Signaling Pathway News and Research

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Plexxikon announces promising preclinical data of PLX3397

Plexxikon Inc. today announced promising preclinical data from in vivo Alzheimer's Disease studies demonstrating a dramatic reduction in activated microglia in the brains of very old (22 months) 3xTG-AD mice, a triple transgenic model for Alzheimer's Disease. This reduction of activated microglia led to significantly improved learning in the treated group.

15 Jul 2010

Key protein in insulin signaling pathway adds insights into development, aging

What makes a bee grow up to be a queen? Scientists have long pondered this mystery. Now, researchers in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University have fit a new piece into the puzzle of bee development. Their work not only adds to understanding about bees, but also adds insights into our own development and aging.

15 Jul 2010

Biologists discover new way to limit formation of teratomas

One of the characteristics of embryonic stem cells is their ability to form unusual tumors called teratomas. These tumors, which contain a mixture of cells from a variety of tissues and organs of the body, are typically benign. But they present a major obstacle to the development of human embryonic stem cell therapies that seek to treat a variety of human ailments such as Parkinson's, diabetes, genetic blood disorders and spinal cord injuries.

9 Jul 2010

Mount Sinai Hospital researchers discover new insights into genesis of stem cells

Mount Sinai Hospital researchers including Drs. Andras Nagy and Jeff Wrana have discovered new insights into the genesis of stem cells, which will improve the efficiency of stem cell creation for use in tissue regeneration and in the development of new drugs.

3 Jul 2010

Scientists explain mechanism behind acute myeloid leukemia

New research by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has illuminated in fine detail one of the genetic paths that leads to a particularly aggressive form of leukemia.

2 Jul 2010

USPTO grants Semafore method patent for PI3K inhibitors

Semafore Pharmaceuticals today announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued United States Patent Number 7,745,485 entitled "Compositions and methods for identifying agents which modulate PTEN function and PI-3 kinase pathways." This patent covers methods of inhibiting the spread of cancer in patients using phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents.

1 Jul 2010

Female biology screens for the best sperm: Study

A new study has revealed that the female reproductive system is ‘choosy’ when it comes to inferior quality sperm and rejects the ‘advances’ of spermatozoa that are not good enough to create a pregnancy.

23 Jun 2010

Elevation of Smurf1 may play a role in molecular basis of PAH: Study

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease, marked by shortness of breath and fatigue which can be fatal if untreated. Increased pressure in the pulmonary artery and its branches is associated with dysfunctional growth control of endothelial and smooth muscle cells leading to excessive thickening of the blood vessel wall, obliteration of the lumen and right heart failure.

22 Jun 2010

New insights into cancer hallmarks in induced pluripotent cells

The therapeutic potential of embryonic stem cells has been an intense focus of study and discussion in biomedical research and has resulted in technologies to produce human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Derived by epigenetic reprogramming of human fibroblasts, these hiPSCs are thought to be almost identical to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and provide great promise for patient-tailored regenerative medicine therapies.

19 Jun 2010

Bayer, OncoMed collaborate to develop anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics to target Wnt signaling pathway

Bayer Schering Pharma AG and OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced a global strategic alliance to discover, develop and commercialize novel anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics targeting the Wnt signaling pathway.

17 Jun 2010

OncoMed, Bayer Schering Pharma to develop and commercialize novel anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, today announced a global strategic alliance to discover, develop and commercialize novel anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics targeting the Wnt signaling pathway. Cancer stem cells are a subset of tumor cells believed to play a significant role in the establishment, metastasis and recurrence of cancer.

17 Jun 2010

Identification of key player in signaling pathway offers hope for new targeted melanoma therapies

Identification of a key player in a signaling pathway involved in the development of melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer - may offer hope for new targeted melanoma therapies.

16 Jun 2010

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals presents CAL-101 PI3K inhibitor data at European Hematology Association Congress

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 presented preclinical and clinical data on CAL-101, the Company's oral, delta selective PI3K inhibitor at the 15th Congress of the European Hematology Association in Barcelona, Spain.

14 Jun 2010

Researchers differentiate human stem cells to become heart cells with cardiomyopathy

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have for the first time differentiated human stem cells to become heart cells with cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle cells are abnormal. The discovery will allow scientists to learn how those heart cells become diseased and from there, they can begin developing drug therapies to stop the disease from occurring or progressing. The study is published in the June 9th issue of Nature.

10 Jun 2010

Scientists discover how polyphenols present in red wine and green tea inhibit prostate cancer growth

In what could lead to a major advance in the treatment of prostate cancer, scientists now know exactly why polyphenols in red wine and green tea inhibit cancer growth. This new discovery, published online in The FASEB Journal, explains how antioxidants in red wine and green tea produce a combined effect to disrupt an important cell signaling pathway necessary for prostate cancer growth.

10 Jun 2010

Harvard and University of Montreal researchers challenge views on how cells respond to stimuli

People have them, cats have them and whales have some, too. Neurons, those interlinked nerve cells that carry sensations including pain, stretch from our spinal cords to the tips of our toes, paws or fins. According to a new study published in the journal Cell, scientists from the Harvard Medical School, the University of Montreal and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have found a new way by which nerve cells relay information that tell them to grow from millimeters to meters in length.

9 Jun 2010

Preclinical data of dual TLR7 and TLR8 agonist in cancer published

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the publication of data from studies of a dual agonist of Toll-like Receptor 7 and TLR8 in preclinical models of cancer. The Company created this first-in-class RNA-based dual agonist of TLR7 and TLR8 through its chemistry-based approach to identifying novel TLR-targeted drug candidates.

4 Jun 2010

Asuragen obtains license to integrate BRAF V600E mutation sequence into its molecular diagnostic products

Asuragen, Inc., a leader in molecular diagnostics and RNA-based pharmacogenomics services, announced today that it has obtained a non-exclusive license to incorporate the BRAF V600E mutation sequence into Asuragen's molecular diagnostic products. The license was obtained from Johns Hopkins University and includes the use of the BRAF V600E mutation as a component of diagnostic test kits and for use in Asuragen's CLIA laboratory for clinical research and patient testing.

2 Jun 2010

Study sheds light on molecular mechanisms of genital and urinary tract abnormalities

Scientists have learned how a gene widely known for precisely positioning and sculpting various organs also controls the speed of cell division, a finding that could be useful for understanding the explosive growth of cancer cells or why increasing numbers of children are being born with genital and urinary tract malformations.