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Eteplirsen offers great hope to patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Results from a clinical trial of eteplirsen, a drug designed to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, suggest that the therapy allows participants to walk farther than people treated with placebo and dramatically increases production of a protein vital to muscle growth and health.

8 Aug 2013

Cancer-linked mitosis: an interview with Professor Scott Kern, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Mitosis is the process by which a cell gives rise to two daughter cells. It’s the basis behind the growth of the human body, the renewal of the human body as it ages, and unfortunately, the growth of cancers.

7 Aug 2013

FDA approves Gilotrif for patients with late stage non-small cell lung cancer

Companion test also approved to identify appropriate patients The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Gilotrif (afatinib) for patients with late stage (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express specific types of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations, as detected by an FDA-approved test. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among men and women.

16 Jul 2013

FDA approves QIAGEN’s therascreen EGFR test as companion diagnostic for NSCLC patients

QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced it has received approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the therascreen EGFR test as a companion diagnostic to guide the use of Boehringer Ingelheim's new targeted therapy, GILOTRIF™ (afatinib), for treatment of metastatic NSCLC in patients whose tumors have certain EGFR gene mutations.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 15 Jul 2013

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals initiates ponatinib Phase 2 trial in adult patients with metastatic GIST

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of the Phase 2 trial of Iclusig (ponatinib) in adult patients with metastatic and/or unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

11 Jun 2013

Mutations in phosphatase Wip1 could be a new target for treating cancer

Researchers have uncovered mutations in the phosphatase Wip1 that enable cancer cells to foil the tumor suppressor p53, according to a study in The Journal of Cell Biology. The results could provide a new target for the treatment of certain cancers.

6 May 2013

Study finds link between 2 genetic markers and post-concussion neurocognitive function

A new study presented last week is coming one step closer to finding out whether or not an athlete's genetic makeup determines the severity of post-concussive brain function.

25 Apr 2013

Royal Holloway University supports Muscular Dystrophy Campaign

Royal Holloway University, is today giving money generated by its research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy to the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

27 Mar 2013

Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital present research works at AAN meeting

The following research from Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is being presented at the 65th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, March 16-23, 2013, in San Diego.

18 Mar 2013

Mechanisms of HPV-associated tumor spread under scrutiny

In patients with human papillomavirus-associated tonsillar carcinoma, second tumors in the contralateral tonsil are typically caused by the same viral variant, a case series indicates.

25 Feb 2013

Study: Patients with EGFR exon 20 insertions need targeted therapies

Exon 20 insertions are the third most common family of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations found in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Little is known about cancers harboring these mutations aside from their lack of response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, impairing the development of effective targeted therapies. A recent study published in the February 2013 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology, concludes that patients with EGFR exon 20 insertions have similar clinical characteristics to those with common EGFR mutations, but a poorer prognosis.

16 Jan 2013

Dantrolene shows promise for treating DMD

A muscle relaxant called dantrolene used for treating malignant hyperthermia boosts the activity of therapies currently being developed to treat the genetic disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), show study findings.

17 Dec 2012

Dantrolene may help combat Duchenne muscular dystrophy in boys

Drugs are currently being tested that show promise in treating patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an inherited disease that affects about one in 3,600 boys and results in muscle degeneration and, eventually, death.

13 Dec 2012

CSHL scientists discover new way to specifically target and kill cancer cells

Cancer cells grow fast. That's an essential characteristic of what makes them cancer cells. They've crashed through all the cell-cycle checkpoints and are continuously growing and dividing, far outstripping our normal cells. To do this they need to speed up their metabolism.

1 Nov 2012

ARIAD announces initial results from AP26113 Phase 1/2 trial on non-small cell lung cancer

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initial clinical results on its investigational, tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, AP26113, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial.

29 Sep 2012

UNMCC researcher to investigate possible mechanism for cancer tumor development

Most of us think of DNA mutations as the culprits that cause cancer. Scott Ness, PhD, University of New Mexico Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Associate Director at the UNM Cancer Center, thinks there may be another, more elusive culprit. If Dr. Ness is right his research, funded as part of the National Cancer Institute's Provocative Questions Project, might open a whole new arena in which to target anticancer drugs.

28 Sep 2012

S45F mutation may offer identifiable risk factor in recurrent pediatric aggressive fibromatosis

In the case of aggressive fibromatosis, the good news is that it is a slow-growing benign tumor. The bad news is that this abdominal tumor often recurs after surgical removal. This is particularly true among children. While headway has been made in isolating causes of this recurrence in adults, it is less clear in children.

23 Aug 2012

Investigators discover biological explanation for why low levels of oxygen advance SMA symptoms

Investigators at Nationwide Children's Hospital may have discovered a biological explanation for why low levels of oxygen advance spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) symptoms and why breathing treatments help SMA patients live longer. The findings appear in Human Molecular Genetics.

22 Aug 2012

Folate, excision biomarkers not predictive for small-cell lung cancer response

Biomarkers associated with the folate metabolism and excision repair pathways are not sufficiently prognostic to aid chemotherapy decisions for patients with extensive-stage disease small-cell lung cancer, results of a phase III trial show.

8 Aug 2012

New sequencing approach can provide more effective method of BRCA1/2 mutational analysis

Individuals with mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have a significantly higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. Families at risk have been seeking genetic testing and counseling based on their mutation carrier status, but the standard method of direct sequencing is labor-intensive, costly, and it only targets a part of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

6 Aug 2012