Blindness News and Research

RSS

Researchers use model organism to test new therapies for retinal degeneration

Research by Johns Hopkins sensory biologists studying fruit flies, has revealed a critical step in fly vision. Humans with problems in this same step suffer retinal dystrophies, which manifest as visual defects ranging from mild visual impairments to complete blindness.

16 Feb 2010

Diabetic retinopathy: 5.3M U.S adults suffer

Despite major progress in diagnosis and treatment, diabetic retinopathy remains the major cause of blindness in adults under 60 in the U.S., said Thomas C. Lee, director, Retina Institute in The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and attending physician at Doheny Eye Institute.

12 Feb 2010

Scientists uncover new gene that could help save sight of patients with inherited blindness

The international research team led by the University of Leeds found that the TSPAN12 gene is faulty in patients with a disease known as FEVR (Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy), which affects the development of the eye.

12 Feb 2010

Current research underway to prevent preterm births

Family history, infection and stress all may play a role in raising a woman's risk of having a premature baby - but they don't fully explain why some women give birth too soon and others don't, according to a review article published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

11 Feb 2010

MUHC commences clinical trial of Exsulin for type 1 diabetes

A clinical trial of Exsulin, an innovative new treatment that targets the underlying cause of type 1 diabetes, has begun at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). Under the direction of Dr. George Tsoukas of the MUHC and the McGill University Faculty of Medicine, the study will assess the effectiveness of Exsulin.

11 Feb 2010

Drug used to treat parasites in animals may offer new treatment for river blindness, study finds

"Closantel, an older drug used to treat a parasitic liver disease in animals, may prove effective at combating river blindness in humans, a major cause of infection-related blindness, U.S. researchers said on Monday," Reuters reports (Steenhuysen, 2/8).

10 Feb 2010

Operation Eyesight urges Canadians to make a difference on Valentine's Day

On Valentine's Day it is traditional to send cards, flowers or a special gift to the people we love. But this year, are you wondering if it's time to try something new? Consider making a tribute gift through Operation Eyesight - it's a powerful way to say "I care" while at the same time helping people in the developing world see a future free of blindness.

10 Feb 2010

Raptor Pharmaceutical to present DR Cysteamine trial data at Lysosomal Disease Network Symposium

Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp., today announced the presentation of cystinosis data at the Annual Lysosomal Disease Network WORLD Symposium 2010, being held February 10-12 in Miami, Florida. Biomarker data from a Phase IIb pilot study of Raptor's proprietary delayed-release cysteamine bitartrate ("DR Cysteamine") will be the subject of a poster titled, "Correlation of Plasma Cysteamine and WBC Cystine Levels at Steady State in Patients Treated with Cysteamine Bitartrate." The results will also be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Molecular Genetics and Metabolism.

10 Feb 2010

New research suggests closantel drug may be useful in combating river blindness

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a potential new use for the drug closantel, currently the standard treatment for sheep and cattle infected with liver fluke. The new research suggests that the drug may be useful in combating river blindness, a tropical disease that is the world's second leading infectious cause of blindness for humans.

10 Feb 2010

Sequenom CMM licenses rights from Optherion to develop and commercialize AMD diagnostic tests

Sequenom, Inc., today announced an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Optherion, Inc. Under the agreement, Sequenom's CAP accredited and CLIA-certified laboratory, Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM), obtained the rights to develop and commercialize diagnostic tests to predict genetic predisposition to late stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

10 Feb 2010

Cholesterol lowering drugs also reduce risk of developing cataracts

Statins, a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels, have been successfully fighting heart disease for years. A new study from Tel Aviv University has now found that the same drugs cut the risks of cataracts in men by almost 40%.

10 Feb 2010

ZeaVision launches online campaign to raise awareness on Age-related Macular Degeneration

ZeaVision, LLC launched a unique online campaign to increase awareness about Age-related Macular Degeneration during February for AMD Awareness Month.

