Interferon News and Research

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GSK to acquire Genelabs Technologies

GlaxoSmithKline and Genelabs Technologies, Inc announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which GSK will acquire Genelabs for approximately $57 million (pounds Sterling 35 million) through a tender offer of $1.30 per share in cash. This strategic acquisition will strengthen GSK's effort to develop and deliver novel therapies against the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

29 Oct 2008

Leukaemia drug may reverse multiple sclerosis brain damage

Scientists in Britain say a drug which was developed to treat leukaemia may also be a powerful new weapon against multiple sclerosis (MS).

23 Oct 2008

New TB test more accurate in predicting those most susceptible

Scientists have developed a new blood test which promises to more accurately predict those most likely to develop tuberculosis (TB).

22 Oct 2008

New tuberculosis test reveals patients at risk

A recently introduced blood test can reveal which patients may develop active tuberculosis (TB) much more precisely than the 100-year old TB skin test, according to a new study published today in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

20 Oct 2008

Anti-itching drug clemizole shows promise against hepatitis C

The fight against the liver disease hepatitis C has been at something of an impasse for years, with more than 150 million people currently infected, and traditional antiviral treatments causing nasty side effects and often falling short of a cure. Using a novel technique, medical and engineering researchers at Stanford University have discovered a vulnerable step in the virus' reproduction process that in lab testing could be effectively targeted with an obsolete antihistamine.

31 Aug 2008

Gleevec receives FDA priority review for gastrointestinal stromal tumors after surgery

Novartis has announced that Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) tablets, (known as Glivec (imatinib) outside the US, Canada and Israel), has been granted priority review status by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first therapy to be reviewed for use after surgery in kit-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).

27 Aug 2008

Early trigger for type-1 diabetes found in mice

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine are shedding light on how type-1 diabetes begins.

26 Aug 2008

Early treatment key to combating hepatitis C virus

Canadian researchers have shown that patients who receive early treatment for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) within the first months following an infection, develop a rapid poly-functional immune response against HCV similar to when infection is erradicted spontaneously, according to a new study published in the Journal of Virology.

10 Aug 2008

European researchers take lid off the genome

European researchers have made significant progress unravelling how genes are governed and why this sometimes goes wrong in disease.

15 Jun 2008

Breakthrough in understanding tumor immune therapy

Researchers from the Tubingen University, Department of Dermatology, uncovered an entirely new understanding on how the immune system may control tumor development.

11 Jun 2008

Combination biotherapies safe, promising for melanoma patients

The combination of two different biotherapies may be beneficial for patients with inoperable melanoma, according to a University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) study presented at the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago.

1 Jun 2008

Novel approach to drug insolubility strengthens PolyTherics patent estate

Polytherics Ltd, a biopharmaceutical spin-out company from Imperial College London and the London School of Pharmacy that specialises in the targeted application of polymers to biopharmaceuticals, has announced the grant of a European patent on the application of polymer complexation technology to improve drug efficacy.

28 May 2008

Regulatory T cells orchestrate reaction to a virus invasion

Just as fire engines arrive quickly at the scene to save people and property, the cells that fight viruses have to reach the site of an infection promptly to mount a protective response.

24 Apr 2008

Hepatitis C therapy peginterferon alfa-2b shows promise

The hepatitis C therapy peginterferon alfa-2b, when given as low-dose maintenance therapy, can prevent disease progression in certain patients who failed previous interferon-based hepatitis C therapies and have advanced liver disease, according to findings from a large, four-year study presented today at the 43rd annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).

24 Apr 2008

Researchers study Rituximab's action on cancer stem cells

Preliminary data from one of the first clinical trials to test a stem cell-targeting drug in cancer patients shows that while the drug did not prolong survival, its suppressing effect on patients' stem cells was impressive enough to send investigators looking for a better drug to try.

13 Apr 2008

Cancer treatment from a common avian virus under study

Researchers on the Blacksburg and College Park, Maryland campuses of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine have been awarded a major new grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support innovative work that seeks to develop a treatment for cancer from a common avian virus.

7 Apr 2008

New clues to risk of Hodgkin lymphoma discovered

A long-term study of twins has led University of Southern California (USC) researchers to find potential links between Hodgkin lymphoma and levels of an immune response protein (interleukin-12).

2 Apr 2008

New method for rapid screening large numbers of antigens

A team of Washington State University scientists has devised a method that could lead to the development of vaccines against some of the most troubling infectious diseases we face diseases that have so far been difficult or impossible to vaccinate against.

26 Mar 2008

Discovery of new mechanism involved in inflammatory diseases

Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a new mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

17 Mar 2008

New rapid blood test for tuberculosis

A new blood test could enable doctors to rule out tuberculosis (TB) infection within days rather than weeks, according to a new study published this week in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

10 Mar 2008