Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States are living with a brain tumor. Gliomas are a particular category of malignant brain tumor that includes glioblastoma - a tumor with a low survival rate. New research uncovers genetic variants associated with an increased risk of glioma.

A new genetic study carried out by a team of international researchers from the United Kingdom, Europe, and the U.S. identifies 13 new genetic errors that correlate with a high risk of glioma. The findings were published in the journal Nature Genetics.

The National Brain Tumor Society estimate that 688,096 U.S. individuals have a brain tumor, and nearly 140,000 of these are malignant.

Brain tumors are quite aggressive and difficult to treat, with an average of only 34.4 percent of the patients surviving 5 years after their initial diagnosis.

Of the different types of brain tumor, glioma is the most common. It describes a type of tumor that grows from the brain's glial cells, which can be found around the neurons, supporting the nerve cells.

Across all brain tumors, gliomas account for approximately 27 percent and are estimated to cause 13,000 yearly cancer deaths in the U.S., according to research quoted in the new study. Gliomas are usually divided into glioblastomas (GBMs) and non-GBM tumors. Patients diagnosed with GBMs have a survival rate as low as 5 percent.

The authors of the new study note that little is known about the environmental factors that contribute to the risk of being diagnosed with glioma. The researchers set out to examine the genetic background for glioma risk.

The team conducted two new genomic studies and added their findings to that of previously existing studies. The result was a meta-analysis of almost 12,500 people with glioma and more than 18,000 healthy, glioma-free controls.

Overall, the scientists identified 13 new genetic variants that raised the risk of glioma: five new loci were identified for GBM, and eight for non-GBM tumors. The study shows that these genetic errors impact various cell functions, including the genesis and division of neurons, cell cycle regulation, DNA repair, and the production of some proteins.

Additionally, the scientists examined how different genetic strands affect a person's chances of developing GBM and non-GBM tumors.

For instance, they found that the expression of the HEATR3 gene increases the risk of GBM by 18 percent, but it has a much lower impact on non-GBM risk.

Study co-leader Richard Houlston, professor of molecular and population genetics at the Institute of Cancer Research in London in the U.K., comments on the significance of these findings:

"The changes in the way we think about glioma could be quite fundamental," Prof. Houston explains. "So for example, what we thought of as two related subtypes of the disease turn out to have quite different genetic causes which may require different approaches to treatment."

Apart from the newly discovered genetic errors, the study also confirmed the role of other genes that have been previously identified and correlated with the risk of brain and other types of cancer.

Before the new study, the total number of genetic variants linked to glioma risk was 13. The new research doubles this number.

"It has been exciting to have been involved in such a gigantic study including cases of brain cancer from all over the world. We have uncovered a treasure trove of new information about the genetic causes of glioma brain cancers.

Understanding the genetics of glioma in such detail allows us to start thinking about ways of identifying people at high inherited risk, and will open up a search for new treatments that exploit our new knowledge of the biology of the disease."

Prof. Richard Houlston

Learn how scientists inhibit brain tumor cell growth and how it could pave the way for new treatment.

More here:
Large-scale study finds genetic errors associated with brain cancer - Medical News Today

WHILE bulls have long been the main provider of genetic power, embryo transfer is just one tool which has lifted the influence of the female side of the pedigree equation.

Not only has ET been the multiplier of a herds top female genetics, it has lifted the overall quality of herds that use it. The result: a surplus becoming available of top females carrying the same genetics as their replacement heifers.

This weeks genetics report continues on from the theme we established last week: the role that registered female sales are currently having in some seedstock enterprises.

Despite 400mm of rain since January generating good feed at Ascot Cattle Cos Warwick, Queensland, headquarters, North Toolburra, and spill-over available at a second company property near Glen Innes, in NSW, the options this year were to sell some registered Angus and Charolais females or buy another property.

The first option was taken, and the 77 heifers offered at Ascots autumn sale last Friday grossed $235,000, delivering 43 percent of the overall sale gross.

Jim Wedge & Jackie Chard from Ascot Cattle Co, North Toolburra, Warwick

Co-principal Jim Wedge was pleased with the result. It was either sell them as registered females or chop their heads off and be wasted to the industry, he said.

Ascot is a 100pc registered herd running up to 700 breeders, with roughly equal numbers of Angus and Charolais, but trending towards Angus.

