There is no doubt the age of wearable monitors is upon us. Sales of physical activity monitors have increased dramatically from 15 million in 2014 to 65 million in 2017, according to Statista.com. A 2017 study by Juniper Research estimates that the use of fitness trackers will double by 2021.…

A team of academic and industry researchers in California has developed a new technique that further demonstrates the utility of CRISPR-Cas technology in the diagnostic space. The researchers have developed a novel graphene-based biosensor, named CRISPR-Chip, that enables digital detection of a specific genetic mutation from a patient’s DNA sample,…

Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders have stumped the medical community for decades, but now with advanced computational methods researchers are uncovering molecular mechanisms behind these devastating diseases.  In a study published in bioRxiv on March 17, scientists at Scripps Research Institute reveal how disease-associated mutations disrupt pre-mRNA splicing of…

After scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute last month published findings that called the precision of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing into question, three public companies focused on the technology saw their share prices fall to their 2018 lows before starting to climb back. Between March 9 and August 20: CRISPR Therapeutics…

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the California Institute for Biomedical Research (CALIBR) have found that some types of small-molecule drugs, including marketed anticancer drugs, may work in part by binding to disease-related noncoding RNAs. Their discovery could open up new avenues of research for developing small-molecule drugs against…

Wave Life Sciences will use Deep Genomics’ machine learning-driven biomedical platform to discover novel therapies for treating genetic neuromuscular disorders, the companies said today, through a collaboration whose value was not disclosed. Under the collaboration, the companies have agreed to analyze and test oligonucleotides against potential therapeutic targets within multiple…

A messenger RNA (mRNA) does more than provide ribosomes a template for creating a sequence of amino acids. It also conveys regulatory information, including so-called stop codons. But just as cars sometimes drive through stop signals on the road, ribosomes sometimes “read through” an mRNA’s stop codon, staying attached to…

A platform for gene delivery and tumor therapy has been introduced that harnesses the power of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system. At the same time, the platform avoids some of the drawbacks of the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Specifically, the platform can cope with CRISPR-Cas9’s sheer bulk, achieving highly efficient and targeted delivery…

Following are further product and service announcements made at the American Society of Human Genetics 2017 Annual Meeting, held Oct. 17-21 in Orlando, FL. CombiMatrix Presents Data from Genomic Abnormalities Study CombiMatrix presented new data at ASHG from a large-scale, first-of-its kind study showing that genomic alterations decrease in frequency…

Synpromics says growing global demand has prompted the developer of gene control and synthetic promoter technology to relocate to expanded facilities in Edinburgh, Scotland. The company has moved into more than 5,000 square feet at the Roslin Innovation Centre, based at the University of Edinburgh’s Easter Bush Campus. Synpromics’ new…

Molecular diagnostics and technology company Genomic Vision has announced a collaboration with AstraZeneca that will leverage Genomic Vision's FiberVision DNA molecular combing technology to study WEE1 kinase inhibition in cancer. The companies will study the effects of AZ's WEE1 inhibitor on DNA replication progression in cancer cells, and also seek…

Natera yesterday reported a 6.8% year-over-year decline in fourth-quarter revenues, though revenues for all of 2016 rose 14% over 2015, and the company’s number of tests processed jumped last year. The developer of molecular diagnostic tests reported Q4 revenues of $49.3 million, down from $52.9 million in the year-ago quarter.…

Children diagnosed with Canavan disease, who have always faced a grim prognosis—the inability to speak, walk, or maintain head control for their short lifespans with this fatal rare neurodegenerative disorder—may soon be treatable, even “curable.” At the 31st annual European Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ESCGT) meeting, BridgeBio presented…