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New cancer therapy involves remodelling blood vessels and activating immune cells

Reversing or re-arranging the growth of these vessels in combination with specific immune strategies is a promising new strategy for cancer therapy, says Ruth Ganss, Professor at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Perth, at the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009 held in Berlin.

16 Sep 2009

Optimer's North American phase 3 Fidaxomicin study results presented at the 49th ICAAC

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPTR) today announced that new data highlighting fidaxomicin's (OPT-80) lower CDI recurrence rates and reduced risk of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) acquisition from Optimer's North American phase 3 study were presented at the 49th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in San Francisco.

16 Sep 2009

Newborn screening website to support quality health care for children

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) today launched the Newborn Screening Coding and Terminology Guide (http://newbornscreeningcodes.nlm.nih.gov), an important step toward efficient electronic exchange of standard newborn screening data.

16 Sep 2009

Phthalates & Parabens Profile helps identify exposure levels to chemicals

Personal care products that we use everyday contain chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors, which hinder the normal functions of our hormone systems. Phthalates, also known as plasticizers, are added to plastics to make them flexible to mold into shapes for product packaging and as fragrance for perfumes and air fresheners. Parabens are added to personal care products, such as cosmetics, to extend shelf-life and eliminate fungi and bacteria.

16 Sep 2009

Laser technology lowers manufacturing cost of artificial joints and arterial stents

Researchers are developing technologies that use lasers to create arterial stents and longer-lasting medical implants that could be manufactured 10 times faster and also less expensively than is now possible.

16 Sep 2009

Long-term implications of severe acute kidney problems

Hospitalized patients who experience acute kidney problems that require dialysis are at increased risk of receiving chronic dialysis once discharged, but do not have an increased risk of death, according to a study in the September 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Sep 2009

PsoriasisDX Genetic Test for Psoriatic arthritis launched

The first genetic test for Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is being launched today by PsoriasisDX, LLC, a subsidiary of molecular dermatology research and development innovator PharmaGenoma, Inc. PsA is a progressive irreversible joint disease associated with psoriasis. It is estimated that 20% to 40% of psoriasis patients will eventually develop PsA.

16 Sep 2009

NIMH awards Genomas an SBIR Grant to develop MRI DNA biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disease

Genomas(R), a biomedical company advancing DNA-Guided medicine, today announced the award of a 3-year Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant totaling $1.4 Million. The grant, entitled MRI DNA Biomarkers for Neuropsychiatric Disease, was awarded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

16 Sep 2009

Findings could lead to new neurological treatments

The power of the imagination is well-known: it's no surprise that scary music is scarier with your eyes closed. But now neuroscientist and psychiatrist Prof. Talma Hendler of Tel Aviv University's Functional Brain Center says that this phenomenon may open the door to a new way of treating people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological diseases.

16 Sep 2009

NCI-funded SPORE grant aims to improve kidney cancer treatment

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) an $11.5 million, five-year SPORE grant to focus on cancers of the kidney. Michael Atkins, MD, Deputy Director of BIDMC's Division of Hematology/Oncology, will oversee the grant, which involves collaborations with Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital via the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.

16 Sep 2009

BCLI collaborates with HBI to complete pre-clinical safety experiments

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, announced today that it has entered into a strategic agreement with Harlan Biotech Israel Ltd (HBI), a leading Good Laboratory Practice contractor, in order to complete pre-clinical safety experiments for the company’s innovative therapy for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease).

15 Sep 2009

iMedicor and Transgenomic to develop an educational marketing program for NuroPro

iMedicor and Transgenomic today announced that they have signed an agreement to develop an educational marketing program for NuroPro, Transgenomic’s diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

15 Sep 2009

Alnylam and Medtronic announce pre-clinical research findings from their Huntington’s disease program

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), the world’s leading developer of medical devices, announced today the presentation of new pre-clinical research findings from their Huntington’s disease program at the 2009 World Congress on Huntington’s Disease held September 12-15, 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

15 Sep 2009

New data reveals the evolution of Immunoglobulin E

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the main actor in the drama of allergy. The biological role of IgE in the immune response of an organism and the lack of control leading to allergy is the research topic of Gernot Achatz, Molekular Biology, University of Salzburg. At the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009 held in Berlin the scientist presents new data revealing the evolution of IgE.

15 Sep 2009

Significant uptake of medical imaging equipment in Ghana

Ghana's healthcare industry is experiencing growth across a range of sectors. However, the drive towards improved diagnostic capability has led to high demand for medical imaging devices.

15 Sep 2009

Thermo Fisher to showcase food safety solutions at AOAC 2009, Philadelphia

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, today announced that it is featuring its industry-leading range of instrumentation, equipment, consumables and software used for food safety testing at the AOAC International annual meeting and exposition in Philadelphia from Sept. 11-17.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 15 Sep 2009

XBox chip is a cheaper alternative to other forms of parallel processing hardware: Study

A new study by a University of Warwick researcher has demonstrated that researchers trying to model a range of processes could use the power and capabilities of a particular XBox chip as a much cheaper alternative to other forms of parallel processing hardware.

15 Sep 2009

New book on human genetics helps to unravel complex human diseases

Many human diseases-including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, cancer, and cardiovascular disease-are caused by multiple genetic variants and the interaction of those variants with the environment. Because such diseases lack a clear-cut inheritance pattern, sophisticated technological approaches and statistical analyses are required to determine their underlying cause.

15 Sep 2009

Targeted Molecular Diagnostics to offer digital pathology services in Beijing

Targeted Molecular Diagnostics (TMD), a Quintiles Central Laboratory, announced today the availability of digital pathology services in Beijing, China. The services add to Quintiles offerings used in the development of therapies to treat the world’s most pressing health issues, including cancer.

15 Sep 2009

Stem cell therapy holds great promise for regenerative medicine

The recipients of The 2009 Lasker Awards, announced today, represent the dramatic advances achieved in biotechnology research that have led to a revolutionary cancer treatment and the tremendous promise of stem cell therapy for regenerative medicine. Such advances portend a potential $700 million global market for new therapies within less than five years, according to Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN, www.genengnews.com).

15 Sep 2009