About 60pc of the Ascot heifers sold last week went to commercial producers and smaller studs. It is suspected some of the heifers also went to large commercial operations, many of which breed some replacement bulls for their own use.

We end up with around 300 heifer calves a year and we keep about 20pc as replacements, so we do have some surplus that are of excellent quality. We use the very best AI sires and back up bulls so the surplus heifers carry the same genetics as our replacements, Mr Wedge said.

The success of this first sale of females ensures the offering remains an important part of their smaller autumn bull sale, with the Ascot spring bull sale remaining the major bull selling event.

Armidale NSW based independent stud stock agent Mike Wilson said adding some registered females to a bull sale catalogue was one relatively easy way to make some extra money.

Once youd be flat out getting much more than commercial value for registered females, but these days we are seeing stud females bringing double or triple what commercial females are bringing, he said.

At one recent sale, young heifers, some joined and some not, had a reserve of $2000 and they finished up averaging more than $3000, Mr Wilson said.

Another example was a well-known Angus and Hereford breeder in central New South Wales who had a production sale of surplus registered females, generating enough to buy another property and set his son up.

But Mike Wilson had a note of caution. It only works for studs with a decent name, top line studs with good reputations that have genuine quality females to sell, he said.

Blake Munro

Queensland-based Elders agent Blake Munro said he would not call the additional registered females coming on the market presently a trend.

Weve all seen it: studs taking advantage of a buoyant cattle market, other studs buying up special genetics and commercial herds upgrading, he said.

Cashed-up commercial producers buying in a few better quality heifers to improve herds is certainly happening.

Another good example of the strong current demand for registered females, according to Mr Munro, is David and Prue Bondfields Palgrove Charolais Stud on the Qld/NSW border, which enjoyed a successful female sale earlier this month.

Palgrove does not hold an annual female sale, but its one held when conditions are right and surplus females are available, Mr Munro said.

One of the worlds most influential Angus seedstock producers, Gardiner Angus Ranch (GAR), lost 500 cattle in the last weeks wildfires in the state of Kansas in the US.

The giant GAR operation, which has a strong influence in the Australias Angus population, sells around 1000 bulls at three annual auctions, which in 2016 grossed close to $9 million for bulls and registered females.

Greg Gardiner with Angus heifers salvaged from the recent fires on Gardiner Ranch in Kansas

Five generations of Gardiners have been through droughts, blizzards and snow storms but the recent fire will go down as the familys most challenging event ever. The usual lush green cover at this time of the year has been replaced with black charred country and blowing sand reported the Drovers Cattle Network.

None of us thought the fire had this breadth and scope to it and it could do what it did, said Greg Gardiner. This is something weve never seen in our lifetime.

Fortunately, there were no lives lost at GAR, but his brother, Marks home was burnt to the ground.

Of GARs 19,200 hectares of country, 16,800ha were grass and virtually all that was burned. The ranch also lost 6000 large round bales of hay that were strategically stored over an 8km stretch, so that not all would be lost in the case of a fire.

The 500 destroyed cattle were not insured, according to Drovers Cattle Network.

On the brighter side, GARs valuable donor cows survived the fire, saving multiple generations of genetics.

If we would have lost those genetics, we would be up the river, said Greg Gardiner.

GARs biggest sale of the year is this coming Saturday, April 1, when 1025 head including 420 bulls, 377 registered females and 150 commercial females have been catalogued. At last years April sale bulls averaged $US8826 and registered females averaged $US6090.

US media sources indicated that the April 1 sale will proceed.

Go here to read the rest:
Weekly genetics review: Gender equality being seen in seedstock industry - Beef Central

Despite their focus on rare genetic syndromes, the researchers say their work will be helpful to the millions worldwide who have lost control of their weight for reasons other than genetics.

"If you know the gene and the function of the gene, then you know which biological mechanism is defective," said David Meyre, senior author of the study and an associate professor at McMaster University's School of Medicine in Ontario, Canada. This knowledge of obesity genetics, then, can be applied to more common forms of the condition, he said.

A case in point would be leptin, which is a hormone produced by the body's fat cells and is found to be deficient in some people due to genetic mutations. The gene responsible for producing the "satiety hormone," as leptin is known, was first identified in 1990. Since then, knowledge of this gene has shifted our understanding of fat cells and how weight gain occurs.

