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Anti-cancer drug smuggled using a nanocarrier past protective blood-brain barrier into brain tumours

Scientists in Germany have developed a way of smuggling an anti-cancer drug past the protective blood-brain barrier and into brain tumours and metastases using a nanocarrier - a tiny capsule specially designed to pass through cell membranes and deliver its anti-cancer drug to the cancer cell.

18 Nov 2010

Researchers report results from Phase III DEFINE study for coronary heart disease

Researchers today presented results from the Phase III DEFINE (Determining the EFficacy and Tolerability of CETP INhibition with AnacEtrapib) study with Merck's investigational CETP inhibitor, anacetrapib. In the trial of 1,623 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) or CHD risk equivalents, anacetrapib showed no significant differences from placebo in the primary safety measures studied.

18 Nov 2010

New technique to identify cancer biomarkers

The University of Liège has presented TARGETOME, the most recent of its spin-offs, which is also the first to spring from its applied geno-proteomics centre, GIGA.

18 Nov 2010

MK-4827 drug candidate shows promising anti-tumour activity in first human trial

A new drug that targets proteins responsible for helping cancer cells to repair damage to their DNA has shown promising anti-tumour activity in its first trial in humans.

18 Nov 2010

Scientists solve structure of key protein from Lassa virus

Scientists at Emory University and the University of St. Andrews have solved the structure of a key protein from Lassa virus, which is endemic to West Africa and can cause a deadly hemorrhagic fever.

18 Nov 2010

Inovio achieves positive results in Phase I PENNVAX-B study for HIV

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that it has achieved high vaccine-induced response rates and strong magnitude of immune responses in its Phase I clinical study of PENNVAX-B, a DNA vaccine for the prevention of HIV infection.

18 Nov 2010

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation launches projects to improve care, reduce cost

Kaiser Health News: "Promising fast action, the new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation is launching a series of initiatives aimed at improving medical care while reducing its cost, officials said Tuesday. ... In one initiative, eight states will participate in a Medicare demonstration project to evaluate the effectiveness of doctors and other health professionals working 'in a more integrated fashion and receiving more coordinated payment,' according to CMS, the parent agency of the center and a part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

18 Nov 2010

FDA warns manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned four companies that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an "unsafe food additive" and said that further action, including seizure of their products, is possible under federal law.

18 Nov 2010

Rheonix receives U.S patent for microfluidic device

Rheonix, Inc., developer of the Rheonix CARD system to provide multiplexed endpoint analysis for a wide breadth of diagnostic applications, announced that on November 16, 2010 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent Number 7,832,429 "Microfluidic Pump and Valve Structures and Fabrication Method" to the Company.

18 Nov 2010

Viruses lead to discovery of security system in host cells

Viruses have led scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to the discovery of a security system in host cells.

18 Nov 2010

New pharmacogenetic test enables a personalized medicine approach

Luminex Corporation, today announced that it has commercially launched its first pharmacogenetic test, the xTAG CYP2D6 Kit, which recently received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

From Luminex 17 Nov 2010

Innovative neural probe senses and stimulates individual brain cells

Imec, together with its partners within the European FP6 Program NeuroProbes, has created a new neural probe enabling electrical and chemical recording and stimulation of single neurons in the brain. Applications of the new technology are vast, ranging from tools for fundamental research on the functioning of the brain, to instruments for more precise diagnosis of brain seizures before brain-surgery.

17 Nov 2010

Duke awarded $52.8M federal grant to oversee external quality assurance programs for HIV/AIDS labs

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has awarded Duke University Medical Center up to $52.8 million over the next seven years to support the development, implementation and oversight of external quality assurance programs that monitor laboratories involved in HIV/AIDS research and vaccine trials around the world.

17 Nov 2010

GATC Biotech opens new sequencing laboratory in Germany

GATC Biotech's new sequencing laboratory will be their second in Germany and will be located in the Life Science Center Düsseldorf. Through the new facilities, scientists from Northern Germany and adjacent countries will benefit from GATC Biotech's special overnight service, called NightXpress, which was first introduced in 2007.

17 Nov 2010

New technique to purify propolis

The healing properties of propolis a mixture of resin and wax made by honey bees to seal and sterilise their hives have been known for many years. But its use in medicine and food supplements has been limited because the sticky substance is not water soluble and has a strong, off-putting smell.

17 Nov 2010

Study finds phenotypic plasticity among melanoma cells

University of Michigan researchers have determined that most types of melanoma cells can form malignant tumors, providing new evidence that the deadliest form of skin cancer does not conform to the increasingly popular cancer stem cell model.

17 Nov 2010

Fat-derived stem cells can boost heart function following acute attack

Fat cells liposuctioned from a patient's belly can safely boost heart function after a heart attack, according to a first-of-its-kind study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010.

17 Nov 2010

University of Oslo opens new Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway

The University of Oslo recently opened its new Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM). The centre is the second in Norway to form a partnership with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).

17 Nov 2010

Agilent introduces OpenLAB chromatography data system

Agilent Technologies Inc. today introduced Agilent OpenLAB CDS, the next-generation chromatography data system (CDS) of Agilent's market-leading ChemStation and EZChrom Elite CDS platforms. OpenLAB CDS is designed on the modern and fully scalable OpenLAB Shared Services architecture. This provides major feature improvements to current ChemStation and EZChrom Elite platforms.

17 Nov 2010

Never-smokers have better chance of surviving head and neck cancer

Patients with head and neck cancer who have never smoked have much better survival rates after radiation therapy than patients with a history of smoking, new research from UC Davis Cancer Center has found.

17 Nov 2010