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TB Alliance announces start of clinical trial to treat XDR-TB

TB Alliance and its partners announced the start of a clinical trial of a new regimen to treat extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). It is the first study to test an all-oral drug regimen, comprised of drugs with minimal pre-existing resistance, that has the potential to shorten, simplify, and improve treatment for XDR-TB.

14 May 2015

Secondhand exposure to cannabis smoke under extreme conditions impairs cognitive performance

Secondhand exposure to cannabis smoke under "extreme conditions," such as an unventilated room or enclosed vehicle, can cause nonsmokers to feel the effects of the drug, have minor problems with memory and coordination, and in some cases test positive for the drug in a urinalysis.

14 May 2015

UCL-led team develops new technique to find resistant TB faster

The time needed to genetically sequence the bacteria causing tuberculosis (Mtb) from patient samples has been reduced from weeks to days using a new technique developed by a UCL-led team. This could help health service providers to better treat disease, control transmission of this infection, and monitor outbreaks.

From Oxford Gene Technology 13 May 2015

Discovery could help identify molecules that selectively target cancer cells

A new family of molecules that kill cancer cells and protect healthy cells could be used to treat a number of different cancers, including cervical, breast, ovarian and lung cancers. Research published in EBioMedicine shows that as well as targeting and killing cancer cells, the molecules generate a protective effect against toxic chemicals in healthy cells.

13 May 2015

Patients who report 'weekend-only' drug use expand drug use to weekdays too

More than half of patients who report "weekend-only" drug use end up expanding their drug use to weekdays, too -- suggesting that primary care clinicians should monitor patients who acknowledge "recreational" drug use, says a new study by Boston University public health and medicine researchers.

13 May 2015

Simple blood test could help predict effectiveness of interferon-based therapy in HCV-infected patients

A simple blood test can be used to predict which chronic hepatitis C patients will respond to interferon-based therapy, according to a report in the May issue of Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the basic science journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

13 May 2015

Federal budget delivers vital funding for Australian medical research

This vital funding boost will ensure Australia remains at the forefront of cutting edge medical research, delivering the critical breakthroughs needed to understand disease and find cures.

13 May 2015

Researchers develop new tool to identify common genetic anomalies in cancer

Researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and Thermo Fisher Scientific have developed and tested a new tool that searches for the most common genetic anomalies seen in cancer. The assay demonstrates the ability to make gene sequencing easier over a large volume of samples.

13 May 2015

Inoviem Scientific receives €545,000 from French public investment bank bpifrance

Inoviem Scientific, a Contract Research Biotech (CRB) company today announces that it has received additional funding of €545,000 ($611,000) from French public investment bank bpifrance. The company leverages two proprietary technologies to offer pharmaceutical players increased speed and enhanced safety at all stages of drug development; from drug discovery (the identification of secondary targets and detection of potential adverse effects, etc.) through to clinical trials (with patient stratification and identification of biomarkers, etc.).

12 May 2015

Obese people at greater risk of developing cancer

Cancer is more likely to develop in people who are very overweight (obese), because surplus body fat interferes with various hormone cycles and with glucose and fat metabolism. On the occasion of European Obesity Day this coming Saturday (16 May), metabolic expert Alexandra Kautzky-Willer, Comprehensive Cancer Center at MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital, draws attention to the fact that, even in Austria, more and more people are suffering from obesity.

12 May 2015

Brain protein plays key role in controlling binge drinking

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that a brain protein has a key role in controlling binge drinking in animal models. They found that deleting the gene for this protein in mice ramped up alcohol consumption and prevented the brain from signaling the rewarding properties of alcohol.

12 May 2015

Reducing protocol time for 96-well PCR Assays

The virus and prion validation group at Octapharma GmbH (Frankfurt, Germany) reports how implementing an INTEGRA VIAFLO 96 has enabled them to reduce the time taken to undertake PCR assays by greater than 60%...

From INTEGRA Biosciences 12 May 2015

CPhI Istanbul 2015 opens as Turkey continues to dominate the MENA pharma region

Turkey is fast emerging as a new hub for pharma manufacturing. This year, CPhI Istanbul will welcome more than 200 exhibitors from 23 Countries and over 4,000 visitors..

12 May 2015

Misperceptions about miscarriage are widespread, survey finds

A survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults has found that misperceptions about miscarriage and its causes are widespread. Results of the survey, conducted by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Health System, show that feelings of guilt and shame are common after a miscarriage and that most people erroneously believe that miscarriages are rare.

12 May 2015

Researchers identify three genes involved in choroid plexus carcinoma

Researchers have identified three genes that play a pivotal role in the brain tumor choroid plexus carcinoma (CPC), a discovery that lays the groundwork for more effective treatment of this rare, often fatal cancer. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, which appears today in the journal Cancer Cell.

12 May 2015

Study: Disrupting cancer pathway could extend benefits of new immunity-boosting drugs

Understanding how to overrule a signaling pathway that can cause treatments to fail in metastatic melanoma patients should help physicians extend the benefits of recently approved immunity-boosting drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors to more patients.

12 May 2015

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany granted FDA Fast Track designation for development of evofosfamide

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in healthcare, life science and performance materials today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation for the development of evofosfamide (previously known as TH-302), administered in combination with gemcitabine, for the treatment of previously untreated patients with metastatic or locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer.

12 May 2015