NEWS

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Revivicor Inc‘s first-of-its-kind intentional genomic alteration (IGA) in a line of domestic pigs, referred to as GalSafe pigs, which may be used for food or human therapeutics. This is the first IGA in an animal that the FDA has approved for both human food consumption … Read more

People who have mild or moderate COVID-19 could benefit from the results of a Phase 2/3 safety and efficacy clinical trial to evaluate a combination investigational monoclonal antibody therapy. The two experimental antibodies, BRII-196 and BRII-198, target SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The trial, known as ACTIV-2, is sponsored by the National Institute of … Read more

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), established in 1958, is an agency within the Department of Defense (DOD) responsible for catalyzing the development of technologies that maintain and advance the capabilities and technical superiority of the U.S. military. In short, it’s the way the U.S. military tries to prevent technical surprise. Product Service Code: … Read more

A clinical study involves research using human volunteers (also called participants) that is intended to add to medical knowledge. There are two main types of clinical studies: clinical trials (also called interventional studies) and observational studies. In a clinical trial, participants receive specific interventions according to the research plan or protocol created by the investigators. … Read more

Can researchers synthesize an organism’s entire genome? The answer to this question is yes, and it has already been done. In 2002, scientists in the US synthesized a viral genome for the first time. Viral genomes are much smaller compared to the genomes of most bacteria and microorganisms. Scientists showed that it was possible to create the … Read more

The goal of the National Insitute of Health’s (NIH) Common Fund’s 4D Nucleome (4DN) program is to study the three-dimensional organization of the nucleus in space and time (the 4th dimension). The nucleus of a cell contains DNA, the genetic “blueprint” that encodes all of the genes a living organism uses to produce proteins needed … Read more

In many cases, health insurance plans will cover the costs of genetic testing when it is recommended by a doctor. Health insurance providers have different policies about which tests are covered, however. Some people may choose not to use their insurance to pay for testing because the results of a genetic test can affect a … Read more

On August 7, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first liquid biopsy companion diagnostic that also uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to identify patients with specific types of mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in a deadly form of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This is the … Read more

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 to: Emmanuelle CharpentierMax Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin, Germany Jennifer A. DoudnaUniversity of California, Berkeley, USA Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna have discovered one of gene technology’s sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. Using these, … Read more

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarding Genomic Innovator Awards to nine institutions to support the research of 12 early career scientists in the field of genomics. The awards total up to $27 million over five years, subject to the availability of funds. The Genomic Innovator … Read more