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Silencing two microRNAs may help treat age-related macular degeneration

Blocking two tiny molecules of RNA - a chemical cousin of DNA - appears to suppress the abnormal growth of blood vessels that occurs in degenerative eye disorders, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

7 Jun 2011

Female cancer survivors benefit from natural nutritional supplement

A natural nutritional supplement, marketed for the last decade as a sexual aid, has been shown to significantly improve overall quality of life for female cancer survivors, according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

7 Jun 2011

Homelessness and mental illness link explored in RMIT study

In a new study by the RMIT University, Victoria researchers looked at cases of 4,291 people using homelessness services in the city. Dr Guy Johnson and Professor Chris Chamberlain found almost half of them - 46 per cent - lost their homes after a family breakdown. This is contrary to the long held belief that most homeless people are mentally unstable.

7 Jun 2011

Frog skin proteins could treat cancer, diabetes and stroke: New discovery

Scientists at Queen's University Belfast have discovered proteins in frog skins which could be used to treat cancer, diabetes, stroke and transplant patients by regulating the growth of blood vessels.

7 Jun 2011

Focus on getting more people on antiretroviral therapy as AIDS turns 30

Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of the first published report of the disease that came to be known as AIDS, the Los Angeles Times reports. Though the "promise" of a vaccine "has not materialized," "[s]ome progress has been made on other fronts," the newspaper writes.

7 Jun 2011

Several drug makers plan to lower prices of vaccines for GAVI purchase

Several pharmaceutical companies have pledged to lower the prices of vaccines against childhood illnesses ahead of the GAVI Alliance conference in London next week, the Guardian reports (Quinn, 6/6).

6 Jun 2011

Senescent melanoma cells express an inflammatory secretome

Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive and notoriously chemoresistant form of cancer. In this paper, Ohanna et al. reveal that anti-melanoma drugs may, paradoxically, induce a senescence-associated secretory profile ("secretome") that can ultimately promote metastasis and contribute to melanoma relapse.

6 Jun 2011

Global gene therapy market to reach $300 million by 2015

The global gene therapy market is expected to grow to over $300 million by 2015, according to a new report available on companiesandmarkets.com. The gene therapy market will grow further driven by the human genome project, the increasing incidence of cancer and other critical diseases.

6 Jun 2011

Chiasma presents Octreolin pharmacology data from clinical studies at International Pituitary Congress

Chiasma, Inc., a privately held biopharma company, presented pharmacology results from clinical studies at the 12th International Pituitary Congress showing that Octreolin, a proprietary investigational new oral formulation of octreotide, demonstrated a consistent pharmacokinetic (PK) profile similar to that of subcutaneously injected octreotide acetate.

6 Jun 2011

NCIC CTG's exemestane clinical trial data on breast cancer presented at ASCO 2011

A large international Canadian-led clinical trial investigating a new way to prevent breast cancer in women at increased risk of developing the disease has found that the drug exemestane reduces this risk by 65 per cent compared with placebo.

6 Jun 2011

Denali, Can-Fite sign agreement to conclude ophthalmology spinoff

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd, a biotechnology company developing small molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammatory, ophthalmic, and liver diseases, traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, signed today an agreement to spin off its ophthalmic indications to a US based public company, Denali Concrete Management Inc.

6 Jun 2011

Synta presents ganetespib Phase 2 trial results in advanced non-small cell lung cancer at ASCO 2011

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. today presented results at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) from a Phase 2 single agent clinical trial of ganetespib in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that showed promising clinical activity in patients with progressive disease.

6 Jun 2011

Topiramate drug can help people lose weight

The drug topiramate can help people lose weight as long as they can tolerate the side effects, according to authors of a new study that reviewed the medical literature. Brazilian researchers will present the results Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

6 Jun 2011

Formoterol medication shows promise for improving fat and protein metabolism in men

Formoterol, a new generation asthma medication, shows great promise for improving fat and protein metabolism, say Australian researchers, who have tested this effect in a small sample of men. The researchers presented their results on Saturday 4 June 2011 at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

6 Jun 2011

Bharat Biotech announces the pricing for ROTAVAC vaccine

Bharat Biotech today announced the price of ROTAVAC India’s first indigenously developed Rotavirus Vaccine. The vaccine will be sold to global public markets, Governments worldwide including UN procurement agencies at a price of US $ 1.0. Bharat Biotech hopes its new vaccine will help prevent part of the ~ 500,000 child deaths each year caused due to rotavirus diarrhea and improve access to better, affordable rotavirus vaccines.

6 Jun 2011

Alnylam's ALN-VSP Phase I trial data on liver cancer presented at ASCO 2011

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today the results from its Phase I clinical trial with ALN-VSP, a systemically delivered RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of advanced solid tumors with liver involvement.

6 Jun 2011

Customizing targeted therapies to each tumor's molecular characteristics may effectively treat cancer

Customizing targeted therapies to each tumor's molecular characteristics, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach by tumor type, may be more effective for some types of cancer, according to research conducted by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

4 Jun 2011

Study links loss of PTEN gene with patient's response to melanoma therapy

Genetic analysis of the tumors from patients with advanced melanoma can clue researchers in to how well patients will respond to a therapy that targets the growth-promoting protein called BRAF, a researcher from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will report on Monday, June 6 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

4 Jun 2011

Scientists find way to protect kidney from cancer drug toxicity

Scientists may have a way to make the powerful cancer drug cisplatin less toxic to the kidneys and more effective against some cancers.

4 Jun 2011

HRT reduces risk of breast cancer in women with BRCA mutations after ovary removal

Women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations, which are linked to a very high risk of breast and ovarian cancer, can safely take hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) to mitigate menopausal symptoms after surgical removal of their ovaries, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania which will be presented Monday, June 6 during the American Society for Clinical Oncology's annual meeting.

4 Jun 2011