"The reason we studied this is very simple," said Meyre. "Every time I was writing a research paper and I was describing what we knew about the genetics of obesity, I didn't have a reference." One day, he decided to write the necessary reference himself, since he suspected the 20 to 30 commonly known genetic syndromes might be, in fact, an underestimation.

"For the study, we focused on monogenic forms of obesity," said Meyre. He explained that monogenic or "Mendelian" forms mean that if you have one mutation, you develop the disease. "It's not that it increases your risk, it's 100% sure you develop the disease," he said. For example, Huntington's disease, a progressive brain disorder that causes uncontrolled movements and loss of thinking ability, is caused by a single inherited gene mutation.

The monogenic obesity syndromes are very rare, Meyre noted, so rare they may collectively represent only 0.5% of the obese population in Canada -- one in a million births.

Meyre and his colleagues from McMaster University and University of British Columbia searched seven databases for papers on the topic. The team adopted a systematic strategy for reviewing the scientific literature, which included two independent reviews of each paper.

All told, the researchers analyzed 161 papers and found 79 obesity syndromes reported in the scientific literature.

"My intuition was correct," said Meyre.

In the monogenic obesity syndromes, not only does the genetic defect result in obesity but it also causes additional abnormal features, including mental disability, characteristic facial features, kidney disease and heart malformation.

Of the 79 syndromes identified, 19 had the genetics worked out completely so that a simple lab test would be able to confirm the condition. Another 11 had been partially clarified, while 27 had been mapped to a chromosomal region. For the remaining 22 syndromes, researchers had not yet identified the genes or location along the chromosomes.

"Identifying genes is very important for the families," said Meyre. He explained that some of the more common syndromes have been treated with a hormone that works very well to improve symptoms. If the genetics are worked out for each of these syndromes, that should enable scientists to find or develop appropriate treatments.

"We also hope that our study will help clinicians to recognize these syndromes," said Meyre. Since in the entire course of their careers, doctors may encounter just one, maybe two patients with these syndromes, most of the time, due to a lack of familiarity and information, the conditions go unrecognized and patients do not get help.

Additionally, the results will help scientists better understand the genes and molecules important to obesity among members of the general population.

Mary Freivogel, president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, found the comprehensive nature of the new study to be a strength.

"One weakness of the study is that some of these obesity syndromes are so rare that it was not possible for the authors to determine how often the syndrome occurs in the general population nor how reliable the information reported about the syndrome was," said Freivogel, who played no part in the new study.

"Most of the obesity in the United States is NOT syndromic, said Freivogel. She explained that the overwhelming majority of cases are "polygenic and multifactorial," meaning it has resulted from a combination of multiple genetic factors, as well as environmental and lifestyle factors. Freivogel added that anyone wishing to undergo a genetic test might want to talk with a counselor to ensure the test is the right choice and any results are interpreted correctly.

Beales, who was not involved in the new study, also felt pleased that someone had updated this "specialised category of obesity." However, he disagrees with the recommendation proposed by Meyre and his co-authors to name each disease after the scientists who discovered them.

"This is an antiquated notion and unhelpful," said Beales, who observed the preferred name for DiGeorge syndrome -- a common genetic disorder resulting in cognitive impairment and other medical complications -- is now called Deletion22 syndrome, which is a more useful way to look at the disease.

Still, the work has its virtues, said Beales.

"I think where a catalogue of this nature is valuable is that it provides a good resource for researchers who are interested in extrapolating from rare to common," said Beales. "The Mendelian disorders have an untapped potential to reveal mechanistic insights (and possibly new treatments) to common (non-syndromic) obesity."

Dr. Liam R. Brunham, an assistant professor of medicine at University of British Columbia, said the most remarkable finding of the review may be that of the 79 obesity syndromes, the genetic basis of only one-quarter of them is known. Very likely, then, there is "a huge amount regarding the genetics of obesity that remains to be discovered," said Brunham. He was not involved in the study.

Using leptin as an example, Brunham said there's much that can be learned regarding the biology of obesity from even a single gene.

"This suggests that discovering the genetic basis of the remaining obesity syndromes will yield huge advances in our understanding of obesity, which could lead to new opportunities for its treatment and prevention," said Brunham.

