Aurora magazine

A study by the Institute of Cancer Research in London (ICR) could open the door to a new treatment for prostate cancer. Researchers used a genetic test to identify damaged areas of DNA so they could be repaired with ad hoc treatments.

The new approach has already proved effective on prostate cancer patients, on whom traditional treatments had not worked. Unfortunately it doesn't work on all patients, though. It is therefore important to find a way to identify these subjects, in order to avoid treatments destined to be useless.

The treatment uses a drug containing a radioactive particle, which identifies the defective molecule on the surface of cancer cells. This specific molecule is called prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA). Analyzes have revealed that PSMA levels on the surface of cells change based on the type of tumor and its severity.

They could therefore help to identify the subjects who will benefit from the treatment. In tumors with a strong genetic component, on which the treatment is more effective, the levels of PSMA are high. It is estimated that they are four times higher than in other types of prostate cancer. From this, the researchers developed a genetic test to identify the patients in question and genetic abnormalities.

According to Professor Johann de Bono, the procedure offers an effective approach. Genetic tests should therefore be introduced in routine tests, so as to immediately identify the subjects on which to apply the treatment.

Source: medicaldevice-network.com

Dr. Priya Kadam has developed a genetic sequencing test that promises to double the IVF success rate. In adult women there is a high number of gestations that ends after 6-7 weeks, due to chromosomal defects.

The test promises to identify them, so as to choose the embryos that are most likely to arrive at the end of gestation. That of Dr. Kadam is a pre-implantation test, which must be done on embryos obtained with IVF before implanting them in the womb.

The test looks for possible chromosomal defects, thanks to a sequencing technology that controls all 46 chromosomes in a short time. With this simple technique, the success rate has risen from 36% to 73%.

The technique is designed especially for these categories of women:

• over 35 years, more prone to chromosomal abnormalities;
• with many failed implantation attempts at the back;
• with many spontaneous abortions at the shoulders;
• having a history of chromosomal defects in the family;
• carriers of chromosomal defects.

Genetic sequencing reduces the number of cycles required to achieve pregnancy. Furthermore, it reduces the number of embryos that need to be implanted in order for one to take root. This results in far lower costs as well as lower emotional impact for couples seeking a child.

Source: deccanchronicle.com

In the last few decades, scientists have successfully mapped the human genome. Unfortunately there was nothing that corresponded to a high resolution model. This made it more difficult to study the interactions between chromosomes, which are intricate and essential to understanding so many diseases.

Researchers at the University of Missouri have perhaps solved this problem. The tool developed by the team creates a high resolution 3D model of the human genome. In this way it is easier to identify the factors that determine genetic diseases, tumors and disorders of various kinds. The researchers started with pre-existing one-dimensional sequencing. To add the missing dimensions, they have created an algorithm that displays interactions in 3D and high definition. Neighboring or linked genes are easier to identify, since their link is visually expressed.

Two genes apparently unrelated but close, for example, can explain the apparent anomalies of diseases such as diabetes or Alzheimer. The interaction between genes underlies the functioning of our body. This is why it is so important to be able to visualize it in the best possible way. Furthermore, this research underlines the power of transversal precision medicine. All this has in fact been made possible by the collaboration between several schools and among several faculties, the only way to develop an IT tool of this kind, potentially so important for medicine.

Source: medicalxpress.com

Hydra is an aquatic invertebrate that can regenerate every part of its body, even if cut in half. A study by the Universities of California and Harvard has mapped its DNA to identify the genes that make this possible. In this way the researchers have obtained invaluable data, which in the future will be usable in the field of regenerative medicine.

The team led by Dr. Juliano and Dr. Siebert performed a total genetic sequencing on some hydra. In doing so they followed the phase-by-phase regeneration process, moving from the three stem cell lines of the invertebrate to the mature adult cells. At the base of all this there are mechanisms of gene regulation, which could also be hidden in human DNA.

This is not the first study that studies hydra to improve regenerative medicine. The extraordinary capacity of regeneration of this organism makes it in fact immortal. Researchers from around the world are therefore looking for the key to this process, in order to reproduce it.

Source: ansa.it