Leukemia News and Research

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Leukemia (Leukaemia) is a cancer of the blood cells. It is the most common type of blood cancer and affects 10 times as many adults as children. Most people diagnosed with leukemia are over 50 years old. No one knows why some people develop leukemia and others do not. However, scientists have identified some risk factors for the disease. Most people who have known risk factors do not get leukemia, while many who do get the disease have none of these risk factors. During the early stages of leukemia, there may be no symptoms. Many of the symptoms of leukemia don't become apparent until a large number of normal blood cells are crowded out by leukemia cells.

FDA grants Cyclacel's sapacitabine orphan drug designation for AML and MDS

Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing oral therapies that target the various phases of cell cycle control for the treatment of cancer and other serious disorders, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to the company's sapacitabine (CYC682) product candidate for the treatment of both acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

1 Jul 2010

Eisai reports preliminary results from Dacogen for Injection Phase III study in AML

Eisai Inc. announced today preliminary results from a randomized Phase III clinical trial of Dacogen® (decitabine) for Injection versus either a low-dose chemotherapy agent or supportive care in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a life-threatening cancer of the blood that generally occurs in older adults.

1 Jul 2010

Sanofi-aventis signs agreement to acquire TargeGen

TargeGen, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company focused on the development of small molecule kinase inhibitors today announced that the Company has agreed to be acquired by sanofi-aventis. Under the agreement, the ultimate purchase price will depend on the achievement of certain future milestones events and will total $560M if such milestones are fully realized. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur in the 3rd quarter of 2010.

1 Jul 2010

SuperGen encouraged by Eisai's intent to file Dacogen sNDA for new indication

SuperGen, Inc., a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel cancer therapies, announced that Eisai Inc. today released information regarding a randomized Phase III clinical trial of Dacogen® (decitabine) for Injection in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The comparator in this trial was low-dose cytarabine, a chemotherapy agent, or supportive care.

30 Jun 2010

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals closes $40 million Series C financing

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leader in the development of isoform-selective phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitors for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced it has closed a $40 million Series C financing. The financing was led by Quogue Capital, LLC along with existing investors Alta Partners, Amgen Ventures, Frazier Healthcare and Three Arch Partners and new investor Latterell Venture Partners.

30 Jun 2010

Investment report on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

MicroStockProfit.com announces an investment report featuring BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc.. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and recent company news that you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

30 Jun 2010

Mayo Clinic biostatistician become director of CALGB

In a move that will improve efficiency and collaboration in cancer research, Mayo biostatistician Daniel Sargent, Ph.D., will become director of the Statistical Center for the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), a national association of cancer researchers funded primarily by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

30 Jun 2010

UK scientists find no link between mobile phone masts and early childhood cancers

UK scientists have found no evidence to suggest that children whose mothers lived close to mobile phone base stations during pregnancy face an increased risk of early childhood cancers.

30 Jun 2010

Threshold Pharmaceuticals commences TH-302 Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with advanced leukemias

Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of TH-302 in patients with advanced leukemias. TH-302 is a proprietary Hypoxia-Activated Prodrug (HAP) that specifically targets tumor hypoxia.

29 Jun 2010

Mammalian embryo use different strategies to suppress retroviral infection: Study

Some viruses insert themselves into the host's DNA during infection in a process called retroviral integration, causing several diseases, including AIDS and cancer, notes a Texas A&M researcher who specializes in fetal diseases.

29 Jun 2010

Avila's AVL-292 demonstrates disease-modifying effects in prophylactic, therapeutic models of rheumatoid arthritis

Avila Therapeutics™, Inc., a biotechnology company developing targeted covalent drugs that treat diseases through protein silencing, today announced results of preclinical studies demonstrating that its clinical candidate, AVL-292, potently inhibits B cell receptor signaling, and demonstrates efficacy in a rodent model of rheumatoid arthritis. These new data were presented Saturday, June 26, 2010 at the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS) 2010 annual meeting in Boston, MA.

29 Jun 2010

EpiCept requests FDA priority review of Ceplene NDA for AML

EpiCept Corporation announced today that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Ceplene® (histamine dihydrochloride). EpiCept is seeking approval for Ceplene, administered concomitantly with low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2), for the remission maintenance and prevention of relapse in patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in first complete remission.

