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CAR therapy shows potential for advancing treatment of patients with ALL and CLL

Novartis is highlighting new research from members of the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine on the investigational chimeric antigen receptor therapy, CTL019. Several studies being presented at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting add to the scientific understanding of CTL019 in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia and build on earlier research findings.

9 Dec 2013

‘Flesh-eating’ disease treatments: an interview with Dr. John Crew, Seton Medical Center

Untreated, the mortality probably exceeds 70%. Flesh eating is a description of Toxic Inflammatory Cellulitis which usually starts by bacterial subcutaneous infection followed by freezing in phase II healing which is inflammatory.

9 Dec 2013

Children and adults with high-risk ALL benefit from novel, personalized cell therapy

Nearly 90 percent of children and adults with a highly aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia showed no evidence of cancer after receiving a novel, personalized cell therapy that reprograms a patient's immune system. In pilot studies of bioengineered T cells that attack leukemia, 24 of 27 patients (89%) experienced complete responses within 28 days after treatment. In all, 27 patients received the treatment--22 children treated at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and five adults treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Dec 2013

Ligand announces data from preclinical studies on small-molecule oral G-CSF receptor agonist

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced that data from preclinical studies on its granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) receptor agonist program were featured in a poster presentation today at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in New Orleans.

9 Dec 2013

Revised Clinical Practice Guidelines on management of HCV published by EASL

The European Association for the Study of the Liver today publishes their revised Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) on the management of hepatitis C virus infection. The EASL guidelines, which supersede the previous version published in 2011, are designed to help physicians and other healthcare providers optimise their management of patients with acute and chronic HCV.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers one step closer to development of drug-eluting contact lens for glaucoma treatment

For nearly half a century, contact lenses have been proposed as a means of ocular drug delivery that may someday replace eye drops, but achieving controlled drug release has been a significant challenge. Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are one step closer to an eye drop-free reality with the development of a drug-eluting contact lens designed for prolonged delivery of latanoprost, a common drug used for the treatment of glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.

9 Dec 2013

New form of gene therapy shows promising outcomes for "bubble boy" disease

Researchers reported promising outcomes data for the first group of boys with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCID-X1), a fatal genetic immunodeficiency also known as "bubble boy" disease, who were treated as part of an international clinical study of a new form of gene therapy. The mechanism used to deliver the gene therapy is designed to prevent the serious complication of leukemia that arose a decade ago in a similar trial in Europe, when one-quarter of boys treated developed the blood cancer.

9 Dec 2013

Penn researchers identify protein that could clear Alzheimer's plaques

The body is structured to ensure that any invading organisms have a tough time reaching the brain, an organ obviously critical to survival. Known as the blood-brain barrier, cells that line the brain and spinal cord are tightly packed, making it difficult for anything besides very small molecules to cross from the bloodstream into the central nervous system. While beneficial, this blockade also stands in the way of delivering drugs intended to treat neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's.

9 Dec 2013

New study presents promising results for treatment of multiple myeloma

A new study conducted by scientists from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School, USA, and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, presents very promising results for the treatment of the cancer form multiple myeloma. The drug candidate used in the research has been developed by scientists from Karolinska Institutet and a Swedish company following its initial identification at the same university. The findings are so promising that the scientists are teaming up with Harvard to bring the drug to clinical trials on patients.

9 Dec 2013

Genetically engineered cell therapies demonstrate early efficacy, safety in patients with blood disorders

A series of advancements in genetically engineered cell therapies demonstrate early efficacy and safety in patients with blood disorders for whom standard treatments have been unsuccessful, according to data showcased today during the 55th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans.

9 Dec 2013

Study shows VEEG telemetry monitoring with early cessation of AED therapy is safe, effective

Patients with epilepsy often undergo evaluation by concurrent video and EEG monitoring (vEEG) for therapeutic planning, including possible epilepsy surgery. Seizures during monitoring increase the diagnostic yield and requires the withdrawal of anticonvulsant drugs (AEDs) to allow seizures to occur.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers assess direct out-of-pocket costs for couples undergoing fertility treatment

From drug therapy to IVF, out-of pocket costs can range from $900 to $19,000 per treatment cycle, report researchers in The Journal of Urology

9 Dec 2013

Angioplasty may not provide additional benefits compared to drug therapy for patients with stable CAD

For patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) who are not experiencing a heart attack and an abnormal stress test, treatment of their narrowed arteries by the common procedure of angioplasty may not provide additional benefits compared to drug therapy alone.