Here is the original post:
The weirder side of obesity: genetic forms of obesity are rare yet numerous - CNN

Back in 2015, I ran a three part post (1,2,3) on Dr Kenneth Blum and his claim to be able to treat what he calls Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) with nutritional supplements.

Today my interest was drawn to a 2015 paper from Blum and colleagues, called Neuroquantum Theories of Psychiatric Genetics: Can Physical Forces Induce Epigenetic Influence on Future Genomes?.

In this paper, Blum et al. put forward some novel proposals about possible links between physics, epigenetics, and neuroscience. For instance, the authors ask whether an early human getting high after eating a root might have provided the human race with a genetic memory of intoxication:

It is quite possible that a cave man ingesting Mandragova officianarum (mandrake root) a psychoactive substance with extreme aphrodisiacal powers may have experienced an effect, which passed through genetic memory to his offspring and later generations. The experience, which was stored as a pleasant one, may or may not be experienced later in the recipient offspring. Nevertheless, suitable extragenetic stimuli may have triggered consciousness of that stored pleasurable experience for future generations. Given that extra-genetic triggering action (possibly certain chemicals, toxins, etc. having epigenetic effects), the recipient offspring may believe it to be a fantasy or hallucination, whereas in reality, the experience may have its origin as far back as reordered history, or even as far back as the first intake of mandrake root.

This theory reminds me of the work of another speculative historian of genetic memory, a certain L. Ron Hubbard. Blum et al.s paper features several strange ideas such as this one.

To be fair, it does include some more sensible material, including expositions of pertinent topics in physics and philosophy. However, sadly, not all of this material is original. Yes, Ive been plagiarism hunting again.

For instance, Blum et al. opens with a series of paragraphs about cosmology which appear to be rather closely based on a pair of articles by Adam Frank and Zeeya Merali published in 2010 in this very Discover Magazine. Franks post is not cited at all; Meralis is, but not in such a way as to make it clear that the text has been adapted from it. Heres Turnitins analysis of the overlap between Blum et al. and Franks post:

Heres a paragraph from Frank:

The implicit understanding is that natures rules are eternal, unbreakable, and all-controlling. As Albert Einstein once said, learning to read the laws of physics is like reading the mind of God. Such thinking has animated much of the enterprise of physics ever since Isaac Newton formulated his laws of universal gravitation in 1687: one set of laws for both the heavens and the earth. The idea took full root a century ago, when Einstein developed his general theory of relativity. If we work hard enough, he suggested, we will eventually find the elegant and simple rules that undergird the entire universe. Physicists have taken it as an article of faith that the bedrock laws are there to be discovered, if only we are clever enough in looking for them. The dogged pursuit of that ultimate truth has led to many great discoveries, but recently it has begun to seem like a promise unkept.

And heres the corresponding text from Blum et al.:

It is implied that natures rules are eternal, unbreakable, and all controlling. Ideas like these have fueled much of the physics field since Isaac Newton had formulated his laws of universal gravitation in 1687. His concepts took root approximately a century ago, when Einstein had also developed his general relativity theory. However, careful scrutiny of the so called book of physics and the pursuit of this truth has led to many great physics discoveries, but unfortunately has begun to seem like an unkept promise in the clear understanding of our universe.

Its perhaps not the worst case of plagiarism Ive seen, but its still clear that Blum et al. reused text from Discover and edited it.

Maybe, though, we cant hold the authors responsible for this copying. Perhaps they were merely unconsciously acting out an inherited genetic memory a memory formed millions of years ago, the day one monkey first copied the behaviour of another?

h/tSmut Clyde; see also his coverage of Blums cheese-based imagery.

Blum, K., Braverman, E., Waite, R., Archer, T., Thanos, P., Badgaiyan, R., Febo, M., Dushaj, K., Li, M., & Gold, M. (2015). Neuroquantum Theories of Psychiatric Genetics: Can Physical Forces Induce Epigenetic Influence on Future Genomes? NeuroQuantology, 13 (1) DOI: 10.14704/nq.2015.13.1.799

Continued here:
Cosmic Dopamine: On Neuroquantum Theories of Psychiatric Genetics - Discover Magazine (blog)

Industry veteran Mel Frank speaks with the duo about genetics, the international seed market, the hype around THC and more.

This article originally appeared in the March 2017 print edition ofCannabis Business Times. To subscribe, clickhere.