29 Jun 2010

ITMTX treatment effective in late stages/progressive forms of MS: Study

The Multiple Sclerosis Research Center of New York (MSRCNY), together with the International Multiple Sclerosis Management Practice (IMSMP), today announced that results from its Intrathecal Methotrexate Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis study have been published in this month's issue of Journal of Neurology. This study reports on the feasibility of using intrathecal methotrexate (ITMTX) in treatment unresponsive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with progressive forms of the disease.

28 Jun 2010

Fate Therapeutics recognized with Red Herring's North America 100 award

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the Company received Red Herring's North America 100 award, a prestigious list honoring the year's most promising private and innovative companies from the North American business region. The nominees were evaluated by the Red Herring editorial team on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy and integration into their respective industries.

28 Jun 2010

MorphoSys, Xencor sign worldwide exclusive license, collaboration agreement for XmAb5574 antibody program

MorphoSys AG and US-based biopharmaceutical company Xencor, Inc., announced today the signing of a worldwide exclusive license and collaboration agreement for an antibody in Phase 1 clinical development. The agreement provides MorphoSys with an exclusive worldwide license to XmAb5574, a high potency monoclonal antibody developed by Xencor for the treatment of B-cell malignancies.

28 Jun 2010

EpiCept signs definitive agreements for purchase of 6.1M shares of common stock

EpiCept Corporation announced today that it entered into definitive agreements for the purchase of approximately 6.1 million shares of its common stock at $1.10 per share, five year warrants to purchase up to approximately 4.6 million shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.57 per share exercisable beginning December 30, 2010 and one year warrants to purchase up to approximately 6.1 million shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.57 per share exercisable beginning December 30, 2010.

28 Jun 2010

Sanofi-aventis' Phase I clinical trial with SAR650984 triggers $1M milestone payment to ImmunoGen

ImmunoGen, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops targeted antibody-based anticancer products, today announced that sanofi-aventis has initiated a Phase I clinical trial with SAR650984, an investigational antibody that targets cancer cells expressing the CD38 protein antigen. This event triggers a $1 million milestone payment to ImmunoGen.

25 Jun 2010

Japanese researchers identity useful markers for early diagnosis of CMV gastritis

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is a serious complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT), which is widely accepted as a curative therapy for advanced hematological malignancies including leukemia and malignant lymphoma.

25 Jun 2010

Merck proposes to initiate Phase II proof-of-concept clinical study of posaconazole for chronic Chagas disease

Merck today announced plans to initiate a Phase II investigational proof-of-concept clinical study to evaluate its oral antifungal agent posaconazole for the treatment of chronic Chagas disease. Chagas disease results from infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi that is spread by biting insects. The disease is estimated to affect approximately eight million people in Latin America, of whom approximately 30-40 percent will develop serious cardiac disease, digestive disease, or both as a result of this infection.

24 Jun 2010

Treatment options for patients with MS

The best one-word description for multiple sclerosis is "unpredictable," according to the June issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. MS interferes with the communication between the brain and the rest of the body. Just how that interference plays out in symptoms is different for everyone -- thus, the unpredictable label.

24 Jun 2010

Leukemia News and Research

Further Reading

FDA grants Cyclacel's sapacitabine orphan drug designation for AML and MDS

Eisai reports preliminary results from Dacogen for Injection Phase III study in AML

Sanofi-aventis signs agreement to acquire TargeGen

SuperGen encouraged by Eisai's intent to file Dacogen sNDA for new indication

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals closes $40 million Series C financing

Investment report on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

Mayo Clinic biostatistician become director of CALGB

UK scientists find no link between mobile phone masts and early childhood cancers

Threshold Pharmaceuticals commences TH-302 Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with advanced leukemias

Mammalian embryo use different strategies to suppress retroviral infection: Study

Avila's AVL-292 demonstrates disease-modifying effects in prophylactic, therapeutic models of rheumatoid arthritis

EpiCept requests FDA priority review of Ceplene NDA for AML

ITMTX treatment effective in late stages/progressive forms of MS: Study

Fate Therapeutics recognized with Red Herring's North America 100 award

MorphoSys, Xencor sign worldwide exclusive license, collaboration agreement for XmAb5574 antibody program

EpiCept signs definitive agreements for purchase of 6.1M shares of common stock

Sanofi-aventis' Phase I clinical trial with SAR650984 triggers $1M milestone payment to ImmunoGen

Japanese researchers identity useful markers for early diagnosis of CMV gastritis

Merck proposes to initiate Phase II proof-of-concept clinical study of posaconazole for chronic Chagas disease

Treatment options for patients with MS

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

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