Biotechnology News

Two more genes linked to common skin cancer

Reuters - Sun Oct 12, 2:04 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found two new genetic variations that appear to increase the risk of the most common skin cancer among people of European descent.

  • Stem cell generation from ordinary cells now safe Reuters - Fri Oct 10, 5:46 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japanese researchers who invented a way to make powerful stem cells out of ordinary cells say they have now found a safer way to do it.

  • Biogen discontinues experimental arthritis drug Reuters - Thu Oct 9, 7:02 PM ET

    LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Biogen Idec Inc said on Thursday it will discontinue development of baminercept as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis after the experimental drug failed to prove effective in a mid-stage trial.

  • Europeans reject animal cloning for food: survey Reuters - Thu Oct 9, 9:42 AM ET

    BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Most Europeans have reservations about cloning animals for food, while 67 percent see cloning as justified if used to preserve rare animal species, a survey that could help forge EU policy in the area showed on Thursday.

  • Blood Cell Genes May Signal Heart Disease HealthDay - Wed Oct 8, 11:48 PM ET

    WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDay News) -- A test that measures the activity of genes in white blood cells might someday help doctors determine the proper treatment when someone complains of chest pain, researchers report.

  • In this Dec.21, 2005 file picture a mother gently places her son in a basket, as she takes him to a Medecins Sans Frontieres clinic, in Lankien, Southern Sudan after he contracted malaria. An international medical aid group says free malaria treatment for Africa's poorest is key to combatting a disease that kills nearly 1 million people a year. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo, File)
    Genetics: Scientists unravel two more strains of malaria parasite AFP/USDA/File - Wed Oct 8, 1:16 PM ET

    PARIS (AFP) - Scientists on Wednesday said they had cracked the genetic codes of a major malaria parasite and a monkey parasite also suspected of spreading the disease, an achievement adding to the sequencing six years ago of Plasmodium falciparum, the greatest malarial threat.

  • Ampoules containing a medium for stem cell storage are displayed at the UK Stem Cell Bank in north London, May 19, 2004. (Peter Macdiarmid/Reuters)
    University: Stem-cell study used falsified data AP - Wed Oct 8, 1:59 AM ET

    MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota has concluded that falsified data were used in a 2001 article published by one of its researchers on adult stem cells. The school is asking that the article be retracted.

  • Genes Give Clues to Age-Linked Eye Trouble HealthDay - Tue Oct 7, 11:48 PM ET

    MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Variants in the gene that helps produce vital proteins in the eye have been linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major source of blindness, a new report says.

  • A laboratory researcher in a file photo. (File/Reuters)
    Eli Lilly bids $6.5 billion for ImClone Reuters - Mon Oct 6, 6:33 PM ET

    BOSTON/PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co has agreed to acquire ImClone Systems Inc for $6.5 billion, outbidding Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and potentially bringing to a close one of the most colorful corporate sagas in biotech history.

  • Genes may explain racial disparities in asthma Reuters - Mon Oct 6, 1:57 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Asthma patients who are black tend to have more severe disease than asthma patients who are white, leading to more asthma control problems, higher rates of emergency department visits, and overall worse quality of life. These findings point to genetic differences that lead to poor responses to drug therapy as the source of these racial disparities.