DNA Genetics exemplifies the modern cultivation business one that was attracted to the industry out of a love for the plant and now carefully balances the culture of the cannabis community with a hugely successful, global business. Since opening in 2003, the company, owned by brothers Don and Aaron, has grown to approximately 40 employees and has operations in California, Amsterdam, Canada and Chile.

DNA has a track record with which few can compete including more than 150 awards for their genetics and induction into the High Times Seed Bank Hall of Fame in 2009. And recently, the duo has been forging a new track, not only with their thriving seed company, but through a consulting business that has already landed them a partnership with Canadian cannabis titan Tweed, Inc. (a subsidiary of Canopy Growth Corporation).

We have added an award-winning global powerhouse in breeding and genetics, acclaimed for the unique strain profiles their cannabis possesses," said Tweed President Mark Zekulin in a press release announcing the partnership in October 2015. According to the release, The only place where Canadian patients will be able to acquire true, certified DNA strains grown to DNA standards will be Tweed.

Here, Don and Aaron are interviewed by one of the most well-known names in cannabis cultivation, Mel Frank. Frank has nearly five decades of cultivation experience, is an internationally recognized marijuana book author, publisher and photographer, and has been contributing original articles to cannabis magazines since 1976.

In this revealing interview, Frank talks with Don and Aaron about the origins of and current state of the international seed market, genetics and the future of patents in the industry, why the hype around THC is misguided, an announcement the team makes publicly here for the first time, and more.

To read the full article inCannabis Business Times'March edition, clickhere.

Original post:
An Exclusive Q&A with DNA Genetics' Don and Aaron - Cannabis Business Times

The premise of the Darwin Awards, [which are annuallygiven tothose who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it,] is that common sense is heritable. In other words, we pass it on to our kids. But do we?

Genetics influence all these things. In fact the first law of behavior genetics, says Stuart Ritchie, who recently wrote a book on the scientific study of intelligence, is that all human psychological traits are partly heritable.

For instance, risky behavioris partly genetic. An identical and fraternal twin study published in Behavior Genetics suggests that 60 percent of differences in mens desire for new, unusual,and risky experiences (sensation seeking) is heritable.

Because so many genes make up a given polygenic trait, however, the precise genetic equation of common sense and other characteristics is unknownAnother way genetics may affect common sense is through our environment.

For example, a study published in Emotion, Space,and Society explains that environmental factors can change the way DNA is folded, thereby affecting traits such as mood regulation and impulse control.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Is Common Sense Genetic?

For more background on the Genetic Literacy Project, read GLP on Wikipedia.

Read this article:
Why some people make stupid choices? Genetics may hold the answer - Genetic Literacy Project

Cancer Genetics, Inc. (CGIX) belongs to the Healthcare sector with an industry focus on Medical Laboratories & Research, with Mr. Panna Sharma as Chief Exec. Officer, Pres and Director.

The company has been one of the biggest innovators in Medical Laboratories & Research employing approximately 223 full time employees.

Key Statistics:

Financials:

The company reported an impressive total revenue of 27.05 Million in the last fiscal year.

If you look at the companys income statement over the past years, you will see that the company is constantly posting gross profit: In 2014, CGIX earned gross profit of 1.75 Million, in 2015 3.94 Million gross profit, while in 2016 Cancer Genetics, Inc. (CGIX) produced 9.95 Million profit.

Currently the shares of Cancer Genetics, Inc. (CGIX) has a trading volume of 1.87 Million shares, with an average trading volume of 970625 shares with shares dropping to a 52 week low of $1.1 on Nov 4, 2016, and the companys shares hitting a 52 week high on Mar 24, 2017 of $3.95.

Looking at the current price of the stock and the 52 week high and low, it suggests that the stock is likely to go Down in the future.

Earnings per share (EPS) breaks down the profitability of the company on a single share basis, and for Cancer Genetics, Inc. the EPS stands at -0.23 for the previous quarter, while the analysts predicted the EPS of the stock to be -0.28, suggesting the stock exceeded the analysts expectations.

Another critical number in evaluating a stock is P/E or the price to earnings ratio.

The TTM operating margin is -65.9%. The return on invested capital at -54.5%, which is good, compared to its peers.

The Free Cash Flow or FCF margin is 0%, which means that the business has healthy reserve funds for contingencies that may arise.