6 Feb 2010

Artificial pancreas can help manage diabetes in kids overnight

In a landmark study in children and teenagers with type 1 diabetes, JDRF-funded researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that using a first-generation artificial pancreas system overnight can lower the risk of low blood sugar emergencies while sleeping, and at the same time improve diabetes control.

6 Feb 2010

Study suggests molecules and pathways in mood regulation and circadian rhythms are intertwined

Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered unexpected properties for a precursor to melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep cycles.

5 Feb 2010

Elephantiasis and river blindness: MSU researcher receives $2M for reformulating flubendazole

In an effort to eliminate the tropical diseases elephantiasis and river blindness, a Michigan State University researcher has been awarded $2 million to reformulate an existing drug that could stop the debilitating diseases in their tracks.

5 Feb 2010

Lux Biosciences seeks US and European marketing approval for LUVENIQ

Lux Biosciences, Inc. today announced its submission of simultaneous regulatory filings to both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) seeking marketing approval for its investigational drug LUVENIQ™ (LX211; oral voclosporin) for the treatment of noninfectious uveitis involving the intermediate or posterior segments of the eye.

5 Feb 2010

Lux Biosciences files NDA with FDA and MAA with EMA for approval of voclosporin

Isotechnika Pharma Inc. today announced that its partner, Lux Biosciences, Inc., has filed a New Drug Application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a Market Authorization Application (MAA) with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for voclosporin, under the proposed brand name, LUVENIQ(TM).

4 Feb 2010

Type 1 diabetes: Regeneration exhibits potential as a possible cure

A hormone responsible for the body's stress response is also linked to the growth of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, according to JDRF- funded researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California. The findings are the latest advances to underscore the potential for regeneration as a key component of a possible cure for type 1 diabetes.

4 Feb 2010

DNA variants in mother and fetus can increase risk of preterm labor

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified DNA variants in mothers and fetuses that appear to increase the risk for preterm labor and delivery.

4 Feb 2010

Entelos awarded U.S. patent for apparatus and methods of assessing metabolic substrate utilization

Entelos, Inc., a simulation and modeling company focused on human health, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. Patent No. 7,654,955 entitled “Apparatus and Methods for Assessing Metabolic Substrate Utilization” to the Company. These methods further strengthen the Entelos® Metabolism PhysioLab® platform and leverage insights about human physiology that can lead to improved diagnosis, clinical testing, and personalized treatment across a highly variable patient population.

2 Feb 2010

Blindness News and Research

Researchers use model organism to test new therapies for retinal degeneration

Diabetic retinopathy: 5.3M U.S adults suffer

Scientists uncover new gene that could help save sight of patients with inherited blindness

Current research underway to prevent preterm births

MUHC commences clinical trial of Exsulin for type 1 diabetes

Drug used to treat parasites in animals may offer new treatment for river blindness, study finds

Operation Eyesight urges Canadians to make a difference on Valentine's Day

Raptor Pharmaceutical to present DR Cysteamine trial data at Lysosomal Disease Network Symposium

New research suggests closantel drug may be useful in combating river blindness

Sequenom CMM licenses rights from Optherion to develop and commercialize AMD diagnostic tests

Cholesterol lowering drugs also reduce risk of developing cataracts

ZeaVision launches online campaign to raise awareness on Age-related Macular Degeneration

Artificial pancreas can help manage diabetes in kids overnight

Study suggests molecules and pathways in mood regulation and circadian rhythms are intertwined

Elephantiasis and river blindness: MSU researcher receives $2M for reformulating flubendazole

Lux Biosciences seeks US and European marketing approval for LUVENIQ

Lux Biosciences files NDA with FDA and MAA with EMA for approval of voclosporin

Type 1 diabetes: Regeneration exhibits potential as a possible cure

DNA variants in mother and fetus can increase risk of preterm labor

Entelos awarded U.S. patent for apparatus and methods of assessing metabolic substrate utilization

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News