Drug Metabolism News and Research

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New laboratory-engineered livers could provide solution to donor shortage

Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have reached an early, but important, milestone in the quest to grow replacement livers in the lab. They are the first to use human liver cells to successfully engineer miniature livers that function - at least in a laboratory setting like human livers. The next step is to see if the livers will continue to function after transplantation in an animal model.

1 Nov 2010

Researchers generate bioengineered human liver organoid using bioscaffold

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine demonstrated the generation of a bioengineered human liver organoid using a liver bioscaffold made from an intact liver extracellular matrix, and filled (seeded) with primary human liver progenitor and endothelial cells.

1 Nov 2010

Early cancer drug trials flawed by inconsistencies in prohibited drug lists, study finds

Researchers in Canada and France have raised concerns about substantial inconsistencies in a basic aspect of the way Phase-I and Phase-II cancer clinical trials are designed.

11 Oct 2010

Medical researchers take the next step in personalized medicine

Prescription drugs and their dosages may be standardized, but not every patient reacts to a medicine in the same way. The personal genetic characteristics of individuals and populations can explain why a specific prescription successfully treats one patient and not another, so medical researchers are adopting the new approach called "personalized medicine" and a Tel Aviv University lab is leading the way.

8 Oct 2010

Combining computer simulations with laboratory experiments gives best results in drug development

While computer simulations of how the body metabolises drugs save both time and money,the best results when developing new drugs come from combining such simulations with laboratory experiments, reveals a researcher from the University of Gothenburg.

5 Oct 2010

NIH to award $64M under Transformative Research Projects program

The National Institutes of Health will award up to $64 million over five years to encourage exploration of exceptionally innovative and original research ideas that have the potential for extraordinary impact.

4 Oct 2010

New genetic screening program to reduce risk associated with Plavix

Beginning this month, all patients undergoing cardiac catheterization at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will be tested for a genetic variation that can affect their response to Plavix, the most commonly prescribed clot-preventing drug for heart patients and one of the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide.

29 Sep 2010

PNNL, 59th Medical Wing collaborate to improve drug tests for illicit usage

A new collaboration between the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Air Force's 59th Medical Wing hopes to improve on drug tests for illicit drug use and abuse. Not only are the researchers looking for a better indicator of current or past use, but they'd like to be able to identify people prone to abusing drugs in the first place.

18 Sep 2010

AB SCIEX, University of Melbourne join to develop drug metabolism studies of biopharmaceuticals

AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, and the University of Melbourne today announced a joint technology development project to improve drug metabolism studies of biopharmaceuticals.

13 Sep 2010

Preliminary injunction against CellzDirect, Invitrogen, and Life Technologies for Liverpool patent infringement

Celsis In Vitro, Inc. announced today that the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago has entered a preliminary injunction against CellzDirect Inc., Invitrogen Corporation, and Life Technologies (the Defendants) due to their infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,604,929 (the Liverpool™ patent).

13 Sep 2010

LAB Research announces preferred provider agreement with leading Japanese pharmaceutical company

LAB Research Inc., a Canadian-based global non-clinical contract research organization, today announced that it has entered into a preferred provider agreement with a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company.

27 Jul 2010

LIVALO for primary hyperlipidemia or mixed dyslipidemia now available in U.S.

Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company today announced that LIVALO® (pitavastatin) tablets is now available in retail pharmacies throughout the United States. LIVALO, a statin medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2009 is indicated for adults as an adjunctive therapy to diet for the treatment of primary hyperlipidemia or mixed dyslipidemia. LIVALO is available in doses of 1 mg, 2 mg and 4 mg.

21 Jun 2010

MicroConstants adds second Waters Xevo TQ MS system

MicroConstants, Inc., a bioanalytical and pharmacokinetic-specialty Contract Research Organization (CRO) in San Diego, California, announces the continued expansion of its bioanalytical capacity through the addition of a second Waters Xevo TQ MS system. The CRO has also appointed a new East Coast business development manager to actively pursue new business opportunities in that region.

10 Jun 2010

BIOCIUS and Agilent launch RF360 High Resolution System for high-throughput screening of in vitro ADME assays

BIOCIUS Life Sciences, Inc. and Agilent Technologies Inc. today announced the launch of the RF360 High Resolution System for high-throughput screening of in vitro ADME assays. Combining the accurate mass capabilities of Agilent's time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers and the unprecedented sample processing speed of RapidFire® technology, the instrument revolutionizes in vitro ADME analysis by eliminating the method development bottleneck in drug discovery.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 20 May 2010

Obese children metabolize caffeine and dextromethorphan at different rates than healthy weight children

Researchers from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy have provided the first evidence-based data on changes in drug metabolism in obese children as compared to healthy weight children.

29 Apr 2010

Researchers receive grant to help people living with mental illness tackle tobacco dependence

Researchers at The University of Nottingham have won government funding to improve the services which help people living with serious mental illness to tackle their tobacco dependence.

22 Apr 2010

Molecular biologist awarded 2010 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Career Development Award

Molecular biologist Jonathan Brody, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, has been awarded a 2010 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - American Association of Cancer Research Career Development Award in memory of Skip Viragh.

15 Apr 2010

New report assesses optimal future for REMS

Two years after the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 gave FDA new powers to require Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies for higher risk drugs and biologics, a new report concludes that an optimal future for REMS is possible if the agency adopts a systems approach when designing REMS programs and takes advantage of new technologies -- from electronic medical records to genetic testing -- that are changing the way medicine is practiced.

5 Apr 2010

Changing drug therapy can help breast cancer patients get full benefit of tamoxifen treatment

26 Mar 2010

Changing drug therapy can help breast cancer patients get full benefit of Tamoxifen

Recently published research has shown that some breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen may not be getting the full benefit of their treatment because they have also been taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), prescribed drugs that inhibit the effect of an important enzyme. Now researchers have developed a strategy for overcoming this problem, the seventh European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC7) in Barcelona will hear today (Wednesday).

25 Mar 2010