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Gelesis presents Attiva data at AACE 19th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress

Boston-based medical technology firm Gelesis, Inc. unveiled its capsulated device Attiva™, and presented data showing that Attiva™ significantly increased the post-meal feeling of satiety and reduced hunger between meals in obese patients. This data was presented today at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 19th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress.

23 Apr 2010

Genetic tests that may replace biopsies

Genetic tests conducted on blood samples may replace the current biopsies when it comes to checking if immune systems are rejecting new organs of heart transplant patients. The test would be far less invasive and uncomfortable as compared to the biopsies, not to mention more affordable.

23 Apr 2010

AB SCIEX to collaborate in disease studies with Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital

AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, today announced that it is collaborating with the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, one of the world's leading centers for biomedical research, to improve disease studies. The project is focused on better understanding cancer, diabetes and heart disease by advancing the study of proteins through the use of an emerging mass spectrometry platform currently under development by AB SCIEX.

22 Apr 2010

New campaign highlights dangers of carrying excess weight around waist

Cancer Research UK has joined forces with the British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK to launch a new campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying excess weight around the waist.

22 Apr 2010

IL-10 Gene Therapy helps repair damaged lungs found unfit for transplant

Promising research brings hope for the almost two thousand lung transplant candidates who currently make up The United Network for Organ Sharing's (UNOS) wait list. A new technique that uses gene therapy to help repair damaged lungs previously found unfit for transplant shows promise for addressing the critical shortage of healthy donor organs.

22 Apr 2010

ISHLT announces new guidelines for heart transplant recipients

The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) today announces new guidelines to standardize care for heart transplant patients worldwide. The guidelines demonstrate a united effort to decrease complications, improve outcomes and increase patient survival rates among heart transplant recipients. The guidelines will be presented during today's symposium The ISHLT Guidelines for Heart Transplant Recipients: Towards an International Consensus at the ISHLT 30th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions at the Hilton Chicago.

22 Apr 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals presents new data on ALN-TTR01 RNAi therapeutic at amyloidosis symposium

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, presented new pre-clinical data from its ALN-TTR program at the XII International Symposium on Amyloidosis in Rome on April 18 - 21, 2010. ALN-TTR01 is a systemically delivered RNAi therapeutic being developed for the treatment of transthyretin (TTR)-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR), including familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) and familial amyloidotic cardiomyopathy (FAC).

22 Apr 2010

Medical technology innovation strives for personal focus, cost-efficiency

Medtronic CEO Bill Hawkins says the products made by his company, like pacemakers, insulin pumps and neurostimulators are the "ultimate personal technologies," according to CNNMoney. He said a shift in his industry is moving towards health information technology that people will depend on and use with their cell phones and laptops.

22 Apr 2010

Non-invasive coronary CTA cost-effective alternative to invasive cardiac catheterization for CAD evaluation

According to a study conducted at Thomas Jefferson University (TJU), non-invasive coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) is a cost-effective alternative to invasive cardiac catheterization in the care of patients who have positive stress test results but a less than 50 percent chance of actually having significant coronary artery disease (CAD). The study will be published in the May issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

22 Apr 2010

Radical prescription drug reform in New Zealand

Getting access to the latest medication may become a costly affair for New Zealanders. Talks on getting a Trans Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership between the US and New Zealand are taking place. The Researched Medicines Industry Association expects reforms from Pharmac the government’s drug buying agency if the deal is to go through. Some international drug companies have been angered by the control on drugs spending by Pharmac.

22 Apr 2010

Penn State researchers to test education program on patients with high blood pressure

When it comes to chronic diseases, knowledge is power, according to Penn State researchers who will test an education program on patients with high blood pressure to help them manage their disease.

22 Apr 2010

Mandatory cuts for salt content in processed foods on the horizon

This Tuesday The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has urged the US Food and Drug Administration to start regulating the amount of salt in processed foods. This measure according to them can do what years of advising people to cut down on salt have failed to do.

22 Apr 2010

Framingham risk assessment tool fails to predict patients with suspected CAD: Study

If patients with suspected coronary artery disease are excluded from further screening because of a low Framingham score, many patients with substantial atherosclerosis (a build-up of plaque inside the arteries) will be missed, according to a study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

22 Apr 2010

SpectraCell Laboratories introduces apolipoprotein E genotyping

Effective immediately, SpectraCell Laboratories now offers apolipoprotein E genotyping. This test determines a person's genetic risk for heart disease associated with the commonly studied gene called apoE, which is involved in the metabolism of cholesterol and triglycerides (fats in the blood).

22 Apr 2010

Women and men experience different outcomes at U.S. hospitals: HealthGrades

Women and men experience different outcomes at U.S. hospitals for the same procedures and treatments, according to a new study released today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization.

22 Apr 2010

Legal case asks who to blame for medical device failure

The New York Times: A legal case now pending asks a question increasingly faced by the medical world -- "who should be held accountable when a company sells a flawed product that can injure or kill patients? Is it the company or the people who run it?"

22 Apr 2010

Medtronic acquires Invatec

Moving to expand its product offering, Medtronic, Inc., announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Invatec, a developer of innovative medical technologies for the interventional treatment of cardiovascular disease.

22 Apr 2010

FDA approves Medtronic's Complete SE Vascular Stent System for PAD

Broadening the scope of innovation for cardiovascular interventions beyond the heart, Medtronic, Inc., announced today that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Complete® SE Vascular Stent System to be used for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the iliac arteries, major blood vessels within the pelvis that supply blood to the lower extremities.

21 Apr 2010

CDI's iCell Cardiomyocytes named to MIT Technology Review's Annual 10 Emerging Technologies List

Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) today announced that CDI's development and commercialization of human cardiomyocytes for drug discovery and toxicity testing, based on the work of CDI co-founder and chief scientific officer, James A. Thomson, Ph.D., on induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) technology, have been named to the MIT Technology Review's Annual 10 Emerging Technologies List.

21 Apr 2010

Merck to market and distribute MBL's Td vaccine in the U.S.

MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Merck & Co., Inc. announced today that they have entered into an agreement that provides Merck with exclusive rights to market and distribute MBL's tetanus and diphtheria toxoids adsorbed (Td) vaccine in the United States, with the exception of Massachusetts, where MBL will continue distributing the vaccine.

21 Apr 2010