Stock is currently moving with a positive distance from the 200 day simple moving average of approximately 103.68%, and has a solid year to date (YTD) performance of 188.89% which means the stock is constantly adding to its value from the previous fiscal year end price.

Future Expectations:

The target price for Cancer Genetics, Inc. (CGIX) is $6/share according to the consensus of analysts working on the stock, with an expected EPS of $-0.22/share for the current quarter.

The companys expected revenue in the current quarter to be 7.1 Million, seeing a projected current quarter growth of 53.2%, and per annum growth estimates over the next 5 year period of around 40%.

Original post:
Cancer Genetics, Inc. closed with a change of 16.42% in the Previous Trading Session - Free Observer

Over the last decade, the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) have been key areas of research into complex disease genetics.

More than 100 genes have been identified that increase the risk of these conditions developing, confirming that a strong genetic element is involved. Although scientists still do not understand exactly what causes Crohns and UC to develop, it is known that the bowel inflammation tends to arise in response to bacteria in the gut among people who are genetically pre-disposed to the conditions.

In 2006, all 22,000 genes of the human genome across 6,000 individuals were scanned by researchers. As reported in Nature Genetics, the scientists said that around 50% of the people had Crohns disease and the remainder did not, showing that genetics is a key element in the development of these diseases. They also said that identifying the predisposing genes could lead to the development of new treatment approaches. Several initiatives are now in place to use todays scientific technologies and knowledge to help achieve this goal and two of these are described in more detail below.

The Crohns & Colitis Foundation (CCFA) has launched a project called the IBD Genetics Initiative, which involves leading scientists in the field who hope to use science and technology to discover new ways of curing or preventing the development of Crohn's disease.

To date, 165 IBD-associated genes have been identified, but their functions are not yet understood. The goals of the IBD Genetics Initiative are to:

So far, the initiative has led to the discovery of at least two gene pathways that can already be targeted using existing drugs, with one already having been confirmed as safe for use in humans.

In a world-wide collaboration over recent years, the IIBDGC has been gathering large datasets from a wide variety of countries in order to discover IBD-associated genes and also explore what the associations mean. The consortiums latest article involved twelve groups of research analysts who used advanced statistical methods to identify patterns across the genes.

This provided new understanding about IBD risk that could not be provided by single locus analysis. Specifically, the research led to the finding that, as well as IBD genetically resembling other immune conditions, it is especially closely associated with particular inflammatory disorders such as psoriasis. The risk of IBD is not just associated with immune system changes, but with a certain subset of immune cells and signals. The risk is not only associated with susceptibility to bacterial infection, but in particular, with susceptibility to bacteria from the family that includes tuberculosis and leprosy.

The IIBDGC says that times have changed compared to five years ago, with disease gene discovery no longer being the challenging aspect; the focus of future studies should be to examine the new associations found and transform any findings into a deeper understanding of biology.

Reviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, MSc

Read more from the original source:
Genetics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) - News-Medical.net

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 24, 2017 / The companies' saw their stocks rise on Thursday based on the recent news that both will have a relatively stable financials to operate from. News of Therapix IPO was more successful than projected, while Cancer Genetics gave investors several reasons to cheer. Investors and owners in these companies may expect a better 2017. Therapix is conducting research on the use of cannabinoids as an alternative form of treatment for specific diseases and disorders.

RDI Initiates Coverage:

Cancer Genetics Inc. https://ub.rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=CGIX

Therapix Biosciences Ltd. https://ub.rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=TRPX

Cancer Genetics climbed up $0.45 per share on Thursday, to close at $3.35. In a press release, the company revealed its 4th quarter earnings and full year earnings for 2016. Highlights from the report are that its 2016 revenues were up a full 50% from 2015, rising by $9 million, from $18 million to $27 million. Fourth quarter revenues were not as spectacular, but great, rising by more than 30% to $7.2 million. One of the reasons for its consistent growth is its business relationship with 9 of the top 10 pharmaceutical and biotech companies around the world. These relationships offer better opportunities for future growth. The company had $9.5 million of cash and cash equivalents available on its books as on December31st, 2016, as compared to $19.5 million of the same reported at the end of year 2015 and it has reported a loss of $15.8 million or $1.00 per share for the year 2016. Cancer Genetics has raised $12 million through debt financing and additional $1 million through non-dilutive capital in the current quarter.

