Newly Identified Fusion Genes in Lung and Colorectal Cancer May Guide Treatment with “Targeted” Drugs

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Novel gene abnormalities discovered in a subpopulation of lung and colorectal tumors could potentially identify patients with a good chance of responding to highly specific “targeted” drugs already in use for treating other cancers, scientists report. The genetic alterations – pieces of two genes fused together - showed up in a massive search of the DNA in stored tumor samples of non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer, said researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Foundation Medicine, Inc. These specific genetic abnormalities had not been previously linked to the two cancer types.

– Dana-Farber Cancer Institute|2/13/2012 1:00 PM EST

New Animal Model May Help Tame a Metabolic Disorder

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A reliable, low-cost animal model can greatly enhance success in identifying disease mechanisms and genetic pathways, and cut years off drug testing and treatment strategies. Neuroscientist Gerald Downes’s team has developed a new mutant zebrafish model to study human Maple Syrup Urine Disease.

– University of Massachusetts Amherst|2/13/2012 1:00 PM EST

New UT Southwestern Website Increases Heart IQ

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Most people concerned about heart disease know to avoid the usual health hazards – obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking – but an interactive cardiology research-based website launched by UT Southwestern may lead to new thinking about lifetime risk factors.

– UT Southwestern Medical Center|2/13/2012 12:45 PM EST

'Prom Week' Breaks New Ground in Computer Game Design

Nominated for a technical excellence award at the Indie Games Festival, 'Prom Week' is a game about social relationships driven by an innovative artificial intelligence system.

– University of California, Santa Cruz|2/13/2012 12:00 PM EST

Georgia Tech Develops Computational Algorithm to Assist in Cancer Treatments

Georgia Tech has created a new data analysis algorithm that quickly transforms complex RNA sequence data into usable content for biologists and clinicians. Scientists will be able to more readily use this data to compare the RNA profiles or “transcriptomes” of normal cells with those of individual cancers and thereby be in a better position to develop optimized personal therapies.

– Georgia Institute of Technology|2/13/2012 12:00 PM EST

Georgia Tech Develops Software for the Rapid Analysis of Foodborne Pathogens

2011 brought two of the deadliest bacterial outbreaks the world has seen during the last 25 years. The two epidemics accounted for more than 4,200 cases of infectious disease and 80 deaths. Software developed at Georgia Tech was used to help characterize the bacteria that caused each outbreak.

– Georgia Institute of Technology|2/13/2012 12:00 PM EST

Leading the Quest to Crack Cosmological Mysteries

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Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics launches national collaboration on deepest questions of dark energy, dark matter and cosmic inflation.

– University of Chicago|2/13/2012 11:00 AM EST

Practice Makes Perfect, But Not When it Comes to Decisions About Risk

People aren’t always good at making informed decisions that involve risk, but a new study shows that even when we know the likelihood of certain outcomes based on statistical evidence or our own experiences, we still make decisions at odds with the probability of their occurrence. The study was conducted by researchers at New York University and Université Paris Descartes.

– New York University|2/13/2012 11:00 AM EST
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