New Compound Could Block Cause of Familial ALS
A new compound which blocks the most common genetic cause of familial ALS has been announced by scientists from the University of Alberta.
Genetics
International Study Finds 11 New Epilepsy Genes
Eleven new genes associated with epilepsy have been discovered by an international team of scientists, advancing knowledge of the underlying causes of the condition and potentially helping in the development of new treatments.
Reprogrammed Skin Cells Shrink Mouse Tumours
Personalised tumour-detecting cells from adult skin cells have been used to shrink brain tumours in mice by up to 5%, scientists have revealed. While the strategy has not yet been fully tested in people, it could in the future give doctors the ability to develop a custom treatment for certain cancer types.
Amgen and Entera Collaborate on Serious Illness Treatment Program
Amgen and Entera Bio are partnering up to develop new treatments for inflammatory disease and certain other serious illnesses using the Entera drug discovery program. The platform will be used to develop oral formulations for one preclinical large molecule program which Amgen has selected. Entera’s CEO said the collaboration would be an important validation test of the platform technology.
Genetic Heart Test Used to Identify Risk of Severe Cardiomyopathy
Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania have created a test using gene-editing tools such as CRISPR to identify a gene variant responsible for severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (SHC). SHC is an often-familial disease which thickens heart walls and is linked to a variant in the TNNT2 gene.
CRUK and AstraZeneca to Launch New Genomics Centre in UK
AstraZeneca and Cancer Research UK (CRUK) have announced that they will work together to open a new research centre in the UK, applying CRISPR and other functional genomics technologies to develop new cancer drugs. Specifically, the centre will study how genes and proteins interact with each other in cancer cells, and create disease models using genome-altering technologies based on this.
Gene Therapy for Parkinson’s Rewrites Brain, Study Finds
An innovative gene therapy treatment for Parkinson’s seems to relieve symptoms by rewriting the brain, scientists have found. Following the success of the therapy study, the researchers are planning a larger trial to start at the end of 2019.
SeraCare Acquired by LGC
Manufacturer of quality control materials SeraCare Life Sciences has been acquired by LGC, an international life sciences measurement and testing company, strengthening its position in the clinical quality control tools market.
UCB to Invest £1 Billion in UK R&D
Multinational biopharmaceutical company UCB has agreed to invest £1 billion in UK research and development (R&D), the government has announced in its latest Life Sciences Sector Deal. In the deal, £75 million will be invested into the development of new AI driven diagnostic tests while £50 million will be invested in digital pathology programmes and £37.5 million into regional digital innovation hubs.
The UK Has Sequenced 100,000 Whole Genomes In The NHS
Time to pop the champagne – 100,000 genomes have been reached. Well done Genomics England!
ClinGen Gets FDA Recognition
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced ClinGen as the first FDA-designated public genetic variants repository this week.
Baboons Live More Than Five Months with Engineered Pig Hearts
Baboons can live for up to 195 days with hearts taken from pigs and genetically engineered to avoid extreme immune reactions, three times longer than previous attempts, according to a report published in Nature journal.
Blocking One Gene Could Cure Obesity
Scientists in South Australia have announced in the EMBO Reports journal that they may have found a single gene which can be blocked to promote weight loss without the need for diets or gym time.
Scientists Create Ten-Minute Universal Test for Cancer
A universal test which can detect traces of any cancer in a patient’s bloodstream in ten minutes has been developed by scientists from the University of Queensland. As it stands the test has a sensitivity of 90%, so is able to detect 90 in 100 cases of cancer.
WHO to Create Gene Editing Expert Panel
The World Health Organization is establishing an expert panel to set guidelines and standards on the ethical and safety issues of gene editing, the body has announced. This follows the recent revelation that a scientist in China claimed he had edited the genes of twin babies to make them HIV resistant.
