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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.

Eculizumab protects children from severe Shiga toxin-associated HUS

A physician and researcher at the Sainte Justine University Hospital Center (Sainte-Justine UHC), a University of Montreal affiliate, saved the life of a child and, by doing so, became the first to find a new use for a drug in the fight against deadly E. coli bacteria.

20 Dec 2011

Lostartan can reduce cigarette smoke-induced lung injury

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is among the most common causes of death in the US. It is a smoking-related disease for which there are currently no disease-altering therapies. However, hope that one could be developed is now provided by the work of Enid Neptune and colleagues, at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, in a mouse model of lung disease caused by exposure to cigarette smoke.

20 Dec 2011

Acupuncture can reduce protein associated with chronic stress

Acupuncture significantly reduces levels of a protein in rats linked to chronic stress, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have found. They say their animal study may help explain the sense of well-being that many people receive from this ancient Chinese therapy.

20 Dec 2011

Stabilizing mitochondria protects against Parkinson's in a rat model

Stabilizing the cell's power-generating center protects against Parkinson's disease (PD) in a rat model, according to a report published online this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

20 Dec 2011

Blocking EETs may represent novel strategy for cancer therapy

Recent findings in mice suggest that blocking the production of small molecules produced in the body, known as epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), may represent a novel strategy for treating cancer by eliminating the blood vessels that feed cancer tumors.

20 Dec 2011

Bloomberg TV to air segment on Antigen Express' immunotherapeutic breast cancer vaccine

Generex Biotechnology Corporation today announced that Bloomberg Television is scheduled to air a segment on the immunotherapeutic breast cancer vaccine being developed by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Antigen Express, Inc.

19 Dec 2011

EMA CHMP recommends approval for BioMarin's Novato manufacturing facility expansion

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has recommended approval for the company's manufacturing facility expansion in Novato, CA.

19 Dec 2011

Lixte's LB-205 shows therapeutic potential against Gaucher disease

An article in the early edition (December 12, 2011) of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, reported that Lixte's investigational drug, LB-205, was shown to have therapeutic potential in a laboratory model of Gaucher disease.

19 Dec 2011

ALS TDI, Biogen Idec and UCB enter agreement to study anti-CD40L antibody for ALS

The ALS Therapy Development Institute today announced a research agreement with Biogen Idec and UCB Pharma SA to investigate the use of an anti-CD40L antibody as a potential therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's or Motor Neuron Disease.

19 Dec 2011

IGN joins BCCA Genome Science Center

Illumina, Inc. today announced that the British Columbia Cancer Agency's (BCCA) Genome Science Center has joined the Illumina Genome Network (IGN). IGN is designed to link researchers needing large-scale whole human genome sequencing with leading institutions that provide this application as a service using industry-leading Illumina sequencing platforms.

19 Dec 2011

Arab Health conference to discuss link between vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis

Reports from the American University of Beirut Medical Centre have concluded that The Middle East and Africa region has the highest incidence of osteoporosis in the world, while UAE-based studies from the Emirates Osteoporosis Society (EOS) across Emiratis and expatriates show that one third of people in the UAE over the age of 50 suffer from osteoporosis. The society's findings also conclude that 78% of the UAE population, most notably Emirati women, suffer from Vitamin D deficiency, which is essential for good bone health, despite the abundance of sunshine.

19 Dec 2011

Increased Sirt1 expression protects against neurodegeneration in HD mouse model

Treatment that increases brain levels of an important regulatory enzyme may slow the loss of brain cells that characterizes Huntington's disease (HD) and other neurodegenerative disorders.

19 Dec 2011

SIRT1 gene appears to delay onset of HD in mouse model

Working with genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a gene (SIRT1) linked to slowing the aging process in cells also appears to dramatically delay the onset of Huntington's disease (HD) and slow the progression of the relentless neurodegenerative disorder.

19 Dec 2011

Baxter receives FDA approval for ADVATE to prevent hemophilia A

Baxter International Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ADVATE [Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant) Plasma/Albumin Free Method] for routine prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in patients with hemophilia A.

From Baxter International Inc. 17 Dec 2011

Pfizer enters Prevenar 13 supply agreement to protect children from pneumococcal disease

Pfizer Inc. today announced it has entered into a second supply agreement which will broaden and extend the duration of the Company's commitment to help protect millions of infants and young children in the developing world from pneumococcal disease - the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death in young children.

17 Dec 2011

Researchers discover miR-520 blocks cancer-promoting signaling pathway

MicroRNAs or miRNAs are tiny RNA molecules that have only about 20 nucleotides and do not code for proteins. They regulate many important processes in cells by binding to target messenger RNAs - the instructions for protein production -, thus blocking production of the respective protein. In cancer, the production of some miRNAs is often reduced or amplified. This particularly affects miRNAs that regulate the activity of cancer-promoting genes.

17 Dec 2011

Scientists devise a way to reduce side effects of lung cancer therapy

Scientists may have a way to double the efficacy and reduce the side effects of radiation therapy.

17 Dec 2011

Top tips on how you can cut 500 calories out of your Christmas dinner

Many of us work hard to keep trim, watching our weight all year round just to see the pounds pile on over Christmas. But this year NHS Choices is offering top tips on how you can cut 500 calories out of your Christmas dinner while still enjoying all your traditional favourites.

17 Dec 2011

First reliable method to predict whether SSRIs work on depressed patients

Loyola University Medical Center researchers are reporting what could become the first reliable method to predict whether an antidepressant will work on a depressed patient.

16 Dec 2011

Short spiral-shaped proteins can efficiently deliver DNA segments to cells

Clinical gene therapy may be one step closer, thanks to a new twist on an old class of molecules. A group of University of Illinois researchers, led by professors Jianjun Cheng and Fei Wang, have demonstrated that short spiral-shaped proteins can efficiently deliver DNA segments to cells. The team published its work in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

16 Dec 2011