Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report that, for the first time, the transplantation of gut bacteria from healthy donors was used to successfully treat patients suffering from severe colitis caused by treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). While ICIs have successfully provided durable responses for…

Newly published research shows that a saliva-based biomarker panel and associated algorithm could improve the ability to accurately identify children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in its earliest stages, according to Quadrant Biosciences. Researchers demonstrated that a panel of 32 small RNAs could differentiate children with autism from children exhibiting…

Sarkis Mazmanian, Ph.D., is revolutionizing microbiome research. The Luis B. and Nelly Soux Professor of Microbiology at the California Institute of Technology (who also happens to be a 2012 MacArthur Genius Award recipient) started his career studying the basic mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis. However, his current research focuses on how…

Investigators at the University of Colorado (CU) Anschutz Medical Campus have uncovered multiple genetic variants within a single gene that makes some people especially susceptible to middle ear infections. These findings could eventually lead to new ways of determining who is likely to get the infection and provide a path…

We are all told that dietary fiber is good for us, but are all sources and forms of fiber equally beneficial to health? Studies by researchers at the University of Toledo (UT) have surprisingly found that mice developed liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma; HCC) when fed on diets fortified with refined…

Igenomix has launched a molecular diagnostic that according to the company is the first designed to detect chronic endometritis in women with infertility. The company’s Analysis of Infectious Chronic Endometritis (ALICE) diagnostic is designed to detect the nine pathogens responsible for chronic endometritis, including Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Mycoplasma and…

The chemical triclosan is used as an antimicrobial agent in more than 2000 consumer products, from toothpaste and cosmetics to kitchenware and toys. Studies in mice by a team of scientists in the U.S. and China have now linked short-term dietary exposure to triclosan with altered gut microbiota, colonic inflammation,…

Few scientists earn a repeat invitation to keynote the Molecular Medicine Tri-Con (TRICON) event, especially not 23 years apart. But Lee Hood is an exception. Kicking off the 25th anniversary edition of TRICON in San Francisco earlier this week, Hood reflected on his mission to promote “P4 medicine”, illustrating with…

DNAnexus, the global leader in biomedical informatics and data management, today announced the availability of its Clinical Trial Solution (CTS) which streamlines the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data in regulated clinical trials. The company also announced Almac Diagnostics, a global precision medicine company, as one of the first customers…

DNAnexus, the developer of a cloud-based genome informatics and data management platform, said today it has closed on a $58 million financing intended to accelerate the company’s expansion in translational informatics, clinical trials, and broadened use of biomedical data. New investor Foresite Capital led the equity financing, with strategic investment…

Additional microbiome tests beyond Genetic Analysis' GA-map Dysbiosis Test will be supplied and distributed through Bio-Rad Laboratories, the companies said today, through an extended collaboration whose value was not disclosed. The new agreement builds upon a partnership between the companies launched in November 2016. At the time, Bio-Rad agreed to…

We are all colonized by vast quantities of microorganisms. Until recently, there has been little focus on how these microbes can help us stay healthy. However, it has now been recognized that they can provide us with a whole array of different benefits. In contrast, disruption of these microbial communities,…

llumina executive chairman Jay Flatley used the mantle of receiving the Lifetime Acheivement Award at the Pesonalized Medicine Conference November 15, to frame his view of personalized medicine around the them of “shock and awe” in a keynote address. “I’m in awe of what we’ve accomplished [in genomic medicine],” he…

Progenity said today it has raised $125 million in Series B financing toward expanding its focus beyond women’s health by accelerating the development of its precision diagnostics and therapeutics platform for the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The company said its platform consists of precision molecular diagnostics tools, precision therapeutics with potential…

A research team at Gothenburg, Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology have discovered previously unknown antibiotic-resistant genes by searching large volumes of bacterial DNA collected from humans and various environments around the world. The study  “Identification of 76 Novel B1 Metallo-β-Lactamases through Large-Scale Screening of Genomic and Metagenomic Data” was published recently…