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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.

Cedars-Sinai to develop stem cell treatments for patients with ALS

Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute today was awarded a $17.8 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to develop stem cell treatments for patients with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a progressive, fatal and currently incurable neurodegenerative disease.

30 Jul 2012

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals commences ponatinib Phase 3 trial in newly diagnosed CML

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of the randomized Phase 3 trial of ponatinib, its investigational pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor, in adult patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

28 Jul 2012

Rituximab also benefits patients with kidney disorder

A drug commonly used to treat immune disorders such as lymphoma and arthritis also benefits patients with an immune disorder of the kidneys that can lead to kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of new study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

28 Jul 2012

EC approves Vertex's KALYDECO for treatment of cystic fibrosis

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that the European Commission has approved KALYDECOTM (ivacaftor) for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) ages 6 and older who have at least one copy of the G551D mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.

28 Jul 2012

Steak and ticks: A potentially life-threatening experience

Tick bites can trigger a severe, delayed allergic reaction to red meat, suggest findings published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

27 Jul 2012

Viral evolution and host protein levels predict rapid disease progression in hepatitis C patients

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have identified several factors in people infected with the hepatitis C virus that may predict whether the unusually rapid progression of disease from initial infection to severe liver conditions, such as cirrhosis, will occur. Knowing whether a patient's condition is likely to deteriorate quickly could help physicians decide on the best course of treatment.

27 Jul 2012

New computational method to help organize scientific data

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a new computational method that will help organize scientific data, making it easier for scientists to identify and prioritize genes, drug targets, and connections between drugs. By mining large datasets more simply and efficiently, researchers will be able to better understand gene-gene, protein-protein, and drug/side-effect interactions.

27 Jul 2012

Study validates importin beta1 protein's crucial role in nerve repair

Several years ago, Prof. Michael Fainzilber and his group in the Biological Chemistry Department made a surprising discovery: Proteins thought to exist only near the cell nucleus could also be found in the far-off regions of the body's longest cells - peripheral nerve cells that extend processes called axons, reaching up to a meter in length in adult humans.

27 Jul 2012

Vaccine complex delivered safely by piggybacking onto 3D DNA nanostructures

In a quest to make safer and more effective vaccines, scientists at the Biodesign Institute- at Arizona State University have turned to a promising field called DNA nanotechnology to make an entirely new class of synthetic vaccines.

27 Jul 2012

Novel method of identifying molecules that can help prevent diabetes

Pancreatic beta cells produce insulin, responsible for controlling blood sugar levels and thus essential for our survival. Among the numerous factors that affect the workings of these cells, a protein called Cx36 was identified a few months ago by a research team at the UNIGE.

27 Jul 2012

A2bAR receptor plays a significant role in regulation of type 2 diabetes and obesity

A recent study led by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) demonstrates that the A2b-type adenosine receptor, A2bAR, plays a significant role in the regulation of high fat, high cholesterol diet-induced symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

27 Jul 2012

Anakinra can dramatically limit amount of brain damage in stroke patients

Scientists led by the President of The University of Manchester have demonstrated a drug which can dramatically limit the amount of brain damage in stroke patients.

From The University of Manchester 27 Jul 2012

Fusion of FGFR and TACC gene leads to glioblastoma

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have discovered that some cases of glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of primary brain cancer, are caused by the fusion of two adjacent genes.

26 Jul 2012

Preliminary findings from Protalex's PRTX-100 Phase 1b study on active rheumatoid arthritis

Protalex, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that is developing a class of drugs designed to treat a wide array of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases today announced preliminary findings from its recently completed Phase 1b randomized, multiple-dose, dose-escalation study.

26 Jul 2012

Researchers decipher function of β-catenin in generating blood tissue stem cells

Researchers from IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) have deciphered the function executed by a protein called β-catenin in generating blood tissue stem cells.

26 Jul 2012

NIDA announces 2012 recipient of Avant-Garde Award for Medications Development

Dr. Gary R. Matyas has been selected the 2012 recipient of the NIDA Avant-Garde Award for Medications Development. Matyas proposes to develop an effective, safe and easily manufactured combination anti-heroin/HIV vaccine that could treat heroin addiction while at the same time prevent HIV infection in those receiving the vaccine.

26 Jul 2012

Child who received first stem cell trachea transplant functioning well two years on

The first child stem cell-supported trachea transplant is functioning well two years on, according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet today. The follow-up of the procedure, carried out in 2010 at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), shows that the new organ has strengthened and does not appear to have induced any signs of rejection. The 13-year-old boy who received the transplant continues to breathe normally, has grown 11 cm in height and has returned to school. He does not require any anti-rejection therapy.

26 Jul 2012

Molecular explanation for increased susceptibility to intestinal inflammation in malnutrition

More than one billion people in poor countries are starving, and malnutrition remains a major problem even in rich countries, making it a leading cause of death in the world. For over a hundred years, doctors have known that a lack of protein in the diet or low levels of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, can lead to symptoms like diarrhoea, inflamed intestines and other immune system disorders, which weaken the body and can be fatal. However, the molecular mechanism which explains how malnutrition causes such severe symptoms has been largely unexplored.

26 Jul 2012

AAQ chemical temporarily restores vision in blind mice

A team of University of California, Berkeley, scientists in collaboration with researchers at the University of Munich and University of Washington in Seattle has discovered a chemical that temporarily restores some vision to blind mice, and is working on an improved compound that may someday allow people with degenerative blindness to see again.

26 Jul 2012

Bio-Path initiates enrollment in fourth cohort of Liposomal Grb-2 Phase I trial for blood cancers

Bio-Path Holdings, Inc., a biotechnology company developing a liposomal delivery technology for nucleic acid cancer drugs, today announced that it has begun enrolling patients into the fourth dosage cohort in its Phase I clinical trial of its lead product candidate, BP-100.1.01 (Liposomal Grb-2), which is being evaluated as a systemic treatment for blood cancers including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

26 Jul 2012