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EMA recommends 4SC's resminostat for orphan medicinal product designation to treat HL

4SC AG, a discovery and development company of targeted small molecule drugs for autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended 4SC's anti-cancer compound resminostat for designation as orphan medicinal product for the treatment of Hodgkin's Lymphoma (HL), a cancer of the lymphatic system.

13 Oct 2011

Researchers identify age-dependent beta cell proliferation pathway

As a person ages, the ability of their beta cells to divide and make new beta cells declines. By the time children reach the age of 10 to 12 years, the ability of their insulin-producing cells to replicate greatly diminishes. If these cells, called beta cells, are destroyed-as they are in type 1 diabetes-treatment with the hormone insulin becomes essential to regulate blood glucose levels and get energy from food.

13 Oct 2011

RAZCER (Rapid Astrazeneca and CARO Evaluation of Radio-modifiers) awards announced - five Canadians win

Five leading Canadian radiation oncologists receive RAZCER Awards of $22,727 each for novel studies of radiation-drug interactions that have the potential to either protect normal tissues or sensitize tumours, and thus to enhance the effectiveness of radiation therapy for cancer patients. A selection committee of members of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) selected the 2011 recipients from among a field of 12 applicants. Astrazeneca provides the funds for the RAZCER Award as an educational grant.

13 Oct 2011

SAMHSA, BJA announce 10 new grant awards to enhance adult drug court services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) at the U.S. Department of Justice today announced 10 new grant awards to enhance adult drug court services, coordination and treatment. Drug courts provide an alternative to incarceration for people involved with the criminal justice system and in need of substance abuse treatment services.

13 Oct 2011

USPTO issues patent to Rexahn's new anti-cancer arylisoquinolinamine compounds

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced that the United States Patent & Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 8,034,829 to Rexahn, entitled "5, 6, or 7-Substituted-3-(hetero) arylisoquinolinamine derivatives and therapeutic use thereof."

13 Oct 2011

Skin cell to liver cell shows promise for genetic liver disease

In a new scientific breakthrough, researchers have taken skin cells from a patient with liver disease and turned them into replacement liver cells. Although the procedure is years before it can be used in humans, but if approved, it could launch a new era of personalized therapies for serious genetic disorders.

13 Oct 2011

Pfizer, deCODE genetics collaborate to discover sequence variants linked with SLE

deCODE genetics today announced that it has entered into a research collaboration with Pfizer Inc., the objective of which is to discover sequence variants associated with specific clinical phenotypes related to Systemic Lupus Erythematosis by utilizing deCODE's expertise in gene discovery.

13 Oct 2011

TB rates decline for the first time: WHO report

According to Mario Raviglione, director of the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Stop TB program, for the first time, the number of people infected with tuberculosis (TB) each year is declining. He was speaking at a press conference to release Global Tuberculosis Control 2011, WHO's 16th annual report on TB, which summarizes advances made and challenges ahead. The report features data on TB in nearly 200 countries with treatment results and financing trends.

12 Oct 2011

Intellikine commences INK1117 Phase I dose escalation study in cancer

Intellikine, Inc., a company focused on the discovery and development of innovative, small molecule drugs targeting the PI3K/mTOR pathway, announced today that the first patient has been treated in a Phase I dose escalation study of INK1117 in patients with advanced solid malignancies.

12 Oct 2011

Ovarian cancer patients survive longer with BRCA2 mutation in tumors

Among women with a certain type of high-grade ovarian cancer, having BRCA2 genetic mutations, but not BRCA1, was associated with improved overall survival and improved response to chemotherapy, compared to women with BRCA wild-type, according to a study in the October 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Oct 2011

CU Cancer Center test identifies key biomarkers in advanced lung cancer

Researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center have developed a test that identifies key biomarkers in advanced lung cancer that helped reduce the risk of death by 36 percent over a 30- month period in a recent clinical trial.

12 Oct 2011

Counterfeit drugs risk lives, threaten pharmaceutical industry in India

BBC News examines how counterfeit or substandard medicines are threatening India's fast-growing pharmaceutical industry, writing, "Worth over $12 billion, the industry is expected to grow more than four-fold in the coming decade," but fake drugs in the system are risking both the lives of patients and the reputation of drug makers.

12 Oct 2011

NCCN Oncology Research Program wins two GSK grants

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network Oncology Research Program (ORP) has been awarded $4 million in the form of two research grants from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop studies to scientifically evaluate and define GSK2118436, a BRAF inhibitor, and GSK1120212, a MEK1 and MEK2 inhibitor. Previous research has indicated that BRAF mutations are strong targets for therapies in the treatment of advanced melanoma.

12 Oct 2011

India's Aurobindo Pharma first major generic drugmaker to Join UNITAID's Medicines Patent Pool

"India's Aurobindo Pharma has become the first major generic drugmaker to join" the Medicines Patent Pool, launched by the UNITAID health financing system and "designed to make HIV/AIDS treatments more widely available to the poor," Reuters reports.

12 Oct 2011

Isis designates ISIS-AATRx candidate in collaboration with GSK

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has designated the second development candidate, ISIS-AATRx, in its collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline

12 Oct 2011

Activating brown adipose tissue may help combat obesity, type 2 diabetes

Activating a specialized type of fat, known as brown adipose tissue, may help combat obesity as well as result in better glucose control for type 2 diabetes, according to new research conducted by scientists at the UC Metabolic Diseases Institute.

12 Oct 2011

UCLA's screening system can target stem cells responsible for glioblastoma

Researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed and used a high-throughput molecular screening approach that identifies and characterizes chemical compounds that can target the stem cells that are responsible for creating deadly brain tumors.

12 Oct 2011

Study: Emerging pharmaceutical platform may produce undesirable effects on eye function

According to new research by University of Kentucky investigators, an emerging pharmaceutical platform used in treating a variety of diseases may produce unintended and undesirable effects on eye function.

12 Oct 2011

UB scientists discover promising new drug target for Alzheimer's

A tiny piece of a critical receptor that fuels the brain and without which sentient beings cannot live has been discovered by University at Buffalo scientists as a promising new drug target for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

12 Oct 2011

UCSF, Anacor to discover and optimize novel oxaboroles as antimalarial drugs

Anacor Pharmaceuticals announced today that the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) has been awarded $718,136 in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to discover and optimize novel oxaboroles as antimalarial drugs in collaboration with Anacor Pharmaceuticals. The NIH grant provides support for the period beginning September 30, 2011 and ending September 29, 2012.

12 Oct 2011