MAPT and RIT2 genes.
"The identification of the specific altered genes in PD opens opportunities to further study them in model organisms or cell lines with the goal of identifying drugs which may rectify the defects as treatment for PD," said Myers.
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Genetic variants' role in increasing Parkinson's disease risk investigated
THURSDAY, Oct. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers who discovered genetic risk factors linked to uterine fibroids in white women say their findings will lead to new screening and treatment methods for the condition.
Uterine fibroids are the most common type of pelvic tumor in women -- they occur in 75 percent of women of reproductive age -- and the leading cause of hysterectomy in the United States. Uterine fibroids can lead to abnormal vaginal bleeding, infertility, pelvic pain and pregnancy complications.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston analyzed genetic data from more than 7,000 white women and identified variations in three genes that are significantly associated with uterine fibroids.
One of these variations occurred in a gene called FASN, which encodes a protein called FAS (fatty acid synthase). Further investigation showed that FAS protein production was three times higher in uterine fibroid samples compared to normal tissue, according to the report published online Oct. 4 in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
Overproduction of FAS protein occurs in various types of tumors and is believed to be important for tumor cell survival, the study authors pointed out in a hospital news release.
"Our discovery foretells a path to personalized medicine for women who have a genetic basis for development of uterine fibroids," senior study author Cynthia Morton, director of the Center for Uterine Fibroids, said in the news release. "Identification of genetic risk factors may provide valuable insight into medical management," she concluded.
-- Robert Preidt
Copyright 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
SOURCE: Brigham and Women's Hospital, news release, Oct. 4, 2012
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Public release date: 5-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jenny Eriksen Leary jenny.eriksen@bmc.org 617-638-6841 Boston University Medical Center
(Boston) Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) investigators have led the first genome-wide evaluation of genetic variants associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). The study, which is published online in PLOS ONE, points to the involvement of specific genes and alterations in their expression as influencing the risk for developing PD.
Jeanne Latourelle, DSc, assistant professor of neurology at BUSM, served as the study's lead author and Richard H. Myers, PhD, professor of neurology at BUSM, served as the study's principal investigator and senior author.
A recent paper by the PD Genome Wide Association Study Consortium (PDGC) confirmed that an increased risk for PD was seen in individuals with genetic variants in or near the genes SNCA, MAPT, GAK/DGKQ, HLA and RIT2, but the mechanism behind the increased risk was not determined.
"One possible effect of the variants would be to change the manner in which a gene is expressed in the brains, leading to increased risk of PD," said Latourelle.
To investigate the theory, the researchers examined the relationship between PD-associated genetic variants and levels of gene expression in brain samples from the frontal cortex of 26 samples with known PD and 24 neurologically healthy control samples. Gene expression was determined using a microarray that screened effects of genetic variants on the expression of genes located very close to the variant, called cis-effects, and genes that are far from the variant, such as those on a completely different chromosome, called trans-effects.
An analysis of the cis-effects showed that several genetic variants in the MAPT region showed a significant association to the expression of multiple nearby genes, including gene LOC644246, the duplicated genes LRRC37A and LRRC37A2 and the gene DCAKD. Significant cis-effects were also observed between variants in the HLA region on chromosome 6 and two nearby genes HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQA1. An examination of trans-effects revealed 23 DNA sequence variations that reached statistical significance involving variants from the SNCA, MAPT and RIT2 genes.
"The identification of the specific altered genes in PD opens opportunities to further study them in model organisms or cell lines with the goal of identifying drugs which may rectify the defects as treatment for PD," said Myers.
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BUSM study investigates genetic variants' role in increasing Parkinson's disease risk
The European Union on Thursday set out proposals aimed at thwarting the illegal use of genetic resources and traditional medicine, a practice known as biopiracy.
A Europe-wide regulation would create "a level playing field for all users of genetic resources," the European Commission said in a press release that coincided with a UN conference on biodiversity in Hyderabad, India.
Developing countries, led by India, are complaining that pharmaceutical and cosmetic firms are using local species of plants and animals in their research or exploiting traditional medicine for their own gain.
Confusion on how genetic treasures and knowledge should be shared led in 2010 to the Nagoya Protocol, which members of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have pledged to pass into their national laws.
The draft EU regulation would require users to declare they have exercised "due diligence" in meeting the legal requirements in the country of origin and in showing that the benefits are "fairly and equitably shared," the commission said.
As part of the initiative, an EU database of "trusted collections" of seed banks and botanical gardens will be set up to inform users about the origins of genetic materials.
The proposed measures will be put to the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, the 27-nation bloc's highest decision-making body.
More than a quarter of all approved drugs over the past 30 years are either natural products or have been derived from a natural product, the commission said.
The CBD meeting runs in Hyderabad until October 19, climaxing in a three-day meeting of environment ministers on a plan to roll back biodiversity decline by 2020.
