Bone Marrow Donation Less Painful, Potentially Profitable

December 19, 2011 | by

The National Marrow Donation Program (NMDP), which maintains the “Be The Match” registry to help provide individuals who would benefit from bone marrow donation with potential donors, is currently at odds with a ruling made by the Ninth Circuit Court in California. The court ruled that, while it’s not legal to compensate organ donors in the United States for their donation, one of the bone marrow-donating procedures isn’t “technically” organ donation — it’s blood donation — and donors can therefore be compensated.

Bone marrow harvest

The Genetics of Panic Disorder

December 19, 2007 | by

A study published earlier this year in the American Journal of Medical Genetics suggests that lymphoblast gene expression may be used to identify biomarkers for panic disorder. Researchers at the University of Iowa evaluated gene expression profiles in lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) cultured from patients with and without panic disorder and found specific disorder- and sex-related differences [1]. A blood test for panic disorder and other mental health conditions based on the study results is being developed. However, a commercial diagnostic test may be premature as the study results are far from conclusive.