Biotech News Headlines

A new study sets the stage for wider use of gene testing in early pregnancy. Scanning the genes of a fetus reveals far more about potential health risks than current prenatal testing does, say researchers who compared both methods in thousands of pregnancies nationwide.

California has transformed into a major player in stem cell research, but the taxpayer-funded institute responsible has "significant deficiencies" in how research dollars are distributed, experts ...

Mosquito control officials in the Florida Keys are waiting for the federal government to sign off on an experiment that would release hundreds of thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce the risk of dengue fever in the tourist town of Key West.

California has transformed into a powerhouse player in stem cell research, but the taxpayer-funded institute responsible for that needs an overhaul, a report released Thursday found.

LONDON (Reuters) - Ten international drug companies are to team up with scientists from 11 European countries to create a bank of stem cells for a project aimed at speeding up the development of new medicines. StemBANCC, coordinated by Swiss drugmaker Roche and managed by scientists at Oxford University, aims to use so-called …

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have unpicked the brain processes involved in teenage alcohol abuse and say their findings help explain why some young people have more of a tendency to binge drink. A study published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal found that a gene known as RASGRF-2 plays …

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists from Britain, Germany and the United States have unlocked key components of the genetic code for wheat, helping to create varieties that are more productive and better able to cope with disease, drought and other crop stresses. The identification of around 96,000 wheat genes, and insights into …

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A gene that keeps embryos alive appears to control the immune system and determine how it fights chronic diseases like hepatitis and HIV, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, scientists said on Monday. Although the experts have only conducted studies on the gene Arih2 using mice, they …

Gene Chizik led Auburn to perhaps the greatest season in the program's history, and two years later to maybe its worst.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New, non-invasive tests for chromosomal disorders should be reserved for pregnant women with a higher-than-average risk of having a baby with Down syndrome, doctors said this week. The screening tests, which find small amounts of DNA from the fetus in the blood of pregnant women, can help diagnose …

PARIS (Reuters) - When Sanofi boss Chris Viehbacher first met staff at Genzyme, the U.S. biotech he had just acquired after a long takeover battle, he told them he did not want "planeloads of people coming from Paris over here to kind of Sanofize Genzyme". More than one year later, the German-Canadian, who is Sanofi's first …

Scientists have identified a new gene variant that seems to strongly raise the risk for Alzheimer's disease, giving a fresh target for research into treatments for the mind-robbing disorder.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two international teams of scientists have identified a rare mutation in a gene linked with inflammation that significantly increases the risk for the most common form of Alzheimer's disease, the first such discovery in at least a decade. The findings, published on Wednesday in the New England Journal …

When Michael Blair was sent to death row for the infamous murder of a 7-year-old Texas girl, he insisted he never killed anyone. More than a decade later, genetic testing showed he was telling the truth.

Researchers are reporting a key advance in using stem cells to repair hearts damaged by heart attacks. In a study, stem cells donated by strangers proved as safe and effective as patients' own cells for helping restore heart tissue.

(Reuters) - Stem cells culled from the bone marrow of healthy donors work as well or even better as cells harvested from patients themselves as a treatment for damaged hearts and are more convenient to use, according to new research. The 13-month trial was the first to compare the safety and effectiveness of so-called mesenchymal, …

(Reuters) - BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc said a late-stage trial of its experimental genetic disorder drug met the main goal of improving patients' walking ability when administered weekly, sending the company's shares up 30 percent to a life-high. Analysts said the trial data was strong enough for an approval, especially …

LONDON (Reuters) - European officials have approved the Western world's first gene therapy drug from a small Dutch biotech company, in a milestone for the novel medical technology that fixes faulty genes. The formal clearance from the European Commission paves the way for a launch next summer of the treatment for an ultra …

SANTA FE, N.M. - Police in New Mexico say Gene Hackman was acting in self-defence when he slapped a homeless man who had become aggressive toward the Oscar-winning actor and his wife.

Police in New Mexico say Gene Hackman was acting in self-defense when he slapped a homeless man who had become aggressive toward the Oscar-winning actor and his wife.

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen, Kentucker Audley, Amy Seimetz and Gene Jones have joined the cast of Ti West's "The Sacrament," the filmmakers announced on Monday. IM Global is handling international sales and will continue selling to foreign buyers this week at the American Film Market. CAA is repping …

Television movie critic Gene Shalit faces a charge of driving to endanger after his vehicle struck a utility pole and came to rest against a home in western Massachusetts.

A federal judge sided on Tuesday with environmental groups that challenged the planting of genetically-modified crops on National Wildlife Refuges in the South.