Access RDI's Cancer Genetics Research Report at: https://ub.rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=CGIX

The company announced its IPO on Thursday, with the stock closing at $10.13 a share, up $1.15. Therapix Biosciences is a company that specializes in developing clinical-stage pharmaceuticals that are cannabinoid-based. The original IPO was for 2,000,000 American Depository Shares (ADS), with each ADS consisting of 40 ordinary shares of the company. The opening price was $6.00 per share. Projections are that the gross proceeds of the initial offering will be $12 million, before deduction of underwriting discounts, commissions and general offering expenses. The money raised will be used to advance the development of its two leading drug candidates, THX-TS01 which is targeted treat Tourette Syndrome, and THX-ULD01 which is targeted address the high value and underserved market of mild cognitive impairments. Both candidates are being prepared for FDA Phase 2 testing.

Access RDI's Therapix Biosciences Research Report at: https://ub.rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=TRPX

Our Actionable Research on Cancer Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: CGIX) and Therapix Biosciences Ltd. (NASDAQ: TRPX) can be downloaded free of charge at Research Driven Investing.

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Disclaimer: This article is written by an independent contributor of RDInvesting.com and reviewed by Hemal K. Gandhi, a CFA charter holder. RDInvesting.com is neither a registered broker dealer nor a registered investment advisor. For more information please read our full disclaimer at http://www.rdinvesting.com/disclaimer.

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See the original post:
Cancer Genetics and Therapix Biosciences Get Financial Boost - Yahoo Finance

Roughly two-thirds of all cancers are caused by natural mistakes in DNA that occur when normal cells make copies of themselves, a new study published in the journal Science reports.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore made this discovery while trying to figure out why perfectly healthy people who take steps to avoid cancer still come down with the disease.

These cancers will occur no matter how perfect the environment, said study co-author Dr. Bert Vogelstein, a cancer geneticist at Johns Hopkins University, according to Reuters.

The team reached this conclusion by looking at cancer studies from 69 countries around the world. This allowed them to determine that, on average, random DNA mistakes are much more likely to cause the disease than any other factor.

While researchers often study many well-known cancer causes, such as smoking, they usually ignore the risk from random mistakes that occur each time a normal cell divides into two new cells. The study showed these mistakes are quite common and have not been given proper attention in past research.

In fact, this is the first time that scientists have given a credible estimate of the proportion of cancers caused by random genetic errors. The team derived their findings through a mathematical model they built, which used DNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and disease data from the Cancer Research UK database to look at aberrant cell growth mutations in 32 different types of cancer.

Despite some minor variations, the team concluded that nearly 66 percent of cancerous mutations are the result of copy errors. Beyond that, 29 percent are caused by lifestyle or the environment, and 5 percent are inherited.

This is an exciting discovery because it could change the way doctors and scientists look at the disease. This is because most experts believe that cancers are typically the result of preventable lifestyle factors, environmental factors, or inherited genetic defects.

Though most of the noted mutations cannot be prevented, studying the alterations could help researchers find better or more efficient methods of early detection.

The problem we see is theres so little work done on any of those modalities for early detection, said Bert Vogelstein, co-director of the Ludwig Center at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, according to Forbes. Were still stuck with the same [technologies] that were used 50 years ago. We hope this will change the tide.

The team notes that even if most cancers are the result of bad luck, people can work to avoid other causes. A healthy lifestyle and good prevention practices still go a long way.

Joseph Scalise is an experienced writer who has worked for many different online websites across many different mediums. While his background is mainly rooted in sports writing, he has also written and edited guides, ebooks, short stories and screenplays. In addition, he performs and writes poetry, and has won numerous contests. Joseph is a dedicated writer, sports lover and avid reader who covers all different topics, ranging from space exploration to his personal favorite science, microbiology.

Joseph Scalise is an experienced writer who has worked for many different online websites across many different mediums. While his background is mainly rooted in sports writing, he has also written and edited guides, ebooks, short stories and screenplays. In addition, he performs and writes poetry, and has won numerous contests. Joseph is a dedicated writer, sports lover and avid reader who covers all different topics, ranging from space exploration to his personal favorite science, microbiology.

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Nearly 66 percent of cancers are result of random genetics, study reports - Science Recorder