Growth Factor News and Research

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EGFR–TKIs linked to reduced chemotherapy sensitivity in NSCLC

Epidermal growth factor receptor–tyrosine kinase inhibitors appear to significantly reduce the efficacy of subsequent chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer, Chinese researchers report.

30 Oct 2014

Study sheds light on the mystery of biological clock that controls fertility in women

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have identified the biological clock that governs female fertility. The discovery represents a major contribution to research aimed at finding medical approaches to treating infertility in women.

29 Oct 2014

Preeclampsia study provides pathways for new therapeutic treatments

A team of researchers led by a Wayne State University School of Medicine associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology has published findings that provide novel insight into the cause of preeclampsia, the leading cause of maternal and infant death worldwide, a discovery that could lead to the development of new therapeutic treatments.

27 Oct 2014

Growth factor boosts natural defence against auto-immune diseases

Our immune system defends us from harmful bacteria and viruses, but, if left unchecked, the cells that destroy those invaders can turn on the body itself, causing auto-immune diseases like type-1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis. A molecule called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) boosts the body's natural defence against this 'friendly fire', scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy, have found.

25 Oct 2014

Researchers reveal how particular melanoma cells help tumors resist drugs

UNC School of Medicine researchers have pinpointed a set of intriguing characteristics in a previously unknown subpopulation of melanoma cancer cells in blood vessels of tumors. These cells, which mimic non-cancerous endothelial cells that normally populate blood vessels in tumors, could provide researchers with another target for cancer therapies.

25 Oct 2014

Experimental drug may help fight cervical cancer

University of Leicester academic leads study into effects of cediranib drug in chemotherapy treatment of cervical cancer.

24 Oct 2014

Research shows FGF21 hormone acts directly on brain to regulate obesity

A hormone seen as a popular target to develop weight-loss drugs works by directly targeting the brain and triggering previously unknown activity in the nervous system, UT Southwestern Medical Center obesity researchers have found.

24 Oct 2014

Afatinib active against NSCLC nervous system metastases

Heavily pretreated patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer and central nervous system metastases may benefit from treatment with afatinib, say German researchers.

22 Oct 2014

Finding could help improve treatment of hearing loss caused by noise, normal aging

Scientists have restored the hearing of mice partly deafened by noise, using advanced tools to boost the production of a key protein in their ears.

21 Oct 2014

Boehringer Ingelheim's OFEV (nintedanib) capsules receive FDA approval for IPF treatment

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved OFEV (nintedanib) capsules for oral use for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

15 Oct 2014

Findings show that blockade of OGF-OGFr interfacing influences diabetic wound healing

A major complication associated with diabetes is delayed cell replication in epithelium and skin. Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania have reported the presence and function of the opioid growth factor (OGF) and its nuclear-associated receptor (OGFr) in skin.

13 Oct 2014

Health Canada approves Lucentis (ranibizumab) for myopic CNV

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. announced today that Lucentis (ranibizumab), the treatment for several major causes of vision loss, has been approved by Health Canada for the treatment of visual impairment due to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia (myopic CNV).

8 Oct 2014

Groundbreaking study tracks precise path of rabies to the central nervous system

Rabies causes acute inflammation of the brain, producing psychosis and violent aggression. The virus, which paralyzes the body's internal organs, is always deadly for those unable to obtain vaccines in time. Some 55,000 people die from rabies every year.

7 Oct 2014

Researchers discover novel mechanisms of cell migration

During cancer metastasis, immune response or the development of organisms, cells are moving in a controlled manner through the body. Researchers from the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel discovered novel mechanisms of cell migration by observing cells moving on lines of connective tissue.

7 Oct 2014

Weekly growth hormone on course for phase III in children

A long-lasting formulation of human growth hormone appears to be as effective as standard daily treatment in paediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency, researchers reported at the European Society of Paediatric Endocrinology annual meeting in Dublin, Ireland.

2 Oct 2014

AZD9291 shows median progression-free survival in patients with EGFRm T790M+ advanced NSCLC

Updated data from the ongoing AURA study of AZD9291 shows encouraging, although still immature, median progression free survival of 9.6 months (95% CI 8.3 to NC) in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation positive (EGFRm) T790M+ advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had disease progression following treatment with an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR TKI).

30 Sep 2014

Dabrafenib shows significant anti-tumour activity in BRAF V600E mutant non-small cell lung cancer

The BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib has significant anti-tumour activity in patients with advanced BRAF V600E mutant non-small cell lung cancer whose disease has progressed after chemotherapy, according to phase II data presented at the ESMO 2014 Congress in Madrid, Spain.

29 Sep 2014

Oral afatinib significantly improves progression-free survival in patients with head and neck cancer

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor afatinib significantly improved progression-free survival compared to methotrexate in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy, the results of a phase III trial show.

29 Sep 2014

NCCN ORP awards four research grants to advance development of nintedanib

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network Oncology Research Program has awarded four grants to investigators to evaluate and define the clinical effectiveness of the investigational compound nintedanib (BIBF 1120) in non-small cell lung, colorectal, and gastrointestinal cancers.

25 Sep 2014

Ohio State researchers develop novel anticancer peptide vaccines and inhibitors

Researchers have developed two new anticancer peptide vaccines and two peptide inhibitors as part of a larger peptide immunotherapy effort at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.