TGIF everyone! Let’s round out the week with the latest biotech news:

GENETIC TESTS HELP LUNG CANCER DRUGS REACH RIGHT PATIENTS – Two recently-released studies suggest that diagnostic tests that look for specific genetic or molecular characteristics may be the key to helping doctors decide which lung cancer treatments work best for patients. Reuters reports:

In one, researchers found AstraZeneca’s lung cancer pill Iressa, or gefitinib, worked far better than chemotherapy in people from East Asia whose tumors had specific mutations in genes for the epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR.

In another, a Spanish team found that people in Europe whose tumors also had mutations in the EGFR gene were more likely to be helped by Roche’s erlotinib, brand name Tarceva, than other lung cancer patients.

Both studies, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reinforce prior findings and offer new evidence that screening tests may be useful to match patients with the best therapy.

SCIENTISTS DEVELOP HIGH-YIELD DEEP WATER RICE – Rice is a staple food for billions around the world. While productivity has increased dramatically in the past few decades, yields must double to meet increased need by 2050, the AP reports. A team of Japanese scientists has discovered genes that enable rice to survive high water, providing hope for better rice production in lowland areas that are affected by flooding.

The genes, called SNORKEL genes, help rice grow longer stems to deal with higher water levels. Deep-water rice generally produces lower-yield rice plants. But the researchers report they have succeeded in introducing the genes to rice varieties that are higher-yield.

“Scientifically, the gene that we found is rare but clear proof of a biological ability to adapt to a harsh environment,” [Motoyuki Ashikari, who headed the project] said. “It’s a genetic strategy specifically to survive flooding.”

PAIRING ARTIFICIAL VIRUSES WITH POLYMERS COULD TREAT OVARIAN CANCER – Researchers at MIT are manufacturing tiny artificial viruses out of biodegradeable polymers and injecting them into mice with tumors, reports masshightech.com.

“We’re very excited. We can cure mice. We want to treat people but there are a lot of steps until we get there,” said Daniel Anderson, the lead researcher on the project.

The research is part of the growing field of nanotherapy, a research area that has the potential to create an arsenal of new cancer drugs that attack only the sick cells, leaving the healthy cells alone. It’s a revolution that could some day put an end to the 6 to 8 hours-long chemotherapy infusions, the hair loss and the nausea that are routine for many who battle cancer today.

REPORT SUPPORTS USE OF WOODY BIOMASS FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION – A University of Washington report says woody biomass may be the state’s best opportunity to develop biofuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reports the Seattle Times. The report by the UW School of Forest Resources say woody biomass is the most abundant and sustainable state resource that can be converted into liquid fuels to replace gasoline and diesel.