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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

Ferroportin levels are strong predictors of propensity for breast cancer recurrence: Study

A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) may soon help to spare some women with breast cancer from having to undergo invasive and toxic treatments for their disease.

5 Aug 2010

Sigma-Aldrich, NHLBI and BU collaborate in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease research

Sigma-Aldrich® today announced it has entered into an agreement with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, and Boston University (BU) to develop methods to measure several potential biomarkers of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) using plasma samples from the NHLBI's Framingham Heart Study (FHS), one of the most prestigious clinical studies in medicine. Funding for the project is provided by the NHLBI to Sigma-Aldrich under a research subaward agreement with BU.

5 Aug 2010

Long-term exposure to valproate leads to bone loss: Study

Scientists are reporting a possible explanation for the bone loss that may occur following long-term use of a medicine widely used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and other conditions. The drug, valproate, appears to reduce the formation of two key proteins important for bone strength, they said. Their study, which offers a solution to a long-standing mystery, appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

5 Aug 2010

SORT1 pathway holds promise as new target for therapeutic intervention for LDL cholesterol reduction

The true power of genomic research lies in its ability to help scientists understand biological processes, particularly those that - when altered - can lead to disease. This power is demonstrated dramatically in a pair of papers published today in the journal Nature. In the first, a global team of researchers describes 95 different variations across the genome that contribute in different degrees to alterations in blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels in multiple human populations. In the second report, close examination of just one of these common variants not only reveals the involvement of an unexpected genetic pathway in lipid metabolism but also provides a blueprint for using genomic findings to unravel biological connections between lipid levels and coronary heart disease.

5 Aug 2010

Amplimmune collaborates with GSK to develop PD-1 targeting therapies

Amplimmune, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a broad strategic alliance with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to further develop PD-1 targeting therapies that may be effective in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. GSK will obtain exclusive worldwide rights to AMP-224 as well as other potential next generation fusion proteins that target PD-1.

5 Aug 2010

Scientist invents new approach to boost body's response to vaccinations

As the medical community searches for better vaccines and ways to deliver them, a University of Rochester scientist believes he has discovered a new approach to boosting the body's response to vaccinations.Richard P. Phipps, Ph.D., found that the same molecules used in drugs that treat diabetes also stimulate B cells in the immune system, pushing them to make antibodies for protection against invading microorganisms.

5 Aug 2010

Acceleron's ACE-031 protein therapeutic for DMD receives FDA Fast Track designation

Acceleron Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that modulate the growth of cells and tissues including muscle, bone, fat, red blood cells and the vasculature, today announced it received FDA Fast Track designation for ACE-031 for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a fatal neuromuscular disease in which patients suffer from the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. ACE-031 is an investigational protein therapeutic being developed to increase muscle mass and strength.

5 Aug 2010

Detection of Alzheimer's before symptoms occur

Research is on to detect the dreaded Alzheimer's disease even before any symptoms occur. In a newly proposed diagnostic criteria developed by experts from the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association three stages of the disease viz. pre-clinical Alzheimer's, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's dementia are described.

4 Aug 2010

Infinity reports $18.4 million total revenue for second-quarter 2010

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an innovative drug discovery and development company, today detailed recent developments in its product development portfolio and announced second quarter 2010 financial results.

4 Aug 2010

Researchers identify TACI; MyD88 activates immune system against infection

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found a new mechanism that explains how certain immune cells are activated to create protective antibodies against infections or pathological antibodies such as those present in autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The research is published online in the September issue of Nature Immunology.

4 Aug 2010

Scientists discover single-chain protein to destroy GBM cancer cells

A major breakthrough in how to target and destroy the most malignant and aggressive brain cancer cells has been made by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.Scientists have identified a way to target and destroy Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells without harming healthy cells.

4 Aug 2010

Research findings show normal rise and fall in triglycerides

When the circadian rhythm gets thrown off, it could come with an unexpected side effect: high triglycerides. The discovery, based on studies in mice with a "broken clock," helps to explain the normal rise and fall in triglycerides, which happens at about the same time each day, according to researchers who report their findings in the August issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication.

4 Aug 2010

BARDA awards contract to develop Pfenex Expression Technology

Pfenex Inc. today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has awarded Pfenex a contract providing for up to a total of $18.8 million in funding, provided that certain milestones are achieved and that all contract options and extensions are exercised by the government. The contract will support the development of a robust Pfenex Expression Technology based production strain and process for the production of bulk recombinant protective antigen (rPA) from anthrax.

4 Aug 2010

BCM collaborates with Roche NimbleGen for high throughput exome capture technology

The Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center has standardized its target enrichment human disease research studies on Roche NimbleGen Sequence Capture Exome technology. The Baylor HGSC will sequence over 5,000 exomes in the next two years to identify genetic variants underlying multiple human diseases and will employ NimbleGen SeqCap EZ Exome and customized NimbleGen exome designs as the exome capture technology of choice. More than 15 different diseases will be investigated by Baylor HGSC, including brain, liver, pancreatic, colon, ovarian and bladder cancers, heart disease, diabetes, autism, and other inherited diseases with the goal of better understanding causative mutations and their impact on these diseases.

4 Aug 2010

Arena reports lower net loss of $28.80M for second-quarter 2010

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010, and recent developments, including the successful Pre-Approval Inspection, or PAI, of the company's Swiss drug product manufacturing facility by the US Food and Drug Administration, or FDA.

4 Aug 2010

Cornerstone licenses global rights to alpha-7 technology to Targacept

Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing significant products primarily for the respiratory and related markets, today announced that the Company has licensed to Targacept, Inc. the worldwide rights to its nicotinic-receptor based patents and library of preclinical compounds that target the alpha-7 or other nicotinic receptors originally licensed to Cornerstone from the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

4 Aug 2010

Scientists study specific cell interactions for reasearch on human developmental disorders

Two University of Iowa biologists have published a paper on how cells make specific interactions during development -- in the hope of one day learning more about human developmental disorders -- in the Aug. 2 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

4 Aug 2010

Sangon Biotech, Bio Basic complete $10 million round of funding from Qiming Ventures

Sangon Biotech, a Shanghai based life science research service company, and Bio Basic Inc. (BBI), a Toronto based life science research service company, announced today the completion of a $10 million round of funding from Qiming Ventures. The company is using the funding to scale research & development, marketing and sales of its life science research tools including biochemical reagents, protein, antibody, research kit, DNA synthesis service, etc. to meet increasing demand.

3 Aug 2010

Curis reports net loss of $2.1 million for second-quarter 2010

Curis, Inc., a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

3 Aug 2010

Toxic protein in bee venom improves liposome encapsulated drug effectiveness

The next time you are stung by a bee, here's some consolation: a toxic protein in bee venom, when altered, significantly improves the effectiveness liposome-encapsulated drugs or dyes, such as those already used to treat or diagnose cancer. This research, described in the August 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal, shows how modified melittin may revolutionize treatments for cancer and perhaps other conditions, such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and serious infections.

3 Aug 2010