9 Dec 2013

Low-income women less likely to receive breast cancer treatment

Women with interruptions in health insurance coverage or with low income levels had a significantly increased likelihood of failing to receive breast cancer care that is in concordance with recommended treatment guidelines, according to results presented here at the Sixth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held Dec. 6-9.

9 Dec 2013

Bortezomib reduces GVHD, boosts survival for patients receiving stem-cell transplants

Adding bortezomib (Velcade) to standard preventive therapy for graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) results in improved outcomes for patients receiving stem-cell transplants from mismatched and unrelated donors, according to researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

9 Dec 2013

Study helps explain why survival gap persists for African-Americans with head and neck cancer

A team of scientists at Johns Hopkins and in Texas has identified a handful of genetic mutations in black Americans, in addition to some chemical alterations affecting gene activity, which may help explain why the death rate among African-Americans from the most common form of head and neck cancer continues to hover some 18 percent higher above the death rate of whites with the same cancer.

9 Dec 2013

Gene discovered to play a part in one per cent of all cancers

Researchers have identified a gene that drives the development of tumours in over one per cent of all cancer patients. This is the first time that the gene CUX1 has been broadly linked to cancer development.

9 Dec 2013

Novel device may simplify monitoring of patients' response to treatment for ovarian cancer

A microchip-based device developed by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators may greatly simplify the monitoring of patients' response to treatment for ovarian cancer - the most lethal form of gynecologic cancer - and certain other malignancies.

6 Dec 2013

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals' XIAFLEX gets FDA approval for treatment of Peyronie's disease

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a fully integrated specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved XIAFLEX (collagenase clostridium histolyticum, or CCH), an in-office, biologic for the treatment of Peyronie's disease. XIAFLEX is the first and only FDA-approved treatment proven effective for PD in men with a palpable plaque and a curvature deformity of 30 degrees or greater at the start of therapy.

6 Dec 2013

ALS TDI forms research partnership with Neurimmune to advance potential treatments for ALS

The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), together with its wholly-owned subsidiary, Anelixis Therapeutics, announced today that it has formed a research partnership with Neurimmune to advance potential treatments for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

6 Dec 2013

Therapy News and Research

CAR therapy shows potential for advancing treatment of patients with ALL and CLL

‘Flesh-eating’ disease treatments: an interview with Dr. John Crew, Seton Medical Center

Children and adults with high-risk ALL benefit from novel, personalized cell therapy

Ligand announces data from preclinical studies on small-molecule oral G-CSF receptor agonist

Revised Clinical Practice Guidelines on management of HCV published by EASL

Researchers one step closer to development of drug-eluting contact lens for glaucoma treatment

New form of gene therapy shows promising outcomes for "bubble boy" disease

Penn researchers identify protein that could clear Alzheimer's plaques

New study presents promising results for treatment of multiple myeloma

Genetically engineered cell therapies demonstrate early efficacy, safety in patients with blood disorders

Study shows VEEG telemetry monitoring with early cessation of AED therapy is safe, effective

Researchers assess direct out-of-pocket costs for couples undergoing fertility treatment

Angioplasty may not provide additional benefits compared to drug therapy for patients with stable CAD

Low-income women less likely to receive breast cancer treatment

Bortezomib reduces GVHD, boosts survival for patients receiving stem-cell transplants

Study helps explain why survival gap persists for African-Americans with head and neck cancer

Gene discovered to play a part in one per cent of all cancers

Novel device may simplify monitoring of patients' response to treatment for ovarian cancer

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals' XIAFLEX gets FDA approval for treatment of Peyronie's disease

ALS TDI forms research partnership with Neurimmune to advance potential treatments for ALS

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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