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Nine research projects awarded access to PRACE Research Infrastructure

Nine research projects, two from Germany, two from Spain and one each from France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal and the UK, have been awarded access to the PRACE Research Infrastructure. In total 362.8 Million compute core hours were granted for the JUGENE, IBM BlueGene/P, hosted by the Gauss-Centre for Supercomputing member site in Jülich, Germany, which is the first Petascale HPC system available to researchers through PRACE.

10 Nov 2010

Redpoint Bio decreases third quarter net loss to $1.8 million

Redpoint Bio Corporation, a company focused on the development of healthier foods and beverages and new approaches to the treatment of diabetes and obesity, today announced financial and operational results for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2010.

9 Nov 2010

TRPM7 protein plays a key role in maintenance of magnesium homeostasis

An international team led by researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has published new findings that demonstrate how a specific protein controls the body's ability to balance magnesium levels. Magnesium is an essential element for good health and is critical to more than 300 biochemical reactions that occur in the body.

8 Nov 2010

Synta reports $10.3M net loss for third quarter 2010 vs. $118.1M net income for third quarter 2009

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today reported financial results and operational highlights for the quarter ended September 30, 2010.

4 Nov 2010

New solvent system could provide ways of producing nanometer-scale cancer chemotherapy agents

Noble metals such as platinum and palladium are becoming increasingly important because of growth in environmentally friendly applications such as fuel cells and pollution control catalysts. But the world has limited quantities of these materials, meaning manufacturers will have to rely on efficient recycling processes to help meet the demand.

29 Oct 2010

Scientists determine tertiary structure of TehA membrane protein in Haemophilus bacteria

Proteins are molecular machines that transport substances, catalyze chemical reactions, pump ions, and identify signaling substances. They are chains of amino acids and the individual amino acid sequence is known for many of them. However, the functions a protein can carry out inside the cell are determined by the three-dimensional spatial structure of the protein. Establishing this so-called tertiary structure presents a great challenge to scientists.

28 Oct 2010

Phrma pushes back against campaign calls for Medicare Part D price negotiation

The powerful pharmaceutical lobby is pushing back against campaign-trail calls to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices on behalf of millions of seniors enrolled in Part D, The Hill reports.

28 Oct 2010

Lumiphore signs global cooperation with Algeta to integrate Lumi4 complexes

Lumiphore Inc., a portfolio company of Nanostart AG, has signed a global cooperation with Algeta ASA a leading company specializing in innovative radiopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer patients. The agreement enables the integration of Lumiphore's Lumi4 complexes into the targeted radiotherapeutics and companion diagnostics from Algeta.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 26 Oct 2010

Salk discovers potential new target for MS

Scientists are closer to solving one of the many mysteries of multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases, thanks to a recent study conducted at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The research revealed a previously unknown connection between two ion channels, which, when misaligned, can cause the many bizarre symptoms that characterize the condition.

26 Oct 2010

Researchers create new high-content assay to increase human embryonic stem cell survival

A new technique for increasing the survival rates of human embryonic stem cells will revolutionize their use in drug discovery and therapy. Human embryonic stem cells often die during the process of isolation using enzymatic disaggregation or low-density plating, which limits their usefulness in drug discovery and basic research. Similarly, the low rate of attachment of implanted cells hinders cell therapy.

25 Oct 2010

Scientists use Affymetrix custom microarray to advance malarial study

Affymetrix, Inc. announced today that an international team of researchers led by scientists at Boston College, the Broad Institute, and Imperial College London used an Affymetrix custom microarray to advance the study of malaria by assessing the variation in genetic structure and detecting known and novel genetic differences among malaria vector mosquito populations.

25 Oct 2010

Scorpion’s toxins can reduce heart bypass failures: Research

A toxin found in the venom of the Central American bark scorpion (Centruroides margaritatus) could hold the key to reducing heart bypass failures, according to research from the University of Leeds.

22 Oct 2010

Inspire presents data on denufosol therapy for cystic fibrosis at NACFC conference

Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that data will be presented on denufosol tetrasodium, an investigational therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF), during oral and poster presentations at the 24th Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) October 21-23, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland.

22 Oct 2010

Researchers identify new mechanism that could help develop effective chemotherapy drug

Information on proteins is critical for understanding how cells function in health and disease. But while regular proteins are easy to extract and study, it is far more difficult to gather information about membrane proteins, which are responsible for exchanging elements essential to our health, like copper, between a cell and its surrounding tissues.

19 Oct 2010

Novel bioelectric signals can cause stem cells to trigger melanoma-like growth in pigment cells

Biologists at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences have discovered that a change in membrane voltage in newly identified "instructor cells" can cause stem cells' descendants to trigger melanoma-like growth in pigment cells. The Tufts team also found that this metastatic transformation is due to changes in serotonin transport. The discovery could aid in the prevention and treatment of diseases like cancer and vitiligo as well as birth defects.

19 Oct 2010

Vertex commences VX-770 and VX-809 combination Phase 2a clinical trial for cystic fibrosis

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced the initiation of a Phase 2a clinical trial that will evaluate multiple combinations of VX-770 and VX-809, investigational oral cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF). The trial is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of VX-809 dosed alone for 14 days followed by dosing of VX-809 in combination with VX-770 for 7 days.

18 Oct 2010

Pericytes regulate blood-brain barrier

While the blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain from harmful chemicals occurring naturally in the blood, it also obstructs the transport of drugs to the brain. In an article in Nature scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet now present a potential solution to the problem. The key to the BBB is a cell-type in the blood vessel walls called pericytes, and the researchers hope that their findings will one day contribute to new therapies for diseases like Alzheimer's and stroke.

15 Oct 2010

Scientists find pericytes regulate blood-brain barrier

14 Oct 2010

Research may pave way to cure cystic fibrosis

A University of Missouri researcher believes his latest work moves scientists closer to a cure for cystic fibrosis, one of the world's most common fatal genetic diseases.

13 Oct 2010

Class action lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics

The preeminent law office of Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy has filed a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson's artificial joint replacement company DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., on behalf of clients who suffered damages resulting from the company's now-recalled hip replacement device. (Case No. 1:10CV02222, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division)

11 Oct 2010