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ScienceDaily (Oct. 4, 2012) Uterine fibroids are the most common type of pelvic tumors in women and are the leading cause of hysterectomy in the United States. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are the first to discover a genetic risk allele (an alternative form of a gene) for uterine fibroids in white women using an unbiased, genome-wide approach. This discovery will pave the way for new screening strategies and treatments for uterine fibroids.
The study will be published online on October 4, 2012 in The American Journal of Human Genetics.
The research team, led by Cynthia Morton, PhD, BWH director of the Center for Uterine Fibroids and senior study author, analyzed genetic data from over 7,000 white women. The researchers detected genetic variants that are significantly associated with uterine fibroid status in a span of three genes including FASN which encodes a protein called FAS (fatty acid synthase).
Moreover, additional studies revealed that FAS protein expression was three times higher in uterine fibroid samples compared to normal myometrial tissue (muscle tissue that forms the uterine wall). Over-expression of FAS protein is found in various types of tumors and is thought to be important for tumor cell survival.
"Our discovery foretells a path to personalized medicine for women who have a genetic basis for development of uterine fibroids," said Morton. "Identification of genetic risk factors may provide valuable insight into medical management."
Study samples used were from various cohort studies, such as the Finding Genes for Fibroids study and the Women's Genome Health Study at BWH.
Uterine fibroids may lead to abnormal vaginal bleeding, infertility, pelvic pain and pregnancy complications. Uterine fibroids are found in more than 75 percent of women of reproductive age.
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By Elizabeth Landau
(CNN) Genome sequencing is rapidly changing modern medicine, and a new study shows its potential impact on seriously ill newborn babies.
New research published in the journal Science Translational Medicine this week makes the case for a two-day whole-genome sequencing for newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
After 50 hours, the test delivers to doctors a wealth of information about what could be causing newborns life-threatening illnesses. This would allow them to more efficiently and quickly tailor therapies to the babies, when possible, and identify problematic genetic variants that multiple family members may share.
We think this is going to transform the world of neonatology, by allowing neonatologists to practice medicine thats influenced by genomes, said Stephen Kingsmore, the studys senior author and director for the Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine at Childrens Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri, at a press conference Tuesday.
There are more than 3,500 diseases caused by a mutation in a single gene, Kingsmore said, and only about 500 have treatments. About one in 20 babies born in the United States annually gets admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, he said. Genetic-driven illnesses are a leading cause of these admissions at Kingsmores hospital.
One example of how a genetic test would help newborns is a condition called severe Pompe disease, Kingsmore said. Children with this disorder die if they are not treated by age 1. They will live longer, at least four years, if they receive an enzyme replacement therapy.
The study shows how two software programs, called SAGA and RUNE, work together to help physicians pinpoint the genes that could be causing problems in the children. A company called Illumina developed a rapid genome sequencing device that incorporates the programs.
Researchers reported diagnoses as a result of this genetic test in the study for six children. Two of these tests were done retrospectively, after the children had died.
The test extends beyond the ill baby; genome sequencing can also identify genetic traits in multiple family members, the researchers said. Carol Saunders, the studys lead author, explained at the news conference how one baby and his 6-year-old brother both have a congenital heart defect and heterotaxy, meaning some internal organs are located on the wrong side of the body.
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By Randy Dotinga HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they have developed a blood test that could potentially detect hundreds of genetic conditions in newborn babies in about two days. The test might allow physicians to quickly diagnose babies and treat them instead of waiting for lengthy tests or guessing without full information.
The test, which uses a drop of a newborn's blood to examine the entire genome, isn't ready for widespread use. A study released Oct. 3 reports only the results of testing that confirmed genetic conditions in three newborns.
The test could be available soon, however, said study co-author Dr. Stephen Kingsmore, director of the Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine at the Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.
"Genome analysis is moving from being a research tool that holds promise to being something that's ready to ... be used for real medical care in real patients," he said.
Newborns routinely undergo genetic screening in the United States to see if they have genetic conditions. The screenings, however, look for about 60 conditions at most, Kingsmore said, and focus on diseases that don't show obvious symptoms at first.
There are thousands of other genetic conditions -- many of them quite rare -- and about 500 can be treated. If a child shows symptoms of one of them, testing may take weeks and cost thousands of dollars, Kingsmore said. Physicians may base their diagnoses on other factors in order to treat children quickly, in some cases to keep them from dying.
"The reality is that neonatologists have to treat on the basis of their best clinical judgment rather than based on any knowledge of the genome sequence," Kingsmore said.
"If you liken testing to fishing, conventional fishing is like throwing a line into the ocean and hoping you catch a fish," he said. The new test, which looks for signs of genetic problems throughout the genome, "is like throwing a net over the entire ocean and seeing what you catch."
The test costs about $13,500 and takes 50 hours to process, although researchers hope to quicken the pace, he said. The new study reports that the test identified genetic conditions in three newborns and ruled them out in another.
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