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Salk scientists' discovery explains how a class of chemotherapy drugs works

The well-being of living cells requires specialized squads of proteins that maintain order. Degraders chew up worn-out proteins, recyclers wrap up damaged organelles, and-most importantly-DNA repair crews restitch anything that resembles a broken chromosome. If repair is impossible, the crew foreman calls in executioners to annihilate a cell. As unsavory as this last bunch sounds, failure to summon them is one aspect of what makes a cancer cell a cancer cell.

12 Mar 2012

ESMO welcomes EC proposal to streamline access to medicines

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) welcomes the recent proposal by the European Commission aimed at streamlining the process and shortening the timeline surrounding national decisions on pricing drugs and reimbursement of payment made for medicines. This initiative, says ESMO, will facilitate patient access to innovative treatments on an EU-wide level.

12 Mar 2012

Over 71% of all rogue online pharmacies clustered with just ten Registrars

In the wake of news regarding counterfeit Avastin hitting the US market, a new analysis released by LegitScript.com estimates that out of roughly 450 companies with ICANN accreditations to sell domain names, over 71% of all rogue online pharmacies are clustered with just ten Registrars, with over 50% of all rogue online pharmacies at just two Registrars.

12 Mar 2012

AB SCIEX announces commercial expansion in Brazil

AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, today announced its expansion of commercial operations in Brazil to support the Brazilian scientific community's increasing use of mass spectrometry for food safety testing, environmental analysis, academic research, drug development, forensic toxicology and clinical research.

12 Mar 2012

Former 'legal high' even more popular after UK ban

The former 'legal high' mephedrone is even more popular than it was shortly after it was banned by the UK government, according to a survey of London club-goers published in the Journal of Substance Use today.

12 Mar 2012

Botulinum toxin effective in treating OAB among women

The biggest study into the treatment of urinary incontinence with botulinum toxin (trade name Botox) has demonstrated that it is effective in treating overactive bladder (OAB) - a debilitating common condition which can affect up to 20% of people over the age of 40.

12 Mar 2012

Researchers determine structure of concentrative nucleoside transporter

A team of researchers at Duke University has determined the structure of a key molecule that can carry chemotherapy and anti-viral drugs into cells, which could help to create more effective drugs with fewer effects to healthy tissue.

12 Mar 2012

Estrogen-only form of menopausal hormone therapy may protect against breast cancer

Rowan T. Chlebowski, M.D., Ph.D., an LA BioMed investigator whose research activities have focused on breast cancer therapy and prevention, and chronic diseases impacting women's health, is co-author of a study that indicates that women who use the estrogen-only form of menopausal hormone therapy appear less likely to develop breast cancer in the longer term, according to new research which was recently published The Lancet Oncology.

12 Mar 2012

ITQB, REQUIMTE convert solid antibiotic ampicilin into an ionic liquid form

In a daring move into the biomedical arena, ITQB chemists from the Molecular Thermodynamics Lab and collaborators from REQUIMTE have managed to convert the solid antibiotic ampicilin into an ionic liquid form, a method that may be extended to other pharmaceutical compounds with benefits for their administration. The work is now published in Medicinal Chemistry Communications.

12 Mar 2012

PXR protein can protect against cardiovascular disease

Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London and the University of Surrey have found a protein inside blood vessels with an ability to protect the body from substances which cause cardiovascular disease.

12 Mar 2012

Tranylcypromine shows promise against AML

A retinoid called all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which is a vitamin A-derivative, is already used successfully to treat a rare sub-type of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), however this drug has not been effective for the more common types of AMLs.

12 Mar 2012

TSRI, OPKO Health to develop and commercialize SR 3306 for Parkinson's

OPKO Health, Inc. and The Scripps Research Institute today announced a global agreement for the development and commercialization of SR 3306, a novel compound discovered by scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute that blocks the destruction of brains cells in animal models of Parkinson's disease.

12 Mar 2012

LSD for alcohol addiction: Study

Hallucinogenic drug LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) could help alcoholics give up drinking, according to an analysis of studies performed in the 1960s. A study, presented in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, looked at data from six trials and more than 500 patients. It said there was a “significant beneficial effect” on alcohol abuse, which lasted several months after the drug was taken.

12 Mar 2012

Epidemic bacteria can damage mucins to enter and infect a body part

Boston, MA- Scientists from the Schepens Eye Research Institute, a subsidiary of Mass. Eye and Ear and affiliate of Harvard Medical School, have found for the first time that a bacterial pathogen can literally mow down protective molecules, known as mucins, on mucus membranes to enter and infect a part of the body.

12 Mar 2012

Conference highlights studies on metabolism, aging and monarch butterfly migration

The Genetics Society of America's 53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference, March 7-11 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, will showcase diverse efforts to understand basic biological processes through the easy-to-study fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and other insects.

12 Mar 2012

FDA may allow many chronic ailment drugs to be available over-the-counter

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is deciding on a proposal to waive prescription requirements for commonly used drugs that treat conditions like diabetes, asthma, and migraines.

11 Mar 2012

Tumors can be more complex than imagined earlier: Study

Researchers speculate that cancers may be more complex that they knew. And that's why a single tissue sample taken from a single tumor may not be the best way to figure out a course of treatment they claim.

11 Mar 2012

BfArM grants Moberg Derma approval to initiate Limtop clinical phase I trial for actinic keratosis

The German- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) has granted Moberg Derma approval to initiate a clinical phase I trial for Limtop. Limtop is an innovative formulation of an immunomodulatory compound with potential to treat actinic keratosis, genital warts and basal cell carcinoma.

11 Mar 2012

Methylphenidate may affect learning and memory in children with ADHD

New research with monkeys sheds light on how the drug methylphenidate may affect learning and memory in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

11 Mar 2012

New ways of delivering personalized cancer therapies in a cost effective manner

As scientists continue making breakthroughs in personalized cancer treatment, delivering those therapies in the most cost effective manner has become increasingly important. Now researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have identified new ways of doing just that, allowing more patients to benefit from this revolution in cancer care.

11 Mar 2012