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Researchers engineer antidotes for blood-thinner aptamers

Imagine a surgical patient on a blood-thinning drug who starts bleeding more than expected, and an antidote that works immediately - because the blood thinner and antidote were designed to work together. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have engineered a way to do this for an entire, versatile class of drugs called aptamers and published their findings in Nature Medicine.

4 Oct 2009

Retinoic acid may provide relief for ulcerative colitis

Here's another reason why you should take your vitamins. A new research report appearing in the October 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (http://www.jleukbio.org) suggests that retinoic acid, the oxidized form of vitamin A, could be a beneficial treatment for people suffering from ulcerative colitis and other irritable bowel diseases.

3 Oct 2009

Quest PharmaTech acquires immunotherapeutic antibody products from Paladin Labs

Quest PharmaTech Inc. ("Quest" or the "Company"), a pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing products for the treatment of cancer, today announced that it has acquired a pipeline of late-stage immunotherapy product candidates from Paladin Labs Inc. ("Paladin").

3 Oct 2009

NK cells keep T cells in check: Study

Natural killer, or NK cells, are part of our innate immune system. A healthy body produces them to respond early during infection. They are activated and they kill cells infected with a given virus.

3 Oct 2009

DelSite's assests acquired by Nanotherapeutics

Nanotherapeutics, Inc., a privately held specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it had acquired certain assets from DelSite (formerly Carrington Laboratories, Inc.) out of Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.

3 Oct 2009

Researchers screen decades-old frozen infant stool samples to detect norovirus

A search through decades-old frozen infant stool samples has yielded rich dividends for scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

3 Oct 2009

EMEA grants positive opinion for Baxter's CELVAPAN H1N1 pandemic vaccine

Baxter International Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) granted its “positive opinion” for CELVAPAN H1N1 pandemic vaccine using Baxter’s Vero cell technology. This positive opinion confirms the acceptability of Baxter’s regulatory submission to obtain final marketing authorization and licensure of the product.

From Baxter International Inc. 3 Oct 2009

$7.2 million grant awarded to develop microbicide-releasing vaginal ring

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a four-year, $7.2 million grant to develop a microbicide-releasing vaginal ring to prevent HIV transmission.

3 Oct 2009

Nasal spray to improve memory

Good news for procrastinating students: a nasal spray developed by a team of German scientists promises to give late night cram sessions a major boost, if a good night's sleep follows.

3 Oct 2009

Mayo study reveals infliximab reduces the need for colectomy

A new study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has found that ulcerative colitis patients had a 41 percent reduction in colectomy after a year when treated with infliximab, according to a study published in the October 2009 issue of Gastroenterology.

1 Oct 2009

Advaxis announces Phase I trial results of its ADXS11-001 therapeutic cancer vaccine

The Phase I trial of ADXS11-001, the lead vaccine candidate of Advaxis, Inc. (OTCBB: ADXS), the company that pioneered the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) vaccine, has shown thirty-six (36) month survival in three (3) of the thirteen (13) evaluable patients treated with Advaxis’ therapeutic cancer vaccine, indicating the possibility of persistent immune protection.

1 Oct 2009

Studies show vitamin D plays an important role in preventing respiratory infections

Several studies and articles published this year show that vitamin D plays an important role in the prevention of respiratory infections such as the cold and flu.

1 Oct 2009

Children and adolescents over five are at risk from malaria

Insecticide treated mosquito nets reduce the chances of developing life-threatening malaria in Africa, however recent research shows that older children are the least well protected by nets in the community. The research, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, has found that parents and their young children were much more likely to have malaria nets than older children.

1 Oct 2009

Phase 1 clinical trial to test safety and activity of human MAB launched in India

MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School today announced the beginning of a Phase 1 clinical trial, testing the safety and activity of a human monoclonal antibody (MAB) developed to neutralize the rabies virus.

1 Oct 2009

Novartis Oncology, Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline and Veridex honored with 2009 Prix Galien Award

The Prix Galien USA committee celebrated members of the science and biotechnology industries last night for the development and discovery of drugs and technologies that improve the human condition.

1 Oct 2009

Membrane-bound Fas ligand is essential for cell death: Researchers

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have put an end to a 10-year debate over which form of a molecular messenger called Fas ligand is responsible for killing cells during programmed cell death (also called apoptosis).

1 Oct 2009

Medicaid members to receive cover for administration cost of the H1N1 vaccine from WellCare

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) announced it will cover the full cost of administration of the H1N1 vaccine as a preventative care benefit for Medicare Advantage, Medicare private fee-for-service (PFFS) and Medicaid plan members when it becomes available to the public.

1 Oct 2009

Swine flu vaccine distribution plan for Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Health today discussed the state's distribution plans for the new pandemic H1N1 vaccine.

1 Oct 2009

Grants to research GanedenBC30 probotic effect on human immune cells

Ganeden Biotech Inc., makers of the patented probiotic strain GanedenBC30® (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086), today announced two grants for early investigators.

1 Oct 2009

Poll reveals that 43% of American adults undecided about getting the swine flu vaccine

According to a new Consumer Reports poll, 43 percent of American adults say they're on the fence about getting the swine flu vaccine and just 34 percent of those polled plan on getting the swine flu vaccine when it becomes available. Additionally, a mere 35 percent of parents say they'll definitely have their children vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children over the age of 6 months get the vaccine.

1 Oct 2009