Metabolites News and Research

RSS

PSC activation mechanisms help develop novel therapeutic approaches for pancreatic fibrosis

Fibrosis is a key feature of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The extensive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins fosters the development of an exocrine and endocrine organ insufficiency, and accelerates progression of the tumour. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) are the principal effector cells in pancreatic fibrosis. They are activated by profibrogenic mediators, which include, for example, cytokines and ethanol metabolites.

18 Sep 2009

DDI Predict 2009 edition assessing the risk of potential drug-drug interactions released

Aureus Pharma, a leading provider of knowledge management solutions to accelerate discovery in the life sciences industry, announces today the release of the 2009 Edition of DDI Predict. This innovative software application adds a number of enhancements to assess the risk of potential drug-drug interactions including those involving multiple enzymatic pathways.

17 Sep 2009

Natural food compounds may play a vital role in cancer treatment

Research in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University suggests that some natural food compounds, which previously have been studied for their ability to prevent cancer, may be able to play a more significant role in treating it - working side-by-side with the conventional drugs that are now used in chemotherapy.

1 Sep 2009

Researchers reveal that nonextractable polyphenols in fruits are a major part of bioactive compounds

An international team of scientists has found that the polyphenol content of fruits has been underestimated. Polyphenol content in fruits usually refers to extractable polyphenols, but a Spanish scientist working at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich analysed apple, peach and nectarine. She found that nonextractable polyphenol content is up to five times higher than extractable compounds. This work has been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

27 Aug 2009

Additional trial to be conducted for KYNAPID under FDA special protocol agreement

Cardiome Pharma Corp. (NASDAQ: CRME/TSX: COM) and its co-development partner Astellas Pharma US, Inc. ("Astellas") announced today that Astellas will undertake a single confirmatory additional Phase 3 clinical trial of KYNAPID(TM) (vernakalant hydrochloride) Injection for rapid conversion of atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm. The trial, to be called ACT 5, is expected to begin enrolling patients by the end of 2009, with completion expected in the first half of 2011.

11 Aug 2009

Special pathway makes bacteria vulnerable - new target for tailored antibiotics

More and more strains of bacteria are developing resistance to previously life-saving antibiotics. Researchers at TUM, the Technische Universitaet Muenchen, have shed light on a metabolic step that appears in many aggressive microorganisms -- such as tuberculosis and malaria pathogens -- and that may provide a promising target for a new class of antibiotics. The researchers present their results in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie.

14 Jul 2009

Scientists shed new light on why pancreatic cancer drugs can fail

Cancer Research UK scientists led an international team of investigators who have discovered a new mechanism that may explain why pancreatic cancer patients are often resistant to a common chemotherapy treatment called gemcitabine, according to a study published in Science.

22 May 2009

Key genetic mechanism a potential key to new class of antibiotics

Researchers have determined the structure of a key genetic mechanism at work in bacteria, including some that are deadly to humans, in an important step toward the design of a new class of antibiotics, according to an accelerated publication that appeared online today as a "paper of the week" in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

20 Apr 2009

New approach to prostate cancer detection - Sarcosine may distinguish between slow-growing and aggressive prostate cancers

On Friday 20 March, US researcher Dr. Chris Beecher from the University of Michigan gave a well attended lecture about sarcosine, an N-methyl derivative of the amino acid glycine, at the 24th Annual EAU Congress in Stockholm, Sweden.

25 Mar 2009

Researchers identify genetic machinery responsible for synthesizing thiostrepton

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have identified the genetic machinery responsible for synthesizing thiostrepton, a powerful antibiotic produced by certain bacteria.

23 Mar 2009

Molecular fingerprints point the way to earlier cancer diagnosis and more targeted treatment

Metabolites are molecular fingerprints of what your cells are up to and Dr. Arun Sreekumar wants to know the impression made by cancer.

23 Mar 2009

Identification of triggering mechanism by which breast and prostate cancer cells begin

Dr. Ercole Cavalieri and Dr. Eleanor Rogen of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, located in Omaha, Nebraska, have identified the triggering mechanism by which breast and prostate cancer cells begin. Preventium is a recently developed dietary supplement that promises to reduce people's risk for breast and prostate cancer.

16 Mar 2009

Scientists develop general-purpose method for detecting trace chemicals

Described in an advance, online publication of the journal Nature Biotechnology on February 22, 2009, the team's general method could be adapted for detecting a wide variety of compounds, including many that are relevant to diagnostic medicine and environmental work.

26 Feb 2009

Discovery of new prostate cancer marker

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have identified a new biological marker present in the urine of patients with prostate cancer that indicates whether the cancer is progressing and spreading.

15 Feb 2009

Discovery of metabolite linked to aggressive prostate cancer

Researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a panel of small molecules, or metabolites, that appear to indicate aggressive prostate cancer.

15 Feb 2009

Compound can distinguish between benign tissue and localized and metastatic prostate cancer

Researchers have determined that a molecule produced by the bodys metabolism could be used to differentiate between benign prostate tissue vs. localized and metastatic prostate cancer.

11 Feb 2009

MR spectroscopy may help avoid invasive procedures and treatments for recurrent brain lesions

A clinical decision model which uses MR spectroscopy to help physicians differentiate between recurrent tumors and changes in the brain tissue due to radiation treatments, may help patients avoid invasive procedures and treatments, according to a study performed at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, MI.

2 Feb 2009

Although our genetics differ significantly, we all look alike...

The genetic variation within a species can be significant, but very little of that variation results in clear differences in morphology or other phenotypes.

27 Jan 2009

MRI scans emerge as vital resource in treatment of back pain

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a growing technology providing an increasing number of clinical benefits when used in the evaluation of back pain according to an article in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

5 Jan 2009

Magnetic resonance imaging emerges as vital resource in back pain treatment

1 Jan 2009