Apoptosis News and Research

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Apoptosis is programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

Pretreatment with FDA-approved drug allows successful pregnancies in radiation-exposed rhesus monkeys

A strategy developed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers to shield the ovaries of female mammals from the damaging effects of radiation and chemotherapy has passed an important milestone. A collaborative study with investigators from Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU), published online in the journal Fertility and Sterility, reports that brief preexposure of the ovaries to an FDA-approved agent called FTY720 preserved the fertility of female rhesus monkeys exposed to potentially lethal doses of radiation.

23 Feb 2011

Cerasome filled molecular-sized bubbles to target liver cancer cells

Nanotechnology may open a new door on the treatment of liver cancer, according to a team of Penn State College of Medicine researchers. They used molecular-sized bubbles filled with chemotherapy drugs to prevent cell growth and initiate cell death in test tubes and mice.

23 Feb 2011

Advancell announces positive results from Acadra clinical study in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

ADVANCELL, an emerging biopharmaceutical company, today announced positive results from a clinical study conducted with Acadra (Acadesine) in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia patients resistant to current therapies. The company also announced promising non-clinical results in Multiple Myeloma (MM), Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) and other lymphoproliferative disorders. Synergism of Acadra in combination with current treatment in these indications has been demonstrated.

21 Feb 2011

Sheffield Bio-Science forms strategic alliance with Wockhardt to strengthen cell culture media portfolio

Sheffield Bio-Science, a Kerry Group Business, has formed a strategic global sales, marketing and development alliance with Wockhardt Ltd. Under this partnership, Sheffield Bio-Science will be the Exclusive Global Sales and Distribution Partner for recombinant insulin manufactured by global Indian biotech Wockhardt. According to estimates, the potential in cell culture markets is around US$ 50 million.

21 Feb 2011

Cyclacel's CYC065 CDK inhibitor demonstrates potential against breast cancer resistant to trastuzumab

Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced the publication of preclinical data in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), demonstrating that cyclin E plays a major role in making Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer resistant to trastuzumab (Herceptin®), a widely used medicine for breast cancer patients who test positive for HER2.

18 Feb 2011

Two studies investigate frontiers of islet cell transplantation for treating diabetes

Two studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation investigate frontiers of islet cell transplantation for treating diabetes. Researchers in Milan, Italy re-examine the role of bone marrow stem cells in diabetic therapy and islet cell regeneration and Canadian researchers offer improved strategies for optimizing pancreatic islet culture in vitro.

18 Feb 2011

Study explores role of proline containing peptides in inhibiting anti-apoptotic function of XIAP

Basic and translational research on cancer, and development of new cancer therapeutics, has focused on different aspects of cancer cellular function. One area of focus is the life and death of a cancer cell. Apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, is a fundamental process of cells including cancer cells. The signal transduction pathways of apoptosis involve many different proteins and their interactions with each other.

16 Feb 2011

Scientists suggest combinational therapy can improve treatment of solid tumors

Most, if not all, solid tumors contain regions that are not well oxygenated. Tumor cells in these regions, which are known as hypoxic regions, are usually resistant to the death-inducing effects of chemotherapeutics. But now, Caroline Dive and colleagues, at Manchester University, United Kingdom, have identified a compound that induces human cancer cells exposed to hypoxic conditions in vitro to undergo a form of cell death known as apoptosis.

15 Feb 2011

Study shows beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Promedior, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies to treat fibrotic and inflammatory diseases, announced today the publication of collaborative research in the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology entitled, "TGF-beta driven lung fibrosis is macrophage dependent and blocked by Serum amyloid P."

14 Feb 2011

Study reveals beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in TGFβ1-induced lung disease

11 Feb 2011

Three proteins responsible for success of progesterone treatments in prevention of preterm labor

Research presented today at the 31st Annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) ― The Pregnancy Meeting™ has found that three proteins known as XIAP, BID, and Bcl-2 are responsible in part for the success of progesterone treatments in the prevention of preterm labor. They may also play an important role in triggering normal labor.

10 Feb 2011

DiaTech, Walter Reed collaborate to determine the best chemotherapy for cancer

DiaTech Oncology announced today they have engaged in a pilot with Walter Reed Army Medical Center to determine the best Chemotherapy for Cancer patients. Medical and GYN Oncologists and from Walter Reed have been working with DiaTech Oncology (Nashville, TN) using the MiCK assay for apoptosis in order to give physicians a tool that can predict the best chemotherapy pathway in treating cancer patients.

9 Feb 2011

Novel technique could speed up the development of peptide-based drugs against cancer

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have devised two new ways of "stapling" peptide helices to prevent these medically important molecules from losing their shape and degrading in the presence of enzymes.

9 Feb 2011

EpiCept enters definitive agreements to purchase 8.9 million shares of common stock

EpiCept Corporation announced today that it has entered into definitive agreements for the purchase of approximately 8.9 million shares of its common stock at $0.80 per share, and five-year warrants to purchase up to approximately 3.6 million shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share.

8 Feb 2011

Harbor BioSciences closes U.S.-based Apoptone Phase I/IIa clinical trial for castration resistant prostate cancer

Harbor BioSciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, metabolic and inflammatory diseases, today announced it is closing the clinical sites of its U.S.-based Phase I/IIa clinical trial with Apoptone® (HE3235) for castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) – also referred to as hormone resistant prostate cancer.

7 Feb 2011

Positive results from EpiCept NP-1 Phase IIb trial in patients with CPN

EpiCept Corporation today announced positive results from a Phase IIb trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of EpiCept NP-1 in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. EpiCept NP-1 is a topical analgesic cream containing two FDA-approved drugs, amitriptyline and ketamine, in development for the relief of pain from various peripheral neuropathies.

7 Feb 2011

Targeted delivery combination crosses brain protecting barrier and homes in on tumors

A targeted delivery combination selectively crosses the tight barrier that protects the brain from the bloodstream to home in on and bind to brain tumors, a research team led by scientists from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

2 Feb 2011

Octreotide inhibits HepG2 proliferation, study confirms

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy in the world and is estimated to cause approximately half a million deaths annually. Undoubtedly, the best available treatment for all liver tumors is complete surgical resection. However, the synthetic somatostatin analogue octreotide has been found effective in inhibiting tumor growth in a variety of experimental models. It has been reported that octreotide inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis of different HCC cell lines in vitro.

1 Feb 2011

Prototype drug halts GVHD in mouse models of bone marrow transplantation

A prototype drug already shown to hold promise for treating autoimmune disorders like lupus, arthritis and psoriasis halts established graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in mouse models of bone marrow transplantation, research at the University of Michigan and the University of Florida shows.

28 Jan 2011

Provectus announces completion of PV-10 Phase 1 trial in patients with liver cancer

Provectus Pharmaceuticals, a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, has completed patient accrual and treatment of all subjects in its Phase 1 clinical trial of PV-10 for liver cancer.

27 Jan 2011