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Tbx18 gene directs conversion of cardiomyocytes to genuine pacemaker cells

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have reprogrammed ordinary heart cells to become exact replicas of highly specialized pacemaker cells by injecting a single gene (Tbx18)-a major step forward in the decade-long search for a biological therapy to correct erratic and failing heartbeats.

18 Dec 2012

Vero system can treat patients with recent diagnoses of metastatic cancer

University of Florida radiation oncologists are using a sophisticated medical device to treat patients who have recent diagnoses of metastatic cancer, where the disease has started to spread from one part of the body to another.

18 Dec 2012

New MIT technology may help make cancer biomarker detection much easier

Finding ways to diagnose cancer earlier could greatly improve the chances of survival for many patients. One way to do this is to look for specific proteins secreted by cancer cells, which circulate in the bloodstream. However, the quantity of these biomarkers is so low that detecting them has proven difficult.

17 Dec 2012

Study sheds light on how new treatments could be more effective in early stages of bipolar disorder

A North West clinical trial of people who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder for less than five years will be the first study of its kind to shed light on how new treatments could be more effective in the early stages of the condition.

17 Dec 2012

Cytokine rise signals RCC progression

Progression of renal cell carcinoma is frequently preceded by a rise in levels of proangiogenic cytokines, Italian researchers have found.

17 Dec 2012

Abiraterone improves outcomes for prostate cancer prior to chemo

Treatment with abiraterone acetate, an androgen biosynthesis inhibitor, may benefit patients with progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have not yet undergone chemotherapy, report researchers.

17 Dec 2012

Elekta receives clearance for Clarity 4D Monitoring software

Elekta has received 510(k) clearance for its Clarity 4D Monitoring software, enabling U.S. medical centers to implement this new way of reducing the uncertainty caused by prostate motion during radiation treatment.

From Elekta 17 Dec 2012

New report provides snapshot of Canada's cancer system

A comprehensive report released today by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer provides a snapshot of how Canada's cancer system is performing in key areas from prevention through to patient experience and outcomes.

17 Dec 2012

NeoGenomics launches FISH assay for surveillance of patients with Barrett's Esophagus

NeoGenomics, Inc., a leading provider of cancer-focused genetic testing services, announced today it has validated and launched a laboratory developed Fluorescent in Situ Hybridization assay for the surveillance of patients with Barrett's Esophagus.

17 Dec 2012

Naurex announces completion of $38M Series B financing

Naurex Inc., a clinical-stage company developing innovative treatments to address unmet needs in psychiatry and neurology, today announced the completion of a $38 million Series B financing led by new investor Baxter Ventures.

17 Dec 2012

Dyslipidaemia: an interview with Prof. Peter Kokkinos

Dyslipidemia is defined as abnormal levels of blood lipids (fats) and cholesterol. The most common dyslipidaemias are high blood cholesterol (Total Cholesterol) and triglyceride levels, high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol) and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (‘good’ cholesterol).

17 Dec 2012

Immunohistochemistry reliable in identifying ALK rearrangement: Study

Favorable results have led to crizotinib gaining approval for the treatment of advanced stage ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Japan, the United States, Canada, and several other countries in Europe and Asia.

17 Dec 2012

Apophysomyces fungus kills 5 people following a massive Joplin tornado

A fast growing, flesh-eating fungus killed 5 people following a massive tornado that devastated Joplin, Mo., according to two new studies based on genomic sequencing by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

16 Dec 2012

Five young investigators receive prestigious grants at IOF’s 3rd Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting

Five young investigators from the Asia-Pacific region have been awarded prestigious grants on the closing day the IOF Regionals - 3rd Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting, a major medical conference organized by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) in Kuala Lumpur.

16 Dec 2012

Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center to expand its outpatient cancer facility

Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center on the Banner Gateway campus will break ground in January 2013 on an expansion of its outpatient cancer facility, offering a new service and additional equipment and treatment areas to meet the needs of its rapidly growing patient population.

15 Dec 2012

Everolimus therapy might treat Myc-driven lymphoma

Drugs that are used in the clinic to treat some forms of breast and kidney cancer and that work by inhibiting the signaling molecule mTORC1 might have utility in treating some of the more than 15 percent of human cancers driven by alterations in the Myc gene, according to data from a preclinical study published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

15 Dec 2012

Novartis receives FDA approval for Signifor injection to treat Cushing's disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Signifor (pasireotide diaspartate) injection for the treatment of Cushing's disease patients who cannot be helped through surgery.

15 Dec 2012

Ibrutinib continues to show unprecedented results in patients with mantle cell lymphoma

An international study of ibrutinib in people with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) continues to show unprecedented and durable results with few side effects.

15 Dec 2012

Cempra commences CEM-102 Phase 2 trial in prosthetic joint infections

Cempra, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing antibiotics to meet critical medical needs in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases, today announced the initiation of its Phase 2 clinical trial of CEM-102 in patients with prosthetic joint infections (PJIs).

15 Dec 2012

New finding likely to fuel cost-benefit debate over cancer care

A study published Thursday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concluded that proton-beam therapy provided no long-term benefit over traditional radiation despite far higher costs.

15 Dec 2012